Cue Rack

[Dushus]

This idea has been floating through my head for a number of years now. When my parents first moved into their house, me and my father made a simple straight pool cue rack that just mounted to the wall.It was made from scrap douglas fir and some white wood that came off a pallet methinks. Functional, and after lots of sanding and finishing, it looked decent. That rack served us well for many years but I think that its time for a new one.

The bottom and top pieces are going to be joined with a polished brass pole that is roughly 6 feet high. Ive searched online and found some brass handrails and the flanges that I would need to secure the pole to the top and bottom so the two rotate at the same time. The pole will extend higher than the top platform so when the cues are leaning towards the center, the pole can still be secured to the wall at the top and allow for 360 degrees travel.

Wood choices are an afterthought at this point but I do like the look of heavily contrasting woods. I was thinking of going with a walnut base with curly maple inlay. Would the curliness of the maple be distracting with the straight grain patterns of the walnut?

My original idea for the top plate had the cues wind through a zig-zag slot so when the piece is spun a bit over zealously by a child (which I know is going to happen at some point) it would remain in the rack. The rack that is currently in use is using plastic clips bought from the billiards store but personally, I don't really like them. I find it really hard to put plastic on any piece that I put this much work into. In the end, I finally decided to just bite the bullet and design the piece with the clips because I thought that the zags would just be too much work to insert and remove the cue every time I wanted to play. Any suggestions to tackle this that don't involve those clips would be greatly appreciated.

Now here comes one of the problems. Ive included a closeup image of what I am talking about here. I want to add some kind of a profile to at least the top of the platforms and probably the bottoms too. Now this might be as simple as a 1/4 roundover. (in fact, that's really where I am leaning) In order to get the right angle on the plastic clips, I need to bevel the edge of the slot closest to the center. This is where my problem arises. How to I round over the sides and leave a perfect bevel if the piece is solid built? How would I cut the bevel in the first place? My first thought would be to make a wood template at the bevel angle and guide my chisel along it to chop away that material while making sure to keep it on a backing surface to prevent tearout but that would be pretty hard. The grain direction is going to be changed with every slot because I'm going around a circle. There has to be a simpler solution to this problem that I am just not seeing.

Any other comments would be appreciated. I'm really excited to get this all worked out in my head and into sketchup.

[Bombarde16]

How many cues are we talking about? On the surface, a spinning caddy looks like you're over-engineering the problem. A straight rack mounted to the wall would take less floor space and would be less tempting for kids.

That said, if something is worth doing it is worth overdoing. If one were to create a spinning caddy and one wanted to avoid using mechanical clips, you need to create a friction fit of some sort that grips the cue. In the top, instead of slots with straight sides, you'll cut a wedge shape and line it with something compressible and not slippery. (Perhaps a thick layer of felt) The fact that the opening is pie-shaped means that you wouldn't have to precisely size each opening.

Good hunting

[Pete Bennett]

If your cues are all about the same size you could drill slightly over sized holes around the rim of the top piece and form a pocket in the base beneath where each cue will sit. That way they should stay put unless your kid is really trying in which case they'll have 'em out no matter what. All you'd need to do when you wanted a cue would be to lift it from the pocket and withdraw it at an angle and hey presto you're into a game. You could even turn up some contrasting rings and inlay them around the holes and even the pockets.

Just an idea.

Pete

[Dushus]

We have 6 cues plus a bridge if the bulky end doesn't get in the way. I think that everyone that wants a cue has their own at this point so I don't see that number changing any time soon.

Perhaps I am overdoing it but, again, this has been going though my mind for some years now and its inevitable that it will be built.

I think that the friction fit would work nicely Rob. I think that I would use some kind of foam instead though just for that extra staying power if I went that way.

I think that cutting an over-sized hole would force me to mount the piece too high Id like the top inlay to be be noticed. If it was high, you would also notice that there is no inlay on the bottom of the top platform.

[jHop]

My brother in law plays pool. Not just a little, either. He is a member of no less than three leagues at a time, and plays at least four nights a week. His cues (yes, he has more than one) tend to stay in the cases he has. the only cues that stay in the rack at home are the ones dedicated to breaking, the "shorty" he keeps for some shots (it is 18 inches shorter than the average cue, but still fits into the store bought rack) and occasionally the bridge.

I mention this because you might need to add storage space for cases, from hard sided cases to soft ones, and everything in between. (he has one case that holds three cues. It does not see much use, believe it or not. Maybe for two tournaments a year.)

If you are going to build a spinning rack, you will need someplace to store extra chalk. Perhaps a closed compartment underneath the top?

If you put a cup, or dished end, or even a section of brass pipe embedded in the base to keep the ends stored. If you put them closer to the outside, remember to angle them slightly.

some racks are lined with foam to protect the cues. There are a couple different types of foam, ranging from really stiff to super soft, and can also scuff the surface of the cue. Spring loaded clips are great, but expensive. You could line a hole with a soft fabric, like the felt mentioned earlier, and slide a dowel over the open end of the slot to keep the cues installed.

If you install a J shaped slot, and rest the cue against the lower end of the slot, you can set the dowel pointed outward. if you want to hide the dowel, put a "twist lock" on the end of the sides, or a pin similar to the one Marc used for the keepsake box.

instead of flanges, what about decorative splines that connect the wheels to the pole? It requires a slot cut into the pole, but it can add a decorative touch. I'd pick either ebonized maple or a plywood where you dye the alternating internal layers for the contrast.