COKER CUSTOM CUES

Maker of pool cues from 1990 to present in Sacramento, California.

Tom Coker manufactured jewelry for fifteen years until he had to quit after suffering a massive heart attack. He took it easy for about three years after that, and played a lot of golf. Tom and his wife played pool as a hobby, and Tom missed making things. Tom told a friend that he was thinking about trying to make cues for himself and his wife for something to do. His friend told him he was crazy, that cuemaking was the most difficult form of woodworking. Considered a perfectionist by his friends, Tom was committed to making the best cues he could possibly make. After countless hours and investing over ten thousand dollars in equipment and materials, Tom turned out a couple of cues he was happy with. He loved making cues more than anything he had ever done, and he was so far in at that point that he made the commitment to start making cues full time.

Early Coker cues were unmarked and can be difficult to identify. In 1995, Tom started signing "Coker Cues" in the forearms followed by the month and the last two digits of the year it was completed. In 1996, Coker cues started to feature bumpers that have "Coker" molded into them. Tom used a polyurethane finish until 1998, when he switched to a superior polyester finish. In early 2003, Tom switched to an ultra-violet finish.
Today Tom splices his own blanks and has made two-, three-, four-, five-, six-, eight-, and ten-point cues with the help of his son, Grady. Tom is known for being able to inlay a customer's profile into the base of his floating points. Tom has found that it was much easier to make jewelry. Since the latter part of 2003, Tom's wife, Michi, has had responsibility for all of the CNC designing and inlaying of floating points, point inlays, and butt and sleeve inlays. Tom and Grady make everything in Coker cues except for the tips and screws. They also makes components for other cuemakers.

Coker cues are guaranteed for life against manufacturing defects that are not the result of warpage or abuse.