Array
Welcome To Pro9 - Europe

  Create An Account Home  ·  Topics  ·  Stats  ·  Your Account  ·  Submit News  ·  Top 10 March 19, 2024  

  The Pro Shop


NEW: Buy 2 items (or more) and get a free
upgrade to 1st Class UK postage.

Cuetec Bowtie
Now in Colour!


Cuetec Glove
New NOIR Colour


Black Ingot
Break Cue Tip


Pechauer Naked
Black Ice


Triple 60
Billiard Chalk


Cuetec Pro Line 4x8
Noir Limited Edition


Cuetec Pro Line 2x4
Noir Limited Edition


Aramith
Camouflage

Cue Cube
Dime Radius

Cue Cube
Nickel Radius

Mosconi Cup
Team Europe Lag Ball

Aramith BLACK
Single 9 Ball

Predator P3 REVO
Purple Racer

Predator SP2
Limited Edition Nova

Mezz Sneaky Pete
Purple Heart 2

Kamui
Tip Protectors

Bear
DB-8 / UniLoc Shaft

Hans Delta
Shaft & Ferrule Care

Cuetec HI-TECH
Graphite cue cleaner

Predator Urbain
Black & Yellow 3x5

Predator Urbain
Black & Yellow 2x4

Taom MaxRack
Coming Soon!

Predator P3
Red Tiger

Table Cover
9ft Leatherette

Lucasi
Limited Edition LUX63


Lucasi
Limited Edition LUX58


Viking Two Feather
White Wolf


Cuetec AVID
Opt-X FK Blue


Pechauer
Rogue Carbon Shaft


Aramith BLACK
Orange 5 & 13 Ball


Predator
Pro Billiard Series


Sure Shot
Joint Protector Holder


Predator Air Rush
Red Revenge


Cuetec Pro Line 4x8
New GREY Colour


Cuetec Pro Line 4x8
New NAVY Colour


Cuetec Glove
New GREY Colour


Cuetec Glove
New NAVY Colour


Mezz
ASTR Series


Felt Saver
by Cue Candy


8pt Sneaky Pete
Maple and Rosewood


Last 4 Ever
Combo Tip-Tool


Desk Clock
Ideal Gift


BMC Meucci
Custom Casino 3


4pt Sneaky Pete
Leather emboss wrap


Predator Aspire
Weight Bolts


8pt Sneaky Pete
Leather emboss wrap


High End JPs
Engraved Aluminium


Predator K Series
Iconic Classics 2-3


Predator BK4
No Wrap/Linen/Sports


Kielwood Shafts
11.75mm Torrified


Taom Pro Tips
Back in stock


2 1/4" Table Bowls
Made in England


Mezz
Wavy Joint Protectors


Zan Premium
14mm Soft


Magic Ball Rack
Matchroom Grey


Predator
Black Shadow Hoodie


Predator
White Shadow Hoodie


BMC Meucci
Glass Rose - White


Predator
Crest Billiard Chalk


In Stock Now
Simonis 860


Cuetec AVID Proof
Brown - NW


Cuetec AVID
Low Deflection Shafts


Cuetec AVID Proof
Black - LTW


Predator Pure
3-pc Chalk Sampler


PRO
Inspection Machine


TAOM
Leather Chalk Pouch


HOW
Premium Chalk


Predator P3 Nova
British Racing Green


Moori
Billiard Glove


Predator
Pool Ball Carrier Case


Cuetec Cynergy
SVB Gen 1 Series


BRAD
Cue Scuffer


Aramith BLACK
Back in stock!


Aramith BLACK
Individual cue ball


Cuetec Pro Line
2x4 Hard Case


Cuetec
Alcohol Wipes


Cuetec
Acueweight Kit


Cuetec DUO®
Smart Extension


Cuetec AVID Era
6pt Sneaky Pete


Cuetec AVID Era
Florian Kohler


Cuetec Truewood
Cynergy Walnut


Cuetec Truewood
Cynergy Walnut


Cuetec AVID
11.75 & 12.75mm


Cuetec Truewood
Cynergy Leopard


Cuetec Truewood
Cynergy Leopard


Cuetec Billiard
Microfiber Towel


Cuetec Gloves
All sizes in stock!


Cuetec AVID
Surge Break Cue


Cuetec
Bullet Jump Cue


Pocket Lathe
Portable shaft rollers


Predator
Shorty + Sport Grip


Tiger
Silicone Grip


Longoni
Bohemia


Longoni
No Blue


Predator Throne
Series 3-1


Predator Throne
Series 3-2


Predator Throne
Series 3-3


Predator Throne
Series 3-4


Predator Throne
Series 3-5


Lucasi Rival
3x4 Soft Case


Back In Stock!!!
Folding Cue Holder


Willards Tool
Nickel and Dime


Taom
Midas Gloves


Mid-Cue Extension
1¾ Inch UniLoc


Predator
REVO Wipes


Jacoby BlackOut
Brown - No Wrap


Jacoby BlackOut
Grey - Sport Grip


Rasson Method
Last chance to buy!


5/16x18
Mid-Cue Extension


Predator REVO
SP2 Zebra 1


Fury
Telescopic Extension


Predator 2x4
Special Edition Case


Predator 3x5
Special Edition Case


Taom
Soft Chalk


Predator - Appleton
2x4 Hard Case


Predator Glove
Bold New Colours


Predator Strike
Red Jersey


Predator Strike
Yellow Jersey


Brunswick K55
Cushion Rubber


Predator Air 2
Replacement Bumper


Tiger
Bridge Head


HOW Titan
Japanese Pig Skin


Predator 8 Inch
Exotic Extensions


P3 Bocote Radial
Leather Luxe Wrap


Magic Ball Rack
They are back!


Taom Magnetite
Round Chalk Holder


Predator K-Series
Classics 1-4


Predator K-Series
Classics 1-4


Kamui Athlete
Tip for Carbon Shafts


Predator Aspire
Predator ONE Shaft


Fury Stinger
X-Series Cues


Lucasi Air Hog 2
3-piece jump cue


Magic Rack
Tournament Edition


REVO BK RUSH
Break Cue Shaft


Mezz EC9 Cues
Buy NOW!


Kamui Kageki
Extreme Chalk


Predator TrueSplice
LE Gen 2 Ebony


Predator TrueSplice
LE Gen 2 Curly


Hans Delta
SK-BK1 Break Cue


Jim Rempe
Special Training Ball


Kamui - Training
Diamond Slicer


Exceed
Chalk Holder


Turtle Racks
10 Packs


ProPockets
Free post worldwide!


Pocket Lathe
Free post worldwide!


Predator
AeroRack


Great White Chalk
Thresher Blue


Predator 8-Point
Black/Green Veneers


Predator ARCOS II
Reserve Cue Ball


Predator APEX
9ft Pro Table


Tiger
Sniper Tip


Predator
Ikon4-1


Predator
Ikon4-2


Predator
Ikon4-3


Predator
Ikon4-4


Predator
Ikon4-5


Kamui
Chalk Shark


Speed 2
Affordable UniLoc


Mezz ZC-23
2 butt/3 shaft


Master Pro
K55 Cushion Rubber


Rare Predator
Matt Black BK-2


Lucasi Custom
UniLoc Joint


Lucasi Custom
UniLoc Joint


Lucasi Custom
3/8x10 Joint


Lucasi Custom
3/8x10 Joint


UniLoc Weights
Cartridge System


Mezz Avant
Dual Loading System


Magic Ball Rack
All-In-One


Kamui SAI
Control Break


Ignite 12.2 Shaft
Pre-order NOW!


Accu-Rack
Complete SET


Accu-Rack
DIAMOND 9


Accu-Rack
PRO 10


Predator Roadline
3x5 Black/Yellow


Predator ARCOS
Back in stock!


Aramith Pro Cup
Back in stock!


Taom
V10 Chalk


Tiger Corona
Leather Bridge


Taom
Pool Chalk 2.0


Taom
Pyro Chalk


Longoni
Cuetip Razor


Bulletproof
Break Cue Tip


Meucci Shaft
Carbon Fiber Pro


Predator REVO
11.8, 12.4, & 12.9mm


McDermott
6x6 Sport Case


Nicks Edge
Burnishing Papers


Pechauer
Jump Cue Natural


Pechauer
Jump Cue Black


Predator
Metro Cue Cases


Thor Hammer
Break Cue by Joss


Poison Armor3
2x4 Hard Case


Poison Armor3
2x4 Hard Case


Mezz Glove
Grey / Ambidextrous


BIG BALLS!
2¼" English Pool Balls


HXT-P1 PureX
Multi-Jump/Break


Tiger Icebreaker+
High Density Microcell


BK2 Re-Issue!
In Stock Now!


Arcadia Reserve
Tournament Blue


Predator Exclusive
Best value!


"Super Bat Wing"
The best got better!


Billiards 2021/22
Official Rules/Records


Predator SL 1
Valour Cue by Jacoby


NEW Improved
Magnetic Clip Chalker



TheProShop.biz
Free Post in Europe!
Order now!

  Main Menu

Ron Daniels - An Extraordinary Master Woodworker!
 Posted on Monday, September 24 2012 @ 10:31:46 UTCby admin
General Full Name - Ron Daniels / Mackinac Geeziz (Turtle Sun) Nadishnaquaz
Totem - The Crane / Jai Jauk Dodem
Where From - Mackinac Dodonjaba
Date of Birth - January 1959
Born - St. Ignace, Michigan, USA
Lives - Port Charlotte, Florida, USA
www.twistedturtlecustomcues.com


Ron Daniels - An Extraordinary Master Woodworker!

Pro9 When I first saw your Twisted Turtle Custom cues on Facebook, I was really impressed with your designs. I have never seen anything like them. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?


Ron "Aiinee Boozhoo, (Hello how are you?) I am Ron Daniels a member of the Mackinac Band of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians and The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. I am a proud Anishanaabe Sundancer, Master Woodworker, Musician, Artist."


"Read More..." for Pro9's exclusive interview with Ron Daniels.



Pro9 Ron can you tell us what led you to building Twisted Turtle Custom Cues?


Ron "As a young kid growing up in Michigan, my father was always building things like wooden airplanes, from models to full size airplanes. And he also built almost all our furniture. So my fascination with woodworking began at a young age.

My mother “Crazy Hands” was always making us our clothing, working the gardens, canning vegetables. We always had projects going on. My dad and I would build model airplanes then fly them. It was a part of my upbringing working with our hands. On the weekends my dad and my uncles would pull out their electric guitars and have little jam sessions. They were major inspirations to who I am today.

I became a cue maker, the same way I’ve done other things in my life. At one time a boss of mine questioned me as to why I was looking at the blueprint for a home we were building. I said to him that I was just checking it out. He said to me that I didn’t know what a print was nor would I ever be able to read one and build a home from it. Man that floored me and my life was changed forever! At the time I was just a twenty two year old grunt on a carpentry crew. Within four months I had taken my boss’s job, and went on to lead a finish carpentry crew of fifty eight men. My crew built a custom resort on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida for the DuPont family.

My cues were really a result of playing around in my custom wood shop. I was building a custom jewelry box and I wanted to bend shapes in the lid, not inlays but solid so when the lid was opened, the shapes would be visible from the inside also. There was a local cue maker near my shop, and he would often stop by and go thru my scraps to build his cues with. One day I wondered what these laminations I was working on would look like if they were turned on a lathe. So I made up a blank and I gave it to the cue maker to turn for me. About an hour later he came dancing thru my parking lot with the turned piece. His eyes were wide and he was smiling from ear to ear! Neither one of us could believe what we were seeing! On that summer day in 2004 Twisted Turtle Custom Cues was born.

I retained a patent attorney the next day, and began filing my paperwork for a patent. In November of 2004 I received my US Method of Manufacture Patent US#6,814,113 B1. After seeing the turned piece and the way it looked I figured that pool cues would be a natural fit for this “Twisted “manufacturing process."


The Hurricane Charley Cue - from windfallen Grapefruit tree with 9 extreme twists


Pro9 So Ron I understand you are of Native American decent, can you tell me a bit about your tribe, and how being born into that culture has affected your younger years, and your later adult years?


Ron "I am a proud member of the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians, as well as a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. My mother’s side of my family is all Ottawa but only the most basic Traditions of this culture survived.

One of the traditions was working with your hands. Most Ottawa were comfortable in the woods and our culture has a history of our relationship with the many varieties of trees.

One of my Grandfathers was a boat builder and another was a partner in a lumber mill. The Ottawa had treaties with the State of Michigan in the early treaty years to supply the State with trees and lumber. I think working with wood just came natural because of my cultural heritage.

For several hundred years native children were taken from their families by virtue of “being Indian” but that is not what happened to me. Growing up we always enjoyed the outdoors, camping, fishing, hunting, building fires. This is very normal for a native child. We are instilled with a sense of community and we never let anyone go hungry, if your neighbor had a garden, you help them pull the weeds, if the neighbor needs his roof fixed, we all jumped in and helped get the work done. We always had respect for the people and each other. So my mother and her family have helped raise me and my family with the values of ancient native ways.

There is an esoteric aspect that my culture brings to the art building a unique Custom Cue. Seeking out a tree that has been blown over by the wind or struck by lighting, every cue has its own story. That is part of what the Ottawa always do.

Being Indian today (citizen of a sovereign nation) the Earth and the U.S.A. has a historical connection. Working with wood and practicing ceremony in harvesting and processing my cues, is keeping alive the teachings for the younger ones."


The Pacific Islanders Cue, “Anohui” a name meaning “Patient and Persevering”


Pro9 Well Ron we are very happy that you decided to put your beautiful wood creations into Pool Cues! What made you come to the conclusion that Pool Cues is where you wanted to focus your talents and skills?


Ron "When I saw how the designs looked more diverse and pronounced in a turned piece as opposed to something that would be square or flat, the first thing that came to my mind was how the beauty and dimensional qualities that we can now see would be striking in a pool cue. In my estimation the most diverse and exotic woods and combinations of them were to be found in pool cues.

You know, a long round stick made from a single piece of wood can make a fine playable pool cue. But when you see all the pool cues that are out there Wow! Points (as in full spliced cues), Inlays (often of very exotic materials), ring work, and exotic animal leather wraps, I am amazed at the way some players dress up there cues. None of these additions enhance the playability of the cue at all. The players themselves are the ones that appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of custom cues. That is why I decided to build custom cues."

Pro9 Ron, can you tell us how your native traditions affect your designs, and are you attempting to relate a story or feeling when you build these cues?


Ron "Yes Dave when I was starting my business, I wanted to honor my elders’ wishes. That is why ceremony is practiced in honor of Mitakuye Oyasin (All my relations). All of my Twisted Turtle Custom Cues are built with that respect for the creator and the materials that he provides us which we use to build theses Cues.

The woods that I use generally come from my travels to places around the country and usually end up presenting themselves to me and I know that they will become a beautiful cue. I like to try to relate a story with the woods. I have a new one I’m just finishing up and the wood came from a man that bought these slabs of Kamani from the natives in Hawaii. He brought the slabs to Alaska then to Florida, he had been holding onto them for 15 years! I was looking at his tools in a garage sale and I was like whoa, what’s up with theses slabs? I figured they must have been meant for me so I bought them all. With a small piece of Peruvian walnut and some curly maple I made this cue that is for the Hawaiian natives and the Peruvian natives and the beautiful ocean that is between them. Its my Pacific Islanders Cue I call her “Anohui” a name given to me by an artist friend from Hawaii which means “Patient and Persevering” So yes some of my cues do have a story to them.

I have others too like my neighbors grapefruit tree that was blown into my yard from Hurricane Charley in 2004. When I cut up the tree the wood was a brilliant bright yellow and very hard and dense, I made one cue with the wood so far it’s called the Hurricane Charley Cue. I have enough material to build about 7 cues and that will be it. That cue can be seen on my website."


The Canary Wood Cue - with Panga Panga twists and Ebony forearm & butt.

Pro9So Ron your cues really do have stories to them and I appreciate your candid answers regarding them. Can you tell us a little about how your cues are made and what you construction preferences are?


Ron "Chi Megwiich (Many Thanks) Dave!

As Anishanaabe I begin each day with a small offering of Sacred Sema (Tobacco) offering a breath of life into the Sema and offer the Sema to the four directions. When I begin to work on my cues, music or art, I always burn sage. The smoke from the sage purifies our spirit and our intentions while we work. I Fan the smoke with an eagle feather from my smudge to myself my tools and the woods that will be used for making my cues. It is important to honor the sacrifice of the trees because they give up their lives for us. To some it may seem unusual, to me it’s natural to honor that sacrifice, and to feel certain that each and every cue I make reflects the beauty, grace and life that we call trees.

Yes these cues are results of many construction techniques that I have had to develop over the years. I had to virtually build my own tools and presses to facilitate this construction method. Coming up with the design was just the beginning. After a few years of trial and error I have refined my process that I use to produce my custom cues. Truly one of a kind custom designs, There is nowhere else on our earth that you will find these cues other than from me. I could build traditional designs but I figured there are a lot of fine cue makers out there that already make them and how could I improve upon them, or why would I want too. So it may be the hardest path to follow but I’m enjoying chasing the dream and not the competition.

For construction I like using a 3/8-10 x 3” radial stainless pin for the joint and I like the joints to have that wood to wood connection no matter what ring work we do. A lot of woods have different densities and weights so at times we cannot control what the end resulting weights are but we are careful to consider the balance points and use a weight bolt system to make sure the playability of these cues is at its optimum level. The handles and shafts are shaped with a pro parabolic taper, shaft tips are standard 13mm the joints are 21.25mm and the butt measurement is 31.5mm. And of course we can provide custom shafts, tapers, joint connectors of preference for our customers. My standard shafts are made using seasoned hard rock maple, and tipped with Tiger Everest medium tips, and we can also provide other shafts desired like OB 1 and 2, Predators, and others.

At this time I have only one of a kind cues and a series I call my”crossfire” design. My website has a lot of pictures and information on the cues I have built and what I currently have available. It is www.twistedturtlecustomcues.com I will gladly work with clients to come up with a design that pleases them utilizing any combination of woods, veneers, shafts, tips, rings and my twisted creations. Regretfully we cannot ship pre ban ivory out side of the U.S.A. due to the bans on its export from America."


Pro9 Thanks for sharing so much with us Ron - I really appreciate getting such an insight into the fascinating culture and unique process that goes into making each of your beautiful cues.


Ron " Dave, Chi Megwiich for the opportunity to introduce myself and my custom cues to the European and UK communities! It is an honor to be a part of Pro9 website and forum!

Debwewin, gwayakwaadiziwin, minadendamowin. Bamaapii Negee Ron. (Truth, honesty, respect, until we meet or speak again friend)."



Learn more about...
www.saulttribe.com
www.facebook.com/TwistedTurtleCues
www.facebook.com/pages/Mackinac-Bands-Of-Chippewa-and-Ottawa-Indians











Enjoy the article? Now try this...



View Pro9's front page!

Chat about this article in our forums.

Visit The Pro Shop to see new cues and gadgets.

Check out the Pro9.co.uk calendar for details of more events.


 

  General


Comments


"Ron Daniels - An Extraordinary Master Woodworker!" | Login/Create Account | 0 comments
Threshold
The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.





PRO9 has established an outstanding reputation as Europes No.1 source for information on American Pool in the UK and Europe. Upcoming tournament details, prompt match reporting, exclusive images by talented photographers, superb articles by expert pundits, active pool related forums, player profiles and a very sophisticated membership - basically, an incredible information resource for the American style game in Europe.
Since it launched, PRO9 has become compulsory reading, not just for the UKs pool players, but to hundreds and thousands of pool obsessives from around the world every single day.
PRO9s members range from professional pool players, cue-sports enthusiasts, club managers, tournament organisers, pool fans and aficionados, as well as various "movers and shakers" in the cue-sports field, including entrepreneurs in the wholesale and retail sector, as well as magazine editors and television sports promoters.
Growing more and more popular every single year, PRO9 is the best placed vehicle for the promotion of your pool club, billiards brand, associated products, services and opportunities in the truly massive pan-European billiard market.
If you qre reading this, you should check out www.Pro9.co.uk for yourself!
Please use these logos and text in your links to www.Pro9.co.uk - thank you.

Forum rules: No advertising, no links to businesses/shops/eBay, no swearing, respect our sponsors and each other, no hate!

Flag Counter
Flag counter installed Monday 11 November 2013


All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner.
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest © 2006-2020 by Big Dave at Pro9.co.uk.

This web site was made with myPHPNuke, a web portal system written in PHP.
myPHPNuke is Free Software released under the GNU/GPL license.

Anyone read this bit down here???


You can syndicate our news using the file
backend.php or ultramode.txt


  




































































































































Page took 0.117449 seconds to load.