Meet The Cuemaker
Cory Barnhart By MICHELLE HUGHES Social Media Specialist Biggelbachs.com
From custom homes to custom cues, this guy can do it all. Today we say hello to Cory Barnhart of Barnhart Cues in this month’s “Meet the Cue Maker”.
C
ory Barnhart, 51, is a lifelong resident of Martinsburg, West Virginia. There he resides with his wife Michelle and their 2 children; daughter Morgan and son Alex, ages 16 and 14. When he was young and before Cory ever even touched a cue, he had the dream of becoming a commercial diver. Sadly, it wasn’t in the cards for him due to medical issues with his inner ear and he was forced to pursue another direction. With a father that owned a construction business, a mother that sold real estate and a sister as a mortgage lend-
12 | Billiards Buzz • February 2022
er, it made sense to stay in the same field opting to go into construction. He obtained both an electrician’s and plumber’s license and became proficient in cabinet making along with anything else that involved wood working. These skills would lead to a successful career in building custom homes and eventually owning his own construction company. Cory’s introduction to pool began in his 20’s when he started playing in local leagues and tournaments. He quickly got hooked but it wasn’t un-
til the 2nd annual Super Billiards Expo in 1994 that he first decided to try his hand in cue building. It was there, he purchased materials from Prather to build his own jump cue. Due to his background, he already had experience in woodwork along with all the tools required to build the cue. He even had a workspace available in his detached garage at home. After the jump cue turned out a success, he decided he wanted to pursue the hobby further. In 1995, Cory established Barnhart Cues with a goal in mind of joining the American Cuemakers Association (ACA). He began accumulating all the necessary equipment, most of which was acquired from short term cue makers that came and went. For a few years, cue building was just something Cory did after work instead of watching TV. Remaining just a hobby, he didn’t have much free time after spending 60-80 hours each week building custom homes. The cues he did build were then mostly gifted to friends. As time went on and the quality of his cues became more well known, he began devoting more time to the growing business. It was after meeting legendary cue maker Tim Scruggs that validated Cory was heading in the right direction. As it was his first time visiting another’s workshop, he asked Tim for advice on builds and
