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Growing up in the New York City area in the 1960s and 1970s gave Robert Manzino the opportunity to watch some of the great players of that era. Bob was very observant of playing styles and also the cues that were popular. By the age of twenty, he was addicted to the game and started collecting pool cues. While working as a machinist, Bob often thought of learning more about cue construction. His interest was side tracked as he pursued a career in the marine industry. Several years ago, Bob began doing cue repairs for some of the local pool halls in South Florida where he lives. Working with a small lathe and tooling skills acquired early on, he learned about fine cue construction. In 1994, Bob invested in a larger lathe more suitable for cue building, a manual pantograph, and enough woodworking machinery to construct his first high quality cue. It played well, so Bob was encouraged by friends and local players. Bob initially was able to deliver up to 40 one-of-a-kind cues per year even while constantly expanding the shop which now includes several lathes, a precision milling machine, and a spray booth. As the inlay patterns got more elaborate, he enlisted his wife, Dany, to help with new designs. Bob now finds he can only produce 12 to 20 new cues each year.
In the past five years they've been building some unique
triple-milled point blanks, which have proven to yield a more solid forearm than
the traditional veneer blank. Bob prefers bird's-eye maple and ebony for their
consistency in balance and beauty. He also enjoys working with pure (.999)
silver, ivory, exotic burls, and Madagascar rosewood. Only top grade rock maple
is used for shaft wood, well-seasoned between turns. Inlays are done by hand on
a pantograph. Manzino cues often feature intricate rings using scroll or chain
motifs created from materials such as pure silver, 14-karat gold, ebony, and
ivory. Early Manzino cues were hand-signed, usually on the forearm. Since 1999
he has identified his cues by marking the top of his custom pins with "MANZINO".
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