ZAM Ebony & BEM — Lazy Z
Our Story
Beginnings in Jackson, Tennessee
Bill McDaniel grew up around the game. His family owned McDaniel Amusements, operating pool tables throughout Jackson, Tennessee. While his father serviced the equipment, young Bill stacked pop-bottle crates around the table just to reach — and started winning. By the 1960s and early ’70s he was a regular tournament player, studying what the best competitors were using and how their cues felt.
From Player to Maker
After earning a business degree, Bill combined his education, artistic eye, and love of billiards to pursue cue making. Early on he spoke with George Balabushka, whose guidance helped set his direction. Bill later became close with Tim Scruggs, eventually partnering in Tim’s shop. His first cues echoed Balabushka—short-splice four-pointers with veneers—before evolving into the recognizable McDaniel language: meticulous inlays, clean ringwork, and a uniquely lively hit.
Logos, Joints & Innovations
Bill introduced the stylized MC and shark logos and, by request, hand-signed special cues. He has long favored the classic 5/16-14 piloted joint and in 1993 invented a shock-absorbing ring beneath stainless joints—wood never touches steel—aimed at delivering an ivory-like feel. Options also include a 3/8-11 flat-faced joint in steel, phenolic, or ivory. By 1994 he’d adopted CNC—well ahead of the curve—refining both design and repeatable precision through the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Peers & Provenance
Collectors who love Scruggs and Tony “Black Boar” Scianella often appreciate McDaniel’s blend of engineering and elegance. The cues sit comfortably among that rarified company—built to be played, finished to be collected.
The Baltimore Bullet
Fact, not folklore: the famed Baltimore Bullet cue was built by Bill for the production and used in the movie—not a later tribute. It remains one of the most recognizable on-screen cues and a testament to Bill’s reputation beyond the tournament floor.
Retirement, Reflection & Rebirth
Health challenges and an opportunity to sell the shop led Bill to step back in the mid-2000s. After more than a decade of retirement—though never far from thinking about cues—his passion found a new chapter.
Chase Channell & the Return
Chase Channell, a West Virginia native and competitive player turned automotive executive, kept the cue flame alive as a collector searching for “the perfect hit.” Though misinformation once suggested Bill had passed, Chase learned the truth and put out a local radio call in Jackson hoping to meet him. Luck obliged: the two met for lunch at Logan’s on December 14, 2016 and immediately hit it off. Games of one-pocket, long conversations about what makes a cue a true instrument, and Chase’s own woodworking background (inspired by his grandfather, master pattern-maker Harry Kepner) set the stage.
In 2019 they bought their first lathe and began the careful revival of McDaniel cue-making—sharing progress with the community ever since. Join the conversation in our Facebook group: Bill McDaniel Custom Cue.
“I build cues to be played — and to be treasured.”
