It was a pleasure visiting with Eric, he does some fantastic
Work with the machines that he uses.
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Cue lathe
- Thread starter Billiard Architect
- Start date
It was a pleasure visiting with Eric, he does some fantastic
Work with the machines that he uses.
If I could only have one lathe ( I have a dedicated taper machine ), I'd steal Searing's Clausing lathe. 
A 12 by 40 old American steel ( in great shape ) with a motor at the bottom and has VFD would be my choice.
A 12 by 40 old American steel ( in great shape ) with a motor at the bottom and has VFD would be my choice.
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If I could only have one lathe ( I have a dedicated taper machine ), I'd steal Searing's Clausing lathe.
A 12 by 40 old American steel ( in great shape ) with a motor at the bottom and has VFD would be my choice.
Here you go... prices have gradually gotten worse and worse.....
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Kim,
I am surprised by your response above.
You have always degraded smaller cue lathes as being inadequate in so many ways to your metal lathes that you have. You have said it is the only way to make a cue correctly.
Gary
Hi Gary, no I have never stated that a cue only can be made on a metal lathe, and I have both metal lathes and Taig based lathes myself.
What I`m saying is that if you got the space and have a permanent location, I don`t see why you wouldn`t go with a 12x36 or 13x40 lathe. The cost is pretty much the same and the sturdyness, combined with proper dials, DRO options, the ability to thread, a strong motor that have no problem with things like coring and the fact that you can turn metal and other hard materials like LBM and G10 much easier than on a Taig or other dedicated cue lathes.
If some cuemakers never turn a piece of metal or any other hard material, that`s fine, we all work differently. Just yesterday I used my metal lathe and collet chuck to turn down threads on some 5/16-14 rods, to make a few semi quick release pins.
That`s an example of a job that would been "impossible" or atleast taken a very long time on most dedicated cue lathes.
There is something to be said for the weight of a metal lathe as a positive thing too. Yes it`s by no means easy to move like a Cuesmith or Model B, but the weight makes the whole thing alot more stable and you have to be doing something seriously wrong to get that thing to vibrate or even worse, move!
I don`t have a sexy hunk of metal like the Clausing linked to above or a Monarch or Hardinge, wich I would love to own one day. But some more generic asian made lathes.
The one I use the most for tips, threading shafts, installig collars etc. Is a optimum 250x550 with DRO, an upgraded chuck and a QCTP setup. I think I payed the equivalent of $1500 for that lathe and it`s been with me 3 years allready, not needing any thing else than a few oil changes and a new belt.
Something I have seen a lot in these type discussions is a requirement for heavy lathes for the purpose of cutting vibration and having more power. It's such a common argument that I have to wonder about the machining knowledge/awareness of the cue makers who use it. That's not a knock on anybody, nor am I saying those who argue that sentiment aren't good a making cues. That's not my point at all, so please nobody take offense.
When I was in machining school, it was a constant recurring lesson in medium awareness. Going from high carbon steel to aluminum meant a significant adjustment of spindle speed, feed rate, cut depth, and cutter profile. In many cases it even meant a change in cutter material. The dynamics change dramatically from one medium to another, yet all were metals. Now imagine the dynamics swing going from steel to wood. I have worked as a machinist & have a fair educational background in it, but I'd never consider myself a master machinist by any stretch. That said, I do have a grasp on understanding medium:machine dynamics. I'm not so sure a lot of cue makers do, and wonder if a basic machining class would significantly help. It's easy to learn lathe functions, but is another matter altogether learning how to work with different materials.
When you use tooling that is not designed for the medium, you get vibration. Depending on feed rate, bite, and spindle speed ratio, you may get severe vibration. When working wood with a cutter designed for carbon steel, there will be a lot of load up, not enough relief. It'll vibrate, tear, etc. It won't be pretty. On a small cue lathe, the entire machine is likely to reflect that vibration, where a heavy machine lathe will absorb it. The vibration is NOT the problem. It's a symptom of the larger problem. Using a metal lathe for the purpose of cutting vibration is only masking the problem that you aren't using proper machining technique.
I'm not trying to & will not argue which lathe is best for cues. IMO, the machine doesn't matter so long as it has all functions required. The important thing is the relationship between the medium and the tooling. Can a metal lathe absorb more abuse than a cue lathe? Of course it can. My question is why that should be a factor in the first place?
When I was in machining school, it was a constant recurring lesson in medium awareness. Going from high carbon steel to aluminum meant a significant adjustment of spindle speed, feed rate, cut depth, and cutter profile. In many cases it even meant a change in cutter material. The dynamics change dramatically from one medium to another, yet all were metals. Now imagine the dynamics swing going from steel to wood. I have worked as a machinist & have a fair educational background in it, but I'd never consider myself a master machinist by any stretch. That said, I do have a grasp on understanding medium:machine dynamics. I'm not so sure a lot of cue makers do, and wonder if a basic machining class would significantly help. It's easy to learn lathe functions, but is another matter altogether learning how to work with different materials.
When you use tooling that is not designed for the medium, you get vibration. Depending on feed rate, bite, and spindle speed ratio, you may get severe vibration. When working wood with a cutter designed for carbon steel, there will be a lot of load up, not enough relief. It'll vibrate, tear, etc. It won't be pretty. On a small cue lathe, the entire machine is likely to reflect that vibration, where a heavy machine lathe will absorb it. The vibration is NOT the problem. It's a symptom of the larger problem. Using a metal lathe for the purpose of cutting vibration is only masking the problem that you aren't using proper machining technique.
I'm not trying to & will not argue which lathe is best for cues. IMO, the machine doesn't matter so long as it has all functions required. The important thing is the relationship between the medium and the tooling. Can a metal lathe absorb more abuse than a cue lathe? Of course it can. My question is why that should be a factor in the first place?
I think it's a little tough to argue what lathe or lathes are best b/c we don't know what the other makers' processes are .
Ernie G. has multiple metal lathes. He said each one is a dedicated machine.
Hell, his ring cutter alone is worth thousands.https://youtu.be/zpl9ANYjjWE?t=576
Collet chuck, variable speed and all. Just sick.
Tad had 17 metal lathes in his shop.
Searing has a few Jet and Clausing and a Porper .
Ernie G. has multiple metal lathes. He said each one is a dedicated machine.
Hell, his ring cutter alone is worth thousands.https://youtu.be/zpl9ANYjjWE?t=576
Collet chuck, variable speed and all. Just sick.
Tad had 17 metal lathes in his shop.
Searing has a few Jet and Clausing and a Porper .
That was the business model for more than a few top cue makers, set up and ran like a machine shop, which it was. They may have had employees running those machines too. If you were trying to sell overseas you had better have the shop to fill an order.
Even without workers running those other machines, it is just more efficient AND more accurate to have dedicated machines.
Regardless of specific machine choice, having dedicated machines/jigs makes all the difference.
Your right about that, but the entry cost is high enough as it is. You got to start with one good piece of equipment and take it from there :smile:
If it helps swing you toward a Deluxe Cue Smith the new model with 3/4 HP motor can do live threading under power instead of having to hand turn it, provided you get the thread milling option. The motor will also slow down slow enough to put Cue Cote Epoxy Finish on without an extra gear motor.
Well I went and pulled the trigger on this... Enco 111-3320. Spindle bore 1.5 inches. 40 inches between centers an 35 inches from jaws on chuck to point of drill chuck when fully extended. Does metric and standard threads from 4 to 112 pi. It was a canabalization machine in a machine shop. 3 phase motor replaced by a single phase.
So my question is what is the cheapest way to move a 1650lb lathe?
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3 phase is gone. Beggars cannot be choosers. Doesn't mean I can't get one later. I will call around for a lift gate truck today. Thanks guys.
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