I found a wood lathe around 30inches long for like 60 bucks. Could I fabricate simple cues with this lathe? I dont have money for big expensive machinery. I just want something cheap to get my feet wet in cue building.
Wood Lathes?
- Thread starter The Prodigy
- Start date
You need a longer lathe to hold a cue between centers. Try 36" minimum.
Do yourself a big favor. Stop where you are. Do a search for Cueman on the internet. Find Chris Hightowers web site this way and buy his cue building book. This will be your best money spent. It will answer all of your questions. It will save you alot of time and money. Most everybody else on here will give you the same answer by the way.
Jim.
Will do, thanks Jim.
Definitely get Chris's book. Its a great reference and you won't deal with a nicer person than him!
In terms of cue building, wood lathes aren't good for a whole lot. They are not precise enough and usually not powerful enough. The best use for a wood lathe in my opinion is final sanding and shaft cleaning. I have one and it works great for shaft cleaning and sanding but as far as "making" cues, not really.
Hope this helps some.
Dave
In terms of cue building, wood lathes aren't good for a whole lot. They are not precise enough and usually not powerful enough. The best use for a wood lathe in my opinion is final sanding and shaft cleaning. I have one and it works great for shaft cleaning and sanding but as far as "making" cues, not really.
Hope this helps some.
Dave
Larry,
Don't dismiss your find too quickly. Wood lathes have their place in the cue-builder's shop. I have 3 of them and use them on a daily basis.
I build/construct the cues on larger metal lathes but the wood lathes are indispensable for several operations during the building process.
I use a wood lathe for sanding. I use another for wrapping.
The basis of my spray booth operation is a modified wood lathe. I'm currently building a dowelling machine based on a wood lathe.
The price is right and if you're serious about building, you'll find the wood lathe to be a very welcome addition to your shop.