lathe
- Thread starter D-Rock
- Start date
I think you need pics or a link.....
dave sutton
Banned
its perfect... keep up the good work and good luck
sorry, here is the link
http://www.smithy.com/product_specs.php?cid=1&scid=29&pid=1016
If you don't want to answer me then don't. You don't need to mock me because of another post I did.
http://www.smithy.com/product_specs.php?cid=1&scid=29&pid=1016
If you don't want to answer me then don't. You don't need to mock me because of another post I did.
You better be serious, cue building is not a kids game!!!
yes it would, you could go spend 20k on an amazing metal lathe and you still have to tool it out to build cues. Lathes are not built to cut tapers. And tapers are what makes a cue a cue. Not to mention you want and need at least 30" of travel to be able to work on cues.
If you want to build cues, then send hightower $3,000 and go spend another 2k on wood/parts and materials.
You can search high and low but 4-5k is the cheapest your going to get to build a cue thats worth a dam, you also have to learn to season wood properly, and do all the work. Some cuemakers give lessons and usually start at around $2,000 for basic cue building lessons.
If you think its easy, think again....you could spend 10k on a cue monster and still build a POS cue, believe me I know some that have.
You also have to learn to finish the cues, which is an art all by itself. My grandfather was a master carpenter and wood turner, my father is a hell of a wood worker himself...I knew quite a bit about cue construcion before I ever put my hands on a lathe, and was apprenticed by a 20yr cue maker...I learned its just as hard to learn to build a great cue as it is to play great pool. Just like playing you can find that just because you been making a few and they turned out good, your next one could end up as fire wood.
If your not SUPER SERIOUS about building cues, and don't have $$$ to blow...because you will LOSE MONEY. Then I suggest you stick to buying cues, because its not for slackers, or the faint of heart. You may work on a cue for months only to have it turned out a POS, or the shaft you been turning down slowly for a year all of a sudden warps its ass off and becomes fire wood.
Not to bring up old stuff, but this was all the reason you got beat up by your comments about the warranty issues. Because building cues is hard, even if its a POS cue...its still hard. Your working with wood, a product that has built in stresses and other natural qualities. So there is a ton to learn, and even if you build the PERFECT cue, there's still the GREAT chance that the customer is going to F*K it up with scotchbrite pads, leaving it in their trunk, etc....
It's not a kids game, but best of luck if thats what you want to do.
Grey Ghost
yes it would, you could go spend 20k on an amazing metal lathe and you still have to tool it out to build cues. Lathes are not built to cut tapers. And tapers are what makes a cue a cue. Not to mention you want and need at least 30" of travel to be able to work on cues.
If you want to build cues, then send hightower $3,000 and go spend another 2k on wood/parts and materials.
You can search high and low but 4-5k is the cheapest your going to get to build a cue thats worth a dam, you also have to learn to season wood properly, and do all the work. Some cuemakers give lessons and usually start at around $2,000 for basic cue building lessons.
If you think its easy, think again....you could spend 10k on a cue monster and still build a POS cue, believe me I know some that have.
You also have to learn to finish the cues, which is an art all by itself. My grandfather was a master carpenter and wood turner, my father is a hell of a wood worker himself...I knew quite a bit about cue construcion before I ever put my hands on a lathe, and was apprenticed by a 20yr cue maker...I learned its just as hard to learn to build a great cue as it is to play great pool. Just like playing you can find that just because you been making a few and they turned out good, your next one could end up as fire wood.
If your not SUPER SERIOUS about building cues, and don't have $$$ to blow...because you will LOSE MONEY. Then I suggest you stick to buying cues, because its not for slackers, or the faint of heart. You may work on a cue for months only to have it turned out a POS, or the shaft you been turning down slowly for a year all of a sudden warps its ass off and becomes fire wood.
Not to bring up old stuff, but this was all the reason you got beat up by your comments about the warranty issues. Because building cues is hard, even if its a POS cue...its still hard. Your working with wood, a product that has built in stresses and other natural qualities. So there is a ton to learn, and even if you build the PERFECT cue, there's still the GREAT chance that the customer is going to F*K it up with scotchbrite pads, leaving it in their trunk, etc....
It's not a kids game, but best of luck if thats what you want to do.
Grey Ghost
I was looking at that lathe because it can pull double duty for me. If I need to build a part for a car with it I can, I thought I could get into some cue making as a hobby at the same time. I wouldn't buy one just for cue's and I wouldn't buy one just for fabrication, because it wouldn't warrent the money spent. but if I can get one to use for both maybe I can justify in my head spending that money (plus its a tax write-off for the shop).
The milling attachment would get in the way for cue making, hobby or not.
The distance between centers is only 20", you can't put a shaft or butt between centers.
The spindle bore is only 1.17, you can't put a butt through the headstock.
That lathe is a bad idea for cuemaking.
Kelly
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dave sutton
Banned
relax my man. if any of us come on here and goof up were gonna hear it. its the funny part of the forum. then you get your answer. no this lathe isnt good for cuemaking as joey said. also factor in any metal lathe you buy you must convert for cuemaking with a taper attachmant. thats another fow hundred bucks
best bang for your buck is the cuemakers package chris hightower offers with the deluxe. www.cuesmith.com
this along with some tooling is about the best out of box ready lathe to start cuemaking
see disclaimer below
best bang for your buck is the cuemakers package chris hightower offers with the deluxe. www.cuesmith.com
this along with some tooling is about the best out of box ready lathe to start cuemaking
see disclaimer below
If you are desperate enough anything can be used to make a cue with. I have made about 10 cues on a old small Smithy and have been happy with most of them. It took some time to extend the bed and inlarge the through hole. The only reason it was worth the trouble was I already had a Smithy. If you are buying new I would recomend buying one large enough to turn a butt or shaft on.
Guess I voided my life time warranty by modifing the Smithy. Sorry I couldn't resist and am glad you are having a better day than the day you posted your warranty rant!
Good luck with your cue building. It's a addiction I highly recomend!
Larry
Guess I voided my life time warranty by modifing the Smithy. Sorry I couldn't resist and am glad you are having a better day than the day you posted your warranty rant!
Good luck with your cue building. It's a addiction I highly recomend!
Larry
These are the ones I've built so far on my wood lathe. I think my lathe is crooked or something.
I missed out on Joey's Taper Shaper.
I missed out on Joey's Taper Shaper.
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These are the ones I've built so far on my wood lathe. I think my lathe is crooked or something.
I think one of those would improve my game! How much for the one on the right?
Larry
The double ferrule fork is only $400, but it comes with a lifetime warranty.
$450 if you want the blue electrician's tape custom wrap.
I don't believe in seasoning wood. Cut off a branch and you're good to play.
$450 if you want the blue electrician's tape custom wrap.
I don't believe in seasoning wood. Cut off a branch and you're good to play.
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Have a look at the lathe and make sure the saddle actually travels about 30 or so inches from the chuck.
I have seen some lathes where the steady etc gives you the length, but the saddle does not travel to the end due to the rack being either not correctly centered, or just too short in length.
The lathe Joey shows is a better option, especially if you want to make parts for your cars etc. If you need a mill, better to get a seperate mill, the ones over a lathe do work,but a dedicated mill is so much better.
For taper turning, there are lots of options, unless you buy a hightower lathe or something similar as a turnkey cue lathe, you will need to make something to do the shaft taperinng. There have been losts of posts and good detailed pics of what different ones are doing.
I have seen some lathes where the steady etc gives you the length, but the saddle does not travel to the end due to the rack being either not correctly centered, or just too short in length.
The lathe Joey shows is a better option, especially if you want to make parts for your cars etc. If you need a mill, better to get a seperate mill, the ones over a lathe do work,but a dedicated mill is so much better.
For taper turning, there are lots of options, unless you buy a hightower lathe or something similar as a turnkey cue lathe, you will need to make something to do the shaft taperinng. There have been losts of posts and good detailed pics of what different ones are doing.
Building parts for cars and building cues on the same unit may sound like a win win, but always remember...Cutting metal for car parts will require lube, or oil of some kind and a different setup. Wood used for cues, doesn't like ANY oil or lube and can/will stain the wood if ANY contact occurs. Not only that, but tapers are used extensivly for cues, where cutting metal, it usually isn't required as much. To switch from straight to taper can take a bit of time depending on the type of lathe and how easy it its to change setups. So it comes down to how much time to switch between the 2 operations, and cleaning time also
I do both through out a weekend sometimes, and it sucks, and have ruined a few pieces of great maple due to oil/lube getting onto the wood, and going deeply into it.
My advice would be to buy 2 machines and go from there. After damaging a couple $35-$50 and up, pieces of wood that way, you'll wish that you had 2 machines to handle both productions.
Good luck,
Dave
I do both through out a weekend sometimes, and it sucks, and have ruined a few pieces of great maple due to oil/lube getting onto the wood, and going deeply into it.
My advice would be to buy 2 machines and go from there. After damaging a couple $35-$50 and up, pieces of wood that way, you'll wish that you had 2 machines to handle both productions.
Good luck,
Dave
Yes, very good point. It doesn't take too much work to clean up after some metal working, but it is for sure a pain and the risk of ruining a piece is there. When I am needing to make a bracket or metal jig, I try and do all of the metal work at the same time. Switching back and forth often would be a drag.
Kelly
I admire your desire to not waste, but forget about melting down aluminum swarf unless it's as a crucuble-filler. The large surface area per pound will generate much dross, making the melt messy and inefficient. It's the same with crushed cans. If you insist on melting it down then compact the swarp as much as possible and pour ingots from those melts ... then use the ingots for real castings.
Not cleaning up aluminum swarf can get you in big trouble with your significant other when you track those little barbed curly bastages through the house across the hardwood floor
, so cleaning them up immediately is a good idea regardless of how you dispose of them.If I were to buy a lathe for both cue stuff and metal stuff it would certainly have a factory taper attachment on it, but I don't do cues (as a couple of attempts at making a jump cue have proven
).Dave