Lathe size and brands

book collector

book collector

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I want to start putting my own tips on my cues, I have tried without a lathe but its hard for me to get the ferrule flat with those cheap tools they sell . Any suggestions on better tools or some lathes that will do the job will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
Last edited:
tip replacement

As you, I like to install/replace my own tips. Again, as you the tools available were the williard . It works but not without difficulty. I ended buying a lathe from UNIQUE Products. Cost was about $1700. Very low maintainance and works well.
 
I'm using a drill/crutch-tip shaft spinner to do tips and polish shafts. A crutch tip runs around $3.00 to $4.00 and you may already have a variable speed drill. Do a forum search on how to build one. Very inexpensive and works fairly well. Does a good job on getting a flat ferrule using a sanding block. A lathe would be the best tool to do the job but that involves a serious amount of money. If you decide to go the lathe route you might want post the question in the cuemakers forum for suggestions on which lathe would be best for you. Good luck in your quest for perfection.
 
Last edited:
book collector said:
I want to start putting my own tips on my cues, I have tried without a lathe but its hard for me to get the ferrule flat with those cheap tools they sell . Any suggestions on better tools or some lathes that will do the job will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

If you are like me the urge to do more then tips is not far off:wink:. There are many brands of lathes that will work but if you are just going to face joints replace tips or clean shafts many wood lathes can get those jobs done at a fraction of the cost of a machinists lathe. A three jaw chuck, Jacobs chuck and steady rest are also handy. Keeping an eye on the cue machinery section of this forum might give you more ideas. Good luck.
 
You are looking at REAL MONEY for any lathe with a cross feed (what you need) to get a dead flat/straight ferrule/tenon/shaft end.

You'd need to put a lot of tips on your cue (as you stated you are only looking to replace your own tips) to justify the expense.

I have a small Jet lathe (mainly for pen makers, about $300.00 with extension bed) that is fine for shaft polishing and burnishing, but it just does NOT have the features for replacing tips. You really need a cross feed.
 
Thanks everyone I realized after I posted I was in the wrong area , sorry for that, lots of great info in the cuemakers section, looks like the willard tipper is about the best thing for a few hundred dollars. I'd like to hear from some folks who have used one to see what they think. I don't have plans to build cues later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top