What is your guys schedule for turning your shaft wood. I know you guys don't want to give away exact measurements so a generic timeline would be nice. I am just now starting to turn mine down from dowels so I have no experience or idea of what kind of timeline to go on. Thanks.
Schedule for shaft wood.
- Thread starter seahorse1877
- Start date
pm sent...jer
I turn mine from a 1" dowel to .750 on the 1st cut. Then I wait for a couple months and take another .050 cut. wait a coule more months take a .050 cut. wait a couple more months then do a .030 cut. wait a couple more months do .030 cut. and so on until I get them .020 over then they will sit there until there ready to be final cut and matched to a cue. The key here is the waiting time between cuts. You can never wait long enough in my opinioin between cuts. I hope this helps!!
Justin has an interview of Ernie on his website. Ernie says he cuts his shafts once a year! You can go to TAR and watch it. You will be impressed.
I cut mine every May. I'm starting to use my 2004 wood now.
interesting
I would think the reason behind the wait is to draw the moisture out and letting the wood move to then be straightened? I hope this was a good statement, I understand little about making cues, but, would love to find out more. I think I would like it and I enjoy working with machinery. My biggest kicks in life is when I find something in a process that works better, more consistent, than what exists. I get a real sence of self-worth and accomplishment. Does my soal good.
I would think the reason behind the wait is to draw the moisture out and letting the wood move to then be straightened? I hope this was a good statement, I understand little about making cues, but, would love to find out more. I think I would like it and I enjoy working with machinery. My biggest kicks in life is when I find something in a process that works better, more consistent, than what exists. I get a real sence of self-worth and accomplishment. Does my soal good.
Best to buy you a square and check it out, draw your own conclusions. It won't cost you much and you will have learned by doing.
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Shaft Turning Tips
When you get your shaft wood, take each shaft dowel out and look it over before preparing it to be turned. First, look at the shaft’s appearance to decide which end you would rather have as the tip end. You might want to put the prettiest end of the shaft as the tip end. As you get experience at turning shafts, you should be able to judge if a brown sugar line that is only a few grain lines in from the edge will cut out or not if left at the tip/smaller end of the shaft. If it will cut out, then in this case it is better to put the prettiest end toward the joint end.
If all dowels are perfectly straight, then you can stick them through your headstock and center drill them dead in the middle on both ends. Shaft dowels will usually have some warp to them. If they have very much warp at all to them, you will want to move the center hole on the tip end over a little to get the center of the shaft turning true. Moving the center hole toward the high side of the warp about 1/10 of an inch will usually take care of it. This can be marked with calipers and center drilled off center with a hand drill. If you have a double chuck headstock lathe, like the Deluxe Cue Smith, you can center drill the joint end with only one or so inches sticking out and then turn the shaft around and leave 12 to 14 inches sticking out and center drill it with the tip end flopping around. This will put your center hole right where it needs to be. Now your shaft will turn true in the middle much sooner in the turning process and produce many more straight shafts.
Maximum recommended shaft material removable chart.
Wait at least two weeks between turns and preferably longer.
1st Turn: Cone Taper shaft from .960” to .820” in two passes.
2nd Turn: Pro Taper tip end to .720” in two .050” passes.
3rd Turn: Pro Taper tip end to .620” in two .050” passes.
4th Turn: Pro Taper tip end to .570” in two .025” passes.
5th Turn: Pro Taper tip end to .520” in two .025” passes.
This is final sanding size for 13mm or you can skim cut it to take it closer to final size. You can stand the shafts straight up between passes or hang them with eye hooks from the tip end. Many cuemakers like to treat the shafts by dipping them in Nelsonite wood stabilizer after the fourth turn. Many cuemakers prefer to take less material off each pass and some take more.
When you get your shaft wood, take each shaft dowel out and look it over before preparing it to be turned. First, look at the shaft’s appearance to decide which end you would rather have as the tip end. You might want to put the prettiest end of the shaft as the tip end. As you get experience at turning shafts, you should be able to judge if a brown sugar line that is only a few grain lines in from the edge will cut out or not if left at the tip/smaller end of the shaft. If it will cut out, then in this case it is better to put the prettiest end toward the joint end.
If all dowels are perfectly straight, then you can stick them through your headstock and center drill them dead in the middle on both ends. Shaft dowels will usually have some warp to them. If they have very much warp at all to them, you will want to move the center hole on the tip end over a little to get the center of the shaft turning true. Moving the center hole toward the high side of the warp about 1/10 of an inch will usually take care of it. This can be marked with calipers and center drilled off center with a hand drill. If you have a double chuck headstock lathe, like the Deluxe Cue Smith, you can center drill the joint end with only one or so inches sticking out and then turn the shaft around and leave 12 to 14 inches sticking out and center drill it with the tip end flopping around. This will put your center hole right where it needs to be. Now your shaft will turn true in the middle much sooner in the turning process and produce many more straight shafts.
Maximum recommended shaft material removable chart.
Wait at least two weeks between turns and preferably longer.
1st Turn: Cone Taper shaft from .960” to .820” in two passes.
2nd Turn: Pro Taper tip end to .720” in two .050” passes.
3rd Turn: Pro Taper tip end to .620” in two .050” passes.
4th Turn: Pro Taper tip end to .570” in two .025” passes.
5th Turn: Pro Taper tip end to .520” in two .025” passes.
This is final sanding size for 13mm or you can skim cut it to take it closer to final size. You can stand the shafts straight up between passes or hang them with eye hooks from the tip end. Many cuemakers like to treat the shafts by dipping them in Nelsonite wood stabilizer after the fourth turn. Many cuemakers prefer to take less material off each pass and some take more.
Hi,
I agree with Chris's method only I take the last 4 passes at .010, .005, .005 & 002 and I put a sealer on between the passes.
On the last pass I leave the machine on the last elevation setting and run it through one more time on the saw. I notice that this helps me as it takes out some minute high spots and the shafts are in almost playable condition. The less sanding the better!
I am up to 5 years on seasoning before the shaft is built. I store my shafts in a vertical rack with a full taper cut at .950. My goal is to get to ten years like Ernie G. Even when your full with shafts you have to keep processing more units for the future.
Rick
The only piece of advise I think is missing, is the effect of heat when cutting.
The cooler the cutting ,the less the stress, more consistant results.
Even when slicing the board, a sharp cool cutting saw does make a difference.
Just to add to Chris notes, using a left hand center drill, the other end can all be done in one setup.Use a key chuck though , not a keyless
The cooler the cutting ,the less the stress, more consistant results.
Even when slicing the board, a sharp cool cutting saw does make a difference.
Just to add to Chris notes, using a left hand center drill, the other end can all be done in one setup.Use a key chuck though , not a keyless
Chuckie, twice I turned a dowel in one sitting.
The first time was in setting my taper bar on the Deluxe. It warped instantly, as in a couple of days. Thats ok, I cut a tenon and threaded it. Good practice.
The second time was when a guy gave me a nice cue butt that didn't have a shaft. I was planning on using the cue myself so I took a not so nice dowel, one that I would have done a conical taper on and used for a break shaft for myself. Its been close to two months and its as straight as an arrow.
Thats just pure luck and not to say that once it leaves my shop and goes to the pool hall that it won't turn into a banana. It probably will.
I did it as an experiment and its not a piece of wood that you would give to someone and take a chance of it warping badly.
Following Chris's method of material removal, I've had great luck on approx 90 shaft dowels so far.
The first time was in setting my taper bar on the Deluxe. It warped instantly, as in a couple of days. Thats ok, I cut a tenon and threaded it. Good practice.
The second time was when a guy gave me a nice cue butt that didn't have a shaft. I was planning on using the cue myself so I took a not so nice dowel, one that I would have done a conical taper on and used for a break shaft for myself. Its been close to two months and its as straight as an arrow.
Thats just pure luck and not to say that once it leaves my shop and goes to the pool hall that it won't turn into a banana. It probably will.
I did it as an experiment and its not a piece of wood that you would give to someone and take a chance of it warping badly.
Following Chris's method of material removal, I've had great luck on approx 90 shaft dowels so far.
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Oh Oh Chuckie....
I started there and got my ass kicked all over the forum......
You're gonna get it now:smile:
Kim
I've been there before myself!
Thank you guys for all of your help and advice.
giving pearls
as one of my attendings in the hospital used to say on rounds..."i'm giving you pearls!!!"
awesome advice.
as one of my attendings in the hospital used to say on rounds..."i'm giving you pearls!!!"
awesome advice.
I just pasted my shaft turning tips page that I send out with shaft dowels I sell.
As an additional suggestion, it really pays off if you make sure to offset the centers of your straight dowels to get the straightest grain lines on the ferrule end of the shaft. Also look out for any bend in the grain in the front end because it will end up as an eye catching stripe that makes new shafts unsaleable
It doesn't matter what level you are at as a cue maker, the most important thing you will ever purchase is wood,particulatly shafts, handles and fronts, all of which need seasoning and turning before using.Before a CNC or pantograph you should be accumulating wood. A number of makers, myself included have shafts that won't be ready to use for 6 years and we continue to sort and reject with each turning. There isn't much worse than compkletely finiishing a cue only to have a shaft warp, mandating a rebuild.
It doesn't matter what level you are at as a cue maker, the most important thing you will ever purchase is wood,particulatly shafts, handles and fronts, all of which need seasoning and turning before using.Before a CNC or pantograph you should be accumulating wood. A number of makers, myself included have shafts that won't be ready to use for 6 years and we continue to sort and reject with each turning. There isn't much worse than compkletely finiishing a cue only to have a shaft warp, mandating a rebuild.