Installing tips at home.

peppersauce said:
Yeah I know. Little more background...it's been 15 years since I even thought about touching a machine and I have no shop, no tools, no access to a shop, and no desire to assemble my own at home. I didn't enjoy it much and decided to go in a different direction with my life. But I do have some ideas of my own. As far as a grab and go ready made setup the Willard tool isn't bad. Just expensive. It's always wise, IMO, to get many points of view though. Thanks Dale!
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I agree that precision is the way to go and a purpose built device is nice... however, it is hard to argue with results, and my way works pretty darn well. If you find a better way without having to spend beau-coup bucks let me know though. Even though the way I do it works, my butt still puckers every time that I do it LOL
 
peppersauce said:
I've used the cue top sander. A friend had one and I put a tip on a junk shaft with it and wasn't very happy with the results for two reasons. One, the floppy sandpaper drags the leading edge of the ferrule as you use the device and creates a slight round on that edge of the ferrule. This is an easy fix though...just go buy adhesive backed sandpaper and that problem is solved. The main issue I have with it is it's cheaply made. And cheaply made rarely equals precise, at least by my standards. If you constantly have to measure and manipulate the workpiece inside the tool just to do something as simple as face off a ferrule correctly, you're either not using a precision tool or there is something wrong with your set-up. I have no doubt a person CAN get good results with that tool but I would much rather cut the extra labor out and use a precision tool that will do the job right the first time, everytime.

And I know...all of you lathe guys are pulling your hair out if you're reading this. I just don't want a lathe at this time, that's all.

Thank all of you for responding to this thread, even though this subject has apparently been beaten to death in the past. I truly appreciate everyone's input. :smile::thumbup:
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Just in case it wasn't clear, I did my testing once. I do not do that on every tip change.

Good work is mostly in the hands of the craftsman. Bad work can be done on a Hardinge if the operator is a hack. Good work can be done on an inexpensive machine if the operator knows what he/she is doing.

Around here we beat things to death repeatedly, hence the :deadhorse: emoticon :thumbup:

Dave
 
The most important part of any tip installation is the flatness in the case of regular tips or the perfect matching of the surfaces to be bonded.
With flat bottom tips, this can be achieved with a Vee block set against the side of the cue, and the square end of the Vee block can be used as a guide to making a flat surface.
Granted it may not be perpendicular shaft centre line, but it will be very flat depending on the person doing it.
The rest can be done with skill, a craft knife/ scalpel , sand paper ,and patience.
Neil
 
peppersauce said:
So when you put a new tip on and you've shaped it, is the side wall of the tip the same height all the way around?
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Yes. Of course one needs to be reasonable at shaping a tip. Elkmaster are pretty easy and I am quiet careful ... and have been using my hands for a long time.

peppersauce said:
I could see the top sander as a valuable tool if I could depend on it but every time I've seen it used it has not faced the ferrule off squarely. The one time I used it I had no issues with gaps, but it did not face the ferrule squarely, as evidenced by differences in the side wall height of the tip from one side to the other. I just attributed it to a cheaply made, mass produced tool. It may be a small thing, even insignificant to some, but it bothers me knowing it's not right. That's what I mean when I talk about precision. Even if the difference isn't much, I notice.

The first things I check for when I get a new tip put on are gaps filled with glue, the side wall height of the tip all the way around, the top of the ferrule to make sure the guy didn't pinch it with sandpaper and cone the end of my ferrule during the finishing process, and then I check the shaft to make sure it wasn't marred during the install. Is that too much to ask?
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Maybe I got a good one, but the V-grove and the pin-bores are aligned and overal the unit works fine. When first purchased 15 years ago I did file/scrape off a few edges that may have scored a shaft. And one more time, a good hand will do good work even with cheap tools.

As I say, CA will not fill a gap, and my tips sound fine and stay on so the ferrule must be flat enough. I have measured the flat-squareness-to-shaft with machinist squares and it looks fine to me.

Dave
 
peppersauce said:
... if you don't mind being a little off ....
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:o have been all my life ... got used to it I suppose .... Oh, you mean the tips ..... Never mind :grin-square: ultimately it's their performance that matters .... Maybe I do need an improved process .... Thanks a lot :angry:

Try, check, think how to improve, try again, check again, think how to improve, repeat ad nauseum ... Story of my life .... No wonder I am a little off !

Dave <-- took a little license with the quote :wink:
 
peppersauce said:
First, sorry if this question has been posed before. I did a quick search and didn't find what I need to know.

I'm going to start installing my own tips at home and I've got the process pretty well figured out except for one thing. How do you get the top of the ferrule perpendicular with the sides while prepping the ferrule for a new tip? I mean beyond the obvious route of having a precision lathe with the proper collets and chuck, which I don't have.

I've seen a cue top sander on the market but that just doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

I'm very particular about tolerances and things being exact. Especially when it comes to my equipment. I've had so many bad experiences with cue repair over the last couple of years I might as well do it myself.

So anyway. Is there a better option for prepping the ferrule than the cue top sander?
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Honestly I find the best method of tip installation is to put a couple of shafts in a USPS Triangle, send it to a cuemaker out of state with the new tip I want, return postage, and retiping fee. Find this easier than driving cross town to some person who may, or may not be open?

Beside a set of tips last maybe three years, so the cost of my method is cheap, and the repair work is dependable.

Why do it yourself, no reason for me.
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
Honestly I find the best method of tip installation is to put a couple of shafts in a USPS Triangle, send it to a cuemaker out of state with the new tip I want, return postage, and retiping fee. Find this easier than driving cross town to some person who may, or may not be open?

Beside a set of tips last maybe three years, so the cost of my method is cheap, and the repair work is dependable.

Why do it yourself, no reason for me.
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A tip will not last me but a couple months. I keep it shaped. I use the Willard tipping machine and love it. If a new tip comes out I can put one on my test shaft and shoot with it. If I like the tip I put one on my playing cue. I have just saved $20-$30 on 2 tip installs plus shipping charges. And I know it is done right to my specs. I have installed so many tips with it for other people it has paid for itself easily. I bought it used 10 years ago for $250.. I can see why someone would not want to do it their self if they do not need a new tip but every few years.
 
Had some PMs about how I do my tips by hand... For those interested, just put this on
By hand of course :D
Pressed triangle with red fiber pad
y8a2yvaq.jpg
 
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