Cheep lathe options?

Post

The links you posted are only links to the HF site, no actually item link....
You'll probably want to buy a purpose built machine if you are not sure which direction to go.

Google search pool cue lathes etc.




Rob.M
 
I tried the Harbour Freight route. Then I tried that Cowboy POS, and the Shaftmaster POS. I believe back then Briana also sold a conversion kit. For what I spent in time and money I could have purchased a couple of actual cue lathes. Don't waste your time, just go straight to Cue Man or Midamerica
 
Celophanewrap said:
I tried the Harbour Freight route. Then I tried that Cowboy POS, and the Shaftmaster POS. I believe back then Briana also sold a conversion kit. For what I spent in time and money I could have purchased a couple of actual cue lathes. Don't waste your time, just go straight to Cue Man or Midamerica
Click to expand...

This is the best advice you could possibly get....imo.
 
Cheap

SilverCue said:
Would one of theses work?

If so, what other parts would you need to buy?

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=wood+lathe



I replace tips by hand now but would like to do more like ferrule replacement.

I would really like to be able to make my own cue but I don't want a large lathe. :(
Click to expand...

I don't know why you guys are stuck on cheap. in less you like working with junk, raise the chance of damaging a cue and your safety and its harder and takes longer to do the job.

Good steel costs money .........................
You guys kicking around some of these thing like track lighting with a drill mounted on and those cheap @ss cue repair lathes that had the three wheels that left black marks on the shaft and it also put dents or indention in the shaft too.

You guys would be better off buying a really sharp wood chisel that was made out of some good steel....................................

Honestly when you are working on a cue you need to be focused, throw in a lathe that has problems and sooner or later you will screw up....

If you buy the right lathe it will pay for itself over a certain amount of time depending on how you apply yourself.

If you buy junk, you have to replace your shaft or a customers shaft, you wasted your money, you proved to everyone your work sucks and you wasted your time .

Buy a cue lathe, fix your cues and your friends cues, you learn allot about cues,
you make some spare money and the lathe will retain most of its value.
 
mortuarymike-nv said:
I don't know why you guys are stuck on cheap. in less you like working with junk, raise the chance of damaging a cue and your safety and its harder and takes longer to do the job.

Good steel costs money .........................
You guys kicking around some of these thing like track lighting with a drill mounted on and those cheap @ss cue repair lathes that had the three wheels that left black marks on the shaft and it also put dents or indention in the shaft too.

You guys would be better off buying a really sharp wood chisel that was made out of some good steel....................................

Honestly when you are working on a cue you need to be focused, throw in a lathe that has problems and sooner or later you will screw up....

If you buy the right lathe it will pay for itself over a certain amount of time depending on how you apply yourself.

If you buy junk, you have to replace your shaft or a customers shaft, you wasted your money, you proved to everyone your work sucks and you wasted your time .

Buy a cue lathe, fix your cues and your friends cues, you learn allot about cues,
you make some spare money and the lathe will retain most of its value.
Click to expand...

I'm not really "cheep" but I don't like to waste money on something that probably won't get used much.
I currently install tips by hand and my hands are getting very arthritic :(
When I 1st started back playing pool 2-3 years ago, I tried a lot of different tips.
I also installed tips on all the cues at the senior center that needed them for free and my hands hurt very bad so I only do about one tip every few months now.
But If I had a lathe, I might do several per month.

Not sure what prompted the outrage after I already posted a thank you and gave you a greenie :)
 
No such thing as a cheap lathe. All I wanted to do was put on tips for my self. Once you go down that road. You will want to build a cue. $20,000 later I still don't have a cue of myown to play with. I can install a mean tip though.

Spend the money and buy a cue lathe. It is money well spent!

Larry
 
Hi Al,
I'm sure your friends appreciate the effort you put forth to help them out. Hope you will disregard the comments from those that assume everyone that asks a question is a pathetic, ignorant and destitute bum especially if you don't already own a lathe.
I wonder what the high and mighty "lathe snobs" did before they owned their first lathe... Or were they born with a lathe hanging out of their a$$?
 
Well nearly everything on this thread is good, most of these guys have learned the hard way. Having typed that I must say I use a cheap lathe to install tips and install new ferrules. I bought a decent chuck and a steady rest and walla!!!

With three in a Ivy league college and one more to get there I have never been able to unleash the lettuce to buy a real cue lathe. My cheap lathe has installed many tips and actually build several cues and if I had it to do all over again... I would buy a cue lathe;)
 
Save yourself the headache and call Chris. Tell him what you want to do and he will sell you the right machine. You won't deal with a better person!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Cue lathe

stratshutr said:
Save yourself the headache and call Chris. Tell him what you want to do and he will sell you the right machine. You won't deal with a better person!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

DITTO, If you get a Hightower and a few years down the road you decide your are done with it then you get close to your money back. Buy a cue lathe otherwise after adapting and tooling another lathe you'll have spent the same money or more.
 
Out rage ?

SilverCue said:
I'm not really "cheep" but I don't like to waste money on something that probably won't get used much.
I currently install tips by hand and my hands are getting very arthritic :(
When I 1st started back playing pool 2-3 years ago, I tried a lot of different tips.
I also installed tips on all the cues at the senior center that needed them for free and my hands hurt very bad so I only do about one tip every few months now.
But If I had a lathe, I might do several per month.

Not sure what prompted the outrage after I already posted a thank you and gave you a greenie :)
Click to expand...

Sorry I didn't think it was a outrage, just to the point .

There is level of workman ship needed to replace a tip without damaging the shaft or ferrule.

Its really not that hard if you know what you are doing.
When I am using a lathe its not me doing the tip, its the ( lathe ).
If everything is not centered or if parts of the lathe have play in it then the lathe cannot do a proper job... and its the lathe doing the work .




.
 
I think after re-reading this thread I'd have to say it depends on the level of work you want to do. The best option would always be to just get a cue lathe. If you're just going to be changing tips every so often Harbour Freight has that little red lathe, I think it goes for about $500-ish that I have seen several folks use for only tip changes. If you look on You-Tube there are some reasonable ideas that have seemed to work out well and with a little imagination I'm sure you could come up with something that would work equally well for you. But make no mistake, what it is likely to cost you in time, materials, money and the assured destruction and damage to at least a few shafts, you'd be much better off just investing in a reasonable repair lathe
 
I'm retired now so I have a little time on my hands that I didn't when I was working.
I learned how to replace tips and straighten cues while working for Frank Lively back in the early seventies.
I also worked at a pool hall in Texas replacing cue tips and repairing cues.
I've replaced hundreds of tips by hand because neither place had a lathe.
I know using a lathe requires different skills and techniques. But I hope I'm not too old to learn.
Thanks again for all the information I'm sure I'll make a good decision.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
Edited from my PC :)

Al
 
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