Drill powered repair lathe?

lathe

Over several years, you will be much better off investing in a Hightower or Mid America.
The ease of operation, versitility and the fact that down the road you would be able to recoup a large chunk of your investment. If you go that route, you can thank me later.
Come to Kokomo and try mine out
 
fishermanOICUR1 said:
Over several years, you will be much better off investing in a Hightower or Mid America.
The ease of operation, versitility and the fact that down the road you would be able to recoup a large chunk of your investment. If you go that route, you can thank me later.
Come to Kokomo and try mine out
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Bob,
this is very good advice....
" Don't buy the drill thing-
Having an actual lathe of some kind work so much better.....
" I also install my own tips-
I have a small machinist lathe,
I bought different size collets and also have a tip centering tool to install the tips properly as well'
There are a lot of videos on youtube showing tip installs for you too :wink:
 
The guy that was selling a really simple drill powered cue lathe and doing the demo with it at the APA event in LaVegas , was a really skilled guy who was trying to palm it off like anyone could do what he was doing. Definately not the case.
How much is a replacement cue shaft that you want to re tip?
If 5 shafts cost around 2k if they are available, how many are you prepared to ruin while learning on sub standard gear.
The cheapest option is a mini lathe from any big box store, that can take the shaft through the spindle. Not only can you make other things with it , but have confidence that you wont wreck your cue shaft in the process. You can also then do ferrule replacements, as a ferrule is intended to be a replaceable item anyway.
Many do tips by hand, but it is time consuming for sure.
 
Seeing that the starting price for a good shaft is now around $300, it can be a costly affair to go with a homemade solution like that. If your only doing your own tips, work on your technique and it shouldnt really be a problem. If your re-tipping other players shafts (especially if you charge them...) don`t go for a half assed solution, I see people with totally fine lathes that manages to mess up a simple tip install in ways I struggle to understand, With the drill powered solutions out there you are setting yourself up to fail. A basic cue lathe isn`t that expensive, if this is something you really want to do :)
 
If you do a decent amount of repairs then a good lathe will pay for itself in no time. It’s worth the investment to get one. Don’t be tempted by low price. You’ll regret it.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I only want to replace tips for myself so, based on your comments, I’ll just keep doing it with blades and sandpaper.:angry:
I appreciate your time.:thumbup:
 
Bob Farr said:
Thanks for all the advice. I only want to replace tips for myself so, based on your comments, I’ll just keep doing it with blades and sandpaper.:angry:
I appreciate your time.:thumbup:
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If you tried giving that contraption to me for free I would seek a restraining order against you.
 
Might I suggest a willard trimmer? I bought one a while back and it was perfect for me. Change tips at will to try out what i like. Also ended up paying for its self with the local league players because there is no one around that does any sort of tip work.
 
Bob Farr said:
"Uncle" "Uncle"
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If you want to try one, send me your address. I bought one a long time ago to give it a try.
It worked. I only used it on test shafts that I have left over from cut down house cues. The problem I ran into was any amount of pressure you exert when trimming the tip flush is reflected in bands where the shaft lies in the bottom rollers. I ended up trying to cover them with a microfiber cloth - it helped. I saved some pennies and just bought a basic starter kit from Mid-America.
 
Buster8001 said:
If you want to try one, send me your address. I bought one a long time ago to give it a try.
It worked. I only used it on test shafts that I have left over from cut down house cues. The problem I ran into was any amount of pressure you exert when trimming the tip flush is reflected in bands where the shaft lies in the bottom rollers. I ended up trying to cover them with a microfiber cloth - it helped. I saved some pennies and just bought a basic starter kit from Mid-America.
Click to expand...
That’s a nice offer, Thank You. I think I’ll dodge the bullet and forget the drill thing.:D
 
With 2 cheap pillow block bearing you can easily make a set-up really accurate like a lathe.
 
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