Question about sanding down a shaft

[drewstaff711]

All,

What type/grit of sandpaper would you use to bring a shaft a little? Is this something that I can do myself?

 

[jviss]

I have several Lucasi "extra" shafts, I think they are the "Lucasi Custom Zero Flexpoint Solid Extra Shaft," 12.75mm tip. Anyway, they are solid maple shafts. I really don't like the shiny finish on them, which I'm guessing is some kind of polyurethane. They can feel sticky at times, and you can also feel the minor imperfections in the finish. I'd like to take one down to almost bare wood to make it slicker. I have a lathe I can use for this. I was thinking of stripping it for the first 1/3 or so only. What would you recommend for a grit that would take the finish off, but not chew up the wood? And then, should I oil it or apply something else to protect it once the poly is gone?

 

[straightline]

I recall before cleaning was invented, 600 used to be popular for smoothing the shaft out. Doing this eventually wore down the shaft so if you want to spend a week taking the fat part down, that'll do. You can use 90% isopropyl to help keep the paper clean as well. Otherwise 150 grit. Dry only.

 

[ChrisinNC]

I only have cheap cues. $200 one off sneaky tops. (haven't touched the shafts) All except the three newest ones were re-tapered by hand. I settled on 150 grit for the last 3 or 4 done as the quickest, safest cut. The trick is working the cue vertically using LIGHT strokes that traverse the length of the offending zone. Keep rotating the cue - use something on the floor to keep the cue from creeping off. I'm still learning to sync the sanding and spinning. It's not like I get a lot of practice at it.

If you do undertake something like this, figure on an educational experience and go slowly - small steps. There's no undo in this process.

150 grit is still relatively course. I would think starting with 200 grit would be a little safer, although it might take a little more time/effort. The 200 grit would also be easier to properly allow you to rotate / turn the cue with your left hand while sanding vertically up and down on it - with the piece of sand paper held in your right hand, between your four fingers, assuming you are right handed.

 

[straightline]

150 grit is still relatively course. I would think starting with 200 grit would be a little safer, although it might take a little more time/effort. The 200 grit would also be easier to properly allow you to rotate / turn the cue with your left hand while sanding vertically up and down on it - with the piece of sand paper held in your right hand, between your four fingers, assuming you are right handed.

You're right about the grit. I go with the 150 because I usually want to remove a lot of fat from the back end and I tread as lightly as possible. Marketing wise, manually re-tapering will ruin the shaft but it's precise enough for me.

 

[The_JV]

Something to keep in mind is..., you cannot remove a scratch with sandpaper. Only reduce the surrounding material to match the scratches lowest point. Slow and steady wins this race. It's too easy to end up chasing your tail within "removing" scratches and end up going to far. If I had to, and if I had to get it done in a very short amount of time, I might start with something as coarse as 400g.

I dabble in wood working and hobby machining. I would never consider free handing a shaft sanding. In fact the nastiest abrasive I have ever used on my own equipment has been a damp golf towel....lol

 

[Maniac]

I use these for a light sanding: CUE REPAIR ARBOR TOOLS (SET) CLEAN SAND TAPER CUE TIPS lathe pool billiards | eBay Just lock the drill motor down snuggly in a vice. I sand with the left hand while maintaining a light grip/support on the ferrule with my right hand. They work great. Done many. Never even came close to messing up any of my shafts (yes, even my 314's and my OB Classic).

And yes....if you do some research, you can find them one per package: CUE REPAIR ARBOR TOOL 3/8 x 10 SHAPE TIPS SHAFT CLEANING SANDING pool cue lathe | eBay

Of course I've never set out to sand a shaft to a smaller diameter, just a light sanding to remove any burrs that occasionally rear their ugly heads. I start out with a 600 or 800 grit, then graduate to a 1000 grit and finish of with a 2000 grit and then burnish with a piece of leather. My shafts are slicker-than-owl-shit. If I feel the need to remove some wood, I'll use a 400 grit. IMHO, 200 grit is a very aggressive sandpaper to start out with (unless you're in a huge hurry).

Love these little tools though.


Maniac

 

[Black-Balled]

I have several Lucasi "extra" shafts, I think they are the "Lucasi Custom Zero Flexpoint Solid Extra Shaft," 12.75mm tip. Anyway, they are solid maple shafts. I really don't like the shiny finish on them, which I'm guessing is some kind of polyurethane. They can feel sticky at times, and you can also feel the minor imperfections in the finish. I'd like to take one down to almost bare wood to make it slicker. I have a lathe I can use for this. I was thinking of stripping it for the first 1/3 or so only. What would you recommend for a grit that would take the finish off, but not chew up the wood? And then, should I oil it or apply something else to protect it once the poly is gone?

I wouldn't recommend anything below 600.

I used a bagic eraser to remove a similarly offensive coating.

 

[The_JV]

I start out with a 600 or 800 grit, then graduate to a 1000 grit and finish of with a 2000 grit and then burnish with a piece of leather.

I wouldn't recommend anything below 600.

Thank god.... I was going to suggest something along 600 or finer, but thought I'd be run out of the forum so I dropped it to 400...lol. Glad to see not everyone here is a butcher....lol

 

[galipeau]

Sand paper is for finishing, not shaping and cutting.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

 

[WildWing]

Sand paper is for finishing, not shaping and cutting.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

Obviously, you have not seen a cuemaker change the shape or diameter of the shaft. They do use sandpaper for this, on the shaft lathe. Of course, finer sandpaper and sealer for the finishing.

All the best,
WW

 

[jviss]

and sealer for the finishing.

I've seen shaft sealer for sale. What is that stuff?

 

[WildWing]

I've seen shaft sealer for sale. What is that stuff?

Many different varieties. Sherwin Williams makes a great sanding sealer. A bit messy to use. There are other brands.

Me, I rely on Q Slick after the final sanding, then the Q papers. No need for anything messy.

I understand tiger makes a final shaft sealer as well, but I haven't tried it.

All the best,
WW.

 

[drewstaff711]

The previous folks responded as though you are looking to change the thickness of the shaft. Is that the reason?

I recently got a shaft that had some weird coating on it and I removed it by hand. For that, i think a home job is ok.

Well no I just wanted a more thin or more tapered shaft. I had a mcdermott g-core shaft that felt to skinny (it gave great English, but i felt I lost to much accuracy). Now, I have a Lucasi flexpoint cue - and I feel I have the exact opposite problem (Shaft to thick, can't get as much English). I am trying to find a happy medium.

 

[Paul_#_]

Regarding sanding shaft to clean it up NOT changing the thickness of the shaft:

I use these for a light sanding: CUE REPAIR ARBOR TOOLS (SET) CLEAN SAND TAPER CUE TIPS lathe pool billiards | eBay Just lock the drill motor down snuggly in a vice. I sand with the left hand while maintaining a light grip/support on the ferrule with my right hand. They work great. Done many. Never even came close to messing up any of my shafts (yes, even my 314's and my OB Classic).

And yes....if you do some research, you can find them one per package: CUE REPAIR ARBOR TOOL 3/8 x 10 SHAPE TIPS SHAFT CLEANING SANDING pool cue lathe | eBay

Of course I've never set out to sand a shaft to a smaller diameter, just a light sanding to remove any burrs that occasionally rear their ugly heads. I start out with a 600 or 800 grit, then graduate to a 1000 grit and finish of with a 2000 grit and then burnish with a piece of leather. My shafts are slicker-than-owl-shit. If I feel the need to remove some wood, I'll use a 400 grit. IMHO, 200 grit is a very aggressive sandpaper to start out with (unless you're in a huge hurry).

Love these little tools though.

The web links went bad. It's probably this

Billiard Cue Top Sander Set with 14x Sand Paper Supply Beginner Repair Tools | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Billiard Cue Top Sander Set with 14x Sand Paper Supply Beginner Repair Tools at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[garczar]

I turned down the shaft on a J&J j/b 'cause it was really big-thick. I used: a set of cheap Harbor Freight calipers, 200/400/600/800/1000 in that order. Took measurements as i went and i got it just right. I used constant pressure and kept rotating as i sanded. I've done this to a couple sneaky's too.Wouldn't do it on a hi-dollar cue but on inexpensive stuff it works well.

 

[Zerksies]

Regarding sanding shaft to clean it up NOT changing the thickness of the shaft:




The web links went bad. It's probably this

Billiard Cue Top Sander Set with 14x Sand Paper Supply Beginner Repair Tools | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Billiard Cue Top Sander Set with 14x Sand Paper Supply Beginner Repair Tools at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

That tool is for tip repair. The OP is looking to reshape their shaft a bit

 

[muskyed]

I've sanded down about 6 shafts now on my lathe with sandpaper. The 1st shaft was just a cheap house cue that I wanted to practice on. Learned alot with that shaft. first thing was don't put too much pressure on the shaft or with the alternating grain you can actually end up somewhat oval due to shaft flexing and grain structure while sanding. Next was starting with a good non loading 320 grit sandpaper. 220 grit was just too fast cutting, and if you were all of a sudden too close in size to where you wanted, it was too hard to get the scratches out without reducing it too much further. Next make a storyboard of the original shaft measured every 2", then under those measurements state the taper dimension you would like to achieve. Also first turn the ferrule first to within a few thousandths of finished size. Easier to turn this than to sand. I sand up to 1200 grit. Lastly if using your hand against the sandpaper and pushing against the shaft, you can end up with hills and valleys if you are not experienced. I now use a craft foam backed sanding block about 3" long after every grit to make sure it is a level surface and will not use my hand against the paper and shaft till about 800 grit. That first test shaft taught me a lot.
Then there is the fact that it's not just good wood that makes a cuemakers shafts play well, it's also the tapers they have learned over the years. The second shaft that I worked on was an extra Schon shaft I had laying around. Wanted to bring it down from 13mm to about 12.5mm-12.6mm. Did my storyboard and came up with a taper I thought would be fine. Ended up fine, close to 12.5mm. Played ok, but lost some of that crispness that Schon shafts are known for. After using it off and on for awhile, I decided to make the taper somewhat more conical. I only brought the ferrule down about .010, then tapered that up for about 10" but it totally changed the hit and play of the shaft. Even though the shaft was somewhat skinnier at the ferrule, it actually played crisper and more to my liking.
If doing this for your 1st time I would suggest only reducing about half of what you hope to achieve and try it there for awhile. This is not as simple to do as it sounds. Without a cue lathe, forget it.

 

[Paul_#_]

That tool is for tip repair. The OP is looking to reshape their shaft a bit

You're right. The original poster was reshaping the shaft. I was referring to the hijacked thread where poster wrote about sanding to clean or polish the shaft. His links are bad and my guess for his link was wrong

use these for a light sanding: CUE REPAIR ARBOR TOOLS (SET) CLEAN SAND TAPER CUE TIPS lathe pool billiards | eBay Just lock the drill motor down snuggly in a vice. I sand with the left hand while maintaining a light grip/support on the ferrule with my right hand. They work great. Done many. Never even came close to messing up any of my shafts (yes, even my 314's and my OB Classic).

And yes....if you do some research, you can find them one per package: CUE REPAIR ARBOR TOOL 3/8 x 10 SHAPE TIPS SHAFT CLEANING SANDING pool cue lathe | eBay

Its more likely the hijacker was referring to a poor-man's lathe run by an electric drill (poster mentions a motor). Maybe something like this $83 pseudo lathe:

DRILL OR MOTOR LATHE TOOL repairs pool cues tip clean retaper rewrap MADE IN USA | eBay

For use working on pool cues, snooker and billiard cues. We provide a free plastic shaft collet to protect your shaft when using the lathe. Do not learn how to use your new lathe product on an expensive shaft.

www.ebay.com

 

[Zerksies]

You're right. The original poster was reshaping the shaft. I was referring to the hijacked thread where poster wrote about sanding to clean or polish the shaft. His links are bad and my guess for his link was wrong


Its more likely the hijacker was referring to a poor-man's lathe run by an electric drill (poster mentions a motor). Maybe something like this $83 pseudo lathe:

DRILL OR MOTOR LATHE TOOL repairs pool cues tip clean retaper rewrap MADE IN USA | eBay

For use working on pool cues, snooker and billiard cues. We provide a free plastic shaft collet to protect your shaft when using the lathe. Do not learn how to use your new lathe product on an expensive shaft.

www.ebay.com

I'd stay away from that lathe tool. How are you going to work and control the speed at the same time

 

[ShootingArts]

Since this thread started years ago I have discovered scrapers. Scraping gives sanding about the blueberry crush!

Scraping really is the cat's behind for ornamental work and might have some function on a butt. Odds of destroying a shaft are pretty much just a given. It just struck me it would be funny as hell watching somebody try to scrape down a shaft. Could scrape off about 90% of a bad finish with a french curve type scraper, no power. Scraping under power, probably a very bad idea!

Monday morning weirdness coming down! Anyone coming within five feet of a shaft with a scraper had better be vewy vewy careful as Elmer would advise!

Hu