Inexpensive setup to do your own tips ...

3andstop

Focus
Silver Member
I talked about this when I first put it together about 4 years or so ago, I thought it might be of interest to some of you who would rather not do tip replacements completely by hand.

This setup was inexpensive, and with a little modification with some stuff from home depot and a little buzz box welder, that if you don't have, one of your buddies probably does, makes an acceptable rig to do tips, shaft tapering, I even made a tenon and replaced a ferrule with this thing.

Anyway it starts with this device I found on EBAY. I have no affiliation with these people, I just think buying something like this gives you a big headstart to a homemade device. This is the piece I bought a while back.

Here are some photos. Basically its three pieces of hardwood sold at HomeDepot. 1 base and 2 other strips.

Then 4 lengths of bar steel and a few wood bolts. This all provides a base for the lathe parts to slide on.

Next I bought a tall nut and a bolt. I welded a piece of angle iron to it that makes a rest for a wood chisel I use to flush up the tip. I welded that to a small rectangular frame I made from the remaining piece of angle iron.

Flat washers guide the movement along the bar steel nicely.

For a collet over the cue shaft that rides inside those black wheels, I simply used some clear plastic hose, also available at HomeDepot.

I secure the hose from running up and down the shaft with painters tape.

I also use painters tape to help secure the fat end of the shaft to that rubber holder that goes into the drill. I like the setup on this end of the shaft much better than screwing a bolt into the shaft. If your shaft runs out a little on this end because .... after all ... it is a makeshift lathe ... you don't have to worry about snapping the shaft, especially if the shaft threads are directly into the wood with no insert.

Anyway ... it's far from perfect, but it does work perfectly for me and it beats the hell out of rolling the shaft up and down your thighs as you try to sand it! :smile:

Oh, and I found a rheostat foot pedal on ebay with the correct amperage so I could regulate the speed of the variable speed drill with my foot.
 

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Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
I talked about this when I first put it together about 4 years or so ago, I thought it might be of interest to some of you who would rather not do tip replacements completely by hand.

This setup was inexpensive, and with a little modification with some stuff from home depot and a little buzz box welder, that if you don't have, one of your buddies probably does, makes an acceptable rig to do tips, shaft tapering, I even made a tenon and replaced a ferrule with this thing.

Anyway it starts with this device I found on EBAY. I have no affiliation with these people, I just think buying something like this gives you a big headstart to a homemade device. This is the piece I bought a while back.

Here are some photos. Basically its three pieces of hardwood sold at HomeDepot. 1 base and 2 other strips.

Then 4 lengths of bar steel and a few wood bolts. This all provides a base for the lathe parts to slide on.

Next I bought a tall nut and a bolt. I welded a piece of angle iron to it that makes a rest for a wood chisel I use to flush up the tip. I welded that to a small rectangular frame I made from the remaining piece of angle iron.

Flat washers guide the movement along the bar steel nicely.

For a collet over the cue shaft that rides inside those black wheels, I simply used some clear plastic hose, also available at HomeDepot.

I secure the hose from running up and down the shaft with painters tape.

I also use painters tape to help secure the fat end of the shaft to that rubber holder that goes into the drill. I like the setup on this end of the shaft much better than screwing a bolt into the shaft. If your shaft runs out a little on this end because .... after all ... it is a makeshift lathe ... you don't have to worry about snapping the shaft, especially if the shaft threads are directly into the wood with no insert.

Anyway ... it's far from perfect, but it does work perfectly for me and it beats the hell out of rolling the shaft up and down your thighs as you try to sand it! :smile:

This is VERY similar to the setup I use. I still have the crutch tip arbor for use on odd-sized pinned shafts, but did you know that you can buy inexpensive arbors for many pin sizes on Ebay? I bought three: 5/16 x 14, 3/8 x 10, and 5/16 x 18. I purchased some large (w/small hole) rubber washers from the hardware store to buffer the end of the arbor from the wood on the shaft. Works great!!!

Maniac
 

3andstop

Focus
Silver Member
This is VERY similar to the setup I use. I still have the crutch tip arbor for use on odd-sized pinned shafts, but did you know that you can buy inexpensive arbors for many pin sizes on Ebay? I bought three: 5/16 x 14, 3/8 x 10, and 5/16 x 18. I purchased some large (w/small hole) rubber washers from the hardware store to buffer the end of the arbor from the wood on the shaft. Works great!!!

Maniac


If you have any pics I'd like to see it.
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
When it marks up one of your shafts please post your opinion then.

How do you plan on running those hard wheels against soft maple.


MMike

I run a piece of painters tape around the shaft where it contacts the wheels, being meticulous about getting it on tightly to where there are no wrinkles in the tape.

Listen, I only use my home-made lathe for doing tip repair, and it works GREAT for that. I've had people I have done tip jobs for tell me that I do a better job than Ft. Worth Billiard Supply does.

If you think I'm spending big bucks on a REAL lathe just for doing tip jobs that you nor anyone else with an expensive lathe could not do any better, then I've got a ski resort down here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area I'll sell you for cheap :wink:!!!

Oh, and by the way, my little home-made lathe has NEVER marked up a shaft.

3andstop, I'll try to get you some pics before weeks end (really busy).

Maniac
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
Not as intricate as 3andstops, but it gets the job done. Except for the arbors and the wheel assembly, I put this together from things I had laying around the garage. Note the rheostat for speed control.



Maniac
 

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3andstop

Focus
Silver Member
When it marks up one of your shafts please post your opinion then.

How do you plan on running those hard wheels against soft maple.


MMike

Did you not read what I wrote? Where the wheels would contact the shaft, you slide a piece of clear plastic tubing over the shaft. Hold it from moving around by taping it in place with some painters tape. The wheels ride on the tubing, not the shaft.


Holy crap Maniac..... LMAO everything is big in texas... you gotta resize those photos :)
 
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iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I like your steady rest. I did cue repairs for about 10 years on the side, first on a metal lathe, then a hightower. When I switched to using a utility knife blade for trimming tips, I thought it was much better than my previous process.

If you want to try a utility knife blade, you can probably use your existing steady rest as is. You might be able to dig the point of the blade into the pvc tube, and use that as a pivot. Thats what I used to do... only I'd dig the point of the blade into the soft steel shank of my brazed carbide tool bit. That allowed me to have a lot of control over the blade when I used it to shear the sides of the tip to diameter. You can also make a flat surface for the blade to rest on so that you can trim the front of the tip to shape.

Below is a picture I had made a few years ago how I pivot the blade by digging it into the soft steel. Maybe it will give you an idea for your setup.

Good work for a DIY project.

Slide1.jpg
 

Miller

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I talked about this when I first put it together about 4 years or so ago, I thought it might be of interest to some of you who would rather not do tip replacements completely by hand.

This setup was inexpensive, and with a little modification with some stuff from home depot and a little buzz box welder, that if you don't have, one of your buddies probably does, makes an acceptable rig to do tips, shaft tapering, I even made a tenon and replaced a ferrule with this thing.

Anyway it starts with this device I found on EBAY. I have no affiliation with these people, I just think buying something like this gives you a big headstart to a homemade device. This is the piece I bought a while back.

Here are some photos. Basically its three pieces of hardwood sold at HomeDepot. 1 base and 2 other strips.

Then 4 lengths of bar steel and a few wood bolts. This all provides a base for the lathe parts to slide on.

Next I bought a tall nut and a bolt. I welded a piece of angle iron to it that makes a rest for a wood chisel I use to flush up the tip. I welded that to a small rectangular frame I made from the remaining piece of angle iron.

Flat washers guide the movement along the bar steel nicely.

For a collet over the cue shaft that rides inside those black wheels, I simply used some clear plastic hose, also available at HomeDepot.

I secure the hose from running up and down the shaft with painters tape.

I also use painters tape to help secure the fat end of the shaft to that rubber holder that goes into the drill. I like the setup on this end of the shaft much better than screwing a bolt into the shaft. If your shaft runs out a little on this end because .... after all ... it is a makeshift lathe ... you don't have to worry about snapping the shaft, especially if the shaft threads are directly into the wood with no insert.

Anyway ... it's far from perfect, but it does work perfectly for me and it beats the hell out of rolling the shaft up and down your thighs as you try to sand it! :smile:

Oh, and I found a rheostat foot pedal on ebay with the correct amperage so I could regulate the speed of the variable speed drill with my foot.


clever idea and thanks for sharing.

if you don't mind....i am curious about something.....

what is the "rubber holder" that is chucked up to your drill? is it some kind of a jacobs chuck that you purchased somewhere or something that you fabricated yourself? would you mind posting a close up picture of it?

thanks.

:thumbup:
 

3andstop

Focus
Silver Member
clever idea and thanks for sharing.

if you don't mind....i am curious about something.....

what is the "rubber holder" that is chucked up to your drill? is it some kind of a jacobs chuck that you purchased somewhere or something that you fabricated yourself? would you mind posting a close up picture of it?

thanks.

:thumbup:

The rubber cups... two of them, one fits shaft and one fits butt, comes with that Ebay jig. Check out that seller, I believe he sells them separately as well. Using the correct size tubing and the large size rubber cup, you can also rewrap the butts as well.
 

mortuarymike-nv

mortuarymike-nv
Silver Member
shafts

I run a piece of painters tape around the shaft where it contacts the wheels, being meticulous about getting it on tightly to where there are no wrinkles in the tape.

Listen, I only use my home-made lathe for doing tip repair, and it works GREAT for that. I've had people I have done tip jobs for tell me that I do a better job than Ft. Worth Billiard Supply does.

If you think I'm spending big bucks on a REAL lathe just for doing tip jobs that you nor anyone else with an expensive lathe could not do any better, then I've got a ski resort down here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area I'll sell you for cheap :wink:!!!

Oh, and by the way, my little home-made lathe has NEVER marked up a shaft.

3andstop, I'll try to get you some pics before weeks end (really busy).

Maniac

You may not of marked up a shaft, but there is a lot of people who have messed up a shaft with the exact same machine.

I am not trying to put your efforts down. There is more then one way to install a tip.
But I have read over and over where these machines have damage some ones shaft.

These machines have that reputation ,that they put black marks or dent the shafts.
Operator error or not , these machines have that rep.
Really makes no difference to me what anyone uses , I just hope they don't destroy a shaft they really like.
IMO a lathe is the best tool for the job.

Investing a few thousand into a lathe and having room to set it up is not a option for everyone. But its still is the best tool .

MMIke
 

3andstop

Focus
Silver Member
You may not of marked up a shaft, but there is a lot of people who have messed up a shaft with the exact same machine.

I am not trying to put your efforts down. There is more then one way to install a tip.
But I have read over and over where these machines have damage some ones shaft.

These machines have that reputation ,that they put black marks or dent the shafts.
Operator error or not , these machines have that rep.
Really makes no difference to me what anyone uses , I just hope they don't destroy a shaft they really like.
IMO a lathe is the best tool for the job.

Investing a few thousand into a lathe and having room to set it up is not a option for everyone. But its still is the best tool .

MMIke

Maniac is not the guy with this machine first of all, I am ... secondly, I guess you still didn't read what I wrote specifically on this point. I use plastic clear hose .. (tubing) slide it over the shaft after you remove the tip. Then, secure it from sliding by simply using some painters tape on the end of the hose.

The hose acts as a collet ... the wheels NEVER touch the shaft ... the hose does not rotate and there is zero chance of harming the shaft. Your concern is a non issue if the person using the machine has half a brain to take common sense precautions. :rolleyes:
 

ArizonaPete

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
clever idea and thanks for sharing.

if you don't mind....i am curious about something.....

what is the "rubber holder" that is chucked up to your drill? is it some kind of a jacobs chuck that you purchased somewhere or something that you fabricated yourself? would you mind posting a close up picture of it?

thanks.

:thumbup:

I used a rubber cane tip purchased from Walgreen's Drug Store for around $3.00 for a shaft holder. I also used a crutch tip for a butt holder on a 1 piece cue. Drill a hole in the center and then install a 1/4" or 3/8" bolt so that you can mount it on an electric drill. I had a similiar set up (but not so elaborate) and used it for several years without any problems. The polyethylene tubing prevents any marking to the cue shaft. I was then fortunate in running across a Harbor Freight metal lathe in a garage sale that I bought for $75. The seller was moving out of town and it was the last evening of the sale. She was asking $150 but accepted my offer of $75 just to get rid of it. Lucky me.
 
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Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
You may not of marked up a shaft, but there is a lot of people who have messed up a shaft with the exact same machine.

I am not trying to put your efforts down. There is more then one way to install a tip.
But I have read over and over where these machines have damage some ones shaft.

These machines have that reputation ,that they put black marks or dent the shafts.
Operator error or not , these machines have that rep.
Really makes no difference to me what anyone uses , I just hope they don't destroy a shaft they really like.
IMO a lathe is the best tool for the job.

Investing a few thousand into a lathe and having room to set it up is not a option for everyone. But its still is the best tool .

MMIke

I cannot agree more that a real lathe is the best tool. But like I stated before, I'm not spending big money for a machine to rotate a shaft to do a tip job maybe seven or eight times a year. What I have, and the VERY little money I have invested in it, does a great job.

As far as "operator error", I believe it is important to use a little common sense when using the wheel rollers to hold the end of the shaft steady. First off, like I previously mentioned, I use a strip of 2" painters tape to cover the wood where it makes contact with the rollers so it cannot have a mark "frictioned" (is that a word??? :D) onto it. Then, I only set the shaft onto the bottom rollers and let gravity (not tightening down) hold the top roller to keep the shaft from jumping around. This system has been used for about 4 years now, estimating I've done about 30-40 tip jobs without marking or damaging in any way a single shaft. Believe you me, a person without knowledge can screw up a shaft on a real lathe just as easily as someone could on their home-made lathe (I don't really like to refer to it as a "lathe", more like a "shaft-spinner").

I never thought you were trying to put my efforts down. A warning about damaged shafts using the wheel rollers cannot be construed as anything but constructive advice, and I (and others should) appreciate the warning.
But I've had enough success with my "method" of using this setup now as I don't even consider a damaged shaft a possibility. I will however, continue to be careful and take things slow and easy.

Have a good day, my friend!!! :thumbup:

Maniac
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
I used a rubber cane tip purchased from Walgreen's Drug Store for around $3.00 for a shaft holder. I also used a crutch tip for a butt holder on a 1 piece cue. Drill a hole in the center and then install a 1/4" or 3/8" bolt so that you can mount it on an electric drill. I had a similiar set up (but not so elaborate) and used it for several years without any problems. The polyethylene tubing prevents any marking to the cue shaft. I was then fortunate in running across a Harbor Freight metal lathe in a garage sale that I bought for $75. The seller was moving out of town and it was the last evening of the sale. She was asking $150 but accepted my offer of $75 just to get rid of it. Lucky me.

I use a stove bolt with the head cut off and ground smooth to hold my crutch/cane tips. The smooth shaft on the stove bolt makes for a better fit in the drill chuck as opposed to putting a threaded bolt into it.

All in all, not counting the drill ($30), wheel rollers ($50) and the store-bought arbors (about $6 apiece), and using parts I had laying around the garage, I've got less than $5 invested in my "shaft-spinner".

Maniac
 
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