Sanding Arbors

They are wonderful tool for getting your joint's to match up dead nuts.
Usually sanding the finish can be uneven, but not with a carbide sanding mandrel, if you sand even to the mandrel your dead on providing evereything else is in line.

Contact John Rockler, Rocket Cues in here, I bought a set from him and they are the nuts. His prices are better then most and the end product is top quality. You wont be disappointed.

Tony

A sanding mandrel??? If you can't cut you shafts and butts to size, there is something wrong with you, your methods, or your tooling. Some CB's cut to .840 + or - a few thou. Whatever you like.



How about a "finish mandrel" for $3.....

I made my own because I just dont want to spend several hundred dollars for a carbide sanding mandrel. (not because I don't like them... I am just cheap)

Go to Lowes hardware department and look in the drawers that hold hardware special items. Buy a steel spacer that is 1in OD and 3/4 in ID and 2 inches long. Price... $1.51

Go on Ebay and buy a 1in delrin rod 1 foot long. Price... about $10

Turn about 2 1/2 inches of the delrin to about .750in. Keep trying to put the spacer on the delrin. When it will just go on about 1/2in but sticks, put it on the floor and hammer the delrin fully into the spacer. It must be tight and forget about gluing it.... not much sticks to delrin. Cut the delrin off and put the spacer in the lathe and face off both ends.



Put the delrin/steel spacer in the lathe and turn about 1in of the OD to .850in (or what ever size your finish joint is). YOU WILL NEED CARBIDE TOOLS. HSS will not cut it. I turned it in my Hightower lathe. I could take only .005in or less per cut.

When you have it turned to the right size and BEFORE YOU TAKE IT OUT OF THE CHUCK, drill and tap the delrin center for a pin just like a cue butt. I use 5/16-18 but use any size you like.

When you have a cue butt or shaft cut and sanded to size, put on the finish mandrel and build you finish to larger than the mandrel and sand it down to size.

It works for a butt like it is and will work for a shaft if you screw a short pin into it.

OK.... for the nay sayers....

Is it pretty? No its crude and ugly.

Does it work? You bet your ass it works for about $3.

Is it accurate? Not as accurate as a precision ground carbide sanding mandrel but it doesn't cost $400 either.

How long will it last? I don't know.... maybe 20-30 cues.. try not to sand on it very much and it will last longer. I slice most of the finish off with a razor blade. When it wears out, I will spend another $3 and spend 1/2 hour making another one.

Because the delrin center is somewhat flexible, you probably should not use it for machining butts or shafts.

Kim

whammo57 said:

A sanding mandrel??? If you can't cut you shafts and butts to size, there is something wrong with you, your methods, or your tooling. Some CB's cut to .840 + or - a few thou. Whatever you like.***********************

How about a "finish mandrel" for $3.....

Click to expand...

If you don't care if your shafts match up perfectly with the cue's joint then it can be done your way. If you want to build precision cues that the customer can just call up and order a shaft without sending in his cue then precision sanding mandrels are needed.

There is nothing wrong with me but I agree with you that you are "cheap". There is no place in cuemaking for cheapskates.

In this highly competitive market only the best cuemakers will survive.

Use the best materials, do the best job you know how to do and don't skimp on anything. Your customers will appreciate it and your business will grow.

Arnot Wadsworth said:

If you don't care if your shafts match up perfectly with the cue's joint then it can be done your way. If you want to build precision cues that the customer can just call up and order a shaft without sending in his cue then precision sanding mandrels are needed.

There is nothing wrong with me but I agree with you that you are "cheap". There is no place in cuemaking for cheapskates.

In this highly competitive market only the best cuemakers will survive.

Use the best materials, do the best job you know how to do and don't skimp on anything. Your customers will appreciate it and your business will grow.

Click to expand...

Arnot,

Well thanks for the bashing....it doesn't look good on you.... I expected better....

I assure you that the joint is perfect when I finish it.... and I use the best materials and methods. I build a solid cue that hits and plays well. Granted I am not up to your artistic standards but you don't need to belittle me. You don't need to discredit me just because I use a cheap sanding mandrel.

Kim

Arnot Wadsworth said:

If you don't care if your shafts match up perfectly with the cue's joint then it can be done your way. If you want to build precision cues that the customer can just call up and order a shaft without sending in his cue then precision sanding mandrels are needed.

There is nothing wrong with me but I agree with you that you are "cheap". There is no place in cuemaking for cheapskates.

In this highly competitive market only the best cuemakers will survive.

Use the best materials, do the best job you know how to do and don't skimp on anything. Your customers will appreciate it and your business will grow.

Click to expand...

I agree with you 1000000%. Carbide sleeved mandrels is the only way to go. It is not a matter of being fancy, it is a matter of being accurate and perfectionist... Using a blade to trim the finish just doesn't work for me, sorry. Anybody that has a decent set of carbide mandrels will share the same opinion.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Guerra Cues said:

I agree with you 1000000%. Carbide sleeved mandrels is the only way to go. It is not a matter of being fancy, it is a matter of being accurate and perfectionist... Using a blade to trim the finish just doesn't work for me, sorry. Anybody that has a decent set of carbide mandrels will share the same opinion.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

You should read before you hit "enter" I don't trim the finish with a blade.... I clean the mandrel with a blade.....

Kim

whammo57 said:

Arnot,

Well thanks for the bashing....it doesn't look good on you.... I expected better....

I assure you that the joint is perfect when I finish it.... and I use the best materials and methods. I build a solid cue that hits and plays well. Granted I am not up to your artistic standards but you don't need to belittle me. You don't need to discredit me just because I use a cheap sanding mandrel.

Kim

Click to expand...

Sir, you are the one who started the bashing with your statement: "A sanding mandrel??? If you can't cut you shafts and butts to size, there is something wrong with you, your methods, or your tooling. "

I agree that I was a little rough on you but I take it personally when someone makes a statement like you did above.

I did not care to spend the $1200.00 for the set of mandrels that I have but I knew they were necessary to produce consistent work. Now all my shafts fit all my butts perfectly. It is money well spent.

I wish you much success in your cuemaking,

whammo57 said:

You should read before you hit "enter" I don't trim the finish with a blade.... I clean the mandrel with a blade.....

Kim

Click to expand...

Kim,
Before you hit enter next time you might want to be a bit more specific then...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

whammo57 said:

A sanding mandrel??? If you can't cut you shafts and butts to size, there is something wrong with you, your methods, or your tooling. Some CB's cut to .840 + or - a few thou. Whatever you like.



Kim

Click to expand...

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=219665
For someone who was doing threadless joinery with Goriolla glue a few months ago, you have now become concentricity superb.
My hats to you.

I assure you that the joint is perfect when I finish it.
I doubt it if your mandrel has no taper.

Arnot Wadsworth said:

Sir, you are the one who started the bashing with your statement: "A sanding mandrel??? If you can't cut you shafts and butts to size, there is something wrong with you, your methods, or your tooling. "

I agree that I was a little rough on you but I take it personally when someone makes a statement like you did above.

I did not care to spend the $1200.00 for the set of mandrels that I have but I knew they were necessary to produce consistent work. Now all my shafts fit all my butts perfectly. It is money well spent.

I wish you much success in your cuemaking,

Click to expand...

I figured that you could cut your cues to size.... so it wasn't aimed at you.... and with that fact an actual sanding mandrel was not needed.... only a finish mandrel.

Try not to be so critical.... remember... I don't command the price that you do for your cues and I probably have about 2% of the equipment that you have so I must be innovative. Yes I make my own tools and jigs.... maybe they don't cost much but, trust me, they work just fine.



Kim

JoeyInCali said:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=219665
For someone who was doing threadless joinery with Goriolla glue a few months ago, you have now become concentricity superb.
My hats to you.

Click to expand...

I was asking if it would work.... before I actually tried it... and thanks to the guidance I received on the forum.... I went to a full core instead.


and yes... the joints are concentric. I admit that the first few cues were not, but using the help I received on this forum, they are now.

thank you

Kim

Guerra Cues said:

Kim,
Before you hit enter next time you might want to be a bit more specific then...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

My god! .... I was your 5766th post.... aren't you proud?

Well thanks for the bashing....it doesn't look good on you.... I expected better....

Click to expand...

not sure why you expected better,it's what he does.

i like concentric tool steel mandrels at 10% the price.

whammo57 said:

My god! .... I was your 5766th post.... aren't you proud?

Click to expand...

That makes you look like a newbie around here.
Good luck on your cue building...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey Kim, know what I like about you?
I like your ingenuity. The point jig that you made and now the sanding mandrel. It shows that when someone is in need of a special tool or jig, you think outside the box and experiment with what you have at hand. The best part is, you're contributing to an essential forum and helping others.

There are many of us that are doing this for a hobby and actually don't have tons to spend on expensive tools. Would I like to have that kind of money, fer sure, but I don't. I blew a large wad on setting up my small shop and didn't spare any expense on anything. Now, I like helpful posts that can help me get by a little more economically.

Myself, I love doing repair work and will delve into cue making a bit this winter. For the amount of cues I will build in my life time, I'm pretty sure that one of your mandrels will work great for what I need.

Brianna used to sell SS mandrels.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Keep up the good work.

I'm wondering how the old school cue makers did it before carbide sanding mandrels were introduced.
Don't tell me that they did it by feel and sight. No way.

Blue Hog ridr said:

Hey Kim, know what I like about you?
I like your ingenuity. The point jig that you made and now the sanding mandrel. It shows that when someone is in need of a special tool or jig, you think outside the box and experiment with what you have at hand. The best part is, you're contributing to an essential forum and helping others.

There are many of us that are doing this for a hobby and actually don't have tons to spend on expensive tools. Would I like to have that kind of money, fer sure, but I don't. I blew a large wad on setting up my small shop and didn't spare any expense on anything. Now, I like helpful posts that can help me get by a little more economically.

Myself, I love doing repair work and will delve into cue making a bit this winter. For the amount of cues I will build in my life time, I'm pretty sure that one of your mandrels will work great for the time being.

Brianna used to sell SS mandrels.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Keep up the good work.

Click to expand...

My ... you have balls to post that openly.... thank you...

I got 3 private posts from forum users that did not post openly because they didn't want the bashing from the cue cops.

Perhaps the established and experienced CB's should take more of a Mentor approach instead of police man.

You scare newbees instead of honestly trying to guide them.....

WHY???

Kim

sky is blue

Blue Hog ridr said:

I'm wondering how the old school cue makers did it before carbide sanding mandrels were introduced.
Don't tell me that they did it by feel and sight. No way.

Click to expand...

I went to a highly recommended machine shop locally and gave the machinist a couple of cue pins and explained what I needed made in the way of tapered carbide mandrel sets and paid a grand for 2 sets of mandrels to be specially made to my specs. Hell when I started building cues I had to have 3/8 X 10 and 5/16 X 14 taps and dies made special for me because there was NO ONE selling them at that time! They weren't cheap either! You newbys have no clue how lucky you are to have Prather, Atlas, Brianna and other such places to purchase cue specific tooling! There weren't any books or DVD's telling you how to build a cue back then either! Damn few cuemakers would share any information with anyone back then. I was lucky to have made friends with Gus and DPK who for some reason liked me and knew I wasn't going away and shared a bit with me. Of course we'd never even heard of the internet either! Young Whippersnappers!