First Lathe
- Thread starter jon21588
- Start date
" No regrets ….
YOU WILL SEE SOON ENOUGH WHAT ELSE YOU WILL NEED ONCE YOU GET STARTED.....
Trust me-
unless your doing just tips and shaft cleaning-
ALOT OF ITEMS/TOOLING TO BUILD EVEN BASIC SNEAKY PETE HUSTLER CUES- "" CORRECTLY" :wink:
YOU WILL SEE SOON ENOUGH WHAT ELSE YOU WILL NEED ONCE YOU GET STARTED.....
Trust me-
unless your doing just tips and shaft cleaning-
ALOT OF ITEMS/TOOLING TO BUILD EVEN BASIC SNEAKY PETE HUSTLER CUES- "" CORRECTLY" :wink:
Buy some pre made shaft pins-
complete set on ebay very reasonable with all typical cue threads too"
" There are some good videos on youtube showing ALOT of various cue repairs and tip installations, etc-
BEST WISHES FOR YOU:smile:
+1 on the drive pins, started with the three most common but found out quickly there are more shafts out there with "uncommon" threads than I imagined. 
Also, get a good collection of collets, ferrule, butt, and joint sized, in a pinch you can make a joint collet work for shaft cleaning if you don't have the correct pin.
Get a good stock of tips. Most of my clients have been going to Ultraskins so I try to have at least 4 or 5 of each of them in stock plus a box of Triangles, Le Pros, and Elk Masters. That will give you a good start. If someone is dead set on a Kamui or Moori or something like that they can supply or I'll order for an additional fee. Stocking them is too expensive for my volume.
As far a a tip shaper goes.... I thought I was going to order one as it seemed like a pretty slick way to shape tips but found myself adopting the method of installation shown in the video below and it works perfect for me so I'll stick with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=ElB9LhdjX8A
Chris Hightower has a tip shaping fixture on his site for nickel, dime, and penny radii similar to the one in the video. It's a nice way to go and gives you a little more flexability.
Sharp blades are a must. I buy in packs of 50 or 100. For trimming the tip sides I do it as shown in the video and only use one section of blade for each tip. For shaping I usually go two tips per blade. Then they get turned into box cutters.
Get yourself some ferrule material and some cheap dowels (or old shafts) and practice ferrules. It won't be long before you discover a cracked ferrule while doing a tip replacement and you'll want to be able to take it in stride.
Other items to put on your wish list:
Drill chuck and common bits for your tailstock (for ferrules and later joints)
mini boring bar (comes in handy for all kinds of things)
not necessary but really nice to have.... tip centering tool (or you can get by with a concave live center)
I'm by no means an expert, but this has been my experience. Hope it helps.
Also, get a good collection of collets, ferrule, butt, and joint sized, in a pinch you can make a joint collet work for shaft cleaning if you don't have the correct pin.
Get a good stock of tips. Most of my clients have been going to Ultraskins so I try to have at least 4 or 5 of each of them in stock plus a box of Triangles, Le Pros, and Elk Masters. That will give you a good start. If someone is dead set on a Kamui or Moori or something like that they can supply or I'll order for an additional fee. Stocking them is too expensive for my volume.
As far a a tip shaper goes.... I thought I was going to order one as it seemed like a pretty slick way to shape tips but found myself adopting the method of installation shown in the video below and it works perfect for me so I'll stick with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=ElB9LhdjX8A
Chris Hightower has a tip shaping fixture on his site for nickel, dime, and penny radii similar to the one in the video. It's a nice way to go and gives you a little more flexability.
Sharp blades are a must. I buy in packs of 50 or 100. For trimming the tip sides I do it as shown in the video and only use one section of blade for each tip. For shaping I usually go two tips per blade. Then they get turned into box cutters.
Get yourself some ferrule material and some cheap dowels (or old shafts) and practice ferrules. It won't be long before you discover a cracked ferrule while doing a tip replacement and you'll want to be able to take it in stride.
Other items to put on your wish list:
Drill chuck and common bits for your tailstock (for ferrules and later joints)
mini boring bar (comes in handy for all kinds of things)
not necessary but really nice to have.... tip centering tool (or you can get by with a concave live center)
I'm by no means an expert, but this has been my experience. Hope it helps.
Last edited:
JC
Coos Cues
+1 on the drive pins, started with the three most common but found out quickly there are more shafts out there with "uncommon" threads than I imagined.
Also, get a good collection of collets, ferrule, butt, and joint sized, in a pinch you can make a joint collet work for shaft cleaning if you don't have the correct pin.
Get a good stock of tips. Most of my clients have been going to Ultraskins so I try to have at least 4 or 5 of each of them in stock plus a box of Triangles, Le Pros, and Elk Masters. That will give you a good start. If someone is dead set on a Kamui or Moori or something like that they can supply or I'll order for an additional fee. Stocking them is too expensive for my volume.
As far a a tip shaper goes.... I thought I was going to order one as it seemed like a pretty slick way to shape tips but found myself adopting the method of installation shown in the video below and it works perfect for me so I'll stick with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=ElB9LhdjX8A
Chris Hightower has a tip shaping fixture on his site for nickel, dime, and penny radii similar to the one in the video. It's a nice way to go and gives you a little more flexability.
Sharp blades are a must. I buy in packs of 50 or 100. For trimming the tip sides I do it as shown in the video and only use one section of blade for each tip. For shaping I usually go two tips per blade. Then they get turned into box cutters.
Get yourself some ferrule material and some cheap dowels (or old shafts) and practice ferrules. It won't be long before you discover a cracked ferrule while doing a tip replacement and you'll want to be able to take it in stride.
Other items to put on your wish list:
Drill chuck and common bits for your tailstock (for ferrules and later joints)
mini boring bar (comes in handy for all kinds of things)
not necessary but really nice to have.... tip centering tool (or you can get by with a concave live center)
I'm by no means an expert, but this has been my experience. Hope it helps.
Trimming the side of the tip freehand like he did it with a razor knife looks like a nasty cut waiting to happen. Hope you have eye protection on if you do it like that. I use a sharp bit on my tool holder and trim it with the lathe. Then you can bring a blade in edge ways to the tip on the shaper bed and lightly clean the last little bit.
No centering tool at all is required. It's a waste of time and money. Your fingers were made for that job
Joe has been doing that for years and years.
I do it too but with my left index finger under the ferrule and left thumb giving the knife a little more support .
Imo it is the best technique in trimming layered tips.
The layers peel off the blade. Side cutting with a tool bit or parting tool causes a little fray.
With the olfa blade or utility blade, the layers don't fray at all.
The first video of someone using a utility blade to trim a tip I saw was Sheldon Lebow doing it. I wish I saw the video 2 years earlier.
I made my own tip centering jigs out of delrin. Very useful. Makes cleaning up excess glue much easier. You rest the tip square then just clean up the excess glue.