What lathe would be needed to just work on Shafts

Todd at MidAmerica Pool has a unit setup for just that. I've got one of his bigger ones and they ae well built with GREAT customer service.
midamericapool.com

PoolFan101 said:

Hello ,

My go to go whom I have used for the last 20 years said he may be retiring in the next 2-3 years. He does a excellent job on my tips and shaft work. I am wanting to go the cheapest route I can to buy what I would need to do tip installs and shaft repair work. I seen a lathe on ebay for around 250 bux that has everything you need including attachments for the shaft and butt. That does not sound to bad , I can install a tip by hand but it takes 2 long and with my guy a hr away I thought I may pick up some tip business. who knows , But what would I need to just do minor repair work and install tips and maybe polish a butt or 2 . Here is the link to what I am looking at , do you think this would be good enough to do the job - https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHARPSHOOT...636321?hash=item3fb260ed61:g:84UAAOSwal5YC2Hk

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No.. You could put a drill in a vise for a whole lot less than that piece.. Get one from Hightower, Mid-America or get a small metal lathe

If every new cue repair person entered the craft with the cheapest equipment they could find there would be a lot less of them.
They would quickly get frustrated and quit doing cue work or go broke replacing the damaged cues they worked on.
Yeah ... put that electric drill in a vise then re-tip and recondition a Richard Black shaft.

THAT would be a very expensive mistake!! Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.

PoolFan101 said:

Hello ,

My go to go whom I have used for the last 20 years said he may be retiring in the next 2-3 years. He does a excellent job on my tips and shaft work. I am wanting to go the cheapest route I can to buy what I would need to do tip installs and shaft repair work. I seen a lathe on ebay for around 250 bux that has everything you need including attachments for the shaft and butt. That does not sound to bad , I can install a tip by hand but it takes 2 long and with my guy a hr away I thought I may pick up some tip business. who knows , But what would I need to just do minor repair work and install tips and maybe polish a butt or 2 . Here is the link to what I am looking at , do you think this would be good enough to do the job - https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHARPSHOOT...636321?hash=item3fb260ed61:g:84UAAOSwal5YC2Hk

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For $250, that lathe will end up doing much more than in damage to the cues you are working on. Hope you have $10,000 for replacing damaged cues.

Get one of the Taig based lathes from MidAmerica or a CueSmith lathe. Both are very excellent at shaft only work. You’ll need a big bore headstock if you ever want to work on butts.

PoolFan101 said:

Hello ,

My go to go whom I have used for the last 20 years said he may be retiring in the next 2-3 years. He does a excellent job on my tips and shaft work. I am wanting to go the cheapest route I can to buy what I would need to do tip installs and shaft repair work. I seen a lathe on ebay for around 250 bux that has everything you need including attachments for the shaft and butt. That does not sound to bad , I can install a tip by hand but it takes 2 long and with my guy a hr away I thought I may pick up some tip business. who knows , But what would I need to just do minor repair work and install tips and maybe polish a butt or 2 . Here is the link to what I am looking at , do you think this would be good enough to do the job - https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHARPSHOOT...636321?hash=item3fb260ed61:g:84UAAOSwal5YC2Hk

Click to expand...

Why not buy your repairs guy's stuff once he retires. He will probably be looking to get rid of it for 75% of cost or less than that. I agree I would stay away from the drill set up.

Kevin

www.cuesmith.com
Chris Hightower

Lathe...

Something like this..

Jmidas said:

Something like this..

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Forney get lost you're not welcome here or anywhere.

WilleeCue said:

If every new cue repair person entered the craft with the cheapest equipment they could find there would be a lot less of them.
They would quickly get frustrated and quit doing cue work or go broke replacing the damaged cues they worked on.
Yeah ... put that electric drill in a vise then re-tip and recondition a Richard Black shaft.

Click to expand...

I had a drill in a vise (with a rheostat switch to control the speed) and a Willard Tipping machine for at least 15 years before buying my first cue lathe. I did tips and shaft cleaning on just about any cue brand out there. Anything is possible if you use common sense. You take a chance on something going wrong at any given time with any tool.

Not sure if you're interested in a DIY, but I've found that the bulk of the price is in the chucks, which presents a significant DIY problem. I haven't built it yet, but my solution is to use a 3D printed chuck. It would undoubtedly work, but the chuck has to be so big that it's a very long printing process. But, for about $300, you could build a monster. Check around the net, there is a lot of people building single purpose lathes (although not for pool shafts, but they'd of course work).

I have all other parts BUT the chuck. The below prices are after shipping:

$20 for used motor: Groschopp PM8014 P/N: 911-60-1884-1 (this allows programmable RPMs, but a treadmill motor works too).
$8 motor pulleys: AK15 x 5/8" Belt pulley. 1-1.2" O.D.
$20 for stainless 12" tubing: I chose mine with 1.12" wall thickness
Free fly wheel: I found mine in someones garbage, however they can be had on ebay for about $10.
$7 shaft collars: $7 is for both, I think I went a little too cheap on these (but they fit).
$20 belts: I don't remember the brand, but they are plain V belts.
$5 RaspberyPi model B
$16 for both pillow blocks
$30 aluminum extrusion
$7 PWM controller: 12V~40V 10A PWM DC motor speed control (The Pi connects to this, but you don't have to use a Pi and use it directly)
$20 for the jig: I'm guessing here as there's multiple parts to it, but it's probably at most 20.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, but the final bill of materials came to $198 _MINUS_ the chuck (and whatever I attach the lathe to). The chuck like I said can be printed out, however, the main problem or reason not to finish was that what I wound up with before me is kind of industrial for pool cues :-/ I used a very wide array of carpentry/machinists websites to get help and while it all made sense at the time, I just didn't realize how big and heavy it all came out to be. You kind of need a dedicated spot for it. So I quit the project with intentions of building a modular one, but I never went back to it.

But the chuck is COSTLY if you can't find one cheap. I lost 4 bids (2 were international) over a month on ebay for nicer ones. They just went up so high, all hit about $100. That might not be a big deal to most, but considering the cost of everything I sourced up to that point, well, it no longer seemed like DIY.

I have since stumbled upon 2 treadmill motors and if I find a 3rd, I might just pay the $100 for the chuck and put it all in a box labeled "Finished!" (because I have no where to put the thing).

PoolFan101 said:

Hello ,

My go to go whom I have used for the last 20 years said he may be retiring in the next 2-3 years. He does a excellent job on my tips and shaft work. I am wanting to go the cheapest route I can to buy what I would need to do tip installs and shaft repair work. I seen a lathe on ebay for around 250 bux that has everything you need including attachments for the shaft and butt. That does not sound to bad , I can install a tip by hand but it takes 2 long and with my guy a hr away I thought I may pick up some tip business. who knows , But what would I need to just do minor repair work and install tips and maybe polish a butt or 2 . Here is the link to what I am looking at , do you think this would be good enough to do the job - https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHARPSHOOT...636321?hash=item3fb260ed61:g:84UAAOSwal5YC2Hk

Click to expand...

Contact Jude Hammond.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, but the final bill of materials came to $198 _MINUS_ the chuck (and whatever I attach the lathe to).

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Is the idea portability or something?

If your budget is $500 - 800 with chucks, suddenly there's a whole bunch of small metal lathe options, shopping at the right on-site plant auctions. Course i live in the northeastern states edge of the rustbelt, might be different elsewhere.

smt