Drill powered repair lathe?

Terry Aeschliman

Terry Aeschliman
Gold Member
Silver Member
lathe

Over several years, you will be much better off investing in a Hightower or Mid America.
The ease of operation, versitility and the fact that down the road you would be able to recoup a large chunk of your investment. If you go that route, you can thank me later.
Come to Kokomo and try mine out
 

Duane Remick

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Over several years, you will be much better off investing in a Hightower or Mid America.
The ease of operation, versitility and the fact that down the road you would be able to recoup a large chunk of your investment. If you go that route, you can thank me later.
Come to Kokomo and try mine out

Bob,
this is very good advice....
" Don't buy the drill thing-
Having an actual lathe of some kind work so much better.....
" I also install my own tips-
I have a small machinist lathe,
I bought different size collets and also have a tip centering tool to install the tips properly as well'
There are a lot of videos on youtube showing tip installs for you too :wink:
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
I have no clue how he gets it to cut on vid
I could never make it work
Save your self the trouble and steer clear
 

conetip

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The guy that was selling a really simple drill powered cue lathe and doing the demo with it at the APA event in LaVegas , was a really skilled guy who was trying to palm it off like anyone could do what he was doing. Definately not the case.
How much is a replacement cue shaft that you want to re tip?
If 5 shafts cost around 2k if they are available, how many are you prepared to ruin while learning on sub standard gear.
The cheapest option is a mini lathe from any big box store, that can take the shaft through the spindle. Not only can you make other things with it , but have confidence that you wont wreck your cue shaft in the process. You can also then do ferrule replacements, as a ferrule is intended to be a replaceable item anyway.
Many do tips by hand, but it is time consuming for sure.
 

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Seeing that the starting price for a good shaft is now around $300, it can be a costly affair to go with a homemade solution like that. If your only doing your own tips, work on your technique and it shouldnt really be a problem. If your re-tipping other players shafts (especially if you charge them...) don`t go for a half assed solution, I see people with totally fine lathes that manages to mess up a simple tip install in ways I struggle to understand, With the drill powered solutions out there you are setting yourself up to fail. A basic cue lathe isn`t that expensive, if this is something you really want to do :)
 

HQueen

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you do a decent amount of repairs then a good lathe will pay for itself in no time. It’s worth the investment to get one. Don’t be tempted by low price. You’ll regret it.
 

Bob Farr

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Thanks for all the advice. I only want to replace tips for myself so, based on your comments, I’ll just keep doing it with blades and sandpaper.:angry:
I appreciate your time.:thumbup:
 

JC

Coos Cues
Thanks for all the advice. I only want to replace tips for myself so, based on your comments, I’ll just keep doing it with blades and sandpaper.:angry:
I appreciate your time.:thumbup:

If you tried giving that contraption to me for free I would seek a restraining order against you.
 

hunter121

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Might I suggest a willard trimmer? I bought one a while back and it was perfect for me. Change tips at will to try out what i like. Also ended up paying for its self with the local league players because there is no one around that does any sort of tip work.
 

Buster8001

Did you say shrubberies?
Silver Member
"Uncle" "Uncle"

If you want to try one, send me your address. I bought one a long time ago to give it a try.
It worked. I only used it on test shafts that I have left over from cut down house cues. The problem I ran into was any amount of pressure you exert when trimming the tip flush is reflected in bands where the shaft lies in the bottom rollers. I ended up trying to cover them with a microfiber cloth - it helped. I saved some pennies and just bought a basic starter kit from Mid-America.
 

Bob Farr

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
If you want to try one, send me your address. I bought one a long time ago to give it a try.
It worked. I only used it on test shafts that I have left over from cut down house cues. The problem I ran into was any amount of pressure you exert when trimming the tip flush is reflected in bands where the shaft lies in the bottom rollers. I ended up trying to cover them with a microfiber cloth - it helped. I saved some pennies and just bought a basic starter kit from Mid-America.
That’s a nice offer, Thank You. I think I’ll dodge the bullet and forget the drill thing.:D
 

EL Picos

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
With 2 cheap pillow block bearing you can easily make a set-up really accurate like a lathe.
 
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