Few Simple Questions

West system works really well. 3D printed plastics might have air pockets I recomend coloured veneer or plastic rings you can buy from the big cue part vendors.
Phenolic, Juma, Elforyn, Tomahawk and canvas phenolic are all popular, some use deer antler, camel bone and obviously elephant ivory. The smell when machining things like antler is terrible.

robbycar said:

I am making a cue for myself. I own a CNC workshop, so I am well tooled. I'm good with metal, but this is my first time playing with timber!

I'm using a maple core, forearm and handle are cored.

Is West System epoxy suitable for gluing it together?

I have a 3D printer and was thinking of printing a few coloured plastic rings, is there any reason not to do this?

What material should I use for the joint collars?

Thanks in advance for some pointers, and I apologize if these are stupid questions!

Rob
Sydney, Australia

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Hi Rob
Kim's advice is very good.
For colored washers and dashes in ring work, I like using veneer better than the plastic rings. For wider rings, I like wood.
If the rings, joints and butt caps, are black. I prefer phenolic. Hard to beat it's strength.
For White, I prefer Elforyn. It's been my go to since Ivory is just a headache with the laws. It glues well, sands well and dust from the woods don't get trapped in the pores.
I prefer West system slow curing epoxies but I also use the 403 and 404 powders offered. It would do you good to learn about those.
Good luck and have fun.

Hello Rob,

All great questions. And you certainly can not go wrong with advise from Kim or Mr. Michael Webb.

Glad to hear you are coring the wood as I feel there are benifits. West system works great. For the cores I also use Gorilla glue, the poly type. But no need to buy both if you already have the West System. I like the 207 hardener as it is relatively clear and gives ample working time.

Follow the advise given on the rings and you can't go wrong. However if you can produce something consistent without air bubbles they could be used.

Best of luck to you. Ed Petersen

Rob,

If you bore the end of the shaft you are trying to make a low deflection shaft (not to be confused with a shaft that is stiff). I know a cue maker here in Florida who does this. Some people like them others not so much. Another cue maker I know was boring them and inserting carbon fiber. Once when we corresponded, he was not doing it this way any longer as he did not find a benefit.

This becomes trial and error to see if you like it. However, if you are only going to make one shaft then I suggest staying away from boring it.

This is my opinion and I am sure other will tell you something different.

Best of luck Ed Petersen

Once the butt is done, then on to the shaft. I'm still not sure whether to bore the end part to reduce mass and leave it hollow with a capped ferrule, or maybe insert a carbon fibre rod.

Any ideas on this?

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Not a good enough player to be able to tell if it has any advantage. However, i drill some just in case. :grin: I like mine that way, & have made them for 2 others who seem to like them.

There's a real risk the shaft will warp with a deep hole, though. Probably close to 50%. At issue is that to get a straight hole with uniform walls, shaft drilling occurs when it is nearly at finish diameter and taper. At that point, there is little material to straighten it if it moves..

Drill earlier in the process, and the hole warps (can warp) with the blank, leading to uneven thickness walls as the OD is straightened by machining with subsequent passes.

It's worth an experiment or 3.

smt

just one more thing.............. I know when I made my first cue about 10 years ago I was in a hurry to build it...... I built it in about a week..... I did put the pin in 3 times to get it straight........ finished it and polished it........ it was perfect............ ...... in 3 days I could feel every ring in it...................

My point is that to take your time........... all glues and all finishes take time to fully cure........... they keep shrinking for quite a long time.............. if you don't want to feel the rings and any other area where two parts are joined.......... you need to wait............ every process on my cues require a 2 week wait in a warm place before proceeding ................ now you cannot feel any ring or any inlay in my cues.................... I have a thermostatically controlled box I hang them in........... it varies from 77 deg to 82 deg..................

Kim

What kind of finish are you going to use. Box up some of the nice figured woods and ship them so we can have them for Christmas..
take small turns and wait as long as you can between turns.
What is your joint size and butt diameter?

The thing I am most dreading is the finishing!

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There's a very good chance most cues made before ww2 were finished (french polished) with shellac.
Sometime in the 50's nitro lacquer as well for production, probably mostly through the 70's when automotive finishes started to be used. .

Freshly made de-waxed shellac from flakes is better than lacquer. It won't soften from skin oils or contact with plastic cases, the way lacquer will. I don't like pre-mixed shellac, it never sets as hard and has a ton of wax in it.

Neither one is very good with water, but shellac is a better vapor barrier. Shellac generally has better adhesion to wood, esp oily wood. In the past it was often used as a "sealer" under lacquer because of that factor. French polish application avoids spray. Alcoholic drinks will temporarily soften & permanently mar shellac if spilled on it. Alkali (ammonia cleaners) will permanently soften or destroy it.

Shellac is fast and easy to french polish to a high shine, and is easy to freshen up or repair blemishes, unlike any other finish. Not much in favor for customer cues in modern times, but i really think for a maker's personal cue, it is difficult to beat.

It is one of the safest finishes - never use methyl spirits as French & Brits are fond of - it is highly toxic and can blind. Use Ethanol (grain alcohol). More shellac is used on pills, capsules, gumballs and some candy for the shine than is used on wood these days. IOW completely edible.

As an alternative view point.

smt

the ca finish looks great but man it looks like a very involved process
i bought a 30 dollar kit and didnt learn how to do it well by the time i used up most of the stuff up

i want to give the epoxy a try for the finish this go round on the jps

CA finish is a bad idea if you care about your health. CA is also quite brittle. I know there are a few known cuemakers who use CA as their finish, but the vast majority uses a epoxy basecoat and 2K clear. You need to protect yourself from that too, but it's easy to build a spray booth.

What do people think of Tung oil?

billsey said:

What do people think of Tung oil?

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Great for many types of wood projects, not great for cues.

Kim Bye said:

Great for many types of wood projects, not great for cues.

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Could you elaborate on why not great for cues? It doesn't look like it dries soft or discolors much...

billsey said:

Could you elaborate on why not great for cues? It doesn't look like it dries soft or discolors much...

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Sweat from your hands will wear through the finish, your cue isn't really well protected from moisture, humidity and general use. It's much easier to fix a ding in the finish, than in the wood itself.

OK, that makes sense. Thanks!