bpeacock
Active member
I suspect @iusedtoberich has learned a lot about 3D printing along the way, which is worth more than than any cue regardless of how it plays.
3D printed pool cue
- Thread starter iusedtoberich
- Start date
I think the only chance a 5/16” thread will work with RP technology is with SLS printers. Those parts are homogeneous and as strong as injection molded. None are in the consumer space. In the commercial space a joint protector would be about $400. At least 10 years ago those were the prices. We bought all the parts for an infant stroller at my dayjob and it was 20k. That’s the closet tech to real parts.
Will you let others play with the finished product inside or outside? Or is it a keep it in house thing?
I flew from Philly to Florida to Atlanta today, and decided to take the 3D printed back half with me. I remembered I have a Revo shaft at my home in Atl with a Radial pin. It is a larger diameter than the 5/16-14 314 shafts I have in Philly, so a better chance of working. I also ordrered a Radial stainless steel pin from ebay that should arrive in a few days.
Zero problems at Philly TSA.
At Florida TSA, I forgot my water bottle inside my schoolbag, and it of course flagged me. A TSA lady searched my whole bag, per their protocol. She trashed the water bottle, then kept fishing around. She found 1 of the printed pieces, then the rest. She had a confused look on her face, and said "what are these?" I replied: "They are a walking stick. They screw together to make it longer". She looked at the ends and saw the threads. She said "ok, you can go".
Zero problems at Philly TSA.
At Florida TSA, I forgot my water bottle inside my schoolbag, and it of course flagged me. A TSA lady searched my whole bag, per their protocol. She trashed the water bottle, then kept fishing around. She found 1 of the printed pieces, then the rest. She had a confused look on her face, and said "what are these?" I replied: "They are a walking stick. They screw together to make it longer". She looked at the ends and saw the threads. She said "ok, you can go".
Because he wants to, and learning is fun. Stop complaining about innovation.
I'm back in Atlanta, and recieved a radial pin here to match up with a Rhino radial shaft I just got.
Goal is to replace the weakest link in the prior version, which was a printed 5/16-14 thread, with a steel radial (knock-off) pin. That means I needed a female thread to accept the male radial pin threads. There is no available information for the radial thread design, so I reversed engineered it. I made radius gauges and pitch gauges. After several iterations, I had a duplicate of the male thread. I then made a female counterpart.
Radius gauge.
Pitch gauge.
The radial pin fit perfectly in the butt. It was a tight fit, without glue, which is just what I was going for. I had to use pliers to install it. The pin was perfectly straight. The entire cue rolled straight all screwed together.
I really like the colors. The matte white goes great with the matte CF. I think cuemakers should offer this color combination for CF shafts.
The cue worked. I hit a couple racks, and it played ok. The sound was bad though. It was super, super, super pingy. Like no other cue I've ever heard. Almost the sound of an aluminum softball bat. I may try some foam inside somewhere to see if I can tone it down. The cue was also too heavy. If I re-do it, I can add hollow sections to bring the weight down, and also add foam to the hollow sections to hopefully reduce the pinging.
Goal is to replace the weakest link in the prior version, which was a printed 5/16-14 thread, with a steel radial (knock-off) pin. That means I needed a female thread to accept the male radial pin threads. There is no available information for the radial thread design, so I reversed engineered it. I made radius gauges and pitch gauges. After several iterations, I had a duplicate of the male thread. I then made a female counterpart.
Radius gauge.
Pitch gauge.
The radial pin fit perfectly in the butt. It was a tight fit, without glue, which is just what I was going for. I had to use pliers to install it. The pin was perfectly straight. The entire cue rolled straight all screwed together.
I really like the colors. The matte white goes great with the matte CF. I think cuemakers should offer this color combination for CF shafts.
The cue worked. I hit a couple racks, and it played ok. The sound was bad though. It was super, super, super pingy. Like no other cue I've ever heard. Almost the sound of an aluminum softball bat. I may try some foam inside somewhere to see if I can tone it down. The cue was also too heavy. If I re-do it, I can add hollow sections to bring the weight down, and also add foam to the hollow sections to hopefully reduce the pinging.
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I just went through this entire thread. Cue broke exactly where I expected it to. I also figured the sound would be dead. I think lowering the infill would improve the sound and feel. If you stick with this I look forward to your progress.
Great thread. Consider open sourcing some of your work if you haven’t already. Your radial threads look better than the ones I made for these joint protectors:
Joint Protector for Pool Cue by oz1051
This is a joint protector for pool cue, with both shaft-side and butt-side elements. I've uploaded three versions: radial pin; 3/8x10 pin; and 5/16x18 pin. Prints without supports. TPU works nicely for this purpose. Should work with nozzle diameters up to 0.6mm. I've updated the STL files...
www.thingiverse.com
Great read, still...!
Except justdum's expected musings.
Except justdum's expected musings.
Aerodynamics play no role in billiards.
Aerodynamics play no roll in billiards.
Take you're pique, Einstein.
I can link you the threads later in the native cad if you’d like to print. I use Onshape, it’s free.Great thread. Consider open sourcing some of your work if you haven’t already. Your radial threads look better than the ones I made for these joint protectors:
Joint Protector for Pool Cue by oz1051
This is a joint protector for pool cue, with both shaft-side and butt-side elements. I've uploaded three versions: radial pin; 3/8x10 pin; and 5/16x18 pin. Prints without supports. TPU works nicely for this purpose. Should work with nozzle diameters up to 0.6mm. I've updated the STL files...
I decided to test the longevity of the cue and used it as a break cue, after hitting a couple racks worth of balls with it. It snapped at the second joint back on the first break.
15 sec video of it breaking:
Caveat, it broke on the exact place where my printer ran out of filament, and I had to change spools to another color I had. Unknown if it broke due to the filament change, or due to that being the weakest point of the cue (geometrically). Both are highly probable, IMO. I will reprint that piece and try again.
On the plus side, the radial pin area, which was what previously broke, held up great.
15 sec video of it breaking:
Caveat, it broke on the exact place where my printer ran out of filament, and I had to change spools to another color I had. Unknown if it broke due to the filament change, or due to that being the weakest point of the cue (geometrically). Both are highly probable, IMO. I will reprint that piece and try again.
On the plus side, the radial pin area, which was what previously broke, held up great.
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Replacement part printed. Sound testing video below, short, only about 1 min. Shows the pinging sound and how it changes with different lengths attached. I also added foam ear protectors between each joint, one at a time, and it did not seem to make a difference. Today's pinging sounded better than yesterday's. Maybe that piece where the filament ran out was the main culprit?
Ran my first rack: (edited to remove dead space, but keep all the shot sounds, about 1 min long)
Lost 6-7 to the ghost. I was up 4-0, and all I was thinking was I'm going to blank the ghost with a 3D printed cue. Well, you know the rest. The ghost is relentless. ha ha.
I used the cue for the entire set, including the breaks. I did not blast the break, but did hit it a decent speed. It held up great. I'd say the cue breaking at the joint yesterday was due to the filament running out, not a geometric weak area.
Video is edited to remove all dead space, but keep the sounds to hear the cue. (first rack is the same as the prior post, I was actually starting a set and happened to run the first rack, so made that a separate video on the spot).
I used the cue for the entire set, including the breaks. I did not blast the break, but did hit it a decent speed. It held up great. I'd say the cue breaking at the joint yesterday was due to the filament running out, not a geometric weak area.
Video is edited to remove all dead space, but keep the sounds to hear the cue. (first rack is the same as the prior post, I was actually starting a set and happened to run the first rack, so made that a separate video on the spot).
Very clever. Such an ambitious project, I wish you luck.