Alternative to the Willard Tipping Machine

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bobbydee

Active member
Besides going to a lathe. Not quite there yet. They've been out of stock forever and won't reply when I ask if they have an ETA of back in stock. Wondering if theres a close alternative. TIA
 
There's a ton of Asian stuff out there. I've had a few tips done in local room and seen the tools.
 
skogstokig said:
the willard tool was priced at ~ 450$. too steep price for a manual tool.
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This is the first time I have ever seen the Willard Tip Tool, I watched the tip installation video, I can see why it costs every penny of that $495, its a beautiful tool that does a great job. I would definitely not call it over priced, there is a lot of machine work to make that tool. It may be more than what you want to spend but I would not call it over priced.
 
fastone371 said:
This is the first time I have ever seen the Willard Tip Tool, I watched the tip installation video, I can see why it costs every penny of that $495, its a beautiful tool that does a great job. I would definitely not call it over priced, there is a lot of machine work to make that tool. It may be more than what you want to spend but I would not call it over priced.
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i've done milling and machining work, i can definitely see why it costed what it costed. it looked very well done too. that wasn't my point. i don't think the demand is there compared to cheaper lathes
 
Contact Chris Hightower. He is very easy to work with and I am sure he will have some good suggestions and answers to your questions.
 
Try Ali express search for:

ONE STOP All Functions in 1 Billiard Tip Tool Pool Tip Repair Shaper Cue Tip Replacement Billiard Accessories for 9.3-13.2mm Tip

Couldn't paste link, sorry. Worth a try.
 
Years ago I had a choice between the willard and a minilathe.I picked the minilathe. Same price and I could do more with it
 
pay the dude at the pool room to do it for 10 bucks
you dont need to change tips that often unless your going into business
 
Used this for years.
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I have a Willard tip setup with all the collets, blades and accessories. They are not cheap but they work very well. I am very happy with mine, which is NFS at this time.
 
chuckpilegis said:
Years ago I had a choice between the willard and a minilathe.I picked the minilathe. Same price and I could do more with it
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Ditto. Maybe 20 years ago i was looking at the Willard Tip Machine for around $400. Instead I got a Speedway Mini Metal Lathe. While other Mini Lathes were selling foe $399, not only was the Speedway 7 x 14 only $299, it was on special for an unbelievable $199. Put together a roller bearing steady rest, and away I went.

I should have bought two.
 
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iusedtoberich said:
For personal use? If so, you can install by hand and get great results. Use a $7 Japanese single bevel blade to shear the sides flush. And sandpaper held in a split pvc tube to get the front shape.
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Buy tip tools and practice on a junker. Learn by doing. You’ll get there.
 
I’ve always done my own tips, with just a sanding disc to rough trim the sides and a handheld flat file to finish them. My “lathe” is rotating the shaft in my fingers with the tip against the spinning sanding disk and then rolling the shaft on a table with one hand while holding the flat file against the side of the tip with the other. Quick, easy, looks great (at least to my uncritical eye) and the price is right. A bag of UltraSkin tips for a few bucks each and tips are handled.

pj
chgo
 
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