Carbon shaft build?

PracticeChampion

Well-known member
Im looking at building a carbon fiber shaft for myself to try out and I'm curious what material is used to plug the shaft ends? I seen a video of a guy using juma, is there any other material that can be use
 

Dave38

theemperorhasnoclotheson
Silver Member
Are you a cue repair/cue builder guy? Or are you having someone build it for you? Key questions as If you have no experience, then why try to build your own with no experience at all? There is more to it than being spoonfed a materials list
 

Mase

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Im looking at building a carbon fiber shaft for myself to try out and I'm curious what material is used to plug the shaft ends? I seen a video of a guy using juma, is there any other material that can be use
Phenolic should work for the joint end. You need something lighter for the tip end. Isoplast if you can find it or tomahawk.
 

DeeDeeCues

Well-known member
There aren't really many requirements at the joint end. Needs to be strong enough to stand up to the forces, needs to be gluable, needs to be able to be threaded.

Juma, any phenolics, a dozen species of wood...a lot of thongs meet the criteria.

Go do it, best way to develop experience.
 

GBCues

Damn, still .002 TIR!
Gold Member
Silver Member
Im looking at building a carbon fiber shaft for myself to try out and I'm curious what material is used to plug the shaft ends? I seen a video of a guy using juma, is there any other material that can be use
I'm wondering if you know that CF shafts are commonly filled with foam? Foams come in different densities. Have you thought about what density you want to use?
 

PracticeChampion

Well-known member
Are you a cue repair/cue builder guy? Or are you having someone build it for you? Key questions as If you have no experience, then why try to build your own with no experience at all? There is more to it than being spoonfed a materials list
No I'm not a cue builder guy lol but I do have a lathe that I use for tips etc and Ive had the opportunity to see all the pieces prior to a build so with my imagination im confident I can make it work, if not ohh well I tried
 

PracticeChampion

Well-known member
I'm wondering if you know that CF shafts are commonly filled with foam? Foams come in different densities. Have you thought about what density you want to use?
Yes I was shown the foam but didn't note the consistency or brand etc, I'll have to look into that further
 

kling&allen

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
No I'm not a cue builder guy lol but I do have a lathe that I use for tips etc and Ive had the opportunity to see all the pieces prior to a build so with my imagination im confident I can make it work, if not ohh well I tried

Make sure you wear a respirator for the carbon fiber! Post pics when it's done.
 

PracticeChampion

Well-known member
Soon I'll have all materials except the blank and foam, so with that said I have a few questions.

I see many sellers of carbon blanks, what's the difference I should look for to be quality.

And as far as foam is there a better brand or does it even matter?
 

CuesDirectly

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Probably wouldn't hurt to make sure they're somewhat round as well. 😉
I never knew that, how enlightening, Thanks for sharing, looks like I will retool my lathes to turn things square today lol

I have made some carbon fiber butts and shafts that are perfectly straight, round and a solid material on the inside, no foam, just great weight distribution. Not only that but since they are Black, I am putting some Black Tomahawk ferrules on. I need some in the light color for another customer, Thanks for bringing the material to market.
 

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Having done a fair amount of CF shafts now, I can tell you that working with CF is different in many ways. You need to have the right tools, the right foams, the right glue etc.
I have found that using a collet chuck is preferable when doing joint work. I use phenolic at the joint end and I have use Tomahawk, Juma, G10, phenolic and canvas phenolic as ferrule material. First order of business is inspecting the CF tubes them selves. If they aren't straight and round, toss them out. Even with the heaviest foam you will struggle to get over 100g without some sort of weight added to get closer to 115g/4oz. Cutting CF is not good for your lungs or electrical equipment, so use a shop vac or dust extraction when trimming the tubes to length. Don't use regular HSS or carbide cutting tools, use a slitting saw.
 
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