ive learned long ago you usely get what you pay for
Cue Lathe from Cowboy Billiards
- Thread starter JCurry
- Start date
ive learned long ago you usely get what you pay for
Do you use it for cleaning ferrules or installing them? Cleaning I could see, as no accuracy is needed,As long as no marks are made on the shaft, which with his product, will happen unless you put something on it, contray to his pictures. but if installing them, well,........I'm not going any further...
Dave
Depends on which end of the lathe he is using it on. If he is installing ferrules I would imagine he has some sort of lathe with a chuck and a tool post. In this case he would use it in the rear to hold the back of the shaft in alignment, probably, quite successfully.
Dick
Hi,
Dick is right. I use the steady rest as a device to hold the shaft centered behind the spindle bore. I chuck the shafts with a small collet and turn them using the tool post on my mini lathe. Very precise!
Rick
RBC
Deceased
I just use a small stand that sits on the same table as the lathe. It has a bearing the same height as the spindle bore, with a delrin collet inside. I slip the shaft through the bearing, chuck it up in the lathe, and then slide the steady into place to center the shaft.
I stole this idea from Joe Blackburn!
Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
Mine is exactly like yours.
Dick
Hey Dick. Do you just eyeball it for getting the back of shaft to turn true? I thought most mounted the bearing to a sliding rail that was aligned with the lathe.
Kelly
Yes. The bearing is at the proper alignment with the spindle as far as height through adjustment of the threaded post. Once it is adjusted once it never changes. After installing the shaft I run the lathe at a slow speed to see if there is any left or right movement or oscillation on the back of the shaft and I just move the stand left or right a little until the shaft runs true. When moving the stand you can feel through the vibrations when you are correct. If a shaft has a warp or the ferrule is not running true I loosen the chuck a little so that the ferrule is free and move the shaft in the rear a little as I tighten slight slightly. When properly aligned there should be no movement from left to right as the chuck is being tightened. A little practice and it becomes easy.
Dick
Mine is a little different
You make delrin, uhmw or teflon collets.
I used to modify those mini metal lathes back when they cost $799 in the 80's and I built a wooden box to mount it to, and the shelf to the left of the headstock had a bearing that road on top of it as a steady rest. I called it The Work Hustler. The quality of those mini lathes dropped along with the price through the years and I quit messing with them. That led to the next generation of lathes I built with the precision dovetail bed going to the left of the headstock with a steady rest for holding the shaft dead in line. But it was modifying those mini lathes and wood lathes that led to the development of the Cue Smith lathes.
I have nothing good or bad to say about the previous lathes mentioned, but I do think with all the experience I got putting tips on with only a wood lathe in the early years, that I could do decent tip work with the Cowboy Lathe. Sure it is primitive compared to a full blown cue lathe, but it cost a fraction of the price. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around anyone expecting something super accurate and super easy to use for what those cost. It is kind of like the people who call me hoping to buy enough equipment to build cues on a $500 budget. Some people really do have unrealistic expectations.
I have nothing good or bad to say about the previous lathes mentioned, but I do think with all the experience I got putting tips on with only a wood lathe in the early years, that I could do decent tip work with the Cowboy Lathe. Sure it is primitive compared to a full blown cue lathe, but it cost a fraction of the price. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around anyone expecting something super accurate and super easy to use for what those cost. It is kind of like the people who call me hoping to buy enough equipment to build cues on a $500 budget. Some people really do have unrealistic expectations.
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Someone would have to be a sucker to buy one of these "lathes" if you can call it that.
Um, yeah, thanks.
The thing that annoys me the most is why nobody posted anything about this guy sooner. It seems that everybody knew his stuff was junk but there was no thread about it. I'm glad I could throw away $200 so everyone else doesn't have to. :grin-square:
And back to the top we go... : P
I'm surpised (or not) that this Bob guy hasn't come back to defend his product....
I'm surpised (or not) that this Bob guy hasn't come back to defend his product....
I'm not surprised at all. Although, it would be funny.
Um, yeah, thanks.
The thing that annoys me the most is why nobody posted anything about this guy sooner. It seems that everybody knew his stuff was junk but there was no thread about it. I'm glad I could throw away $200 so everyone else doesn't have to. :grin-square:
I did not mean you, just a general statement. It is just too bad that there are people who try to take advantage of others trying to get into the business.
Hey Dick, What kind of samiches you got goin on in the back left there?
Mine is exactly like yours.
Dick