Cue Lathe vs Metal Lathes

[KJ Cues]

I have seen a lot of repairmen use the 7x10 with extended ways at tourneys. Babyface has one. How much does this cost to have done? I have one I have been thinking about extending. With the extended ways you can do joint owrk between centers as well. Did you extend the feed screw as well? Thanks!

Howdy,
I saw no need to extend the lead screw on the 7x10 mini. Actually, about the only time I use power-feed anymore is on my South Bend for tapering shafts & handles.

As far as cost for the extension, I built it myself from aluminum bar stock. I also built an alum. tail stock to keep the wght. down. Not that the orig. tail stock weighed all that much, but I'm just into working with aluminum. I own a weld/machine shop : 'Aluminum Specialties'. I primarily service the marine industry in the area during the summer and in the winter I build cues.

I've often thought of building a few more of these extensions to offer to guys who own the 7x10 mini. Maybe this winter when I get freed-up a bit I can get to it. I'm up to my ear lobes in the hay fields right now trying to get that finished. Yeah, I bale hay too. Busy busy busy.

 

[Strokerz]

Howdy,
I saw no need to extend the lead screw on the 7x10 mini. Actually, about the only time I use power-feed anymore is on my South Bend for tapering shafts & handles.

As far as cost for the extension, I built it myself from aluminum bar stock. I also built an alum. tail stock to keep the wght. down. Not that the orig. tail stock weighed all that much, but I'm just into working with aluminum. I own a weld/machine shop : 'Aluminum Specialties'. I primarily service the marine industry in the area during the summer and in the winter I build cues.

I've often thought of building a few more of these extensions to offer to guys who own the 7x10 mini. Maybe this winter when I get freed-up a bit I can get to it. I'm up to my ear lobes in the hay fields right now trying to get that finished. Yeah, I bale hay too. Busy busy busy.

Thanks. Keep m e in mind if ya decide to make some more, I will surely want to have one.
BK

 

[cueman]

A friend of mine was inquiring about a bed for a Taig he has is this a good cue setup or is it better to buy a midsize in the long run.

This would depend on how good you want your set up to be and how much $$ you have to spend. Most who buy a lathe bed from me and decide to do everything themselves as far as making steady rests and such and mounting the motor and such wind up with something much less user friendly than the Midsize. Also very often people mistakenly think the standard Taig parts are just like mine and get a unpleasant surprise when they start trying to set everything up.

 

[Zirroe]

ariel carmeli uses a logan, the other i have seen were enco

 

[dave sutton]

Poor little old me seems to be the only one that no longer has a full size metal lathe in his shop. I have one small 6 inch craftsman metal lathe that I do some small metal parts making on. Got rid of my 36 inch Atlas a few months ago.

i think youre machine are the best. i can never say a bad word about you. youve helped me with everything ive asked.

i suppose ppl use metal lathe bc the are bulkier and very durable. youre machine do the job just fine without wasting alot of space and being impossible to move. i think ppl also feel weight is a factor and a very heavy machine is more accurate

i equate using a metal lathe for making cues is like cutting butter with a chainsaw. i have chances to get my hands on a few metal lathes. while being a great idea its a little unnecessary. if i find the right one at the right time for the right price i will buy it


chris i also will be buying my deuxe in a few months

 

[pdcue]

i think youre machine are the best. i can never say a bad word about you. youve helped me with everything ive asked.

i suppose ppl use metal lathe bc the are bulkier and very durable. youre machine do the job just fine without wasting alot of space and being impossible to move. i think ppl also feel weight is a factor and a very heavy machine is more accurate

i equate using a metal lathe for making cues is like cutting butter with a chainsaw. i have chances to get my hands on a few metal lathes. while being a great idea its a little unnecessary. if i find the right one at the right time for the right price i will buy it


chris i also will be buying my deuxe in a few months

Chris' lathes are fine for a beginner - and I only wish he were about
92 years old so he could have been in the biz when I started to mangle
perfectly good hardwood into something that vaguely resembled a cue.
The tradeoff for equipment and know-how, for the price, is quite
attractive.

Howsomever, once you learn how to run a lathe and build a cue,
a full sized, fully functional engine lathe is the only way to go.

Weight, itself, is not an issue at all. It is just that no one in the known
universe builds an engine lathe of the spindle bore and length to do cue
work that is say, the weight range of a good wood lathe. Besides, once
it is set up, why do you want to move it anyway?

Accuracy, repeatability, EASE of use, efficiency. These are the
reasons builders use engine lathes.

Dale

 

[JoeyInCali]

Can you insert pins on these lightweight lathes?
I wished I had a collet closer but I don't.
So I use an old Logan lathe the old fashioned way.

 

[dave sutton]

Can you insert pins on these lightweight lathes?
I wished I had a collet closer but I don't.
So I use an old Logan lathe the old fashioned way.

i used my hightower midsize to built this entire cue its not easy bc there is alot of breakdown and set up but for 25-30 cues a year it is very possible. the only thing i cant do is taper shafts. straight taper only
4 points holly green red black
3x8-10 sw style pin from chris.
leather wrap
the deluxe is even better. it comes with 2 taper bars 1 for shaft and 1 for butt

tulipwood plain jane

 

[dave sutton]

Accuracy, repeatability, EASE of use, efficiency. These are the
reasons builders use engine lathes.

Dale

ive used other lathes. my midsize is all of the above and portable which is one up on that.

you dont need a 2 ton machine to put in a pin. i can do everything that lathe can do with a fraction of the price and a fraction of the space

 

[KJ Cues]

ive used other lathes. my midsize is all of the above and portable which is one up on that.

you dont need a 2 ton machine to put in a pin. i can do everything that lathe can do with a fraction of the price and a fraction of the space

Really ??? Can you cut a custom tap when you need one ?
How about a custom pin or insert ?

 

[JoeyInCali]

Really ??? Can you cut a custom tap when you need one ?
How about a custom pin or insert ?

How about cutting threads on tenons with live tooling?
Threading a fine pitch inside a Delrin buttcap?
I don't see how I can even assemble without the big lathe.

 

[rhncue]

ive used other lathes. my midsize is all of the above and portable which is one up on that.

you dont need a 2 ton machine to put in a pin. i can do everything that lathe can do with a fraction of the price and a fraction of the space

Give me a break. Your lathe has one advantage and that is portability, period. But then again, why do you need to travel to build a cue? Most 10-13X36-40 lathes weigh between 600 and 1200 lbs. That's a far cry from 2 tons. You can buy a used full size lathe for as little as 200.00. You can buy new for as little as 1700.00. Did your lathe cost a fraction of that? I can set up and start coring a full length cue in less than 1 minute, can you? I can change from a router tapering a butt to a boring bar inserting a pin in less than a minute, can you? I can make my own pins, my own metal joints, my own inserts and for that matter, anything else done on a lathe, can you? I can also chuck up and turn what ever I want knowing that it will run true without the need for shims to make the chuck run half true, can you? As far as space, I would have to say that your lathes foot print is not much smaller than a full size lathe so there's certainly not much space saved there.

Well, I'm certainly glad that you are happy with your outfit. For you it is probably all you want or need. So be it. As the say "There's an arse for every seat".

Dick

 

[WildWestBilliar]

Boy looks like I started a war Anyway I ordered a Cue Smith and I am planning to get a metal lathe next. I have a small mini lathe i could use for small parts. I just wish I had my dads metal lathes and mill machines from his machine shop before he closed down 12 years ago. I would have been set for some fine machine equipment. My question to the metal lathe guys how the tolerances on a central machinery lathe. Is it acceptable for cue work or do i need to bee looking for the higher end lathes

 

[olsonsview]

there are pros and cons in this thread on both sides

But the metal lathe is the best way to go after you get your tooling and make a few jigs to work faster. Once you learn by setting up your first metal lathe, the next one you get goes rather easy. Yeah it is better to have several lathes if you really want to speed up your work. A heavy metal lathe has much more accuracy once it is dialed in for cue work, and is far more repeatable.
But if you want it ready to go out of the box, or if you are mechanically challenged, than one of the dedicated cue lathes is the way to go.
I have three metal lathes and it took me months to get the first one really adapted to do cue work efficiently for me. Like I said: the next one I bought was up and running in days.
As far as the central machine lathes, I have a lathe from Harbor Freight that I bought maybe 18 months ago. I got the 12x36 model, and admit the 13x40 would have made it far easier for cue work. I took the time to level it carefully with a machinist level and must say that all my tests indicate it is a very accurate lathe indeed. The only real flaws the machine had were caused by dumbass me! But with using one of the 15% coupons that we get in the mail every few weeks it really is an attractive price. I bought mine for about 1600 out the door! The manager even threw in an extra in house extended warranty for free! The hardest part of the setup was cleaning off all the heavy grease they coated it with before it left the factory.
You will want to get an Aloris type quick release tool post though and a few extra tool holders to speed up your work flow. But, the dedicated cue lathes also benefit from a smaller version of these.

 

[RocketQ]

Boy looks like I started a war Anyway I ordered a Cue Smith and I am planning to get a metal lathe next. I have a small mini lathe i could use for small parts. I just wish I had my dads metal lathes and mill machines from his machine shop before he closed down 12 years ago. I would have been set for some fine machine equipment. My question to the metal lathe guys how the tolerances on a central machinery lathe. Is it acceptable for cue work or do i need to bee looking for the higher end lathes

I have a central machinery 13x40. Right out of the box mine was pretty true. Buy a second chuck and mount to the back of the spindle. I use collets now on the back and it is a pain...@!# If I were to upgrade I would buy a DRO.. As far as tolerances it is not as accurate as a Logan or Clausing but it will get the job done. keep it oiled and keep it snug on the ways. Trans fluid works great when it comes to turning wood. Don't get the wood boogers like with oil. I don't cut metal parts on mine. I have a Harrison for that. If you are looking for doing metal parts stay away from the CM go with a used engine lathe.

 

[cueman]

How about cutting threads on tenons with live tooling?
Threading a fine pitch inside a Delrin buttcap?
I don't see how I can even assemble without the big lathe.

Unique Products offers thread milling attachment for their cue maker lathe. I have thread milling on my own Deluxe Cue Smith and am odering the parts to make copies as an attachment to sell for the Deluxe customers. I have taken this month and redone the Advanced DVD's, invented some new things and made a trip to Missouri. I also built a cue butt with 24 inch long v-groove points over the top of full splice butterflies. That is something I have never seen done before. So I have been having a blast in my shop this month. Thread milling is on the way for the Deluxe soon. Don't ask the price as I don't know yet. But October will be an exciting month around Cue Man's place. Two new Advanced DVD's, Veneer Jig, and Thread Milling attachments should all be ready by the end of October.

 

[JBCustomCues]

Chris,
would you show some pics of your deluxe machine with threading attachment. Is it the same idea that you and I talked about a few months ago?
thanks

 

[DaveK]

How about cutting threads on tenons with live tooling?
Threading a fine pitch inside a Delrin buttcap?
I don't see how I can even assemble without the big lathe.

Hey Joey, there is a real interesting Hardinge Cataract lathe for sale on ebay. It claims to be a 1915 model, serial number 6 ! Do a seach, it's one cool little lathe.

For any who will click :

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Hardinge-Catarac...ryZ97230QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Note that it is too small for a cue lathe, only 24" c-c with a 1.125" bore

One note about metal lathes, if you find a reasonable used one for $1K or $2K, in 10 years it could easily be worth the same amount, and you have a much wider resale market compared to a dedicated cue lathe.

Dave, considering a visit to Minnesota

 

[JoeyInCali]

Hey Joey, there is a real interesting Hardinge Cataract lathe for sale on ebay. It claims to be a 1915 model, serial number 6 ! Do a seach, it's one cool little lathe.

For any who will click :

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Hardinge-Catarac...ryZ97230QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Note that it is too small for a cue lathe, only 24" c-c with a 1.125" bore

One note about metal lathes, if you find a reasonable used one for $1K or $2K, in 10 years it could easily be worth the same amount, and you have a much wider resale market compared to a dedicated cue lathe.

Dave, considering a visit to Minnesota

I own a Logan 11 by 36 with 1 3/8 spindle hole.
I can't live without it.

 

[dave sutton]

Really ??? Can you cut a custom tap when you need one ?
How about a custom pin or insert ?

i misundersttod ur question. i cant cut my own pin or inserts. ill buy em extra 3 dollars wont kill me.