Cutting a butterfly splice

[SSDiver2112]

Trying my hand at a butterfly splice. I have been searching for info and not finding much. AZB search has a couple old threads with broken links so not a super big help. I built a jig for my bandsaw to hold the pieces in place and experimented with some success.

I am working on an existing cue butt so it is already round. Obviously, I want both surfaces flat and the same angle, so the seam is clean. Not sure if the blade is walking too much, or the jig is the issue, or it is just me. Getting them to match up is my issue.

Sanding the pointy end is simple enough to get a flat surface. The V side is not as easy. Had to do a lot of sanding, filing, fitting - repeat to get it acceptable.

Not very efficient. Looking for some advice for someone that does not have a big workshop with table saws, mills, or CNC to tighten up the cuts to match better.

 

[snookered_again]

Thinking out loud, it might be possible to make a jig out of a piece of square stock with a hole in it , a relief cut and a screw so it can be tightened ( clamped) over a cue.. then the cue would sit at the required angles on the bandsaw In the case such as you have where it is already turned round. It does make sense to do the joinery and joint fitting before the turning if it's any sort of production.

 

[Ssonerai]

Per my original post

Do you have boring capability?

One way to index it would be to make a small but substantial wooden block with parallel sides, and bore it to fit the "other" end snugly. Ram the end in the hole. Tape all around so it can't shift. Now flip the cue one way to do one side, and back the other for the other side. That allows you to use the current taper jig.

If you have a router, and can make a snug fitting hole in a substantial block of scrap or stacked plywood, possibly with a split in the block for clamping; it could be used with the router to make, or to finish cut your male taper. In order to make it so it does not need much doctoring. I can also see opportunities to miscegenate your cue lathe with your router table or router.....

Then it can be used as many have already described, to chalk fit the female V to it.
It is best when matching parts that one part be the master, and one be mated to it, rather than going back and forth.
Not that there is anything wrong with going back and forth, but the "one master, one to match" is usually much more efficient.

Love your shop! but i could not work there because it is too neat and organized.

Question. I just have a small bandsaw. Do you have a blade recommendation (size tooth count etc.) for cutting these?

I have used a bandsaw hard for 50 years, but might not be the best person to ask for a specific blade.
That said, I like hook tooth blades. The ones i use to cut cue and similar splices have 4 tpi, IIRC. I tend to buy stuff like that on eBay, and that was a large lot from 15 years ago, that had them in it and they work well for cues, and for sawing veneer.

Some people who want to minimize kerf and increase smoothness, turn them inside out and run them upside down, with a sharpening stone held carefully to just kiss each edge for a few seconds. Idea being to flush up any rogue teeth with too much set. You are not trying to smooth the edge of the teeth, just catch any excess projections. I done it and can't seem to tell a difference, or more practically, the difference is not enough for my work, to make the effort and reduce the band life, most of the time.

In your case, be sure the guides are in perfect shape & set close. The issue is the band deflecting as it enters the cut.

Here's some discussion about bandsaw blades when i was asking on my forum not too long ago.
A lot was not germaine to my specific interest (teeth for very hard wood) but useful in a general way.
There may be links to other, older discussions. Feel free to add-on or ask other Q's there.

Bandsaw blades for really hard wood?

I want to resaw bloodwood, tasmanian myrtle, cocobola, African blackwood and similarly hard lumber saved in the loft over the years. Does anyone have experience with some of the bimetal blades, irregular tooth pattern designed for metals such as Lenox trimaster...

www.practicalmachinist.com

Those are beautiful. Do you make completed cues or just blanks?

Thank you for the compliment!

Every now and then i actually finish a cue.
https://forums.azbilliards.com/thre...photos-of-your-new-and-old-work.73064/page-18
See posts #348 & #350

Like many, thought i was going to get into it more/sell more.
I have sold cues.
But when i turned 69, realized there were a whole bunch of things i had not done, or done as much as i wanted to, and have been doing them while health holds. For instance, to scare myself i got back into skiing & tried out for ski instructor first time ever in my 70th winter last year, and am doing it nearly full time again this year as well. Sometimes i work on a cue a little bit, but in the past few years, pool related work has been to rebuild the 1927 BBC table my wife bought at auction, and try to finish the billiards room i started for her quite some time back.

Is there a maker space near you that has larger equipment, just for, say things like the splice?

(Slim 123 if you read this far, it is your own D&%$ fault. )

smt

 

[Ssonerai]

I think that's a dovetail saw, similar to the backsaw, the difference between that and a Japanese saw is the back of the blade is a dovetail or backsaw blade has a rigid metal part.

It is a common dozuki though it looks better quality than we see on this side of the pond most places today
I worked with a couple Koreans sometimes on jobs in DC. They could do anything with various oriental handsaws, including curves.
OTOH, so could western carpenters back in the day when Armstrong was the only power source on jobsites.

I suspect the BBC picture is posed, or else he is just cleaning up at the point.
To see a saw that was sort of unique & high quality at the time in the US unless you were in Chinatown suggests to me he really used it.
But maybe he used an un-backed saw for the initial cut? The Scots make a cup with a similar joint, and it is all sawed by hand & by eye, then fit and glued with very little fussing.

smt

 

[slim123]

Per my original post


If you have a router, and can make a snug fitting hole in a substantial block of scrap or stacked plywood, possibly with a split in the block for clamping; it could be used with the router to make, or to finish cut your male taper. In order to make it so it does not need much doctoring. I can also see opportunities to miscegenate your cue lathe with your router table or router.....

Then it can be used as many have already described, to chalk fit the female V to it.
It is best when matching parts that one part be the master, and one be mated to it, rather than going back and forth.
Not that there is anything wrong with going back and forth, but the "one master, one to match" is usually much more efficient.

Love your shop! but i could not work there because it is too neat and organized.



I have used a bandsaw hard for 50 years, but might not be the best person to ask for a specific blade.
That said, I like hook tooth blades. The ones i use to cut cue and similar splices have 4 tpi, IIRC. I tend to buy stuff like that on eBay, and that was a large lot from 15 years ago, that had them in it and they work well for cues, and for sawing veneer.

Some people who want to minimize kerf and increase smoothness, turn them inside out and run them upside down, with a sharpening stone held carefully to just kiss each edge for a few seconds. Idea being to flush up any rogue teeth with too much set. You are not trying to smooth the edge of the teeth, just catch any excess projections. I done it and can't seem to tell a difference, or more practically, the difference is not enough for my work, to make the effort and reduce the band life, most of the time.

In your case, be sure the guides are in perfect shape & set close. The issue is the band deflecting as it enters the cut.

Here's some discussion about bandsaw blades when i was asking on my forum not too long ago.
A lot was not germaine to my specific interest (teeth for very hard wood) but useful in a general way.
There may be links to other, older discussions. Feel free to add-on or ask other Q's there.

Bandsaw blades for really hard wood?

I want to resaw bloodwood, tasmanian myrtle, cocobola, African blackwood and similarly hard lumber saved in the loft over the years. Does anyone have experience with some of the bimetal blades, irregular tooth pattern designed for metals such as Lenox trimaster...

www.practicalmachinist.com

Thank you for the compliment!

Every now and then i actually finish a cue.
https://forums.azbilliards.com/thre...photos-of-your-new-and-old-work.73064/page-18
See posts #348 & #350

Like many, thought i was going to get into it more/sell more.
I have sold cues.
But when i turned 69, realized there were a whole bunch of things i had not done, or done as much as i wanted to, and have been doing them while health holds. For instance, to scare myself i got back into skiing & tried out for ski instructor first time ever in my 70th winter last year, and am doing it nearly full time again this year as well. Sometimes i work on a cue a little bit, but in the past few years, pool related work has been to rebuild the 1927 BBC table my wife bought at auction, and try to finish the billiards room i started for her quite some time back.

Is there a maker space near you that has larger equipment, just for, say things like the splice?

(Slim 123 if you read this far, it is your own D&%$ fault. )

smt

I,m good and you have a lot to share, I do read and I am enlighted by all of your posts

 

[kling&allen]

You made me do it!
Here's the BBC guy cutting FS joints with an oriental handsaw, "back in the day" (1920's and before).
View attachment 739639


Well, you can get one that is quite close by choosing a good blade, and maybe tuning it.
AFAIK, all FS makers including myself use a bandsaw for the prongs. BBC cues were made that way after they didn't have guys that could handsaw them anymore.

View attachment 739641View attachment 739642



I use one with a clamp for a handle, to make it easier to pull. But i only knock off any gross "boogers" or divergences. It is a fools errand to try to make the cut "smooth" like a plane.

View attachment 739643

OTOH, on the male part which is far more accessible, i will make a bit of effort with planes. But again, don't get nuts - it will all go to heck quire quickly after you merely knock off bumps and jiggles from the machining process, if any. (The satinwood part is fit into a scrap ashwood prong, to brace and hold it for planing. The scrap prong is roughly relieved. It is just a fixture to work against)

View attachment 739645

Semi-finished parts on the right are actually Hond. rosewood/curly hard maple art deco table legs.
On the left are 6 pt cue butt blanks.

View attachment 739644

Great BBC photo! How do you think they cut points into the handle back then? Still a router or mill with a 90 degree bit?

 

[snookered_again]

I often need to repair and set up different bandsaws. You can back off your guides completely so the blade is only guided by the two wheels. check tracking on the wheels.

at least one of the wheels normally has a crown on it so if it's in the center then it may be more square to the cut, but the blade may be adjusted so the set is not on the tire to avoid damage to the tires.

after you get it tracking , then move your guides so they are very close. the support bearing behind the blade should be set so it is very close to the back of the blade. Usually so that the bearing turns during cutting and stops after it's not cutting is good.

Often I will see that people have adjusted the blade guides in such a way that they arent' guiding the blade, but rather, they are deflecting it from their true course. That's wrong.

most of the good ones like that big green monster have nice guides , a lot of the modern ones have cheapo made in china bearings and some now have porcelain blocks that guide the blade. some use a hardwood to guide the blades.

If there is a lot of clearance on the sides of the blade then it can twist.
If the blade is not straight to the cut line it can try to direct the workpiece rather than cutting in a straight line.

This can happen because the band is running off the center of the tire and the tire has a crown so as you move from center the blade goes a bit crooked because it's being offset to one side of the crown.

some use a postit note, or thin paper as a gauge and set the clearance of the guides so it fits in but no more. You just want some running clearance.. often there is some imperfection at the weld and you may hear a tick as it passes.
set the guides as close as you dare without trapping the blade basically, that will help control the blade. you can turn it by hand and check for any binding.

the set of the blade shouldn't really be trapped between the guides, they can usually be adjusted to avoid the set portion of the blade to prevent that. if you see the teeth are between the guides see if you can adjust the guides further back to avoid the set portion of the blade.

taking any high spots off by using a stone is reasonable. you want more set when cutting a curve to give the blade space to turn, and prevent binding but you dont need a lot of set for this operation.

size of blade and tooth angle, You probably know some are made for ripping and some for crosscut and smaller blades will make tighter radius, but in the case of the splice you dont need a narrow blade because there is no curve cutting. I'd just experiment a little with the blades you have.

I'd suggest , if you have not, to check the blade guide adjustments. turn the bearings with your finger and feel if any are rough, also make sure the table is plumb or square to the blade. the table is often adjustble to tip it etc..

dust will accumulate so use a brush now and then to clean up the area of the guides.

some of the newer ones have a brake and there is some very inferior quality brakes, If working alone I'd frankly just let the thing spin down on its own. In some places they need to stop it for reasons of safety, so the brakes wear out.


if tracking is not possible then you may need to parallel the two wheels, there is normally an adjustment for that, it might look like 4 bolts near the shaft of the axle for the wheel.. try not to play around wiht that, its not normally necessary to adjust but just be aware that it can be out of adjustment resulting in something like a situation where the blade wanting to track to the right of the upper wheel and to the left on the bottom wheel. the adjustment for that is to move the axles as no tracking adjustment can solve for that issue.

the tires vary, some of the new ones are real junk and the tires fall off, the really old ones are the best. older machines may have real rubber tires, newer stuff might be a rubber-like plastic. the brake on older machines is often superior like a car brake friction material. some of the new offshore stuff is real garbage and looks like a chunk of flat rope and they wear out fast. If I was shopping I'd look for an older model anda size that was appropriate for your shop. a lot of the older rockewell ones were not so bad without going into a giant size. the giant ones are what you want for resawing lumber to smaller dimensions. buy a new made in china one and you know.. dont expect much.

a lot of the new ones have invertors and a variable speed, the oledr ones have standardized motors that adhere to NEMA standards for motor mounting. buy a cheapo made in china one wiht an invertor and you can be needing a proprietary motor or a driver board, the otors are starting to use metric sized shafts pulleys etc.. If it's an older one any motor shop can locate a replacement motor usually. I do not find the easy speed change worthwhile if it also means you are needing a motor and facing the proprietary motor issue. in ten years you may or may not find a motor to fit because some are short lived product brands.

if you adjust trackig , go easy. making a few small adjustments in the correct direction is always better than getting all confused and adjusting back and forth.

l normally turn the wheels by hand until a point where I trust that the adjustmet is close enough that the band wont go flying off when under power.

 

[slim123]

I often need to repair and set up different bandsaws. You can back off your guides completely so the blade is only guided by the two wheels. check tracking on the wheels.

at least one of the wheels normally has a crown on it so if it's in the center then it may be more square to the cut, but the blade may be adjusted so the set is not on the tire to avoid damage to the tires.

after you get it tracking , then move your guides so they are very close. the support bearing behind the blade should be set so it is very close to the back of the blade. Usually so that the bearing turns during cutting and stops after it's not cutting is good.

Often I will see that people have adjusted the blade guides in such a way that they arent' guiding the blade, but rather, they are deflecting it from their true course. That's wrong.

most of the good ones like that big green monster have nice guides , a lot of the modern ones have cheapo made in china bearings and some now have porcelain blocks that guide the blade. some use a hardwood to guide the blades.

If there is a lot of clearance on the sides of the blade then it can twist.
If the blade is not straight to the cut line it can try to direct the workpiece rather than cutting in a straight line.

This can happen because the band is running off the center of the tire and the tire has a crown so as you move from center the blade goes a bit crooked because it's being offset to one side of the crown.

some use a postit note, or thin paper as a gauge and set the clearance of the guides so it fits in but no more. You just want some running clearance.. often there is some imperfection at the weld and you may hear a tick as it passes.
set the guides as close as you dare without trapping the blade basically, that will help control the blade. you can turn it by hand and check for any binding.

the set of the blade shouldn't really be trapped between the guides, they can usually be adjusted to avoid the set portion of the blade to prevent that. if you see the teeth are between the guides see if you can adjust the guides further back to avoid the set portion of the blade.

taking any high spots off by using a stone is reasonable. you want more set when cutting a curve to give the blade space to turn, and prevent binding but you dont need a lot of set for this operation.

size of blade and tooth angle, You probably know some are made for ripping and some for crosscut and smaller blades will make tighter radius, but in the case of the splice you dont need a narrow blade because there is no curve cutting. I'd just experiment a little with the blades you have.

I'd suggest , if you have not, to check the blade guide adjustments. turn the bearings with your finger and feel if any are rough, also make sure the table is plumb or square to the blade. the table is often adjustble to tip it etc..

dust will accumulate so use a brush now and then to clean up the area of the guides.

some of the newer ones have a brake and there is some very inferior quality brakes, If working alone I'd frankly just let the thing spin down on its own. In some places they need to stop it for reasons of safety, so the brakes wear out.


if tracking is not possible then you may need to parallel the two wheels, there is normally an adjustment for that, it might look like 4 bolts near the shaft of the axle for the wheel.. try not to play around wiht that, its not normally necessary to adjust but just be aware that it can be out of adjustment resulting in something like a situation where the blade wanting to track to the right of the upper wheel and to the left on the bottom wheel. the adjustment for that is to move the axles as no tracking adjustment can solve for that issue.

the tires vary, some of the new ones are real junk and the tires fall off, the really old ones are the best. older machines may have real rubber tires, newer stuff might be a rubber-like plastic. the brake on older machines is often superior like a car brake friction material. some of the new offshore stuff is real garbage and looks like a chunk of flat rope and they wear out fast. If I was shopping I'd look for an older model anda size that was appropriate for your shop. a lot of the older rockewell ones were not so bad without going into a giant size. the giant ones are what you want for resawing lumber to smaller dimensions. buy a new made in china one and you know.. dont expect much.

a lot of the new ones have invertors and a variable speed, the oledr ones have standardized motors that adhere to NEMA standards for motor mounting. buy a cheapo made in china one wiht an invertor and you can be needing a proprietary motor or a driver board, the otors are starting to use metric sized shafts pulleys etc.. If it's an older one any motor shop can locate a replacement motor usually. I do not find the easy speed change worthwhile if it also means you are needing a motor and facing the proprietary motor issue. in ten years you may or may not find a motor to fit because some are short lived product brands.

if you adjust trackig , go easy. making a few small adjustments in the correct direction is always better than getting all confused and adjusting back and forth.

l normally turn the wheels by hand until a point where I trust that the adjustmet is close enough that the band wont go flying off when under power.

I enjoyed the post, good information here!

 

[Ssonerai]

Great BBC photo! How do you think they cut points into the handle back then? Still a router or mill with a 90 degree bit?

BBC archives do have some great stuff! Hope they never give up and let the website disappear.

I would not doubt that BBC was using shapers; which were in wide use by the mid-1870's. OTOH, bandsaws were too, not too much later, when it was finally figured out how to make durable bandsaw blades that did not work-harden and crack.
If you held me under a gun and said "no food for you!" until i produced one by hand, i could probably rough out a 4 pointer with a back saw, then plane it with a tuned up rabbet plane. Conceptually, that side *sounds* easier to me that sawing the prongs.

It is often a surprise how people can be amazingly accurate, relatively fast, and even repeat complex tasks within small parameters, if they learn in situations where people before them learned, and aren't impressed that it is particularly "hard". Still amazing to the rest of us.

 

[SSDiver2112]

Thanks everyone. Lots of ideas to work with for the next one. This one was already cut so thought I post the progress.

I made a big mistake in that I tried to glue the entire butt sleeve on at once. I should have realized this was a potential problem. Someone with experience maybe could do it, but I put too much pressure on it keeping it all together and cracked it right in the V.

I was pissed and a little panicked. No turning back now though, I released the pressure and made sure I got epoxy pushed into the crack, squeezed it together with another clamp and re-clamped the cue.

The flaw sucks, but I am practicing, and I was planning on keeping it for myself anyway, so I will have to deal with it. The crack isn’t compromising the structural integrity, so I am going to finish it and see how it comes out. Should be fine if you don't look too close .

All part of the learning process, I guess.

Here it is so far.

 

[Ssonerai]

you've got a great design sense, which is really the key element.

There are many people who can do flawless craft. Many fewer who can routinely come up with elegant design.
Practice, + maybe a few better machines, and you will have it all.

 

[SSDiver2112]

you've got a great design sense, which is really the key element.

There are many people who can do flawless craft. Many fewer who can routinely come up with elegant design.
Practice, + maybe a few better machines, and you will have it all.

Thanks,
Since I can't do inlays or fancy rings with the equipment I have right now, coming up with a design that is unique or looks nice takes some time.

Although the whole process can be frustrating at times, over all I find it therapeutic and very satisfying. I love seeing a pile of wood turn into a beautiful cue.

 

[SSDiver2112]

Although I did post about this cue in an Another thread I figured I should update here too.

Here is the final outcome.

 

[muskyed]

I think Studiotronics has a YouTube where he is doing this with a bandsaw.

 

[SSDiver2112]

I think Studiotronics has a YouTube where he is doing this with a bandsaw.

Thanks I will look for it. I have an idea on a new jig I am going to try out soon

 

[snookered_again]

I've noticed that on a few cues that came from production lines, that the point had been removed just very slightly, only enough so it didn't actually bottom there exactly at the point, but instead on the angled faces...

I dont make cues but I was thinking that a carefully made guide jig and a japan saw might actually leave a cleaner cut than a bandsaw.. getting an actual finished cut straight off a bandsaw is hard. building an accurate jig, like maybe one with brass guides would be time consuming but maybe that would make the cut pretty easy and repeatable?

if the parts were metal I'd use ink or paint or bluing to check the transfer and basically remove everywhere there is contact transfer until it transfers everywhere. with patience and that ( trial and error) technique you can get the joint to fit so well it's watertight..

Being wood, well you can do that, but the stain may be problematic. I guess you can use thin paper strips to feel for any loose spots..

epoxy can bridge gaps that are problematic for wood glue. It wasn't made back in the 30's or 40's so any old cues would have probably been hide glue.. usually I can knock stuff apart if it's made with that, just by shocking it with a hammer.. if it's frozen that helps as it becomes even more brittle. with humidity it can be taken apart, like if you use a steambox. Epoxy is very difficult to disassemble, its basically permanent..

some who restore antiques or work with veneers still choose the natural ( hide or hoof )glues because they may want to be able to disassemble it.. for example if you glue a kitchen chair together using epoxy it would be almost impossible to disassemble it again.. so in terms of antique preservation it is frowned upon.

most or many antique kitchen chairs can be disassembled and put back together fairly easily just by giving each joint a whack with a hammer in the right direction.

since the pool cue takes a lot of shock, It seems like the old glue would be problematic but I've never personally seen one come apart by breaking at the glue line, even old ones.. I think that says something about the design of that type of joint itself.. maybe others have seen them separate, I'm not a pool cue expert..

maybe with modern epoxy so long as the joint is close it's strong..

Sometimes with fitting wood joints, what I'll do is focus upon a tight fit right at the surface where you see the joint..

If its a teeny bit relieved below the surface, well that's invisible after glue up.. if there were a .020" gap, epoxy can fill it and still make a strong bond. so you can "cheat a bit"

where I find epoxy can be a problem is if a tinted finish finish or stain is applied, then any epoxy can inhibit absorption and won't accept stain.. in some cases a repair can jump out like a sore thumb by the epoxy's inability to absorb like the surrounding wood.

the cue looks amazing! love the burl! nice work !

 

[DeeDeeCues]

Cutting butterfly splice like the one in question is best done with a router/spindle and a taper guide or CNC. Edit: I see it is actually a full splice, not a short splice. Router wouldn't be the best option.

The bandsaw is only needed for a full splice butterfly.

 

[snookered_again]

ok i see what you are saying now.. the butterfly is a lot more simple, so a lot easier ( and still hard) to adjust the fit, whereas on the full splice there are a lot of of surfaces mating that are all related, so adjusting that fit would be difficult at best..

much easier if the cuts were precise enough from the get go, that little final fitting is needed , hence CNC or at least a very good solid jig to guide the saw..


when I look at that old photo.

https://forums.azbilliards.com/attachments/brunswick-oriental-handsaw-fs-joint-jpg.739639/

it looks staged, he as a pile of cues, but he's working a saw that is incapable of making a long thin cut because of the backer on that kind of saw, I believe this is a dovetail saw. Hes also working in a position that is far from ergonomic and looking at the size of the pile, looks like a strange way to go about things on a production shop scale.

with the "backer" which stiffens the back side of that saw, it is impossible to make a long thin cut ( unless at an angle)
or one might say it this way .. "the back of that blade can't penetrate into the kerf width made by the saw."

he could be finishing the end of the "crotch" but even then, that saw isn't able to sit flat against a long flat surface because the backer on that type of saw would interfere and tilt his saw into the work rather than being guided by the first part of his cut..

in dovetaling, like in making drawers the old way, the cuts to form the sockets and tails are not normally very deep so the backer on the blade isn't interfering and I believe that's what the saw in his hand is designed for.

in the photo it looks as if He's doing the full splice freehand which would be close to impossible, even with lots of experience, holding true to the tolerances needed would be impossible.. they must have used some machinery or a jig to hold the saw and the work at the correct angles at least for most of the cut.

Maybe it is possible all the cuts were made with a jig on a bandsaw and he's trying to finish in the root of the cut.
Even still, his blade isn't even close to parallel to the bottom of the cut..
My feeling is its just a staged photo..

Ive always been amazed that these full splices were done with such accuracy and wondered what sort of jig was initially used. It explained a lot when I saw the images of the cuts for a full splice made on a bandsaw.
I can see how CNC may have really changed the ability to do such accuracy as it mechanized the accuracy and reduced the human error factor by a huge amount.

if I examine a set of dovetail drawers, I can tell if they are machine made or hand made right away. hand made ones are never completely perfect or concentric.. My dad was very well trained back in the 50s by an old english cabinetmaker who he apprenticed under.. they started young then.. so he's shown me how to do it with great pride a number of times and it's still something taught to new joiners entering the trade.
I'm more confident using a dovetail jig which takes out the error and makes them close to perfect.

a telltale sign of that joinery work being made by hand was that the drawer maker would mark across the joint with a marking guage which has a little blade and puts a scratch acoss the joint to mark the depth of the sockets. this scratch mark could have been sanded away but was normally left, so even to this day, if you find an antique you can pull out the drawers look at the dovetails and very often you can still see this scribe line, there was some custom about leaving it, I guess as a sort of a cabinetmaker's signature. thats how it ws explained to me by my father.

there are still woodworkers who take a lot of pride in making cabinets with the older tools and techniques. It.s not highly productive, but it certainly does have some intrinsic value to see the hand made joinery.. Some just like working with hand tools, as it's a peaceful and challenging pastime. CNC is everything but that. CNC are noisy machines to live and work around but very productive. Many wouldn't want one in their own home. cue makers may come from both camps.
I'm learning and its very interesting joinery. Thanks for that, hope I didnt lead the post too far astray with my inexperienced comments.. Its just a really fun thing to learn about.

 

[snookered_again]

"The flaw sucks, but I am practicing, and I was planning on keeping it for myself anyway, so I will have to deal with it. The crack isn’t compromising the structural integrity, so I am going to finish it and see how it comes out."

- dear old dad always said " its not true that a true craftsman doesn't make mistakes, A true craftsman knows how to hide his mistakes" ;-)

 

[SSDiver2112]

"The flaw sucks, but I am practicing, and I was planning on keeping it for myself anyway, so I will have to deal with it. The crack isn’t compromising the structural integrity, so I am going to finish it and see how it comes out."

- dear old dad always said " its not true that a true craftsman doesn't make mistakes, A true craftsman knows how to hide his mistakes" ;-)

Unless you get up and personal and look for it, it just looks like part of the grain once I got the finish on it.

 

[snookered_again]

Unless you get up and personal and look for it, it just looks like part of the grain once I got the finish on it.

thats just a small crack but sometimes Ill have an odd shaped piece of an antique like a chunk missing, so I will mix in wood dust.. I'll put as much as can absorb, around half dust to half epoxy, then fill with that.

in the case of the small crack there is not enough gap to warrant adding wood dust.. If its a larger chunk well I think adding the dust actually strengthens epoxy, otherwise its a bit like doing fiberglass without adding glass, the bond strength of epoxy is strong,, but epoxy in istelf might be a bit brittle. I think it actually helps if it has fibers to latch into. I did some experiments and found I can make parts that look quite like wood with an epoxy finish, of course you wont be able to decide what the grain direction is as there really isn't a direction, but having the patch being a bit mixed is easier to hide in than a monotone path, wood is almost never consistent in color.. Similar if I use wood putty, its all about getting the right color and tone, if I can get that just right the repair becomes unnoticeable..

I had a friened with a terribly broken cue but he had some deep emotional attachment to it.. he had it repaired and the worker added about a 2 inch section and made it straight and usable.. maybe the technique would work for something like that. you can retain what's there but the rest is epoxy , not ideal I know, but sometimes you just want to save something that's broken, maybe not a cue but lets say the arm of a carved chair had a hunk of missing wood..

sometimes I'll make a form and use some thin plastic like from packaging to get a perfectly level surface.. epoxy wont stick to plastic so i'll just use some packaging , like the bubble packs ,, the shiny surface is transfered to the epoxy leaving an almost perfect shiny surface.

you can also add tints. I get the Blendall powders from mohawk.. that way the repair is actually wood and you can add larger chips in, as long as the space is filled. so One could choose to make "brown" epoxy and use that to fill a crack and it may look like grain or a "character" of the wood instead of a clear fill..

the powders last, never dry up , I like this product.

Mohawk | Blendal® Powder Stain (Pigment Type) M370-1200

Blendal® Powder Stain (Pigment Type)

www.mohawk-finishing.com

An example, a friend has a nice cue, he lent it to someone who proceeded to drop it on its butt, a chunk was missing. he saved the piece so we can glue back most but if that was a hunk missing then it might be a good repair. I'd often prefer to do a "dutchman" - add a splice of real wood .. but filling with epoxy is faster, sometimes it makes more sense as a real wood patch can also be hard to blend..

by varying wood dust types, the darkness can be adjusted. if its mahogany you can use mahogany wood dust for example.

I have a friend that has a cue it has a black decorative splice, well part of that splice went missing leaving this tapered depression, basically rendering it as junk but its a nice cue and he liked it.. for that it isnt; really very structural, the cue is thick there, it was not the shaft. but no one wants a hunk missing so maybe black epoxy would be ok to fill the mising hunk.. to save it..

I don't know what material is used, it looks like a black pool ball to me, kind of like a bakelite substance? it seems common in cues , but I dont know what it is..

the repair you did looks just fine.. I just thought some of that bit of rambling might help someone when they face a hunk missing from some other project.