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cutting a wrap groove
- Thread starter WHATEVER
- Start date
WHATEVER said:hello can anyone give me some of the tips & tricks to cutting a wrap groove. This will be my first and I would like to get it right . Thanks W
The way I do mine is after taking my last pass on the lathe and after sanding I go back and put the butt back into the lathe and feather in my blade into the wrap area and cut .020 ths. deep per side and as the carriage moves along I feather the blade back out before I get to the other end of the wrap area.This brings the center area of my handle down to near final wrap size but leaves both ends of the wrap area the same size as before the cut. I then spray the finish on the cue and continue to spray into both ends of the wrap area. In doing it this way I don't have to worry about sanding thru the finish at the sharp angle where the wrap starts when rubbing out the cue. Once the cue is all rubbed out I then go back and mount the prong into my chuck leaving about 1" in front of the wrap area exposed. I have a very short, stout cutter about 1/16th wide that I now feed in exactly where I want my wrap to start and I cut exactly .025ths. deep per side and slowly run the carriage back while feathering the cutter away from the handle. I then go to the rear of the handle and do the same thing only this time I don't feather the cutter away from the handle as the cue diameter is decreasing anyway. I now have the middle of the cue cut and both ends square. I have some stiff 120 grit sand paper that I now use in the wrap area to blend the squared ends and the middle area of the cue all together and now it is ready to wrap. Sounds complicated but actually takes no time at all once you've done a few hundred of them. Just joking. Some people cut and square their wrap area before they put a finish on their cue but I have found I can get the wrap to fit both ends better by finishing and rubbing out first as then I don't have to guess how thick the finish is. There are many ways to skin a cat and this is the way that works best for me, others, I'm sure, have their own way which is easier for them.
Dick
WHATEVER said:hello can anyone give me some of the tips & tricks to cutting a wrap groove. This will be my first and I would like to get it right . Thanks W
I cut the wrap groove as the final pass in making the butt. My router is mounted on the cross slide and the cross slide is held against the taper bar with a spring. With the butt in the lathe and the taper bar set to the correct angle I dial the router in .020. I then place the router over the spot on the butt I want to start cutting (about a 1/4" from the edge of where I want the wrap to start). I then pull the router back from the butt (the spring lets me do this) and I then start the lathe and router and ease the router into the butt. It will continue to cut until I pull it back from the butt with about 1/4" left on the other end. I then finish both ends with a cutter to the same depth.
I hope this makes sense. It is harder to explain than to actually do it.
Take your last TAPERED cut on the butt & while it's still in the lathe, cut the wrap groove, to a depth of .020. Taking the butt out of the lathe & reinserting it at a later time, can be pretty hard to do & still have it turn perfectly true. This way when you sand you will be sanding the cue & the wrap groove. When you spray you will be spraying the same amount on the cue, as well as the wrap area. At each step you can lay a piece of linen in the wrap area & check it. The linen should be just a hair higher than the butt. That way, when you press the wrap it will be flush...JER