Ferrules. Buying rod vs. pre cut

Kim Bye

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I`m still buying stuff for my little cue repair shop propject and I`m wondering if I should buy rods of Juma, Elforyn, Aegis II, G10, Canvas phenolic and cut them myself or is it easier to just buy pre cut ferrules?
It does not seem to be that much cheaper buying rods, but I get the luxury of cutting each ferrule to the exact length needed and I get the practice of doing simple things like cutting and threading ferrules.
 
Depends.

I keep a assortment of 5/16-18 capped and threaded ferrules for general repairs. Also keep tube in .25 bore for sleeve type ferrules. Easy to bore the hole to the right size. Then I have solid for odd ball stuff where I have to make it from scratch.

I make the ferrules for my own cues using live tooling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R1MZQKgXJw
 
Murray Tucker said:
Depends.

I keep a assortment of 5/16-18 capped and threaded ferrules for general repairs. Also keep tube in .25 bore for sleeve type ferrules. Easy to bore the hole to the right size. Then I have solid for odd ball stuff where I have to make it from scratch.

I make the ferrules for my own cues using live tooling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R1MZQKgXJw
Click to expand...

You mean "when I'm not working for NASA"... :)
 
I did small time local cue repair for a few years. When I started I made every ferrule from scratch. It's good to know how to do it proficiently.

After a few years I started buying them premade from Atlas. The cost savings of making them from scratch was not worth the time it took to make them ... "To me". Your results may vary:)
 
Ferrules

I prefer to make my own with live tooling.
The premade capped ferrules are usually tapped and the
threads don't go as far down as with live tooling. On thru ferrules or smooth bore
it doesn't matter.
Plus with one piece of rod, I can make a just about any
type of ferrule that I need to. Cuts down on inventory.
Old rule is that you will always need the one you don't have.
That said until you are set up to machine your own,
the premade ones are pretty convenient.

Steve has severe machine envy for Murray's new toy.
 
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Joe Barringer said:
What do those things run, about $200-$300k??
Click to expand...

250ish depending on options. Of course then you have to fill it with tools..............

Old faithful has given me 24 years of flawless service but Mitsubishi is not supporting the electronics anymore so if it dies I'm screwed. Decided to go for gold with the new machine which will eliminate lots of secondary operations.
 

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Kim Bye said:
I`m still buying stuff for my little cue repair shop propject and I`m wondering if I should buy rods of Juma, Elforyn, Aegis II, G10, Canvas phenolic and cut them myself or is it easier to just buy pre cut ferrules?
It does not seem to be that much cheaper buying rods, but I get the luxury of cutting each ferrule to the exact length needed and I get the practice of doing simple things like cutting and threading ferrules.
Click to expand...

Of course, pre-made are easier to use .
Assuming the tenons are right .
You will eventually have to fab your own.
Rods are usually better than tubes in quality.
But, some materials are a pain in the butt to work with. Some dull bits real fast . Some do not tap easily. Live drilling and threading are much better than drilling and tapping in most cases.
What kind of lathe do you have ?

PS.
When you remove ferrules from shafts, don't assume everyone's tenons are done right. You will need maple plugs too.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Of course, pre-made are easier to use .
Assuming the tenons are right .
You will eventually have to fab your own.
Rods are usually better than tubes in quality.
But, some materials are a pain in the butt to work with. Some dull bits real fast . Some do not tap easily. Live drilling and threading are much better than drilling and tapping in most cases.
What kind of lathe do you have ?

PS.
When you remove ferrules from shafts, don't assume everyone's tenons are done right. You will need maple plugs too.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Juma, Elforyn etc. is quite soft, so I guess you are refering to G10 as being tough on the equipment.
I`ll be starting out with a Hightower Micro cue smith II. So I will be using taps and dies to start with. Live drilling/threading is something I can try, when I have more experience with using a lathe.
Maple plugs is a good tip :)
 
Kim Bye said:
Thanks. Juma, Elforyn etc. is quite soft, so I guess you are refering to G10 as being tough on the equipment.
I`ll be starting out with a Hightower Micro cue smith II. So I will be using taps and dies to start with. Live drilling/threading is something I can try, when I have more experience with using a lathe.
Maple plugs is a good tip :)
Click to expand...

Melamine is very hard. So are some other varieties.
 
Kim Bye said:
I`m still buying stuff for my little cue repair shop propject and I`m wondering if I should buy rods of Juma, Elforyn, Aegis II, G10, Canvas phenolic and cut them myself or is it easier to just buy pre cut ferrules?
It does not seem to be that much cheaper buying rods, but I get the luxury of cutting each ferrule to the exact length needed and I get the practice of doing simple things like cutting and threading ferrules.
Click to expand...


Flip a coin as it's all the same. You either spend time cutting or paying more for them to be cut; either way they are costing you.
 
Murray Tucker said:
I have one of these coming end of march first of april. Full CNC lathe with multiple live tools. Can't wait to see how much fun I can have with this baby.

Long vid but worth it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBkJxSHp1Bs
Click to expand...


Murray

So, at that level of machine, are you still working with rotary encoders, or is it already upgraded to linear encoders?

What kind of tolerances? can you hold .0001" very reliably?

That thing must weigh 10,000 lbs!


Royce
 
Several guys here like the 1-piece phenolic ferrule and tip that I have made for them. I have done it both ways, from rod and pre-made. Phenolic is another material that is hard on cutting tools. I'm leaning toward the pre-made in the future, but I have a lot of 9/16" rod in my stock. Both of them still have to be turned down flush with the shaft, so take your pick.
As with all things in cue making and repair, you will have to try different ways to see which suits your style and time vs money criteria the best.
My 2 cents,
Gary
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'll be ordering mostly rods as I need the practice, right now I don't mind so much about the time aspect, but I can see that being an issue if your plate is full with more important stuff.
That's a sick late Murray! It's like a factory on it's own..
 
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