good for tip shaping. but know that you will destroy your shaft if you use this setup to remove material from it.....hand drills dont center well at all (for screws and drilling holes, fine....for work where less than a mm makes a difference, not fine)....
Homemade lathe, done dirt cheap!!!
- Thread starter Maniac
- Start date
Here’s my version of a low-buck spinner. The drill motor is bolted through the tapped hole in the side to a hardwood board with a ½ in. slot routed along the centerline. My “tailstock” shown is a made of aluminum angle attached to a piece of channel that fits the slot. Some plastic ball bearings are bolted through slotted holes for adjustable support at the tip end. I have a few joint pins in common sizes for the chuck, plus some adapters made from dowel stubs glued to crutch tips. Spins nice and smooth once you adjust the height at the tip end. I’ve done shaft seal and polish work, tips, and even a re-taper. With a different “tailstock” I’ve even done a couple wrap jobs. So far, investment in hardware is just over $20. I have no aspirations of being a real cue repairman, but I enjoy the convenience this provides for tipping, tinkering and maintenance. Future upgrades planned include a foot switch, as well as a spring-loaded loop over the top of the ferrule with another bearing, and maybe even an adjustable tool rest for trimming new tips or mushrooms. I hope it’s a thought-starter for anyone desiring to do their own minor work. Just get yourself a couple junk cues to learn with before you bolt down a good shaft. I’ve used some old 2 piece Dufferins as learning cues. Gotta keep watching for more, though. Someone always seems to make me an offer I can’t refuse on my refurbished ones.
Bill
Bill
Attachments
ShaneT58 said:
I trim the tip with a razor fairly close to the ferrule as possible. Then I start with 400 grit sandpaper held between my fingers with semi-firm pressure. I work my way through the 400 to 600 grit on up to 1500 grit. Then I burnish with anything from a dollar bill to a piece of leather to a paper towel (the rough, brown type like is in a service-station restroom dispenser). Works fine for me.
Maniac
I always wrap 2 turns of scotch tape around the ferrule on every tip job. If it's a hard tip like a Sumo or a break tip, I'll chuck a small sanding disc in the drill and rotate the shaft against it untill I barely touch the tape. For a soft or medium tip, I'll use a sharp utility knife blade laid flat on the taped ferrule. Follow with 600 paper on a spinning shaft to smooth the tip. Remove the tape and finish with 1000 and 2000 paper. Finally, I'll wet the tip and burnish dry with a piece of unfinished leather. Obviously, it takes slightly longer at home than a pro with a real lathe, but not much, and I don't charge myself labor. I'll put my tip jobs against any for appearance and durability.
Bill
Bill
Thanks for the replies. I wanted to give this a try and wondered how everyone else did it. I've got a crappy shaft that came in an instroke case that doesn't even have a joint. I'm going to use that to practice putting on some le pro tips until I get good enough to try it on a real cue. I bought some of the 3M blue masking tape to protect the ferrule too.
Shane,
I use masking tape also to build up the ferrule to match a 14 mm tip. I use Gorilla Glue for most tips since it holds well and is easier to cut off for a re-tip than rock-hard super glue. Downside is a 6-8 hour cure/clamp time. Building up the shaft diameter helps to center the tip for the long cure. After a couple practice tips, try 2 turns of scotch tape around the ferrule as the first layer. I've also used super-thin automotive striping tape. You want to keep the last layer of tape as thin as possible, so there's not much of a lip to sand off the tip once you remove the tape. Good luck with your adventures in cue maintenance. I'm sure the pros who frequent this forum think we're nuts, cheap, or both. I certainly don't mean any disrespect to them. I've learned almost everything I know about cues right here in this forum. I'm just one of those idiots who takes pride in doing some of the minor stuff myself. I like to think I'm wise enough to call in a pro before I get in over my head and screw something up.
Bill
I use masking tape also to build up the ferrule to match a 14 mm tip. I use Gorilla Glue for most tips since it holds well and is easier to cut off for a re-tip than rock-hard super glue. Downside is a 6-8 hour cure/clamp time. Building up the shaft diameter helps to center the tip for the long cure. After a couple practice tips, try 2 turns of scotch tape around the ferrule as the first layer. I've also used super-thin automotive striping tape. You want to keep the last layer of tape as thin as possible, so there's not much of a lip to sand off the tip once you remove the tape. Good luck with your adventures in cue maintenance. I'm sure the pros who frequent this forum think we're nuts, cheap, or both. I certainly don't mean any disrespect to them. I've learned almost everything I know about cues right here in this forum. I'm just one of those idiots who takes pride in doing some of the minor stuff myself. I like to think I'm wise enough to call in a pro before I get in over my head and screw something up.
Bill
Another alternative for anchoring the drill...
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/findprod.cfm?cookietest=1&&DID=6&sku=2399
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/findprod.cfm?cookietest=1&&DID=6&sku=2399
I saw Leonard Bludworth trim a tip with a utility knife in Columbia, SC at the Rackum Up Classic 9 ball tournament a few years ago. He had the butt end of the shaft attached to a motor and held the tip end of the shaft in his hand and cut the tip down with a utility knife. I was amazed seeing him do that because I thought that you needed a lathe to do tip work at that time.Gerry said:most machinists like seeing different ideas...as long as its safe! I learned a new way to trim tips from Bloodworth one year at the expo...he used his lathe and a razor knife!...the look on the guys face who owned the cue was priceless.....Ivory ferrule was undamaged!
Gerry
thinman said:
thin,
I couldn't answer your first question without digging out the spec sheet.
It's a Ryobi variable speed drill, but the trigger only locks down at high speed. High speed for sanding/cleaning/shaping hasn't been a problem so far. If the tip/ferrule starts to heat up a little, I just back off for about 15-30 seconds and let it cool down. If i need a slower speed, i could just wait for my wife to get home from work and hold the trigger down for me
. I did forget to mention in my last post that I do tape the ferrule when re-tipping. Heck, I actually tape a large portion of the whole shaft so's to not get any glue on it. Super glue on a shaft is not a good thing.Maniac