...Properly, obviously. I mean even if you put the shaft on a lathe and then sand it down using fine sand paper by hand, how can you make sure that you're not ruining the taper by not applying the sand paper and or the hand pressure evenly?
How Do You Sand A Shaft Down?
- Thread starter gcgaryyoyo
- Start date
gcgaryyoyo said:
I have a wooden yardstick that I "V" notched at each inch mark. I mark the shaft at each inch interval,with a pencil & then take a measurment at each mark & make a chart. Then I put the shaft in the lathe & center it within .001" minimum. I then cut the ferrule & tip to the desired new size (leaving it just slightly oversized). Then I sand the shaft, starting with 800 grit sandpaper, then 320, 400, 600 & finaly 1000 & 1500. The trick is to know in advance what your shaft should measure at EACH inch interval, to maintain the proper taper...JER
I've done quite a few T/Ds (turn-downs) for Seybert's in the past 8 yrs.
Probably 1,000 or more. It's all a matter of technique.
You can basically follow the orig. taper or modify it, if necessary, to yield a better feeling/playing shaft. I do both. It depends on the shaft.
I, of course, do T/Ds on a lathe and would not recommend doing them without a lathe (1500/2000 RPM). Reason being, the spine's face is harder than the sides. Doing a T/D by hand without a lathe runs the risk of the shaft no longer being round when you're done.
One thing that I would say is 'key' is to use long sweeping strokes. You don't want to linger in one area for too long unless your intent is to modify/change the taper. Then, you'd better have an idea of what your finished taper goal is so that you have a target to shoot for. Once the shaft is turned to the desired size & taper, no visable sanding marks, one or more coats of lacquer-based sanding sealer (my choice), is applied to seal the wood. Lightly sand the sealer to level/smooth then apply a coat of carnuba car wax. Since you've initially turned the ferrule to size, you'll now want to polish that and blend it's mating surface to the wood. Burnish the side of the tip, re-shape if necessary and you're done.
The more T/Ds you do, the more confidence you'll have in doing them. I've gotten to where I can do a T/D, start to finish in 20 mins. However, most of the T/Ds that I do are 1mm or less. I also know that some suggest that you let the shaft 'rest' for a week to a month after every .010" or so removed. That may be fine in an ideal world but in the real world, neither the client nor myself have time for that. There are no guarantees when doing T/Ds because wood has a mind of it's own but I can honestly say that I don't know of ANY of my T/Ds that didn't stay straight once returned to the client. Hope this helps.
Probably 1,000 or more. It's all a matter of technique.
You can basically follow the orig. taper or modify it, if necessary, to yield a better feeling/playing shaft. I do both. It depends on the shaft.
I, of course, do T/Ds on a lathe and would not recommend doing them without a lathe (1500/2000 RPM). Reason being, the spine's face is harder than the sides. Doing a T/D by hand without a lathe runs the risk of the shaft no longer being round when you're done.
One thing that I would say is 'key' is to use long sweeping strokes. You don't want to linger in one area for too long unless your intent is to modify/change the taper. Then, you'd better have an idea of what your finished taper goal is so that you have a target to shoot for. Once the shaft is turned to the desired size & taper, no visable sanding marks, one or more coats of lacquer-based sanding sealer (my choice), is applied to seal the wood. Lightly sand the sealer to level/smooth then apply a coat of carnuba car wax. Since you've initially turned the ferrule to size, you'll now want to polish that and blend it's mating surface to the wood. Burnish the side of the tip, re-shape if necessary and you're done.
The more T/Ds you do, the more confidence you'll have in doing them. I've gotten to where I can do a T/D, start to finish in 20 mins. However, most of the T/Ds that I do are 1mm or less. I also know that some suggest that you let the shaft 'rest' for a week to a month after every .010" or so removed. That may be fine in an ideal world but in the real world, neither the client nor myself have time for that. There are no guarantees when doing T/Ds because wood has a mind of it's own but I can honestly say that I don't know of ANY of my T/Ds that didn't stay straight once returned to the client. Hope this helps.
gcgaryyoyo said:
I use the same procedure Jer from Blackheart cues uses, it is very simple and it works very very well. If you try to turn a finished shaft again to remove a few thousands like other have said it would be very easy to ruin the shaft.
Here is a device that I use to sand shafts, the reason I would not just hold the sand paper with my hand is directly due to not being able to apply even pressure. This could change the roudness of the shaft by making flat spots, the following device in the photo's prevents that from happening. If you want one, they are very in expensive and you can buy them from Creative Inventions (Joe Porper).
Hope this helps
Eric Wynne
Banned
I totally agree with KJ , He hit the nail right on the head with one lick ... I've seen some shafts when looking down them , like water on a windy day and severely oval ... I'm not a fan of changing a taper after cut to final diameter but some people are ...
RBC
Deceased
Like Sheldon, we like to cut them to almost the finish size and then just lightly sand and polish them out.
But occasionally, if I need to do a re-tapper for someone, I use the Dowel Sander. It takes a little practice, but you can very easily and quickly take a shaft down just the right amount.
Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
But occasionally, if I need to do a re-tapper for someone, I use the Dowel Sander. It takes a little practice, but you can very easily and quickly take a shaft down just the right amount.
Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
RBC said:
How do you CUT it down, if the shaft has a wobble in it? Then you'll be cutting some off of one side & nothing on the other side...JER
KJ has it right. I do a lot of T/D's and after a while you develop a 'feel' for it. His advice is dead on. IMHO.
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