I like my new Mid America repair lathe

[PariahZero]

I ordered a repair cue Lathe with a 4’ bed. It arrived today, and was packed well. I even get some styrofoam insulation to keep my shop warmer!

It seems to have been ready to go - unwrap the parts, slide them place, and it was pretty much ready. The run out on the headstock was one thou, which is good enough for me - I can’t get a shaft mounted that perfectly (yet).

I took my time, and changed a couple of tips on two of my house cues: I added acrylic pads, and decided to give Kamikaze tips a try.

I clearly have room for improvement, but I’m pretty happy for my first efforts.

I think it speaks to the machine rather than my own abilities.

 

[tomatoetom]

I think you need to stay away from the cf as some people will not like that. Learn to do it without touching shaft.

 

[PariahZero]

I think you need to stay away from the cf as some people will not like that. Learn to do it without touching shaft.

Fortunately, the pictures aren’t of a CF shaft. There’s a normal sized black ivorine ferrule. I’m pretty sure I didn’t touch the shaft, though the ferrule(s) did have some scratches before I started.

They are Scorpion SCOOP01 one piece house cues

They’re glass-wrapped maple, and at $50, I think they’re among the best house cues I’ve seen. The fiberglass prevents warping & the finish looks great. I personally feel the extra $25 for the fiberglass is worth it.

 

[tomatoetom]

Ok sorry

 

[Dave38]

I thought the same, that it was CF. Good job for your first attempts. The real skill developes with staying away from the ferrule no matter the materiel and trimming flush to it, but that takes time and practice....on house cues preferably.
Dave

 

[PariahZero]

The other thing I’m planning on practicing with: take some cheap (and probably warped) dowels, cheap $0.65 ferrules, cut tenons into the dowel & then glue on a ferrule. Finally, practice tipping with a 5¢ tip from Amazon...

And of course, I’ll have to re-chuck the fake shaft with a maximum runout to make sure it’s not concentric... so it’s more like a random cue.

Either way, I’ll be sure I can do it consistently perfect before I think about re-tipping a nice shooting cue.

I am improving.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Nice start May I suggest putting a slight bevel on the sides of the tip. You can do it by hand when you shear the side with the utility knife blade.

 

[PariahZero]

Well, I snagged a few dowels, some PVC-II rod, and some cheap tips. Started practicing.

Chucking an entire shaft or a one piece cue is a whole different kettle ‘o fish... but chucking & centering is a little easier to practice without damaging something compared to changing ferrules & tips.

The resulting whatchamacallit reminds me of the Seinfeld Episode where Kramer uses a conductor’s baton in cramped quarters.

 

[PoolHallPaul]

Nice start May I suggest putting a slight bevel on the sides of the tip. You can do it by hand when you shear the side with the utility knife blade.

A lot of players don't like that ,-myself included.I saw one guy with a tapered ferrule.The installer told him it was a pro taper.He would have.refunded my money!

 

[PoolHallPaul]

Nice start May I suggest putting a slight bevel on the sides of the tip. You can do it by hand when you shear the side with the utility knife blade.

A lot of players don't like that ,-myself included.I saw one guy with a tapered ferrule.The installer told him it was a pro taper.He would have.refunded my money!

 

[PariahZero]

A lot of players don't like that ,-myself included.I saw one guy with a tapered ferrule.The installer told him it was a pro taper.He would have.refunded my money!

He wasn’t referring to the ferrule; a perfectly ‘straight’ cut of the leather tip - not the ferrule - will tend to expand/mushroom slightly in the first few plays. Tapering the tip ever so slightly results in a perfect tip after a couple hour’s play, and the user doesn’t have to shave the mushroom.

This is especially the case for the first few tips I trimmed, I just did a pure straight cut — using the standard single point lathe cutter. The tip flexed inwards as it was cut - and after being cut by the single point cutter (literally as it spun past the tool), it expanded.

The result was a tip that was slightly wider at the end than at the base - the opposite of the desired taper.

As I practiced, my technique improved (in no small part thanks to his advice), and I now can cut a tip that looks a lot closer to perfect, with nice straight sides after a few hours of play.