Info about Pantographs

itsjustjay

itsjustjay

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As I am ever so slowly collecting tools to one day give cuemaking a try (as a hobby). I recently aquired a lathe, so now I thought I would look for a pantograph. Are cuemakers still using these? What should I look for in one? Table size? 2d or 3d? Ratio needed? Any other tips/advice?
 
pantographs

"Very few use them anymore."

Well, except for everyone using a Unique or Hightower machine. These are two popular brands in use by those without a CNC machine. I believe they are both available as stand alone machines or as add-ons to the lathes or taper machines of their respective manufacturers.
The Unique machine is 1:1. I believe the Hightower is 2:1.
 
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itsjustjay said:
As I am ever so slowly collecting tools to one day give cuemaking a try (as a hobby). I recently aquired a lathe, so now I thought I would look for a pantograph. Are cuemakers still using these? What should I look for in one? Table size? 2d or 3d? Ratio needed? Any other tips/advice?
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat as you - collecting wood and machinery. Check out this link for some good reading about pantographs: http://cuemaker.com/book_on_cue_building/11panto_web.PDF

Or if there is no need to change the ratio, this looks interesting as well:
http://cuesmith.com/index.php?page=inlay_machine

Good luck with your search.

-Jason.
 
I still use one love and hate it . running one takes a lot of patience in one word years and much needed talent. I built two cnc machines worth over 30,000 and had more down time then I could handle , nothing getting done . I'm a hands on person , thats just me. find one on E Bay and give it a try go old school before new school. D Hill

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Do yourself a favor, and if you don't need it now, don't buy it now. If you wait a few years maybe you can pickup a cheap CNC, or you may just find a panto sitting out in someones garbage... A word of warning though, some people think a CNC is like a big easy button. However, when they actually try it, they find out that it's not as easy as they thought, and they end up selling their machines.
 
Bad news Carguy, Unique is also 2:1 but give me a call. If i had the cash cnc would be nice, but Unique inlay is going to be fine (for now). I read this and made me laugh, PANTOGRAPH vs. CNC CONTROLLED INLAYING:
A friend of mine and fellow cue builder, Tom Teske of Niles, Michigan, does some very fancy
CNC inlaying work, in four axii, not three, on the teenyist, tinyist little bench mill you could
image that he has re-built to be run under computer control. I mean really beautiful work. Of
course it took Tom five years to get this little machine up and running. He told me that unless you
have a bi-polar personality and are also anal-rententive not to try what he has done. These little
hobbyist mills do work. Now some one like Thomas Wayne is said to have 1/4 million dollar
machines, but then that is I guess why he can ask and get $100,000 for a cue. The machine must
be paid, even if you don’t pay yourself.
 
Thanks for all the info so far. Very interesting.

I collect/buy/sell old tools so I will be hunting for one with some age to it. Ive had a few in the past Gorton, New Hermes etc. They never seem to cost alot. I paid under 100 for all of them. I remember the Gorton was a ton O fun, think I got that one cheap at auction because no one wanted to move it.

Is there any difference between a 2d or 3d machine for cuemaking?

Hillcues, thanks for those pics

Naked cues, thanks for the links
 
itsjustjay said:
Thanks for all the info so far. Very interesting.

I collect/buy/sell old tools so I will be hunting for one with some age to it. Ive had a few in the past Gorton, New Hermes etc. They never seem to cost alot. I paid under 100 for all of them. I remember the Gorton was a ton O fun, think I got that one cheap at auction because no one wanted to move it.

Is there any difference between a 2d or 3d machine for cuemaking?

Hillcues, thanks for those pics

Naked cues, thanks for the links
Click to expand...

Generally, 2d is just using 2 axis at the same time, x+y, x+z y+z a+x a+y a+z a is like a ancillary rotary table or rotary head.
Some call this 2d + or 2 1/2 d

3d is using any 3 axis at the same time. 4d is using all 4 axis at the same time, 5d is when xyza and the whole assembly rotates through another axis.

If you want inlays that have a 3d geometry, you can either carve them by hand using gravers,chissels, or 3d mill.
In short for most inlays 2d is all that is required.

Forgot to mention, there were 3d pantographs back in the day.They are starting to come up for sale now and then.- But a cnc with the right software will eat the work for breakfast. Especially the new high speed volume clearing type software.
 
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itsjustjay said:
Thanks for all the info so far. Very interesting.

I collect/buy/sell old tools so I will be hunting for one with some age to it. Ive had a few in the past Gorton, New Hermes etc. They never seem to cost alot. I paid under 100 for all of them. I remember the Gorton was a ton O fun, think I got that one cheap at auction because no one wanted to move it.

Is there any difference between a 2d or 3d machine for cuemaking?

Hillcues, thanks for those pics

Naked cues, thanks for the links
Click to expand...
Unless you are going to do cue carving I think the 3D is a waste.
 
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