Lathe and finish

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ridingthenine21

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I am interested in buying a lathe to do tips, ferrules, wraps etc. I am not sure how a repair business would work out around here; the nearest place to get pretty much anything done is houston or dallas. So I don't really want to shell out the cash for a purpose made cue lathe. Since I already am a machinist and have a lot of use for a metal lathe even if I don't get cue repair business I am really leaning towards a metal lathe. I don't have space for and can't afford a 13x40. I have looked at several grizzly models, namely the mini lathe and the next two larger models. I know the spindle bore on these lathes are small, so could I do tips, ferrules, clean shafts, and clean & press wraps with a mini lathe or one of the bench top models? What modifications (i.e. plastic tapered collets, cupped center etc.) would I need to do this? And have you guys ever used tung oil to seal your shaft? I have a bare maple guitar neck I do this to and it seems to help keep it smooth and seal out moisture.
Thanks,

ridingthenine
 
ridingthenine21 said:
I am interested in buying a lathe to do tips, ferrules, wraps etc. I am not sure how a repair business would work out around here; the nearest place to get pretty much anything done is houston or dallas. So I don't really want to shell out the cash for a purpose made cue lathe. Since I already am a machinist and have a lot of use for a metal lathe even if I don't get cue repair business I am really leaning towards a metal lathe. I don't have space for and can't afford a 13x40. I have looked at several grizzly models, namely the mini lathe and the next two larger models. I know the spindle bore on these lathes are small, so could I do tips, ferrules, clean shafts, and clean & press wraps with a mini lathe or one of the bench top models? What modifications (i.e. plastic tapered collets, cupped center etc.) would I need to do this? And have you guys ever used tung oil to seal your shaft? I have a bare maple guitar neck I do this to and it seems to help keep it smooth and seal out moisture.
Thanks, ridingthenine
Click to expand...

As a machinest you must know that using the right tool is a key factor for any job.
Get a machine designed for doing what you are looking to do and life will be good.
Unique Products www.uniqueinc.com makes a Cue Compainion repair lathe that is exactly what you want.
Lightweight, portable, high quality, and it works.

For doing a linen wrap you need a machine with variable speed and a reversable motor ... preferably with a foot control as your hands will be busy.

Willee
 
Get ahold of Chris Hightower. I believe he can coordinate any tooling / attachments you need for virtually any metal lathe. As Willee said, you need the right tool for the job - if all you are going to do is minor repairs, you should have no problems getting the right modifications from Chris.

http://www.cuesmith.com

Good luck.
 
ready to go vs make work

Buying the out of the box solution does have it's advantages but it also costs quite a bit more. If one is a machinist then building the bits and pieces is not a big deal. With a small metal lathe you can build all your collets and drive pins as well as be able to do all your ferrule and tip work. The wood lathe with a few simple mods will give you the between centers distance to hold the cue for sanding, polishing and wraps.
 
That's the reason why I am hesitant to buy a purpose built cue lathe. Building adapters and drive pins are not a problem for me, part of my job is close tolerance lathe work, CNC programming, etc. I wasn't sure how much modifying had to be done since I have never turned wood or leather on a metal lathe. I am sure that the porper and Chris Hightower's lathes are fine, but I am not sure how many people would want to get work done around here, so a cue lathe may wind up just costing me a lot of money, whereas I have all kinds of uses for a metal lathe anyway.
 
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