I just recently modded my Chinese wood lathe for doing linen wraps,and ran into some oddball stuff along the way.
I bought a simple sewing machine motor from Todd from Mid-America about a year ago. I was able to make it function,but not reliably.
My initial problem was coming up with a mounting system that would work and make the spindle rotation consistent. I was having a real problem with getting to a midway point between the cue just barely turning,and the speed jumping suddenly to 150rpm or so,and it getting away from me.
I tried it both ways,and it gave me the impression that no amount of adjustment with my hand or foot on the footswitch was enough to control this.
I initially thought this was due to the lack of positive,tight tension between the wrap motor spindle belt and the way it interfaced with the adapter my spindle has that holds the Taig chuck. There isn't a pulley on my spindle,just a convenient raised surface on the back of the chuck that I lined the belt up with to keep it straight and worked to get it aligned,but the speed jump was still a problem.
I thought for a while it was because of belt tension. I achieved good enough tension to make the rotation controllable using perhaps too rigid of a motor mount.
While I was still working on this issue,a prospective customer handed me a brand-new Meucci butt,with a sprayed wrap. He asked if I could change it to an open wrap,with a change from solid black to black/white spot.
I told him I could,but I was dealing with technical issues that I'd have to solve before I even tried anything on his cue,and I'd have to order the linen because all I have is a full roll of white/black spot.
A couple weeks later,he calls me from Memphis looking for a place that sold cues,and sold a limited selection of supplies.
I told him to pick up enough linen for 2 cues,so I'd have a backup.
He brought it to me later on,and I immediately question if this is indeed enough cord for 2 full wraps,esp since I ultimately paid for it and was charged Atlas/Prather price for 2 single cue spools. I spent a little time and measured what he brought me at about 135-140 feet. It sure wasn't enough for 2,but should be enough for one.
I was WRONG.
I solved the speed issue with a really rigid motor setup,and a couple tweaks.
I tested it by using an almost identical cue that was broken 12 years ago,and wound up in my junk box. I stripped the wrap off years ago and never did anything with it other than prepping the wrap bed.
My setup worked so well that I did a full white/black spot wrap on that broken Meucci,and hid the seam in the top end so well there wasn't a gap you could see with a 3x magnifier,and the entire pressing,starching,polishing,and sealing process up to my own standards in 20 minutes. Even with a 10x loupe,it would have been hard to find any discernable gaps.
I call the customer and tell him I'm ready when he is,and arrange to meet so I can pick his butt up,and quote him a price. He agrees and I have the cue 10 min later.
I take care of the sprayed finish,and start to take the old linen off.
This took maybe 45 min,because I never got more than 3-4 feet of line pulled off before it broke and had to start picking at it in small strips.
I get it all stripped and prep the wrap bed. Low and behold,I uncover what is the first Meucci I've ever seen that had a phenolic sleeve A joint. The rest of the wrap wood was really bad quality wood,but it prepped fine.
I get my glue laid down (thinned Gorilla Wood glue is what I had on hand),and start the wrap by hand until it was 1/4 from the bottom,and start using the foot control.
I get a little past halfway home and run out of the linen the guy brought me and I paid for. I'm also starting to see a little smoke from the wrap motor. It's good and warm,so I unplug it.
I call customer and tell him me,him,and the guy that sold us the linen are not on same page. He tells me go ahead and re-do it with the white/black spot,like I originally suggested and have plenty of.
I strip off the cord I ran out of,get the bed re-prepped and start over.
By this time,the wrap motor had cooled off some,but by the time I got an inch from finishing,it had gotten so hot the cap that holds the motor brush in shot out of the back of the motor,and the motor gives me a little burst of light from a heat fire,and start to see some smoke.
I was close enough to turn the cue by hand and finish the wrap,and go thru my finishing process so I can go deliver it by the time I quoted the customer.
I was proud of the end result,and the customer was simpatico.
The issues I thought were related to belt tension were actually tied to the amount of drag and tension on the linen as I applied it.
Just need a new wrap motor now,LOL. Tommy D.
I bought a simple sewing machine motor from Todd from Mid-America about a year ago. I was able to make it function,but not reliably.
My initial problem was coming up with a mounting system that would work and make the spindle rotation consistent. I was having a real problem with getting to a midway point between the cue just barely turning,and the speed jumping suddenly to 150rpm or so,and it getting away from me.
I tried it both ways,and it gave me the impression that no amount of adjustment with my hand or foot on the footswitch was enough to control this.
I initially thought this was due to the lack of positive,tight tension between the wrap motor spindle belt and the way it interfaced with the adapter my spindle has that holds the Taig chuck. There isn't a pulley on my spindle,just a convenient raised surface on the back of the chuck that I lined the belt up with to keep it straight and worked to get it aligned,but the speed jump was still a problem.
I thought for a while it was because of belt tension. I achieved good enough tension to make the rotation controllable using perhaps too rigid of a motor mount.
While I was still working on this issue,a prospective customer handed me a brand-new Meucci butt,with a sprayed wrap. He asked if I could change it to an open wrap,with a change from solid black to black/white spot.
I told him I could,but I was dealing with technical issues that I'd have to solve before I even tried anything on his cue,and I'd have to order the linen because all I have is a full roll of white/black spot.
A couple weeks later,he calls me from Memphis looking for a place that sold cues,and sold a limited selection of supplies.
I told him to pick up enough linen for 2 cues,so I'd have a backup.
He brought it to me later on,and I immediately question if this is indeed enough cord for 2 full wraps,esp since I ultimately paid for it and was charged Atlas/Prather price for 2 single cue spools. I spent a little time and measured what he brought me at about 135-140 feet. It sure wasn't enough for 2,but should be enough for one.
I was WRONG.
I solved the speed issue with a really rigid motor setup,and a couple tweaks.
I tested it by using an almost identical cue that was broken 12 years ago,and wound up in my junk box. I stripped the wrap off years ago and never did anything with it other than prepping the wrap bed.
My setup worked so well that I did a full white/black spot wrap on that broken Meucci,and hid the seam in the top end so well there wasn't a gap you could see with a 3x magnifier,and the entire pressing,starching,polishing,and sealing process up to my own standards in 20 minutes. Even with a 10x loupe,it would have been hard to find any discernable gaps.
I call the customer and tell him I'm ready when he is,and arrange to meet so I can pick his butt up,and quote him a price. He agrees and I have the cue 10 min later.
I take care of the sprayed finish,and start to take the old linen off.
This took maybe 45 min,because I never got more than 3-4 feet of line pulled off before it broke and had to start picking at it in small strips.
I get it all stripped and prep the wrap bed. Low and behold,I uncover what is the first Meucci I've ever seen that had a phenolic sleeve A joint. The rest of the wrap wood was really bad quality wood,but it prepped fine.
I get my glue laid down (thinned Gorilla Wood glue is what I had on hand),and start the wrap by hand until it was 1/4 from the bottom,and start using the foot control.
I get a little past halfway home and run out of the linen the guy brought me and I paid for. I'm also starting to see a little smoke from the wrap motor. It's good and warm,so I unplug it.
I call customer and tell him me,him,and the guy that sold us the linen are not on same page. He tells me go ahead and re-do it with the white/black spot,like I originally suggested and have plenty of.
I strip off the cord I ran out of,get the bed re-prepped and start over.
By this time,the wrap motor had cooled off some,but by the time I got an inch from finishing,it had gotten so hot the cap that holds the motor brush in shot out of the back of the motor,and the motor gives me a little burst of light from a heat fire,and start to see some smoke.
I was close enough to turn the cue by hand and finish the wrap,and go thru my finishing process so I can go deliver it by the time I quoted the customer.
I was proud of the end result,and the customer was simpatico.
The issues I thought were related to belt tension were actually tied to the amount of drag and tension on the linen as I applied it.
Just need a new wrap motor now,LOL. Tommy D.
