I bought the optional stronger motor. It's pretty strong.rhncue said:
The aluminum saddle is still kinda light.
Using sharpened steel bits and titanium edged rasor blades make changing tips easier.
Looking for Lathe
- Thread starter WildWestBilliar
- Start date
The aluminum saddle is still kinda light.
Using sharpened steel bits and titanium edged rasor blades make changing tips easier.
bubsbug said:
Bubs, I agree with you, that they are a somewhat safer lathe for a beginner, verses a metal lathe, I have a deluxe & have said that Myself before, although I would also say though, that It shouldn't lead to a false since of security either. They can still bite in many ways like any piece of machinery.
Which of the three is the best I can't say for sure as I have not used them all, but the deluxe is capable of building a cue from scratch, and does a lot of things for one lathe. Chris's customer service Is excellent IMO also.
I have not owned the unique, but I do know Jim is a great guy, willing to help people same a Chris, and often lends help and advice even when It's not profitable to Him. That says a lot about someone to Me, and I can only imagine the unique is a good machine too.
The Porper seems to have It's share of followers as well, and some good makers use them, so I can only think that they have their share of uses too.
I guess the purchase of a lathe doesn't get any easier from that, but I can only comment on the deluxe, and say that It has done a good job for me in everything from repair work to building a few cues a year In My spare time. If Someone has a smaller space, It's also easier to move around in those situations. Eventually as business grows though, so will the need for more lathes, but it's a good start IMHO. Greg
rhncue said:
The DC motor is an option and I doubt if you can stall it.
More likely the cue will slip in the soft Delrin jaws.
I wrap three layers of blue masking tape on the cue before placing it in the Unique chuck just to give extra bite and protect the cues finish.
Each machine has its strong points and weak points.
That is why most cue makers that have been making cues for any length of time have more than one machine in their shop.
How many lathes you got in you shop Dick? <grin>
dave sutton said:
Do not get confused here.
When you are talking about lathes ... mass equals stability ... there is no way around the laws of physics.
Tool chatter is a problem cutting metal with a light weight table top lathe.
Anything less than a full size floor standing metal lathe is a compromise but depending on what function you are using it for that may not matter much. Wood is softer and easer to cut than metal.
The Cue Companion is a REPAIR lathe that can be used to make a cue but in a very limited fashion.
The Hightower and Porper (with the exception of the Jr) are designed as CUE MAKING lathes.
Unique has a machine called the CueMaker lathe for making cues.
A cue making lathe can do anything a repair lathe can do but a repair lathe can not do all that a cue making lathe can.
I would not consider any products from Hightower, Unique, or Porper as a cheap lathe but rather as quality portable equipment with limited ability.
They all do what they were designed to do very well.
ratcues said:
I WAS talking about the slop in the taper bar setup.
There is nothing to keep the follower against one side of the taper bar grove and it will wander from side to side as it moves down the shaft.
You must modify that with a spring or bungee cord or stand there applying pressure with your hand to cut a taper.
Perhaps that has been correct by now.
That was never a problem for me with my Porper 'B' lathe because I had a Unique Taper/Shaper machine to cut tapers and it was designed with a spring to keep the follower pin firmly against the side of the taper bar grove.
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Gloves,rings, long hair, loose clothing are all extremly dangerous around machine tools.
A friend of mines dad had a finger ripped off on a Bridgeport because he was wearing gloves. He was not knowledgeable of machine tools and acted as if it was a large drill press. I do not know all of the details except the item with the most power wins.
Be Careful
Read the documentation.
Use Common sense.
Safey First
A friend of mines dad had a finger ripped off on a Bridgeport because he was wearing gloves. He was not knowledgeable of machine tools and acted as if it was a large drill press. I do not know all of the details except the item with the most power wins.
Be Careful
Read the documentation.
Use Common sense.
Safey First
I wonder?
If there was a lathe on the marked that was user friendly , dependable , accurate , and would sell for less than all others , would the cue world want it?
The cue world needs better machines that do not weigh a ton , but are built durable. And you don't want to have a tow motor to move one around in you shop.
So what do you guys think , If someone had such machines , would you guys like them if they would stand up to the every day work we all do? And did what they were designed to do.
I would!
Thanx ,
Jim
If there was a lathe on the marked that was user friendly , dependable , accurate , and would sell for less than all others , would the cue world want it?
The cue world needs better machines that do not weigh a ton , but are built durable. And you don't want to have a tow motor to move one around in you shop.
So what do you guys think , If someone had such machines , would you guys like them if they would stand up to the every day work we all do? And did what they were designed to do.
I would!
Thanx ,
Jim
J&D CUSTOMS said:
To many parameters to exist. Light weight and accuracy cannot be used in the same sentence if you really are talking about accuracy. This is the reason that literally all accurate machine tools (lathes, mills, shapers, grinders, etc., etc.) are made of cast iron. It is used both for the weight but even more importantly is the lack of transfer of vibrations. Thing is, cast iron is heavy. A heavy, accurate piece of machinery is needed for productivity. I use 1,000.00 chucks on some of my lathes and they have saved me hundreds of hours of labor as I know when I chuck something up it is running true. I don't have to waste time shimming just to get something to run true before I can turn it. Now if you are talking about something that is semi-accurate, then aluminum and lightweight alloys can be used. Just cutting wood and phenolics lightweight equipment can get by as the final product needs to be sanded anyway. However, it is very difficult trying to make any metal parts or turning and truing a metal joint with a lightweight machine unless you don't mind spending an awful lot of time filing and sanding out the chatter marks.
Dick
tap, tap , taprhncue said:
Joey~6-Jaw Bison Chuck running at .0002" gets him started~