Metal lathe for tips/Ferrule?

[PracticeChampion]

Any reason why I couldn't use something like this to do tips and ferrules? I would have to add a steady rest behind it but it has a 22 mm thru hole so that should be more than enough for a shaft.

My dilemma is I have a taig lathe with a separate independent head that has moved on me once and to avoid that I was going to order a taig head that attaches to the lathe which would be great but also at about the same price for the metal lathe

 

[Kim Bye]

I had one for years that I did ferrules, tips and shaft collar and shaft threads on. It was an Optimum lathe, similar to Grizzly and Precision Matthews 10"x22". Those 8"x14" lathes are quite flimsy in comparison, but it does do what it says on the tin.

 

[Dave38]

I have a 7x14 microlux and I would be lost without it....I do all tips/ferrule work and make cue parts and small things for other projects too. I do suggest shopping for the best reviews and not just price, as thee are crappy ones out there.

 

[PracticeChampion]

I have a 7x14 microlux and I would be lost without it....I do all tips/ferrule work and make cue parts and small things for other projects too. I do suggest shopping for the best reviews and not just price, as thee are crappy ones out there.

Only reason I chose that was there's a used one local at half the store price, he says it's only got a few hours on it. I may have a look at it

 

[Tommy-D]

To be honest,ANY workable variant of those mini lathes can be a powerful asset,esp if you get to start out with a new,tight one like the HF version. You will still have to put in the elbow grease and get it set up right.

The one you show here,would be a HELL of a good start. That one is beefier than usual,and might not be the best option if portability is part of your equation here however though. I'm guessing you could even mount a router and live tool threads.

Run! Tommy D.

 

[PracticeChampion]

To be honest,ANY workable variant of those mini lathes can be a powerful asset,esp if you get to start out with a new,tight one like the HF version. You will still have to put in the elbow grease and get it set up right.

The one you show here,would be a HELL of a good start. That one is beefier than usual,and might not be the best option if portability is part of your equation here however though. I'm guessing you could even mount a router and live tool threads.

Run! Tommy D.

Definitely not planning to go mobile, really just doing my stuff, my kids and whenever friends need something

 

[Kim Bye]

One thing to consider on those small metal lathes is getting a 5C chuck. Get a 11/16" or 17mm collet, machine your shaft collets with that O.D in mind and you have a very precise setup for doing tips and ferrules, as an added bonus a 5C collet is nice and smooth, so it doesn't have to end in a trip to the ER if your fingers or knuckles touch the chuck while spinning.

 

[robbycar]

I don't think you can go wrong with one of these.

I even converted an Optimum to CNC and it was great, I only sold it to make a larger one!

Here are some pics and videos:

贺州帽拖电子技术有限公司

Rob.

 

[PracticeChampion]

I don't think you can go wrong with one of these.

I even converted an Optimum to CNC and it was great, I only sold it to make a larger one!

Here are some pics and videos:

贺州帽拖电子技术有限公司

Rob.

Wow... Very cool

 

[Chili Palmer]

I have a Sieg C3 from littlemachineshop.com and love it. I occasionally do tips but it's usually used for small stuff.

I'm getting ready to build a bench for it so it sits next to my Cue Smith and I can use a steady rest on the end of that for long stuff sticking out of the mini lathe.

 

[WilleeCue]

I bought one of those a year or so ago ... it works ,,, using it more and more.
Add one of Chris Hightowers left end chuck and you are good to go.
I installed a 6 jaw chuck on this one.
It will do anything but taper.
Some of the negative things I have found:
The power feed is gear driven and makes a lot of noise.
The machine will unexpectedly start up if you dont turn it off but just turn it to stop using the speed knob.
X axis rack and pinion gears are loose and sloppy.
Y axis gibbs are hard to adjust for a good fit.
Knobs are in MM not inches.

 

[PracticeChampion]

I bought one of those a year or so ago ... it works ,,, using it more and more.
Add one of Chris Hightowers left end chuck and you are good to go.
I installed a 6 jaw chuck on this one.
It will do anything but taper.
Some of the negative things I have found:
The power feed is gear driven and makes a lot of noise.
The machine will unexpectedly start up if you dont turn it off but just turn it to stop using the speed knob.
X axis rack and pinion gears are loose and sloppy.
Y axis gibbs are hard to adjust for a good fit.
Knobs are in MM not inches.

View attachment 615904

Just got one similar yesterday. Only thing I didn't pay attention to was it takes either 7/16 or 1/2" tooling which of course I don't have

What are you using to hold the joint end of the shaft?

 

[Texas Carom Club]

cant go wrong with a little lathe like that, i got a 7*14 for tips and its perfect.

 

[PracticeChampion]

cant go wrong with a little lathe like that, i got a 7*14 for tips and its perfect.

You got any pictures of what your using to hold joint end

 

[Texas Carom Club]

i bought a little center from ebay. drilled it to a block of wood 4x4 with the correct height. and use a magnet to give it weight. i dont have any pics of it on my but ill add one later for you. works perfect

Edit, so I had a video and took a screen shot.
Still will add a better photo later but for now

 

[PracticeChampion]

i bought a little center from ebay. drilled it to a block of wood 4x4 with the correct height. and use a magnet to give it weight. i dont have any pics of it on my but ill add one later for you. works perfect

Edit, so I had a video and took a screen shot.
Still will add a better photo later but for now

That'd be awesome, Thanks

 

[Burnett Custom Cues]

I bought one of those a year or so ago ... it works ,,, using it more and more.
Add one of Chris Hightowers left end chuck and you are good to go.
I installed a 6 jaw chuck on this one.
It will do anything but taper.
Some of the negative things I have found:
The power feed is gear driven and makes a lot of noise.
The machine will unexpectedly start up if you dont turn it off but just turn it to stop using the speed knob.
X axis rack and pinion gears are loose and sloppy.
Y axis gibbs are hard to adjust for a good fit.
Knobs are in MM not inches.

View attachment 615904

I bought a 8x31" version of this lathe a month ago. I'm having a machinist make me an aluminum sleeve with 4 jaw chuck on the back side. I have been using it for making ferrules and joint collars and it works great. I can't wait to get the back chuck on it and I will be using it to bore and will do all of my joint work on it. It was well worth what I paid for it and all I need as I have a CNC lathe I do all of my tapering on.

 

[PracticeChampion]

Question for you guys... I made a tip centering tool and while trying out I noticed it was off center just a bit so I left just a little titty in the center of a cut and put the centering tool in the tail post to check where it was falling and as you can see it's off just a tad. Is this the nature of a cheap lathe or is there something I can do about it.
It cuts to center great though.

 

[robbycar]

My tailstock has set screws front and back so you can adjust the offset. Put a magnetic base onto your chuck then indicate on the center as you turn the chuck by hand. 15 minutes and you should be able to get it perfect. Word of warning, make small adjustments so you only have to adjust in one direction. Much easier that way.

Rob

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

Question for you guys... I made a tip centering tool and while trying out I noticed it was off center just a bit so I left just a little titty in the center of a cut and put the centering tool in the tail post to check where it was falling and as you can see it's off just a tad. Is this the nature of a cheap lathe or is there something I can do about it.
It cuts to center great though.

Is the second picture a top view or a side view photo?