Sanding shaft down ?

A

almarktool

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I need to sand a shaft down approx 1mm, do you think it
would be ok to do this all at the one time, or should I sand
1/2 mm off today and then in a week or so sand the other
1/2mm off ? I was going to first cut the Ferrule down to
proper diameter, then sand the shaft to match up ?
Any and all sugestions would be appreciated

Thanks
Mark
 
My suggestion would be to find a local cue maker to take the shaft down for you. That way you avoid having valleys or waves in the shaft. Which you may not feel when you take it down, but you will feel when you start shooting with the shaft.
 
almarktool said:
I need to sand a shaft down approx 1mm, do you think it
would be ok to do this all at the one time, or should I sand
1/2 mm off today and then in a week or so sand the other
1/2mm off ? I was going to first cut the Ferrule down to
proper diameter, then sand the shaft to match up ?
Any and all sugestions would be appreciated

Thanks
Mark
Click to expand...
No!
Half today and another half in 8 weeks.
Take it to a maker/repair person.
 
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almarktool said:
I need to sand a shaft down approx 1mm, do you think it
would be ok to do this all at the one time, or should I sand
1/2 mm off today and then in a week or so sand the other
1/2mm off ? I was going to first cut the Ferrule down to
proper diameter, then sand the shaft to match up ?
Any and all sugestions would be appreciated

Thanks
Mark
Click to expand...

That's a lot to remove with scratch grit without having peaks and valleys.
Proper sanding technique will minimize this. Just don't stop moving the paper back and forth and use a firm block for backing the different grits.
Good luck.........
 
I agree with all that's been said above except that I won't sand a shaft to acquire a diameter much smaller than 1/4 mm from original size. When sanding, the shaft always will vibrate some and this whipping causes one side of the shaft to sand more than the other. This makes the shaft, when finished, look as if it is warped, which it really isn't. If someone wants a 1/2mm or more removed I remove the tip, put in a center and then run it on the shaft machine so as to cut the new size or taper.

Dick
 
This is clearly an area where opinions and methods differ. I've done well over 1,000 T/Ds in just the past 7 yrs. Average time for the task, start to finish is usually under 20 mins. Granted, not all of them are 1mm or more but a lot of them are.

I don't have the luxury of a shaft machine and probably wouldn't use it for a T/D even if I did. Once the ferrule is cut to size, it's all hand sanding from there on. I've gotten so efficient at them, that by the time I did the set-up for the shaft machine and let it do it's thing, I'm done hand sanding, so why bother?

FWIW, 99% of the shafts that I T/D are brand new. We'll go into the purpose for that statement in the upcoming debate.
 
KJ Cues said:
This is clearly an area where opinions and methods differ. I've done well over 1,000 T/Ds in just the past 7 yrs. Average time for the task, start to finish is usually under 20 mins. Granted, not all of them are 1mm or more but a lot of them are.

I don't have the luxury of a shaft machine and probably wouldn't use it for a T/D even if I did. Once the ferrule is cut to size, it's all hand sanding from there on. I've gotten so efficient at them, that by the time I did the set-up for the shaft machine and let it do it's thing, I'm done hand sanding, so why bother?

FWIW, 99% of the shafts that I T/D are brand new. We'll go into the purpose for that statement in the upcoming debate.
Click to expand...

If you are doing this on a lathe, I agree with KJ. Old shafts are seldom straight, so sanding will get you what you want. Sanding down 1mm all at one time won't hurt a bit...JER
 
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i would think that sanding that much at once would make them very prone to warpage.

i wouldn't go more than a half mm either.too much heat.
 
masonh said:
i would think that sanding that much at once would make them very prone to warpage.

i wouldn't go more than a half mm either.too much heat.
Click to expand...

It hasn't hurt anything that I've done & I do a lot of them...JER
 
might be fine,but i would be afraind to sand anymore than .010"-.015" at a time.it just seems like it is too much stress and heat.
 
masonh said:
might be fine,but i would be afraind to sand anymore than .010"-.015" at a time.it just seems like it is too much stress and heat.
Click to expand...

I've even done some. Just go slow. It's not like it's necessary to squeeze the hell out of it and get it hot. Just take it slow and maybe stop for a couple minutes and go take a dump or something and then go back to it. If I can do it on my crutch tip drill shaft spinner then anybody can do it.
 
Thanks everyone for your input,
Shaft is done, sanded it down took my time
prob 45 min so it didn't heat up
shaft came out as straight as it started
 
It goes without saying that you should apply a sealer to the bare wood when you're done sanding. Micro sand the sealer, re-apply sealer if needed. Top it off with a thin coat of carnuba wax & deliver.

Do you need any help carrying all that cash to the bank?
 
the only setup i have available is a crappy lathe that doesn't always spin perfectly. But if you take your time and put you care in it while sanding you can achieeve the desired results. I've been doing these shaft "turnings" for customers for a little while. I always tell them that the shaft may appear to be "warped" even though it isn't like some previous posters have mentioned. but I've gotten my "system "down now that they still roll perfect. and I have taken 1.5mm in 20 minutes!! The key a i have found that problems arise with heat. When removing material I use 60 grit paper. I'l do one or two passes, NEVER stopping movement. Then I will 'cool" then shaft with a cold wet paper towel. (it cools temp and lifts grain). Then I walk away for a couple of minute till it goes back to room temp. I find theat the material comes off more evenly at room temp. So basically there are a lot of little breaks, Good luck and happy turning. ps...if you are wondering about the satisfaction of ny client...zero complaints only thank yous, TIPS, and more shafts to turn and seal...the love my Smoothness!!! haha...I talk about my method for that in the thread about homemade cuesilk!! Thanks in advance for comments good or bad...
 
masonh said:
i glue gravel to a piece of paper and hand sand 1" dowells to size.:D
Click to expand...

I've heard that can also help roids.
A little splash of alcohol when finished. :eek:
 
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KJ Cues said:
This is clearly an area where opinions and methods differ. I've done well over 1,000 T/Ds in just the past 7 yrs. Average time for the task, start to finish is usually under 20 mins. Granted, not all of them are 1mm or more but a lot of them are.

I don't have the luxury of a shaft machine and probably wouldn't use it for a T/D even if I did. Once the ferrule is cut to size, it's all hand sanding from there on. I've gotten so efficient at them, that by the time I did the set-up for the shaft machine and let it do it's thing, I'm done hand sanding, so why bother?

FWIW, 99% of the shafts that I T/D are brand new. We'll go into the purpose for that statement in the upcoming debate.
Click to expand...

Once the ferrule is cut to size, it's all hand sanding from there on. I've gotten so efficient at them, that by the time I did the set-up for the shaft machine and let it do it's thing, I'm done hand sanding, so why bother?

I completely agree also, and I have become very efficient doing it also. However, I will not turn a shaft down any smaller then 12.25 mm, I believe that sizes smaller than that create too much instability / Flexibility. While I do turn shafts for my cues over a period of 15 months from square to round, I still finish taper all my shafts by hand. I prefer this method and I believe that overall I have more control of the final taper doing things this way, even though it is certainly more work.
 
i think most people here final sand by hand,but sanding 1mm and more at a time seems like it would defeat the purpose of taking 1-2 years to cut shafts.i would rather cut it quick and sand it slow,but that is just an opinion.
 
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