Seasoning of the wood

jsaxman

It's all about ass!
Silver Member
How do you turn a shaft square from 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 30.........
to the final finished shaft. ( ready for finish spray on joint end )

1) Take edges off ( octagon shape ) rest....how long?
2) Turn octogan to dowel rest....How long?
3) Turn dowel down.... How much/ How often?
4) Start taper turns....How much/How often?
5) Chemical Stabilizer.... To use or not? .....When?....How many times?
6) Install ferrule .....when?
7) Drill, Bore, Tap for pin....When?

So many variables!

Anyone is willing to discuss this process?
Some info. is none of my bussiness.
I guess I need to learn some things by trial/error.
This can be very expensive!

Private messages are welcome!!!!!! jsaxman9452@comcast.net


later,
sax
 
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i buy mine rounded already,let them sit a month then make one large cut to .960" x .640" then make .020" passes every month until it's to size.i drill,tap and ring at .880" and i don't use any stabalizers.after it is cut to size i sand,seal and paint then install ferrules and tips.then it is ready for final sanding and polish.
 
jsaxman said:
How do you turn a shaft square from 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 30.........
to the final finished shaft. ( ready for finish spray on joint end )

1) Take edges off ( octagon shape ) rest....how long?
2) Turn octogan to dowel rest....How long?
3) Turn dowel down.... How much/ How often?
4) Start taper turns....How much/How often?
5) Chemical Stabilizer.... To use or not? .....When?....How many times?
6) Install ferrule .....when?
7) Drill, Bore, Tap for pin....When?

So many variables!

Anyone is willing to discuss this process?
Some info. is none of my bussiness.
I guess I need to learn some things by trial/error.
This can be very expensive!

Private messages are welcome!!!!!! jsaxman9452@comcast.net


later,
sax

I use 1" dowels that I buy round.They sit in my shop for 3 to 6 months to acclimatize and then I make 8 passes with a minimum of 6 weeks between passes. I use my standard taper and take to: 1st. 19.0mm, 2. 17.0mm, 3. 16.0mm, 4. 15.5mm, 5. 15.0mm, 6. 14.5mm, 7. 14.0mm, 8. 13.5mm. These are dipped in Nelsonite 3 times, at 19.0mm, at 16.0mm and at 14.0mm. When making a shaft I take the 13.5mm blank, install the deco-ring, drill and tap, install ferrule, fit and trim to joint and then make final pass on shaft machine turning ferrule and shaft at one time. Now it just needs a light sanding and a finish on joint end.

Others may make less passes over a shorter time and others may make more over a longer time. This schedule has worked for me and I just never changed it. I always keep between 4 and 600 shafts hanging and I only use around 150 to 200 a year so I never really need to find a quicker schedule.

Dick
 
Trail & error. Yes, it certainly is expensive but it's neccesary. You could get 100 exact directions & still screw things up. More than anything else, the wood has to be good wood. From there you can experiment & learn somewhat quickly what will or will not work. Nobody ever said cuemaking is cheap.
 
There's a point at which you can take too much off, and it can vary for different woods. Most people baby wood that's going to go away though, and for shafts, you can cut them pretty hard in the beginning, I'd say take your squares to 1" rounds, wait a month or so, then taper to about .700 on the small end. Wait again, then cut to .580. Another month or longer, .560. save some of those, then cut the rest .540 in another month or longer. Save some of those, then cut the rest one more time.
Now you have shafts that are very close to ready, when you get an order, cut the final taper. I nelsonite once at .580.
The trick is to have enough hand... I sometimes wait 6 months between cuts.
 
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qbilder said:
Trail & error. Yes, it certainly is expensive but it's neccesary. You could get 100 exact directions & still screw things up. More than anything else, the wood has to be good wood. From there you can experiment & learn somewhat quickly what will or will not work. Nobody ever said cuemaking is cheap.
Trial and error.
I mark the dowels where I got them.
I think the source and how you center them is easily a 50% factor .
 
JoeyInCali said:
Trial and error.
I mark the dowels where I got them.
I think the source and how you center them is easily a 50% factor .

I agree. The source is a huge factor. Some wood just is simply more stable while others take time to stabilize. It's all about growing conditions, kiln system & technique, and overall quality of wood. I have wood i'd be comfortable cutting down in a day, while others i'd be afraid to make a shaft in less than 2 years. Generally, I dowel & let sit a year or so before beginning any cuts. After that, the number of cuts & time is dependant on stability. That said, I cut shafts maybe once every two months because I just don't need to.
 
center square/dowels

JoeyInCali,


How do you Know a shaft square/dowel is dead centered?
How do you find the dead center?
Don't forget Murphy's Law ( what can go wrong-will go wrong)


This can get quite analytical!
I confess I am a super ass analytical Mo Fer!


later,
sax ~ This is getting interesting!
 
my square woods i draw an X on both ends for corner to corner. then take a punch it start my hole. thats gets it very very close to perfect center.

i am also very lucky bc a maor wood supplier likes only about 30 mins away from me. so all the wood has already been in my climate for some time.

doesnt matter how long its seasoned or how many times its dipped when you bring a southwest cue from nv to nj odds are it wont stay straight. i have 2 friends with sw cues here in nj and neither are straight. both franklins
 
jsaxman said:
JoeyInCali,

How do you Know a shaft square/dowel is dead centered?
How do you find the dead center?
Don't forget Murphy's Law ( what can go wrong-will go wrong)

This can get quite analytical!
I confess I am a super ass analytical Mo Fer!

later,
sax ~ This is getting interesting!

It's not super duper critical to get it dead nuts centered as a new square or as a well over-sized dowel. As soon as you start to cut it, the OD will become concentric to where you located your centers. Get it as close as possible, but don't lose sleep over this part. There are many more details to cue building that will keep you up at night...
Mr H
 
Mr. Hoppe,

Thanks for the insight.

More critical stages would be the drill,bore,tape of joint pin.
(this process needs to be dead nuts at 90 degrees- right? )


Also, Thank you so much for the dvd's on cue building!!!!!



I will soon go away.....for some time...and not post as much....
so much to learn.....must use time in a more efficient
productive way!!!


az billiards forums....... is quite addictive!


later,
sax
 
I would think that it would be more important to follow the grain lines when setting your centers. That way you can minimize grain runoff.
 
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