Anyone that has put a joint pin in a butt with a taig style lathe accurately, other than a hightower, please chime in and say so. i would like to have one, but a friend says the runout is a joke, and putting a joint pin in with one accurately is not possible. I would also like to know if accurate joint work is possible on a stage III cue companion. Thanks.
Taig- joint pin work question
- Thread starter danutz
- Start date
I use a taig based lathe for tapering. I use my unique cue builder for my pins. I can put them in with less then 2 thousands run out. That is using a 3/8 11 pin with a .380 self centering barrel. I can't do very well will standard v 3/8 10 ,but they roll true. I have a metal lathe but it is really old. It has 2 thousands run out at 4" from the chuck. I do use a indicator to get them to run that true. I can't put them in and let them. I need to adjust them to get them that close.
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I have a Hightower deluxe and I can get my pins in accurately. You have to bore the jaws true, mine have less that 1 thousandth runout. The pins with a locator/ centering barrel on them will work for you until you get the jaws running true enough. It can be done.
Ya, i'd imagine it can be done on a hightower deluxe but, i'm really wanting to know if it can be done on Todd's, Bassell's, and unique cue companion stage III's. I talked to the kid i know that has one tonite at the pool hall, and come to find out that he does'nt even have the big bore headstock. He's using a steady, so ya, now i know why he can't get a pin in straight, lol. Still, i'd like to know that it's not a big deal before i spend 2-3 times more on a taig, than what i could get an engine lathe for. i know where a 5900 series clausing is for cheap, just don't like the foot print on it. I know i should jump on it, but it'd be like putting an elephant in a outhouse:frown:
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Does not matter how you put it. You will always need a metal lathe.
If it is a 5914 in good shape, get it asap!
Buy the Clausing.
Get a true steadyrest and it will be more precise than the headstock.
Todd sells his lathes as cue REPAIR only.
Dale
Send me the Clausing .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Grm45H7HS0
Good luck in doing that with the Taig.
That one is on my ooooold Clausing before I even bolted it down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Grm45H7HS0
Good luck in doing that with the Taig.
That one is on my ooooold Clausing before I even bolted it down.
It is if you know what you are doing .:grin:
There's a reason gunsmith use em.
I'm getting a custom made one .
Frkn $375 too.
If you can get a clausing, get it. But the lathe is not to blame when a pin is not straight. I use a version of a taig lathe, made from parts.
Sometimes I use the steady with a precision sleeve to hold the shaft or handle, others I use the headstock. It makes no difference which you use.The important part is that the item runs true and is not strained to be in position.The taig type lathes need to be properly leveled and set up.The tailstock must be zero to the headstock. The steady must also be zero to the headstock. Finally, all 3 need to be in zero position. If not, it will not work, especially when you start to tap the hole as it will be at an angle if everything is not right.All too often people blame the arrow when it is the user. Some equipment is needed to set up a machine properly, I feel this step is often missed by lots of people who post here with issues.
If the headstock, steady, tailstock are with .001 inches of alignment,there will be very little to no run out detectable on the finished product.
Then of course it is assumed that the person doing the work knows of the method required to get the job done as well.
Just buying a clausing is not going to guarantee that the pin work will be straight either. It too will need to be correctly installed and leveled and checked for alignment.
Some times you have to shim tailstocks or steadyrests to get them to zero with the headstock. Sometimes you have to twist the lathe bed a little to get it all to align, maybe up to .010 or .020 inches. Over 40 inches or so ,it does not take much to twist .010 inches. If the machine is not solidly mounted, just leaning on the machine can cause some movement.
I know quite a few very good machinist that have never had to level a machine before, and do not have that experience.
It makes more of a difference that most give it credit.
Neil
Lol, nice.
I have a taig ( todds ) lathes with his four jaw chuck upgrade. I have it dialed in at .001 and have installed pins and inserts with no problem. I check it frequently, and before i attempted too completed a task like pins/inserts. with that said if the right metal lathe came around i would jump on it . Always would be nice too have both and some lol.
there is no magic to pin installs
But it takes patience and thought to tuning your lathe, chuck, and steady rest so that everything aligns to a common centerline. A $100K lathe can crap up a pin install if it is not level, and aligned closely. The advantage to the bigger lathes is that they hold tolerances better, over a longer period of time, but they still need to be dialed in before using them if you want to do close tolerance work.
Tuning includes leveling the lathe with a machinist level, not a carpenter level. Boring chuck jaws, adjusting the tailstock with a Co-Axial indicator. Adjusting gibbs on the carriage. On a used lathe perhaps having the bed ways scraped if they are worn.
Even a little cue lathe can benefit from these things. They are especially sensitive to loose gibbs, and misalaigned parts.
The Unique CompanionIII is a very accurate chuck system, and the center bearing steady rest holds the butt nicely in align, but everything needs to be tested and adjusted. That steel rod that holds the three wheel steady for house cues is used for alignment too!
I have said it many times here: it takes a long time to dial in all your equipment, and make the jigs needed for cue work before you can do consistent , accurate work. It takes longer to do all that for a metal lathe than a cue specific lathe. But no matter what lathe or system you choose, when you have everything running true it is a real pleasure to use.
But it takes patience and thought to tuning your lathe, chuck, and steady rest so that everything aligns to a common centerline. A $100K lathe can crap up a pin install if it is not level, and aligned closely. The advantage to the bigger lathes is that they hold tolerances better, over a longer period of time, but they still need to be dialed in before using them if you want to do close tolerance work.
Tuning includes leveling the lathe with a machinist level, not a carpenter level. Boring chuck jaws, adjusting the tailstock with a Co-Axial indicator. Adjusting gibbs on the carriage. On a used lathe perhaps having the bed ways scraped if they are worn.
Even a little cue lathe can benefit from these things. They are especially sensitive to loose gibbs, and misalaigned parts.
The Unique CompanionIII is a very accurate chuck system, and the center bearing steady rest holds the butt nicely in align, but everything needs to be tested and adjusted. That steel rod that holds the three wheel steady for house cues is used for alignment too!
I have said it many times here: it takes a long time to dial in all your equipment, and make the jigs needed for cue work before you can do consistent , accurate work. It takes longer to do all that for a metal lathe than a cue specific lathe. But no matter what lathe or system you choose, when you have everything running true it is a real pleasure to use.
I've gotten lots of pins in very straight using a steady rest.
The ONLY way I can get them straight is using a steady rest.
I am green with envy.
Dale(who did his first ever cue whacking on a Clausing)<no steadyrest>
Indeed it has, thanks to you all.:thumbup:
But was the butt in the chuck, and the joint end in the rest? Cause that's how he has to do it with his 15mm. bore headstock...... If you say accurate joint work can be done this way, maybe i'll go get this nice lil 12"x54" Atlas lathe i found.
Yes, I use to do it that way on my first lathe that I pieced together from Taig parts. I would rather have a headstock with a large hole but as long as you have a steady rest that is on center with the chuck and the right collets, you can put a pin in straight no problem. Either way you are going to have a steady rest on one end of the cue or the other. I still drill and tap my shafts with a collet and steady rest, tip end in the chuck. Is it the best way, not sure, but it works for me and always comes out straight.