Treating shaft threads
- Thread starter Cannon
- Start date
oldnovice said:
Yep ... also some bees wax.
They make an undersized radial tap that will give you a very tight fit.
I almost always core my shafts with 1/2" phenolic rod for about 2 inches at the joint.
This gives a uniform material to drill and tap and also wears better than bare wood. A bit extra work but I think it is worth it.
Willee
sliprock said:
SlipRock, that is a very good question but I dont think I can answer it the way you expect.
In my personal opinion I think it adds a desirable quality to the feel and hit of the cue but whenever someone talks about those qualitys it is very hard to get any personal meaning out of it.
What is great hit to one player could be the worst hit to another.
I have had my cues discribed as "firm" and "solid" by others.
Their are also those that do not like the hit and feel of a WilleeCue.
I can say this much ... the phenolic insert in the shaft will wear less over time than the bare wood.
The phenolic drills and threads more evenly because it is consistant in hardness with no grain.
And ... I think it looks cool and anything that adds to the overall look of my cues is a good thing.
Sorry I could not be more specific about the feel or hit but that is something each person must experience for themselves.
I've used the phenolic, in smaller pins. And shoot with a cue that has 2 shafts one with the phenolic, and one with brass insert. It is a slightly different feel, but I seem to prefer the the one with phenolic, altough I do aggree with Willie that everyone is different, so it may be subjective from person to person.
I used a piloted joint, and the phenolic really snugs up nicely to the wood bore in the butt joint. I would'nt be afraid to use It with a larger pin, altough I think coring it deeper like he mentioned might not be a bad idea, so as to have more glueing surface, so it does'nt pickup a clicking later down the line. Another solution though for using It more like an insert maybe be to thread to OD of the insert, like standard ones, altough not sure how feasable that would be with the larger dia. pin. It glues up pretty well, just that alittle insurance seems like a decent idea.
I use superglue to cut cleaner threads sometimes also, and it does help. From threading ferrules on though, I have since noticed that the wax seems to help more then anything, and I have started tapping Mine alittle different then most recently, because I don't try to tap the full lenth in one shot, but rather do it in a few attempts, and then backing off each time & cleaning up what I cut before going further, and if I apply wax each time I do that, then the superglue is not really needed, and they thread very easliy, coming out very near perfect anyway. I have done a few that way recently, and seems to work well for me. It does'nt seem to effect how well the ferrule glues up, but I don't over do the wax either, just what I need for smooth threading, and even if it did, It would be easy enough to clean up. The threads are actually good enough that I may would be able to get away with no glue, but I use it anyway just to be safe, and make sure It does'nt loosen up.
Greg
I used a piloted joint, and the phenolic really snugs up nicely to the wood bore in the butt joint. I would'nt be afraid to use It with a larger pin, altough I think coring it deeper like he mentioned might not be a bad idea, so as to have more glueing surface, so it does'nt pickup a clicking later down the line. Another solution though for using It more like an insert maybe be to thread to OD of the insert, like standard ones, altough not sure how feasable that would be with the larger dia. pin. It glues up pretty well, just that alittle insurance seems like a decent idea.
I use superglue to cut cleaner threads sometimes also, and it does help. From threading ferrules on though, I have since noticed that the wax seems to help more then anything, and I have started tapping Mine alittle different then most recently, because I don't try to tap the full lenth in one shot, but rather do it in a few attempts, and then backing off each time & cleaning up what I cut before going further, and if I apply wax each time I do that, then the superglue is not really needed, and they thread very easliy, coming out very near perfect anyway. I have done a few that way recently, and seems to work well for me. It does'nt seem to effect how well the ferrule glues up, but I don't over do the wax either, just what I need for smooth threading, and even if it did, It would be easy enough to clean up. The threads are actually good enough that I may would be able to get away with no glue, but I use it anyway just to be safe, and make sure It does'nt loosen up.
Greg
I use radial pins almost exclusively now, and I have tried that phenolic insert in the shaft. It does change the hit, I am sure of that. In my opinion, it makes it a little more "crisp", but I noticed a little different sound also. I liked the hit, but it is different. I agree that it is something you would need to try and see if you like it.
On the radial pin threads issue, I build mine with a boring bar and I cut the pilot hole in the shaft just a hair smaller than 5/16. I have grinded the nose of my radial taps down just a hair, allowing them to make it into the hole. The threads grab the pin firm and tight, which most say improves the hit most likely, but more importantly makes the joint stronger and less likely to tear up the shaft threads in the future.
The same works for 3/8x10, but I would also treat the threads with the glue if you don't use the phenolic insert method.
On the radial pin threads issue, I build mine with a boring bar and I cut the pilot hole in the shaft just a hair smaller than 5/16. I have grinded the nose of my radial taps down just a hair, allowing them to make it into the hole. The threads grab the pin firm and tight, which most say improves the hit most likely, but more importantly makes the joint stronger and less likely to tear up the shaft threads in the future.
The same works for 3/8x10, but I would also treat the threads with the glue if you don't use the phenolic insert method.