upgrade or second machine?

Henny HaHa

Henny HaHa

Go Cardinals!!
Silver Member
Hi guys,
I have decided to purchase a cuesmith deluxe lathe. The question I have is wether to purchase it with the taper bars or without them and parchase a Unique Taper Shaper to do all of the tapering. I know financially its cheaper to go with the upgraded cuesmith, but I am looking for some guys who have used both types, to get some insight as to ease of setup, quality results, and that kind of stuff. Like I said I will be purchasing the cuesmith reguardless, just wondering if it might be to my advantage to have a machine dedicated to tapering? Thanks for any input.
Mike H.
 
Why not both? Then you can taper two different things at the same time. I'm not endorsing either product but you'll find that the more dedicated machines you have the easier life is.
 
sliprock said:
Why not both? Then you can taper two different things at the same time. I'm not endorsing either product but you'll find that the more dedicated machines you have the easier life is.
Click to expand...

Having two with the taper bar locked to do either butt or shafts saves you a lot of headaches.
 
I may be wrong, but can't you vary the taper on the Hightower machine? With the Taper-Shaper that I owned, you were limited to the taper profile that comes with the machine; unless you have a different template manufactured.

Scott <<== has been wrong before
 
a deluxe without taper bars would be blasphemy IMO. ive seen a taper shaper in action and its a really neat machine but not necessary. you can do everything on the deluxe with no problem.
 
I personally think the cuesmith turns too fast to turn down shafts, although it is a great machine. My personal goal is to have a dedicated machine for turning shafts. It just makes life so much easier to have machines set up for certain tasks. I do think Chris sells a motor that turns slower for shafts but if you have the money for a dedicated machine I think that is the way to go.
 
Henny,
I have two table saw based tapering machines that I use for butts and shafts. I know you're in my area, and I may be willing to sell one. Nothing beats dedicated equipment, and these are turn key. PM if interested. I also have a UV system that I will be selling.
Mr H
 
I have both

...And like each of them. I also have full size metal lathes. Each machine has attributes that make it better suited for specific jobs. If I were just starting out, the Deluxe would be my first purchase. Way easier to get started and does most tasks admirably. The metal lathe does everything as well, but a long process to convert it to do what a Hightower lathe does out of the box. BUT the metal lathe is more precise and repeatable after you spend six months making it work on cues efficiently. Yet I still find myself using the Deluxe more than any other lathe.
... Now the TaperShaper is an awesome shaft and butt tapering machine. Yeah, you can do the same thing with the Deluxe. But the shaper is made for its task and well thought out. Once dialed in, it is hard to screw up anything while tapering. If you need a specific taper and need it often, then you can have a machinist mill an aluminum plate to act as a new guide for the Shaper for a modest charge. Or, make a plate with an idea similar to how Chris makes his taper bar. It is not impossible if you have the will do do the work.
...So after all that, it boils down to: start with the Deluxe, you will find the taper bars useful no matter how many pieces of equipment you add later. Any machines you add to your shop later will get used and appreciated, but they become needed more to speed up your workflow or improve the precision of a specific task. The taperShaper can work on its own, I plug mine into an old darkroom timer. After the pass is done, the timer shuts everything off and if I like, the timer buzzes to tell me it is done. It is like having a laborer there working for free! And yes, you can also rig up switches and relays to do the same thing, the timer was free for me and instant success. I can be busy installing a pin or ferrule while the Shaper whittles down shafts or butts. And the Shaper never takes a smoke break! Best wishes.
 
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