When to pin?

ratcues

ratcues

Theewen Custom Cues
Silver Member
I've been wondering this for a while. When do you install the male in your cues? Before or after the final pass? Why?

It has always been the last step for me when building the butt of the cue. I guess I wait to make sure the blank is a keeper before I waste a pin.

I'm just curious....since I think both ways work.
 
I do it after final cut, just before I recess the bumper cavity. I also prefer to wait until the very end so that I know i'm not wasting time & money on a cue that isn't going to be completed.

I have given consideration to both ways & can find theoretical faults in both, but find fewer faults in doing it the way I do it so that's why I do it that way. I am always afraid that if I install a pin to turn off of, then if the wood moves i'll have a pin that is still centered at the tip but no longer centered in the joint face. However, if I install after final cut, the pin may not be centered at the tip if i'm very sloppy, but it's going to be damn hard to get it off center at the joint face. In my mind, being centered at the joint face is more important than being centered at the tip. Of course, the idea is to be centered completely & straight, which I assume we all strive for. But for me, I could never trust putting a pin in anytime before it was to size.
 
This has always been a hot topic between a few. Some boast it better to make the final pass off the end of the pin...some not. I'm an after the final sizing pass type of builder. But I also sand and seal coat the butt before I do my pin install.
My biggest concern installing before the final pass is if the butt has any movement in it before you get to final size....the pin it no longer concentric to the center line of the cue.
I don't care for pins with a center hole in them. They look cheap IMO......
 
BarenbruggeCues said:
I don't care for pins with a center hole in them. They look cheap IMO......
Click to expand...

Hey Hey!!!! I resemble that statment:mad: LOL

My pins all have center holes. It's how they are made, between centers. I could cut them off, but not really any reason to. They look just fine to me.
 
After final pass, 2 to 3 thou oversized for the mandrel.
Finish.

I do know of a popular maker who makes 8-pointers make his pointed blanks w/pins already installed.
 
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qbilder said:
Hey Hey!!!! I resemble that statment:mad: LOL

My pins all have center holes. It's how they are made, between centers. I could cut them off, but not really any reason to. They look just fine to me.
Click to expand...

I knew a few feathers would go flying on that one! :eek: That's exactly what I have Tom do....and he doesn't invite me to any of his parties either...:mad::D
 
Pins go in after all cutting is done. To do otherwise is asking for trouble, in my opinion.
Sure, you can get away with it, but why introduce the possibility of your pin being off-center if the wood moves slightly?
 
First off, thanks for the responses. I figured people would be afraid to answer. Second, the responses actually surprise me. I thought it may be a 3-1 in favor of installing after the turning. I'm not sure what gave me that idea but its all interesting.
 
Sheldon said:
Pins go in after all cutting is done. To do otherwise is asking for trouble, in my opinion.
Sure, you can get away with it, but why introduce the possibility of your pin being off-center if the wood moves slightly?
Click to expand...

I would think that if your wood is moving at that point you got bigger problems than when to install the pin.
 
Also, if your pin is not installed dead nuts true, the center on the pin dead nuts, the pin itself perfectly machined, you've just lost true center. Might not be by much, but again, why introduce the possibility of imperfection if it's so easy to avoid?

How many cues have you gotten in for repairs or shafts have pins that are dead center? I would be willing to bet that 90% of the ones that are off were turned after the pin was installed.
 
As for me, i installed the joint pins after the butt is finish. The butt is in final so i can assure that making the center hole for pin would be perfect. ;)
 
Pin 1st

Hi, I seem to be in the minority. I install my pin before I taper the cue when the whole blank OD is slightly smaller than 1 3\8" so it fits through my spindle bore and back chuck. I use a 29" dowel that is .625 for 12 inch forearm area and .750 for the rest of the cue. I core the forearm, handle, and butt components and do not use an A-Joint connection rod. I use an embedded threaded weight bolt epoxied behind my pin for a 22" to 23" balance point - (also eliminates any chance for A-Joint buzz). This makes my cue's CG more forward than the norm. After hogging the initial taper in 5 progressive passes, I taper the whole blank in small cuts over time down to my final size from the 1 3\8" dimension throughout the 29" cue. Since I taper the blank and face the joint between centers, I never have to worry about the cue and new shaft not rolling perfectly the first time, every time. Since my whole cue is cored and glued to the dowel, I have not had any problems with the wood moving. Rick G
 
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Hmmmm, I have had lots of cored wood move. It's never as severe but it certainly moves. Maybe i'm doing something wrong. The woods are always old & well seasoned, as are the cores. But still, movement happens sometimes. Maybe it's just the figure causing it.
 
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