When to thread the shaft?

K

kiinstructor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a question about what stage in the shaft taper to thread the shaft for the butt pin. The reason I am searching for help is because of my rescent experinces. Ive tried to tap the shaft when its considerably oversized and then cut the shaft to its proper dimensions after the fact, and have experineced slightly crooked threads as a result. I do the tapering holding the shaft between centers on my tapering machine. My friend also makes cues and says the faces of the butt and shaft are your only concerns but Im not satisfied that shaft is not perfectly straight with the butt from start to finish as far as how it threads on. I have chris's book but it doesnt really say when to actually do the threading in the shaft making process. I mill the threads and with your help, Ive gotten pretty proficient at it but this other part has me a bit baffled. Any suggestions or help will be appreciated.

Thanks
Mark
 
kiinstructor said:
I have a question about what stage in the shaft taper to thread the shaft for the butt pin. The reason I am searching for help is because of my rescent experinces. Ive tried to tap the shaft when its considerably oversized and then cut the shaft to its proper dimensions after the fact, and have experineced slightly crooked threads as a result. I do the tapering holding the shaft between centers on my tapering machine. My friend also makes cues and says the faces of the butt and shaft are your only concerns but Im not satisfied that shaft is not perfectly straight with the butt from start to finish as far as how it threads on. I have chris's book but it doesnt really say when to actually do the threading in the shaft making process. I mill the threads and with your help, Ive gotten pretty proficient at it but this other part has me a bit baffled. Any suggestions or help will be appreciated.

Thanks
Mark
Click to expand...

When making a shaft I take my blank which is approx. 13.5mm at this stage and then install the deco-rings. I then cut to length and install the ferrule. I then install my insert or tap the threads for the pin and face the shaft. I then chuck up the cue with the joint running true at the chuck and put the shaft onto the joint. If the joint face is true and the shaft face is true then the shaft should turn like an arrow sticking out of the front of the chuck. If not then reface to attain this condition. Once running true I turn the joint end down to the joint size using the joint as a mandrel. I then re-chuck the joint end of the shaft into the chuck just as though I was going to reface it but instead I take a 60 deg. carbide router bit and using the tail-stock I chamfer the threads on the shaft. This is a very important step as it insures that the center is concentric with the joint of the cue. This may make one side offset a little which is what you want as this compensates for the pin not being exactly centered. It makes the center true with the outside of the shafts deco-ring. Now I put the shaft between centers on my shaft machine and turn the entire shaft down to finished size. When the final pass is cut on the shaft machine it is concentric now, concentric both to the pin and to the outside of the joint. I now sand a little and put on finish. If I'm not being bothered, it takes around an hour and a half to complete the shaft from start to having put on a finish.

Dick
 
It's very last thing I do before finish. I taper the shaft within a couple thousandths of finished size, install the insert or cut the threads, face it off, then finish.
 
Thanks Guys, I think I was leaving the shaft to big. Are you finding that the threads are true and concentric with the butt even if you unscrew it? That seems to be the problem Im experiencing. Im not satisfied with it being true when connected. I want it it run tru from start to finish. I think that would take most of the tention off the pin and just make the cue hit better in general. Makes sense to cut the threads at the very last. I use the 60 degree starter bit in the tailstock also to cut my chamfer but I do that when the shaft is way oversize and there is my problem. Will try it your way. Thanks so much for the help. I learn so much from this forum.
Sincerely Mark
 
Same as Sheldon. I face it off after tapping.
Chuck up on the carbide sanding mandrel.
Hand spin the chuck. If the threads or face are not dead on nuts, the tip will wobble insted of sping consistently ( gravity will make the tip end go a little lower but not wobble ).
Now if you have Hardinge precision collet closer lathe, life would be much easier.
 
when mine get to .540" and .860" after several cuts off centers in the align-rite,i drill .308 and then chamfer then tap then face.after that i run it in the align-rite off the pin for final cut,then hand sand from .520" and .840".my joint gets a little skinnier than most .i sand to .510" and .825"-.835" depending on forearm wood.
 
i tap the shaft first in my finishing stage. when the shaft is ready for final sanding here is my process...
tap & insert
then rings
sand 220
cut to legnth
then tip & ferrule
sand with 400
apply finish
sand with 400 600 1000 1500
buff
seal and wax
 
kiinstructor said:
Thanks Guys, I think I was leaving the shaft to big. Are you finding that the threads are true and concentric with the butt even if you unscrew it? That seems to be the problem Im experiencing. Im not satisfied with it being true when connected. I want it it run tru from start to finish. I think that would take most of the tention off the pin and just make the cue hit better in general. Makes sense to cut the threads at the very last. I use the 60 degree starter bit in the tailstock also to cut my chamfer but I do that when the shaft is way oversize and there is my problem. Will try it your way. Thanks so much for the help. I learn so much from this forum.
Sincerely Mark
Click to expand...
It sounds like your joint pin it not dead in the middle of the cue and that is what is causing your problem. If you are milling your threads into the shaft they should be concentric. As soon as you turn your shaft to match the butt this will cause the shaft to no longer turn perfect when rolled. Also if the pin is in dead center and your shaft threads are not, it will give the same problem after matching up it to the butt. It makes the back inch or so of the shaft off center to the rest of the shaft.
 
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