turning snooker cues

[flame]

hi ppl,i am a newbie to turning,i am into making snooker cues,till recently i have been making them by hand,i have just purchased a lathe to make life easier,my question is what do i need to hold the cue(tip end,10mm diameter)in the headstock.

 

[Bodrighy]

A decent chuck. I presume you will make them in two parts with the brass screw connection in the middle? Ideally to make these you need to practice your skew work as that would be the best tool to use.

Chucks worth getting are usually around the £100+ mark and though people swear by certain makes I am not sure that there is a great difference in quality. Axminster, Nova, Vicmarc, Oneway, Sorby, all decent chucks with variable jaws. Check them out and see which best suits you. Keep your eyes on EBay, there wer a couple going there, make sure they have the right thread for your lathe or an insert that can be changed.

Pete

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Im also not that advanced when it comes to wood turning, very little experience, i have this chuck http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ax ... (body-only)-prod811281/

to me it seems very well made, the chuck is very smooth to close or open and will take a 10mm dia into its centre hole.

 

[Jonzjob]

I wish you all the luck Flame. The scew is not the easiest tool to use, BUT with practice it is the most satisfying one in this turners box! Respect it and it will work for you. Take liberties with it and it will make you jump!

Practice and you will love it! Good luck mate!

 

[Richard Findley]

Hi Flame,

Welcome along!

I've not turned cues but I've turned a lot of Walking Canes and I can offer a few tips on turning long thin stuff:

1- Mounting, hold it in either a chuck or screw chuck securely, that way you don't need to apply too much pressure on the ends as this encourages flex

2- Turn slowly, around 700 - 900rpm is best. Much faster and you get a lot of vibration

3- Don't bother with the Skew. Best off to use a Spindle Roughing Gouge, light cuts with a sharp tool. It is far more controllable than the skew. I am normally a Skew fan but for this job, where you get unexpected flex and vibration, the bulk and stability of the SRG is a better option

4- Finish with large sheets of abrasive, around 6" wide and a foot or 2 long, moving it along the surface. This helps to achieve a really good finish. Don't be affraid to start coarse, 80g should do it!!

HTH

If you need any more tips just shout!

Cheers

Richard

 

[flame]

Hi Flame,

Welcome along!

I've not turned cues but I've turned a lot of Walking Canes and I can offer a few tips on turning long thin stuff:

1- Mounting, hold it in either a chuck or screw chuck securely, that way you don't need to apply too much pressure on the ends as this encourages flex

2- Turn slowly, around 700 - 900rpm is best. Much faster and you get a lot of vibration

3- Don't bother with the Skew. Best off to use a Spindle Roughing Gouge, light cuts with a sharp tool. It is far more controllable than the skew. I am normally a Skew fan but for this job, where you get unexpected flex and vibration, the bulk and stability of the SRG is a better option

4- Finish with large sheets of abrasive, around 6" wide and a foot or 2 long, moving it along the surface. This helps to achieve a really good finish. Don't be affraid to start coarse, 80g should do it!!

HTH

If you need any more tips just shout!

Cheers

Richard

thanks for the advice Richard,i will most certainly be in touch if it's no problem Bill

 

[flame]

Hi Flame,

Welcome along!

I've not turned cues but I've turned a lot of Walking Canes and I can offer a few tips on turning long thin stuff:

1- Mounting, hold it in either a chuck or screw chuck securely, that way you don't need to apply too much pressure on the ends as this encourages flex

2- Turn slowly, around 700 - 900rpm is best. Much faster and you get a lot of vibration

3- Don't bother with the Skew. Best off to use a Spindle Roughing Gouge, light cuts with a sharp tool. It is far more controllable than the skew. I am normally a Skew fan but for this job, where you get unexpected flex and vibration, the bulk and stability of the SRG is a better option

4- Finish with large sheets of abrasive, around 6" wide and a foot or 2 long, moving it along the surface. This helps to achieve a really good finish. Don't be affraid to start coarse, 80g should do it!!

HTH

If you need any more tips just shout!

Cheers

Richard

thanks for the advice Richard,i will most certainly be in touch if it's no problem Bill

hi Richard,what size of spindle gouge would you advice,also what is the best way for holding the blank at the headstock Bill.

 

[Richard Findley]

Hi Bill,

The best way of holding the blank is on a screw chuck or just in the chuck if you don't mind a little waste. I hold my canes on a homemade screw chuck held in my chuck.

I use a standard 1" spindle roughing gouge. No specialist tools required.

You will need to offer the wood some support with your hand or, if you are not comfortable with this then make up a steady of some sort. This just makes life a little easier and allows you to make a cleaner cut.

HTH

Richard

 

[flame]

hi Richard, thanks for reply,i have already made myself a steady.

 

[Bodrighy]

Hi Flame,

Welcome along!

I've not turned cues but I've turned a lot of Walking Canes and I can offer a few tips on turning long thin stuff:


3- Don't bother with the Skew. Best off to use a Spindle Roughing Gouge, light cuts with a sharp tool. It is far more controllable than the skew. I am normally a Skew fan but for this job, where you get unexpected flex and vibration, the bulk and stability of the SRG is a better option


Richard

Just picked this up. I wouldn't have thought of using a roughing gouge like this but it makes sense. I'll have to try it. Thanks for the tip Richard

Pte