I have fitted many new ferrules and tips to snooker and pool cues but have always been a little frustrated that getting a good concentric fit is extremely difficult without a lathe. So I decided to make one as I wanted to reduce my cue from a 9.5 mm tip to a 9mm tip for better action. I didn't use it to reduce the shaft size but did this with a plane and sandpaper. I had some rubber roller wheels from an old 3D printer and also used a fidget spinner bearing 22mm for an endstop. I made the drill mounts to fit my old cordless drill a JCB model with variable speed. You may have to modify the drill mounts to fit your drill. I used a TPU printed butt holder and reinforced it with a 12mm steel bolt cut down and glued in place for strength. I have included a sleeve to protect the shaft of the cue which may need adjustment to suit your cue. I printed mine at 110%. The 3 units are mounted onto a length of planed timber from B&Q 65mm wide nominal size. I took one of the brackets with me and tried several lengths before one was a snug fit. The endstop incorporated a 22mm bearing stolen from my grandsons fidget spinner I will replace it promise. With everything in place I used various small chisels and blades to perfect the fitting of the new brass ferrule and shape the new tip. The two small extensions on the roller bracket act as a tool rest for this. If you are using the lathe to sand the shaft I would put the endstop roller in place to stop the cue pushing forward. Other items include 5mm set screws an captive nuts 4mm cheese head set screws and nuts for the rollers and cheese headed wood screws for holding down the brackets. I used thread inserts for the endstop bracket but through screws would also work. In the photos I actually used smaller lengths of the wood mounted on top of the beam and clamped the rear mounts to the beam for quick release and adjustment.
Have fun and let me know what you think in the comments.
Pete Jensen
