i need help on how to make a wood/stick stiffer

[stevenson kam]

hi all!

i need help on how to make a wood/stick stiffer, the stiffer the better.
i would really appreciate if you'll share your knowledge.
educate me w/ the process please... :confused:

thanks!
steve

[Jeff Nicol]

Stevenson, When you say stiffer, do you mean stronger and with less flexability? Some woods are strong and stiff on thier own and others can be laminiated to achieve strength and stiffness. What is the project that requires the stiffer piece? If the wood is porous it could be soaked in a diluted epoxy mix with DNA to fill the pores and create a harder stiffer stick. So let us know the length and diameter that you are trying to achieve and we will be able to assist you better. Thanks for the question and we are here to help!

Jeff

[stevenson kam]

a friend of mine who's a cue maker asked me to turn some hard maple pool cue shafts, but it seems like the woods that i bought doesnt have good quality and they all plays whippy/soft. it would benefit me if there's a process to make all of them stiffer/stronger than to toss them away.:D
the shaft dowel size is 29" long and less than 1" in diameter.

thanks jeff! :):):)

[Gerold Griffin]

Stevenson, last year I met a guy who made walking sticks. His sticks where about 5' long and 1.5 - 2" in dia. The guy claimed that the finish he uses is parafin, like what you get from the grocery store for canning. Said he heated it up (almost boiling) and brushed it on. His claim was that he never had a walking stick break after that. I thought it sounded a little crazy but filed it away to try someday. Sorry I can't say it will or will not work, someday hasn't got hear yet.:o

[stevenson kam]

Stevenson, last year I met a guy who made walking sticks. His sticks where about 5' long and 1.5 - 2" in dia. The guy claimed that the finish he uses is parafin, like what you get from the grocery store for canning. Said he heated it up (almost boiling) and brushed it on. His claim was that he never had a walking stick break after that. I thought it sounded a little crazy but filed it away to try someday. Sorry I can't say it will or will not work, someday hasn't got hear yet.:o

Thanks Gerold! we'll see if it works... ;)

Anybody has the knowledge to share?

[Brian Novotny]

I thought I heard someone yesterday talking about a wood hardening product.

[Rick Huelsbeck]

If so get a steady rest while it's turning and you are cutting. Just a thought.

[Mike Minto]

be VERY CAREFUL if you choose to heat parrafin - it is can catch fire if heated to too high a temperature! mike :eek:

[Jeff Nicol]

Stevenson, Are the dowels really flexable in your hands or when you are trying to turn them on the lathe? With a dowel of that length you will need a following steady rest of some sort that you could move along as you turn down the cue shaft. I guess I would start at the tailstock and taper it to the headstock so when you get closer to the headstock you will be cutting in the direction of the shaft and the steady will support the rest of the shaft and you will be able to make nice cuts. I hope this is what you are trying to achieve.

Jeff

[Gerold Griffin]

If you try it let me know how it works. Like I said it sounded a little crazy to me but that's probably why I remembered it. A good point was brought up, it is flammable, recommend a camp stove set up outside. Near a shade tree if your summer is as hot as ours. Luck to ya!

[Reed Gray]

Stevenson,
I had a neighbor who made them. Use only straight grained sugar maple. A shaft that long will flex when turning. There is a 10 to 1 ratio rule for spindles, 1 inch thick, 10 inches long with out whipping. Whipping is the vibration you get on long thin spindles. They can whip and vibrate even without tool pressure. If you turn longer than that, it can be done but takes a light touch, and being able to use your hand as a steady rest. My neighbor put the shaft on a machinest lathe, at slow speed, and he had a router with a spiral bit on a jig to match the taper of the shaft. Fairly simple really, and no whipping from turning fast or tool pressure.
robo hippy

[Jeff Nicol]

Here is what the people who do it all the time use, something like this.

http://www.cuesmith.com/index.php?menu1=menu_lathes&page=cue_lathe_mid_size

It would be a nice tool addition to the shop!

Patience and a steady hand and you can get it done.

Jeff

[phil harold]

be VERY CAREFUL if you choose to heat parrafin - it is can catch fire if heated to too high a temperature! mike :eek:

The melting point of paraffin wax is 120 to 160 so a double boiler or a crock pot can add saftey to the process

I would never use open flame while melting wax

Flash point of Paraffin wax without additives: 199°C (399°F).
Flash point of Paraffin wax with additives: 249°C (480°F).
Some suppliers claim their waxes burst into flames at 140°C (282°F)
So keep it lower than water boiling temp (212°F) and you can be safe

[Keith Christopher]

You main problem is length _vs_ thickness. Over this span on the lathe any portion of 'out of round' is going to cause a problem with wobble. If your tailstock and headstock are not aligned perfectly it will be amplified in this way. If the wood is not at the correct moisture content or improperly dried. As you remove wood you're releasing tension in the wood which can cause it to be amplified as it spins. My recommendation, make or buy something to use as a 'steady' and you should be able to do what you are looking to do.