Plastic collets

[Flame]

Hi, I make snooker cues, was wondering  if anyone knows where I could get plastic collets to fit over a cue to secure it in the chuck of a metal lathe, sizes of collets needed are 9mm to 32mm. TIA   Bill.

[Bill21]

I’m unsure of what type of collets you’re after? Collets used on metal working lathes are normally made of spring steel and held in a special collet Chuck like this.

https://www.chronos.ltd.uk/product/er32-collet-chuck-100-mm-diameter/

There are several different sizes of collets. The ER32 series go from about 2mm up to 20mm and the larger ER40 collets go up to about 25mm. There may be industrial sized collets and chucks that go larger than this but I’ve not seen plastic ones.

[Paul Hannaby]

Why not buy some suitable plastic and turn your own collet?

[bodrighywood]

Platic hose pipe with cuts in it. As Paul says make your own.

Pete

[Bill21]

Slightly off topic but I was surprised to see on a video of one of the UK’s top Snooker Cue manufacturers that most of the cue is shaped by hand using a plane, not turned on a lathe.

Cheap mass produced ones are of course lathe turned which is perhaps why they end up banana shaped!

[julcle]

A friend of mine who is now a Bowyer (incorrect spelling for someone that makes English Longbows) started life in the early 70s making Snooker Cues for Riley's Professional Billiard & Snooker players as well as custom Cues for those with money. All his Cues were made by hand with a plane, the stave had to be split from the air dried timber then shaped with a draw knife before finishing. Julian

[bodrighywood]

A friend of mine who is now a Bowyer (incorrect spelling for someone that makes English Longbows) started life in the early 70s making Snooker Cues for Riley's Professional Billiard & Snooker players as well as custom Cues for those with money. All his Cues were made by hand with a plane, the stave had to be split from the air dried timber then shaped with a draw knife before finishing. Julian

Think that is the right way to spell it LOL.
Pete