Installation of snooker cue ferrule

[wannabenumb]

Hi, a very good day to all you guys! Can someone teach me how to install new ferrule on our snooker cue? I 've done numerous searches on youtube but to no avail. I sincerely hoped that someone here that can actually enlighten me, thanks!

[jeffrey]

bro it not easy to install yourself as u need a lathe .

[Terry Davidson]

Wannabenumb:

I install ferrules by hand and believe me it's not easy and takes some time.

To remove the old ferrule, heat it a bit with a lighter or a match and then with a pair of pliers or vice-grips remove the old ferrule by unscrewing it (it may or may not be threaded).

If the dowel of wood inside the ferrule is still in good shape then it's easy to just screw on a new ferrule using some good epoxy cement. However, in most cases that dowel is either damaged or too small for the new ferrule and that will mean shortening the cue by at least 1/4in or more as you will have to make a new dowel (there's a proper term for that dowel in the middle of the ferrule but I don't know what it is).

Doing it by hand with a file and only taking off a very little bit of wood at a time it's very difficult to first of all get the cut of the wood straight where the bottom of the ferrule will fit and also to get the dowel exactly centered on the top of the cue (which is why it should be done on a lathe).

I have one of those plastic school rulers with all the different sized holes in it and I take the appropriate sized hole and place it over the cue and push it down until it's tight, hopefully about 1/4in down the shaft. I very carefully make sure the plastic rule is exactly perpendicular to the cue and then draw a light line around the shaft of the cue. Now I take a fine file and start shaving down a new dowel using the old one as a guide along with the line I've drawn. Believe me this takes forever as you only want to take off a little bit of wood at a time. Once you have a dowel that ALMOST fits into the threads of the ferrule (if it's threaded) then get some epoxy cement and coat the dowel, screw on the new ferrule and snug it as tight as you can without damaging the cue and then cut off the excess old dowel.

My recommendation....find a lathe!!!!!

Terry

[poolqjunkie]

Yes, I think to make the tenon by hand could be quite difficult. If you have the right size ferrule and just need to replace it because it is getting old, then it is much easier and I believe can be done by hand to a very good standard.
If the tenon is too thick, there is a little gidget I have seen before from a hardware store called a dowel cutter that I believe you can use. But make sure it is the kind which cuts a flat shoulder as some are made to cut a curved shoulder. This tool is designed for wood makers who want to build little dowels on their wood to fit pieces together.
If the tenon is too thin and you want to keep the same length, what I have done before is to remove the old tenon, drill a small hold in the shaft, thread it with a tap and then glue a custom made tenon with threads into that hole so I can now have a new tenon to the diameter of my choice, whiel keeping the shaft to the same length. Since the new tenon is threaded and glued it is quite stable. I have only done it on 9 ball cues and usually I drilled a 5/16 hole with a 5/16x18 tap. With this method, you would need a lathe although technically you can use a hand drill and tap it by hand, but you will not be able to center the hole perfectly and to make the dowel by hand might be a bit too much to ask for.
I have seen people using a ferrule cutter but I have never used it. I would imagine is it probably a sort of dowel cutter made to cut out the tenon of various sizes.
If you just need to replace the ferrule and you have the one with the exact inner diameter, then you can remove the ferrule as Terry said, and just glue it on, then file it to flash with the shaft.

[Mr O]

To get the old ferrule off you can put the cue in a vice between 2 cork sanding blocks.
If the "Tenon" is too thick, cut a few strips of medium coarse sandpaper (same width as height of ferrule obviously) and wrap them around the wood and use a spinning motion to thin down. If the tenon is too thin you could probably order a ferrule with a smaller bore, provided there's still enough thickness in the wood for it to be strong enough

[unclevit]

To get the old ferrule off you can put the cue in a vice between 2 cork sanding blocks.
If the "Tenon" is too thick, cut a few strips of medium coarse sandpaper (same width as height of ferrule obviously) and wrap them around the wood and use a spinning motion to thin down. If the tenon is too thin you could probably order a ferrule with a smaller bore, provided there's still enough thickness in the wood for it to be strong enough

Yes, very difficult if you are not a cuemaker yourself. But to the professional cuemaker, I have seen this ferrule fitting process took only some 20 minutes

[totlxtc]

Wannabenumb:

I install ferrules by hand and believe me it's not easy and takes some time.

To remove the old ferrule, heat it a bit with a lighter or a match and then with a pair of pliers or vice-grips remove the old ferrule by unscrewing it (it may or may not be threaded).

If the dowel of wood inside the ferrule is still in good shape then it's easy to just screw on a new ferrule using some good epoxy cement. However, in most cases that dowel is either damaged or too small for the new ferrule and that will mean shortening the cue by at least 1/4in or more as you will have to make a new dowel (there's a proper term for that dowel in the middle of the ferrule but I don't know what it is).

Doing it by hand with a file and only taking off a very little bit of wood at a time it's very difficult to first of all get the cut of the wood straight where the bottom of the ferrule will fit and also to get the dowel exactly centered on the top of the cue (which is why it should be done on a lathe).

I have one of those plastic school rulers with all the different sized holes in it and I take the appropriate sized hole and place it over the cue and push it down until it's tight, hopefully about 1/4in down the shaft. I very carefully make sure the plastic rule is exactly perpendicular to the cue and then draw a light line around the shaft of the cue. Now I take a fine file and start shaving down a new dowel using the old one as a guide along with the line I've drawn. Believe me this takes forever as you only want to take off a little bit of wood at a time. Once you have a dowel that ALMOST fits into the threads of the ferrule (if it's threaded) then get some epoxy cement and coat the dowel, screw on the new ferrule and snug it as tight as you can without damaging the cue and then cut off the excess old dowel.

My recommendation....find a lathe!!!!!

Terry

Very good post. I too have done it by hand and ill tell you its dam hard! Ive done about 20 by hand and it takes ages! You have to rotate the cue and file at the same time and i think i have only done a handful perfect. Now i have a lathe its a 2 minute job. If its a simple old ferrule off, new ferrule on then follow Terry's advice. If your resizing the ferrule or cue then send it off. Believe me its worth it in the end.

Dan

[MikeWooldridge]

i think i have only done a handful perfect.

Dan

so you say....

[wannabenumb]

Thank you guys, i really appreciate your effort in giving me those answers. Ok... after reading them all, my decision is........ GIVE UP the 'idea' on learning how to change ferrule! Sorry for late reply as i've forgotten me ever before started this thread!

[jrc750]

Very good post. I too have done it by hand and ill tell you its dam hard! Ive done about 20 by hand and it takes ages! You have to rotate the cue and file at the same time and i think i have only done a handful perfect. Now i have a lathe its a 2 minute job. If its a simple old ferrule off, new ferrule on then follow Terry's advice. If your resizing the ferrule or cue then send it off. Believe me its worth it in the end.

Dan

I just had a new ferrule and tip put on my old Riley Tombstone today by Stuart at Greenbaize shop in Thornaby http://greenbaize.com/ - he did it all by hand and made a perfect job ! i just browsed around his hundreds of cues for sale whilst he did it - only took maybe 10 to 15 minutes and all for £10
Sorry forgot to say this was a straight forward ? - old one off - new one on job - so maybe this is a daft post ! oops

[khizzy]

just send it to a cue maker to replace it, it saves time and will save your cue also if you are trying for the first few times

[sanman]

The most important thing about a fitting a ferrule is that it has to be an extension of the shaft. what I mean is if the tip is slight of by say a degree or two because of the lenght of the ferrule one may not be incline to notice it but it will hinder your potting due to the inaccuarcy. This is best done by a persdon who firstly knows what they are doing and secondly by someone using a lathe. I tried fitting my own once and though I thought I did a good job it was not perfect and affected my long potting quite a bit

[coveg]

The most important thing about a fitting a ferrule is that it has to be an extension of the shaft. what I mean is if the tip is slight of by say a degree or two because of the lenght of the ferrule one may not be incline to notice it but it will hinder your potting due to the inaccuarcy. This is best done by a persdon who firstly knows what they are doing and secondly by someone using a lathe. I tried fitting my own once and though I thought I did a good job it was not perfect and affected my long potting quite a bit

Hi there sanman.

Do you know of somebody around Cape Town that can fit ferrules.

[sanman]

I am from Durban
I will find out for you though from sonme guys who I meet at the SA champs soon

[coveg]

Sanman.

Thanx you. You ac mail me on technical@coveg.co.za

Regards

Pieter