How to build a low cost Cue Shaft Spinner so you can clean, sand, or use sandpaper to shape the side of a cue tip while a rotating cue shaft.

1. Go the local hardware store, take your cue shaft with you, and purchase a bolt about 3 inches long that has about 1 1/4 inch (or more ) of threads that will screw into and fits your shaft. (Hopefully your cue shaft has a standard thread of some kind, most of them are...)
2. Also purchase a washer that fits the bolt, and a nut that also fits the screw threads.

   

3. Next, take the bolt and cut the hex head off with a hack-saw leaving about 2 inches of unthreaded shaft. You might want to grind off the edge of the cut end a bit so it doesn't have any burrs or sharp edges.

   

4. Then screw the nut on to the threads of the cut off bolt, then put on the washer after the nut, on the threaded end.

   

5. Then screw the cut off bolt with nut and washer into the cue shaft, making sure the washer is between the nut and the shaft. Holding the shaft in one hand, gently tighten with a wrench with the same tightness you would use when assembling your cue butt and shaft.

   

6. You now have a metal post sticking out of the rear of the cue shaft.
7. Now you can attach the post into any standard drill and you are ready to "Spin" your cue shaft and perform your cleaning/sanding/burnishing maintenance. I highly recommend you only run the drill in normal "drill" forward (clockwise from rear of drill) and not in reverse, as running in reverse will unscrew the bolt and possibly damage your cue shaft!

   

Notes:

• I recommend a variable speed drill so you can control how fast you wish to rotate the cue shaft. I use a slow to medium speed so I can clean better, and control the drill with the attached shaft.
• I recommend at least 1000 grit sandpaper, 1200 if you can get it. I also use a 0000 grit Scotch Brite type pad (White in color) for cleaning instead of sandpaper...it seems to work better and takes almost no wood off the shaft. I then finish off with a burnish using a piece of plain tanned leather (not dyed). The 0000 pad is sold as "synthetic steel wool". The one I have is made by "Norton". I did notice that if I hold the sandpaper too tight around the cue shaft, it grabs on and slips out of your hand...
• I would also recommend NOT squeezing the sandpaper too tight as you might sand grooves into your shaft...a bad thing. You also need to move the sandpaper up and down the shaft at a brisk pace...I would recommend at 4-5 inches per second movement. Also, don't stay in 1 place while holding the sandpaper.
• Move your (sandpaper) hand up/down, and at the same time lessen the pressure as you reach the end of the space you are sanding before going the reverse direction. If you don't you will double sand the ends of your pattern and could cause a depression in the shaft at that point.
• If your cue shaft isn't warped, it will spin true...if warped, you will notice it immediately as it will wobble.....
• And, last but not least, if you sand your ferule be careful not to get it hot with too much friction...most of them are made of plastic materials and you might distort or damage it! If you need to clean or smooth the ferule, I would do it a bit at a time, allowing time to cool and work in spurts (on for 10 seconds, off for 30 or more).
• You might have to go to a nut/bolt specialty store if your cue isn't of a standard thread type. (Cuetec comes to mind...)

I use this technique by holding the drill in my right hand, and the sand paper or cleaner / burnisher in my left hand. I can spin shaft and run my left hand up/down the shaft to clean or burnish. That way the work is evenly applied as the shaft rotates. I even use this technique when cleaning the shaft with cleaning solutions and a clean rag.