Introduction: Saber Cue

About: I am North Dakotan. I like stuff that's good and stuff that's good likes me too. Life's good folks. Let's make it better.
In this instructable I am going to show how to make a rechargeable battery operated pool cue that lights up, glows, and also has a laser pointer inside of it to help aim.

Step 1: Https://youtu.be/giUO06lR9uc

https:youtu.be/giUO06IR9uc

Step 2: Supplies

1. Exotic hardwoods
2. Epoxy
3. Leds
4.Glow powder
5. Battery
6. Laser
7. Cue jointer
8. Ferrule
9. Switch
10. Wire

Step 3: Design

Your going to need a picture or idea of how the cue is designed. With this one I wanted it to have strips down the middle that lit up. Instead of just strips I wanted something more futuristic looking so added a bend in them. I then had the idea of having it glow the opposite color when the leds are powered off.

Step 4: Cutting

The middle strips of wood are made of hickory.
Cut 8 strips that are 1/8" by 3/4" by 29".
The rest of the butt is made of African blackwood, ziricote, and cocobolo.
Cut 4 strips Blackwood and ziricote 29" by 1" by 1". I only had so much of this wood so I cut my 1" pieces in half diagonally.
Cut 4 pieces cocobolo 2" by 1/2" by 1/2".

Step 5: Glueing

Starting from the middle and working outwards glue woods together around LEDs in the chosen design.

Step 6: Clamping

Be sure to clamp all woods together to get a nice tight smooth finish.

Step 7: Wiring LEDs

At the butt of the cue solder all the positive leads of LEDs together and all negatives together. The positives then straight to the battery. The negatives of the LEDs go to one end of the switch, and other switch end to the negative of battery.

Step 8: Making the Shaft

For the shaft I used an old hockey stick. Cut it down the middle, made a 1/8" groove on each half with table saw, and glued back together. The grooves are for wiring in the laser. My lathe wasn't big enough to turn this so I made an extension from angle iron that worked quite well.

Step 9: Wiring Laser

Drill hole 1/4" wide and 2" deep in tip of cue. At the other end of the shaft, drill hole 1/2" by 1". Drill hole 1/8" through ferrule. Drill hole 1/8" through cue jointer. Run 2 wires through the shaft and connect to laser at the tip. Insert laser into the tip and cover with ferrule.

Step 10: Making the Joint

At the other end of the shaft, run one of the wires through cue jointer with tip of wire just extended past metal and glue around the wire. Solder the other wire to the threads of the jointer. Do the same thing with the butt of the cue except this part of the cue jointer with used as the female end. When the shaft and butt are screwed together, the connection is made with the wire in the middle of the cue jointer being the negative, and the cue jointer itself being the positive. This way the cue can be broken down for carrying convenience.

Step 11: Housing Battery

The battery will be stored at the butt of the cue. First tape it to hold it's position. I then wrapped it with self adhering silicone tape.

Step 12: Making It Glow

Mix glow powder with epoxy and fill in the strips on each side allowing each side to cure before doing the next. I used blue powder with green led on one side, green powder with blue led on the opposite side, and mixed blue, green, and purple powder with red LEDs on the other two sides.

Step 13: Sanding and Finishing

Sand down the cue until the desired shape is reached and add your favorite finish. I went to 400 grit and used teak oil.