[2muchstuff]

mklb,

I see where you are coming from. I have had this vibration problem in the past when machining long thin items. You end up with tool chatter marks and deaf ears. What I use is known as a "steady rest". They can be mounted on the carriage cross slide to follow the where you are working, or to the lathe bed if you are working on either side. In your case because you are using wood (pool cues), a slight adaptation might be required. Using the steady rest idea, change out the metal followers and replace them with small rubber covered rollers like you would find in a copy machine. With cues being tapered, the rollers would need to have a convex surface and be under spring tension against the cue holding it in place. By using a steady rest you will be able to bring your speeds back up and the surface finish quality. Hope this helps you out some.