What did you do today?

[Dave C]

You'll be there before you know it. I was 70 yesterday. Today I'm 78. Where does the time go?

[J Tiers]

I doubt the cordless drill has the torque. 3/8-16 in one go is a lot of torque, especially in the "double-bubble" soft steel. It wanted to spin in every holder system I came up with, and I finally adjusted the die loose and did it in two passes. I don't want to take that ride, I'd rather use the hand die holder than hold the drill motor against that.

Lathe steady with bearing tips but mounted on the bench instead of the ways? I've seen spiders mounted on the back end of the spindle for a similar purpose but there's nothing stopping you from taking it to extremes if you have the space for the rod to jut into.

Yes, the turret lathe approach.

I have not got the room behind in the current toolroom setup. I've been trying to find ways to fit more in and yet have more room. Somehow, filling up a bag does not seem to make the bag bigger. I have not quite figured out why, it works for others.............

[Tundra Twin Track]

There must be a slicker way to thread long rod than hand dies with the rod in a vise.

The Ridgid Die Head mounted on Lathe works real slick,I also dreaded that job in the past.

[cameron]

There must be a slicker way to thread long rod than hand dies with the rod in a vise.

It's a lot slicker if you actually have a vise. A woodworker's vice doesn't count. As for setting up the Wilton vise in the real workshop, you don't have a real workshop if you don't have a good vise set up.

If a few inches of 3/8 NC thread is hard, you need a longer-handled diestock or a better die, or both.

I'm not entirely BS'ing, this octogenarian 130 pound weakling put an inch and a half of 3/4" NC on each end of a 4' bar last week. It wasn't as much fun as I remembered from last time I did that, but the .003" oversize HRS didn't help. Neither did the cracked die, I had a hard time keeping the two parts in line.

I'll need a couple more of those soon. I'll be taking close to 15 thou off that bar's diameter with an angle grinder next time. A 3A fit is plenty good enough.

[PStechPaul]

Is there any reason you didn't use allthread? A ten foot length of galvanized 3/8-16 in the electrical department is only about $6.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/STEEL-CITY-...ed-Rod/1087401

[RB211]

You'll be there before you know it. I was 70 yesterday. Today I'm 78. Where does the time go?

10 years ago I was 29 and dating my wife, now in less than a year I'll be 40. I know, still young, but life seems like it is moving 2x to 3x faster than I would like, especially considering the time I am home with family is actually 6 months out of 12.

[Cenedd]

10 years ago I was 29 and dating my wife, now in less than a year I'll be 40. I know, still young, but life seems like it is moving 2x to 3x faster than I would like, especially considering the time I am home with family is actually 6 months out of 12.

Tis a slippery slope from 40. You'll start noticing that it's a much longer way back up from a crouch than it every used to be. You may also (depending on the age-gap) get to start playing parent to....your parents. Fun times. Just remember to get some shop time in (or whatever else floats your boat) and you'll be fine. Also worth doing something daft now and again....like the pub crawl I have planned for next month Beer shoulnd't be the currency of your sanity.....but *shrug* (just not at the same time as power tools!)

[jdedmon91]

Spending the kids inheritance. Went by Metal Supermarket and raided the scrap bin. Then ran over to a local pawn shop and picked up this sweet set of B&S micrometers


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[Tim Clarke]

[QUOTE=jdedmon91;1244805]Spending the kids inheritance. Went by Metal Supermarket and raided the scrap bin. Then ran over to a local pawn shop and picked up this sweet set of B&S micrometers


Too bad someone snitched the standards set that goes in that box! 6-12" ??

[cameron]

[QUOTE=PStechPaul;1244784]Is there any reason you didn't use allthread? A ten foot length of galvanized 3/8-16 in the electrical department is only about $6.

]QUOTE]

Other than "It would look like crap", he probably had no good reason at all.

[J Tiers]

Paul.... Allthread is ugly, and also bends easier than straight rod. And I don't like it, which is reason enough for me....

It's a lot slicker if you actually have a vise. A woodworker's vice doesn't count. As for setting up the Wilton vise in the real workshop, you don't have a real workshop if you don't have a good vise set up.

If a few inches of 3/8 NC thread is hard, you need a longer-handled diestock or a better die, or both.

I'm not entirely BS'ing, this octogenarian 130 pound weakling put an inch and a half of 3/4" NC on each end of a 4' bar last week. It wasn't as much fun as I remembered from last time I did that, but the .003" oversize HRS didn't help. Neither did the cracked die, I had a hard time keeping the two parts in line.

I'll need a couple more of those soon. I'll be taking close to 15 thou off that bar's diameter with an angle grinder next time. A 3A fit is plenty good enough.

Doing the cutting of the thread is not an issue... its the vise issue, and the nuisance of the time the hand die threading takes. I'm a bit short of 200lb, and the die is "gonna behave" if I want it to turn..... Problem was it was all turning.... stock, die, and work. Hence the vise grips. If I was a "real machinist", I'd thread anything up to an inch just by spinning the part through the die by grabbing and twisting by hand!

As for the "real workshop, I have plenty vises, but they are not always on the bench, they clamp down. That way the limited bench space is not full of vises when I meed to put something bigger up there, or if I am scraping a part, and meed somewhere for the reference tools.. But it happens that none of the removable vises clamp down over the edge, so that the work can be stood up, which is best for threading parts up to a bit over 4 foot(for me).

And, the woodworker vise is definitely a "real vise".... its main purpose is holding pieces of machine for scraping, a job it is well suited for. If you do any scraping, and do not have one, try one, bet you will like it! Plus, that type is all below bench level, so it is not an obstruction.

It would hold any sort of pipe etc if I made it a set of aggressive toothed hard jaws to put in between. that would do fine, but I have not done it. Maybe this is a reason to do that.

[Tundra Twin Track]

Paul.... Allthread is ugly, and also bends easier than straight rod. And I don't like it, which is reason enough for me....



Doing the cutting of the thread is not an issue... its the vise issue. I'm a bit short of 200lb, and the die is "gonna behave" if I want it to turn..... Problem was it was all turning.... stock, die, and work. Hence the vise grips. If I was a "real machinist", I'd thread anything up to an inch just by spinning the part through the die by grabbing and twisting by hand!

As for the "real workshop, I have plenty vises, but they are not always on the bench, they clamp down. That way the limited bench space is not full of vises when I meed to put something bigger up there, or if I am scraping a part, and meed somewhere for the reference tools.. But it happens that none of the removable vises clamp down over the edge, so that the work can be stood up, which is best for threading parts up to a bit over 4 foot(for me).

And, the woodworker vise is definitely a "real vise".... its main purpose is holding pieces of machine for scraping, a job it is well suited for. If you do any scraping, and do not have one, try one, bet you will like it! Plus, that type is all below bench level, so it is not an obstruction.

It would hold any sort of pipe etc if I made it a set of aggressive toothed hard jaws to put in between. that would do fine, but I have not done it. Maybe this is a reason to do that.

I have used a old Lathe Chuck for gripping round stock when hand threading,seemed to work about 80% of the time.

[J Tiers]

I have used a old Lathe Chuck for gripping round stock when hand threading,seemed to work about 80% of the time.

I have an old 4 jaw for that purpose. But the reason it is not used elsewhere is that it will not grip anything a small as 3/8". The Wilton has no swivel base, or I might put it off the end, so it would swivel to hold things off the end, or in line with the front edge. I've made swivel bases before, but that has not made it onto the list of things to do, I'm not sure I want that vise there. I've had it sitting where it would go, and have run into it 5 times already....

[PStechPaul]

One way to make allthread more attractive is to cover it with PVC tubing or pipe, or other plastic or rubber material. Do you have a picture of the finished result?

[J Tiers]

One way to make allthread more attractive is to cover it with PVC tubing or pipe, or other plastic or rubber material. Do you have a picture of the finished result?

There is one back a way in this thread.

Covering leads to rust Chinese galvanizing, so-called, is worthless, electrogalvanizing.... aka "zinc flash". Paint works OK if not covered. The benches are out in the weather all year.

A little creativity and the threading got done. Just thinking about better ways to do it. Had to do several similar threads recently.