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Carba-tec threader

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Can anyone detail how the old Carba-Tec threading jig is designed to cut threads?
Can't seem to find any documentation on the internet on it's operation and design components.
 

john lucas

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Never seen one. I had a carbo-tec for a while. Great little lathe. I haven't seen them in years so I"m guessing they no longer exist. I did a search and came up with nothing. Do you have one? If you do send a photo and I can probably tell you how to use it.
 
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John,

I found one that was for sale, but it is missing the main threaded shaft that holds the billet or the cutting
tool depending on how you intend to apply the threads. The basic concept is similar to several of the other
threading jigs used on a lathe. This is the only photo i could find on google.

carba-tec.jpg
 
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John,

I found one that was for sale, but it is missing the main threaded shaft that holds the billet or the cutting
tool depending on how you intend to apply the threads. The basic concept is similar to several of the other
threading jigs used on a lathe. This is the only photo i could find on google.

View attachment 22280
I have a friend that has one. The jig is meant to be mounted on the ways of the lathe and with the chuck that is holding the piece to be threaded. The cutting tool is held in a collet that is inserted in the spindle of the headstock. Actually yours appears to be complete. Only the green colored pieces are the jig, don't think the "black" pieces are part of it.
Hope this helps.
 
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Anyone know what the thread is on the main shaft that holds the chuck?
I am assuming this was a foreign made product with metric threaded parts?
 
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I'll call my friend and ask what the thread count is. As I understand it, they came with two shafts with different threads. They are not metric as far as I know. I believe one is a 16 TPI and will find out what the other is. A pitch gauge will tell you which you have. If you don't have a pitch gauge take the shaft to an Ace hardware store, they can measure.
 
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Thanks Dwight!

The tool I am looking at is missing the main threaded shaft, if these were supplied with standard threads
that should make it easier to customize a threaded shaft to work with the tool. I tried to find a manual on
line for this tool but these were made many years ago. It looks like Carbatec is based out of Australia so
there might not be too many of these tools floating around in the states.

If they made (2) different threaded shafts that would have been to screw the chuck onto. The housing has
a threaded hole that the shaft threads into, that would be the thread size that I would need to match up to when
I make a replacement shaft, I can get a threaded bushing or machine the correct thread for a bowl chuck or
just get another bowl chuck with the correct hub thread.
 
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The threaded shaft that has the hand wheel attached to is the shaft that has either 10 TPI or 16 TPI threads that guide the piece to be threaded. As you turn the hand wheel at the back of the fixture, the workpiece turns and advances at the rate of 10 TPI. The hand wheel at the side of the unit governs how deep the threads are imparted. Yours is already in the jig in the picture you supplied. I think my inability to articulate how this works may be adding to the confusion.
 

Bill Boehme

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Dwight is right. The jig seems to be complete. I read on one site that the 10 TPI thread was standard and the others were options. It appears that the one you have pictured has the 4 TPI thread in place. Here is a picture that I found on an Australian woodworking forum:


image.jpeg


The spindle that attaches to the chuck and has a handwheel on the other end is the part that is swapped out to change the thread pitch. The crank on the side is for lateral adjustment depending on the diameter of the item. The two locking levers on the back are probably gibs that take out any slop and backlash. The Carba-Tec Thread Master is sitting on a homemade riser to fit the Stubby lathe.

The only other thing that you would need is a 60° double angle milling cutter that you could hold with either a collet chuck or a drill chuck installed on the lathe spindle. This isn't as refined as the one from Best Wood Tools, but look like a well made tool.

I apologize for the HUUUUGE image. EDIT: I was able to edit it to half size with an app that I downloaded for my iPad and it is still large, but hopefully not too bad. At least it is clear enough to see how everything works. :D
 
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The manual can be found here on the Metalworks Forum. Apparently you must register for access.
http://metalworkforums.com/f65/t102180-what-is-it
That link is from 2009. It's an offshoot of Woodworkforums, which lost all attachments a few years ago.

The symmetric 60-degree flycutter is (or was) available from Enco. Grizzly sells a 60-degree dovetail bit, which can be used if you mount the jig at 30 degrees from the lathe axis.
 

Bill Boehme

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I also came across the same thread on the metal world forum, but wasn't interested in joining just to see the manual.

Apparently, the Australian forum also lost its old attachments. I found a thread there on the Carba-Tec Threadmaster, but the old attachments were gone. Really, the fixture seems simple enough that it would be very easy to figure out how to set it up and use it. If the price is right, buy it.
 
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Based on the image Bill provided above, it looks like there would be a different set of threaded bushings
for the different thread pitches 4, 10 and 16. The photo I posted was one I found on google, the tool I am
looking at is missing the (2) threaded bushings and the main threaded spindle.
Based on the image Bill posted anyone have an idea as to the OD thread size for the bushings shown in
the image that the main spindle? I am guessing 1-1/4 or 1-1/2? The manual for the tool would answer these
questions, I joined the web forum posted above that had a link to the file, but I was unable to view it the last time I tried to log in to the site.
 
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My friend with the threader is coming over today, will try and get the thread size for the shaft. Short of that you can take the frame to an Ace hardware or other real hardware store. They will be able to measure the bore and pitch. Then you could have a machine shop make a shaft for you.
 
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Dwight,

There are lathe spindle reducing adapters that are pretty common in American Standard Thread sizes.
I should be able to take a long bolt or long piece of all-thread the correct size and make a spindle.
My main concern is that Carbatec is an Australian based company so I am not certain what thread
they would use for the body. The most practical manufacturing process would be to make the body
a specific type of thread and supply the export market in the U.S. with metric to US threaded bushings.
I doubt they would thread the body one type of thread for metric markets & American Standard Thread
for the U.S. markets. It would be easier to make a metric to American bushing or a metric to metric bushing
for the rest of the world. Metric to American thread bushings will be harder to source.
 
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Fortunately the friend with the threader is a engineer, I'm sure once he has chance to read this thread, he should be able to come up with suggestions as to how you can complete your unit.
 
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Mike:

Dwight and I discussed this today, and I told him I would measure the thread size that fits into the cast housing. The outer diameter of the knurled adapter is 1.254", and the closest fit I could find on the pitch was 13 tpi. A 1 1/4 UNF thread is 12 tpi and the actual diameter would be less than nominal, so I suspect the thread is metric, possibly M32-2. Even this is an odd size - couldn't find it on McMaster Carr.

I bought my threadmaster on Craigslist several years ago, with a 10 tpi leadscrew. Last year I purchased a 16 tpi leadscrew from Lee Valley as a special purchase/closeout. The photo shows the 16 tpi installed, and the 10tpi setup is shown in the foreground. Each leadscrew comes with a matching set of knurled threaded bushings as shown. This configuration is designed to eliminate slop in the leadscrew. This might give you a better idea of what it looks like.

Unfortunately the manual is pretty sparse, and does not contain any dimensions for the bushings. Bill is right, the operation is pretty straightforward, the manual doesn't add much.

The first thing you might do is contact Lee Valley. The parts no longer show up on their website. However, I checked my records and at the time the catalog number was
03J9232, with a product description "16 tpi Spindle-1"x8tpi". I bought it in June 2016 at a price of $39.30.

We just incorporated this tool into a dedicated setup with a 60 degree milling cutter in a router. Another option to consider when you get the leadscrew worked out.

Richard

IMG_0363.JPG
IMG_0379.JPG
 
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Richard,

Thanks for the photos and taking the time to measure the threads on your setup.
That is a nice dedicated setup you put together for threading!

Thank You

Mike
 
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I found an older posted message on the NCWoodworker.net website of a member who acquired
several different sized Carbatec lead screws for the threadmaster with some other equipment.
Is there anyone on this site that is also a member on www.ncwoodworker.net?
I am wanting to contact Gary "NCTURNER" on the website he is located in Raleigh, NC
He possibly might still have these lead screws for the Carbatec threadmaster.
 
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Hi Guys. Greetings from the UK
This unit is called a Carbatec "Threadmaster". There is actually one of these for sale on UK eBay at the moment. It too only has one thread pitch available (10TPI I think). I was interested and asked the seller similar questions to yours regarding the bush thread size and TPI with a view to machining up the bushes for maybe 16 and/or 20TPI. The seller was unable to give any reliable answers so I have abandoned my interest in the item. Sometimes manufacturers will produce a non-standard thread in order to try and stop an item being copied!!
Kind regards, Tudor
 
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This may help someone in the future when working with one of these machines.
I ended up with the threading jig minus the bushings and spindle.
I used a metric thread gauge and verified the thread on the housing is metric M30-2.
The locking post on the bottom is a Metric M8-1.25 threaded shaft.
There are four threaded mounting holes in the base of the jig Metric M6 thread.
These (4) mounting holes allow mounting the jig to a raised base for larger lathes.
I am using my metal lathe to machine two bushings for a 1x8 threaded spindle.
 
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I had some spare time to turn a couple of spindle bushings for my Carba-tec threader today.
It turns out that the spindle bushing outer thread is actually M31-2.
 
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When you look at a Metric thread chart you realize they wanted to use all of the available numbers if possible.
Any why not throw fractional sizes in there while they were at it.
 
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When you look at a Metric thread chart you realize they wanted to use all of the available numbers if possible.
Any why not throw fractional sizes in there while they were at it.

I doubt that. If you measured the diameter, you incorporated the truncation from the basic profile. For 2mm pitch, that could amount to about 1mm each side, consistent with M33x2, which IS in the standard chart.
 
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