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Have you used the Thread Champ?

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It looks like a fair amount of Blown polyethylene foam ( the stuff milk crates are made from) Which is a fine material all by itself and may be great for this low stress, zero blunt force impact, application.
It's not like there are a lot of machining forces exerted in the process.

It offers some interesting elements:
1) you can take up the back lash by tightening the nuts.
2) you can double thread. Multi lead threads are used for very expensive applications The old school expensive Parker Pens from the 1960s used double lead threads because it seats better ( more squarely) guiding the parts together from multiple positions on the diameter.
3) it can create different thread pitches without a set up change

I have seen a couple videos of it in use but they didn't give me any real sense of the thing.
 
Seems kinda pricey ($330).

The kits all are. Armed with a couple of nuts and some all thread of various pitches you can build your own. There's an AAW journal April 2013 vol 28, no 2 with three or four different shop built versions.
 
Have not tried Kerosene. Have tried Paste wax and Dawn Liquid detergent. I couldn't see that either one helped all that much if at all. Mark StLeger swears by Dawn and it was a major demonstrator from overseas who swears by pastewax. Can't remember who that was.
I have not had the chance to play with the Thread Champ. I looked at it in Atlanta and it looks nice although I'm still a little leary of things made of plastic. OK the threaded portion is steel or appears to be that way.
I watched 2 videos and neither one showed it making internal threads or how to mate the two accurately. Would have to play with that machine. The price isn't bad compared to other threaders on the market. Not sure what the advantage is of the double thread. Now a 2 start thread would be nice it is easier to start a lid on because you can start from 2 positions.
 
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I have used the walnut oil mix that I put on bowls to lubricate the wood for thread cutting, that does help on woods that want to chip...I know the Doctor's Woodshop has some mixes that are intended for high build finish that would work both inside and outside of a box. Paste wax would work too, even the neutral Kiwi shoe wax, which is carnuba and turpentine I think... If I was to use dish soap, I would use clear, not colored.

Is the Thread Champ the 3D printed one? I have the Bonnie Klein one. When I do boxes, I do them in batches, With Bonnie's set up, she uses waste blocks glued to 1 by 8tpi locking nuts with the plastic ring on the inside removed, which will seat fine on the mini lathes. That way I can cut all of my outsides first, then all of my insides. Doing them on a chuck just doesn't make sense to me because as soon as you take it out of the chuck, it never goes back in the same way...

robo hippy
 
Reed I've never had a problem using chucks. I mark jaw #1 and when I put a piece back in I align the piece the same way it came out. I usually do my boxes one at a time so the only time it comes out of the chuck is after I've cut the threads, but not always. I did a dozen cupcake boxes and turned all the boxes and then did the lids. Never had a problem with alignment.
 
I don't have experience using threading jigs. CNC cutting threads in metal we use the same basic technique. It's called thread milling. Same exact cutter except the work is stationary facing upward and the cutter make a helical path downward.

Watching threading jig videos on youtube a few of the demonstrators are doing it wrong. You want to cut on the side of the lid and base that gives a "climb" cut to lessen the chance of chip out. The two types of cutting actions are climb and conventional.

Think of a hand held power wood router cutting the far side of a board, you're told to use a conventional cut, that would be from right to left. You're pushing the cutter along the board with good control. If you cut from left to right the bit will try to pull the router along with very little operator control, that would be a climb cut.

The climb cut will make a cleaner cut with less likely hood of tear outs. but it's not practical with a hand held tool. With a threading jig and the relatively light cuts being taken it's totally practical to use a climb cut. Most demonstrators do use a climb cut. I don't recall any of them explaining this though.


Hand thread chasing is a different technique, that would be scraping across grain.. While it may be a useful skill to master, is it worth the risk of tear out, etc when a threading jig will work in woods difficult to impossible to chase threads in?
 
The kits all are. Armed with a couple of nuts and some all thread of various pitches you can build your own. There's an AAW journal April 2013 vol 28, no 2 with three or four different shop built versions.

Raul,

Thank you ! This is a great reason to be an AAW member : being able to go back and look stuff up again that I'd forgotten about (or wasn't interested in at the time).

Kind regards,
Rich
 
I've built a homemade threading jig. It seemed like I always had to fiddle with it and never got the best threads The Baxter threader from Bestwoodtools that I bought is outstanding.
 
Have not tried Kerosene. Have tried Paste wax and Dawn Liquid detergent. I couldn't see that either one helped all that much if at all. Mark StLeger swears by Dawn and it was a major demonstrator from overseas who swears by pastewax. Can't remember who that was.
I have not had the chance to play with the Thread Champ. I looked at it in Atlanta and it looks nice although I'm still a little leary of things made of plastic. OK the threaded portion is steel or appears to be that way.
I watched 2 videos and neither one showed it making internal threads or how to mate the two accurately. Would have to play with that machine. The price isn't bad compared to other threaders on the market. Not sure what the advantage is of the double thread. Now a 2 start thread would be nice it is easier to start a lid on because you can start from 2 positions.
Thank you John, looks like I'll have to test the kerosene theory... Aloha
 
I have used the walnut oil mix that I put on bowls to lubricate the wood for thread cutting, that does help on woods that want to chip...I know the Doctor's Woodshop has some mixes that are intended for high build finish that would work both inside and outside of a box. Paste wax would work too, even the neutral Kiwi shoe wax, which is carnuba and turpentine I think... If I was to use dish soap, I would use clear, not colored.

Is the Thread Champ the 3D printed one? I have the Bonnie Klein one. When I do boxes, I do them in batches, With Bonnie's set up, she uses waste blocks glued to 1 by 8tpi locking nuts with the plastic ring on the inside removed, which will seat fine on the mini lathes. That way I can cut all of my outsides first, then all of my insides. Doing them on a chuck just doesn't make sense to me because as soon as you take it out of the chuck, it never goes back in the same way...

robo hippy
I will report back on the kerosene ... Have my doubts... Aloha
 
I may be chasing some threads in a box today if I have time and I think I still have some Kerosene from when I used to heat with it. Personally I think Bourbon will work better. A swigs and my hands get a lot less shaky. A few more and I really don't care if the threads are shaky. Solves that problem. :)
 
I may be chasing some threads in a box today if I have time and I think I still have some Kerosene from when I used to heat with it. Personally I think Bourbon will work better. A swigs and my hands get a lot less shaky. A few more and I really don't care if the threads are shaky. Solves that problem. :)
Lol. Let me know own if Bourbon works! Might have to order some...
 
We have good Tennessee Whiskey made not far from me and of course Kentucky Bourbon is just across the state line.
Someday I will visit you John, I will give you advanced notice so you can have some of both for me to sample! If you come to Maui, I have a friend that makes the old traditional "Okolehao", from the root of Ti leaves...
 
I have tried lots of different lubricating agents and don't have strong preference but frequently use BLO because it is convenient with the plastic bottle and lid. I believe a liquid soaks in so is more effective than a wax but would not want to argue the case with anyone with good success using wax. I have had good results with some Orange furniture oil. I will admit to not having tried the Bournon but sounds intriguing.
 
You want to cut on the side of the lid and base that gives a "climb" cut to lessen the chance of chip out. The two types of cutting actions are climb and conventional.

Think of a hand held power wood router cutting the far side of a board, you're told to use a conventional cut, that would be from right to left. You're pushing the cutter along the board with good control. If you cut from left to right the bit will try to pull the router along with very little operator control, that would be a climb cut.

The climb cut will make a cleaner cut with less likely hood of tear outs. but it's not practical with a hand held tool. With a threading jig and the relatively light cuts being taken it's totally practical to use a climb cut. Most demonstrators do use a climb cut. I don't recall any of them explaining this though.

If I understand your explanation, I think that is what I do but did not realize it cut better. I cut the threads inside the lid on the side furthest from me because it is easier to see the threads while cutting. I do the side closest to me on the external threads for the same reason.
 
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