EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
It's taken me a while with being sick, but now it's working.....no more of that manual twisting with a pipe wrench!!! YAY!!!!
Pipe Threader turned Twister
- Thread starter EdCaffreyMS
- Start date
Dennis Morland
KNIFE MAKER
Genius!!
Sean Jones
Well-Known Member
That's cool!
Chris Railey
Well-Known Member
Or “That’s rad” as they said in the parachute pant era. Perhaps “That’s sick” as they say more recently. It’s a very good application of that tool. I see them for sale on CL at times.
Sean Jones
Well-Known Member
The current vernacular would presumably be "Awesome!" but I'm not sure what pants that would be associated with. Chinos?
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
As my millennial children say...... "Da Bomb" at least I THINK that's what they are saying....hard to tell sometimes. 
I had to have an electrician friend come in to wire in dual foot switches.....and even he was confused. Seems the motor in that thing is 1940s. The way it switches from clockwise to counterclockwise rotation is by changing the polarity. He got it turning/running counterclockwise (with/using the foot switches), then told that he'd have to go home and dig out an OLD book to figure out how to get the other switch to turn it clockwise. Usually I can work these thing out over time, but the wiring to the foot switches has SIX conductors (wires)..... I get a bit skiddish beyond black wire, white wire, green wire.......so I'm just gona twist stuff counterclockwise until he gets back to me.
I had to have an electrician friend come in to wire in dual foot switches.....and even he was confused. Seems the motor in that thing is 1940s. The way it switches from clockwise to counterclockwise rotation is by changing the polarity. He got it turning/running counterclockwise (with/using the foot switches), then told that he'd have to go home and dig out an OLD book to figure out how to get the other switch to turn it clockwise.
Usually I can work these thing out over time, but the wiring to the foot switches has SIX conductors (wires)..... I get a bit skiddish beyond black wire, white wire, green wire.......so I'm just gona twist stuff counterclockwise until he gets back to me. 
Jon Buescher
Well-Known Member
Ok BoomerAs my millennial children say...... "Da Bomb" at least I THINK that's what they are saying....hard to tell sometimes.
I had to have an electrician friend come in to wire in dual foot switches.....and even he was confused. Seems the motor in that thing is 1940s. The way it switches from clockwise to counterclockwise rotation is by changing the polarity. He got it turning/running counterclockwise (with/using the foot switches), then told that he'd have to go home and dig out an OLD book to figure out how to get the other switch to turn it clockwise.
, I think the Gen X people say that one. Unfortunately I am part of the dumbest generation and I can't understand half of what these morons are saying.....
C. Killgore
Well-Known Member
That will certainly be a handy tool. I want to build so many things for the shop but time and money seem to always get in the way .
Very happy to see you back in the shop getting stuff done.
You mentioning the electrician getting confused reminded me of when I got my lathe. In our haste to get it unhooked from the previous owner’s shop, I forgot to take a picture of how it was wired. It’s a Sheldon lathe from the 40s and it had original switch with forward and reverse. I had my electrician over to hook it up. He messed with that switch for a couple hours trying to figure it out. Finally he went home and researched trying to find a diagram of a switch similar to it. He did figure it out but it turned into a much bigger deal than he or I was expecting. Luckily I had him over to do a bunch of wiring so he was messing with the switch while his helpers were getting most of the wiring done.
.Very happy to see you back in the shop getting stuff done.
You mentioning the electrician getting confused reminded me of when I got my lathe. In our haste to get it unhooked from the previous owner’s shop, I forgot to take a picture of how it was wired. It’s a Sheldon lathe from the 40s and it had original switch with forward and reverse. I had my electrician over to hook it up. He messed with that switch for a couple hours trying to figure it out. Finally he went home and researched trying to find a diagram of a switch similar to it. He did figure it out but it turned into a much bigger deal than he or I was expecting. Luckily I had him over to do a bunch of wiring so he was messing with the switch while his helpers were getting most of the wiring done.
John Wilson
Well-Known Member
Ha! I can relate to the old motors. We forget how utterly simple life has gotten now that we common folk have access to 3-phase. Reversing any two wires to make the roundy-roundy go the other way is a godsend.
A lot of those old motors were not induction motors. They had comutators to effectively make them into DC motors so that they could use compound switches to reverse the poles of each field winding. It’s very confusing when you’re expecting to open the peckerhead and see 1-4, 2-5, 3-6... and instead you find a bowl of brown spaghetti!
A lot of those old motors were not induction motors. They had comutators to effectively make them into DC motors so that they could use compound switches to reverse the poles of each field winding. It’s very confusing when you’re expecting to open the peckerhead and see 1-4, 2-5, 3-6... and instead you find a bowl of brown spaghetti!
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
The best I can figure, that pipe threader is from the 40s/50s. The reason I lean that way is that the electrician that's working on it for me says it's a "reverse polarity motor"..... and in order to get it to operate with the dual foot switches (we have one of the two foot switches wired right now) a specific relay must be installed. He tells me the motor changes rotation direction when the polarity if reversed.
At first I thought I could do the wiring, as I can usually work these things out with a bit of thought and time..... but not this..... so I called a friend who is a Master Electrician....and ever he had to go back to the books to figure it out. I asked "Santa" for a Rigid 18V, 1/2" impact driver......for quick/easy opening/closing of the jaws, In the video I'm using the 1/4" impact driver with a 1/2 adapter....it just doesn't have the umph!
At first I thought I could do the wiring, as I can usually work these things out with a bit of thought and time..... but not this..... so I called a friend who is a Master Electrician....and ever he had to go back to the books to figure it out. I asked "Santa" for a Rigid 18V, 1/2" impact driver......for quick/easy opening/closing of the jaws, In the video I'm using the 1/4" impact driver with a 1/2 adapter....it just doesn't have the umph!
Jon Buescher
Well-Known Member
I just bought the DeWalt 20V 1/2 impact driver, I REALLY like that thing, if I had the coin to drop on a Matco impact gun that would be my first choiceThe best I can figure, that pipe threader is from the 40s/50s. The reason I lean that way is that the electrician that's working on it for me says it's a "reverse polarity motor"..... and in order to get it to operate with the dual foot switches (we have one of the two foot switches wired right now) a specific relay must be installed. He tells me the motor changes rotation direction when the polarity if reversed.
At first I thought I could do the wiring, as I can usually work these things out with a bit of thought and time..... but not this..... so I called a friend who is a Master Electrician....and ever he had to go back to the books to figure it out. I asked "Santa" for a Rigid 18V, 1/2" impact driver......for quick/easy opening/closing of the jaws, In the video I'm using the 1/4" impact driver with a 1/2 adapter....it just doesn't have the umph!
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
I know everybody has their favorite, but I switched to Rigid 18V tools several years ago.....mainly because of the warranty.....that INCLUDES BATTERIES! As long as you register a tool on their warranty website, and upload a scan of the receipt......you're golden. So far I've gotten two new large amp batteries for FREE under their warranty.
I also have a few 18V Mikita tools, and personally think they have the best feel/ergonomics of any battery operated tools.... but their warranty/service policies are complicated at best, and simply don't have near the coverage that Rigid offers..... so the majority of any new battery operated tools I purchase are/will be Rigid.
I also have a few 18V Mikita tools, and personally think they have the best feel/ergonomics of any battery operated tools.... but their warranty/service policies are complicated at best, and simply don't have near the coverage that Rigid offers..... so the majority of any new battery operated tools I purchase are/will be Rigid.
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
The impact is just a faster way to get the jaws tightened..... It's always a race against time when you're doing this sort of stuff.
I did find out more about the motor..... it's a 1950s motor..... that's called a "reverse polarity motor" (that what the electrician working on it told me) and in order to get the clockwise foot switch working, it has to have some type of relay installed.....waiting on it to arrive....until then, I'm stuck twisting counter-clockwise.
I did find out more about the motor..... it's a 1950s motor..... that's called a "reverse polarity motor" (that what the electrician working on it told me) and in order to get the clockwise foot switch working, it has to have some type of relay installed.....waiting on it to arrive....until then, I'm stuck twisting counter-clockwise.
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EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
It's funny, I had a close knifemaker friend gift that machine to me, along with a whole slew of other things that Forgers would use. It sat in my shop for a couple of years while I've been dealing with the health issues.....and I finially started working on it, as I could. This one has jaws similar to those on a three jaw lathe chuck. I asked Santa for a 1/2, 18V impact wrench..... The one I use in the video is a 1/4" impact.....and just doesn't have the oomph needed. Just yesterday I saw a similar machine for sale on our local FB marketplace...... they were asking $7,500 for it!
Just yesterday I saw a similar machine for sale on our local FB marketplace...... they were asking $7,500 for it!
jmforge
Well-Known Member
You could buy lots of useful things for a song after the crash. Of course, that assumes that you had money after the crash to buy the stuff.It's funny, I had a close knifemaker friend gift that machine to me, along with a whole slew of other things that Forgers would use. It sat in my shop for a couple of years while I've been dealing with the health issues.....and I finially started working on it, as I could. This one has jaws similar to those on a three jaw lathe chuck. I asked Santa for a 1/2, 18V impact wrench..... The one I use in the video is a 1/4" impact.....and just doesn't have the oomph needed.
Those pipe threaders could be had for maybe $500-700. Just like basic 18 inch surface grinders could be had back then for next to nothing
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
Was able to do an afternoon in the shop yesterday! Love the Pipe Threader/Twister! This is 2" round that it twisted without even straining.... enough material for a couple of Damascus Angle Peen hammers!
