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Auto-Retract Threading Tool

MrWhoopee

Active Member
Good morning gentlemen, I'm both surprised and pleased to see that my reputation precedes (exceeds?) me.

The auto-retract threading tool came about from a comment about my automatic threading stop.


The commenter complained that it didn't retract the tool as well. Challenge accepted.

The original prototype (the one everyone was complaining about above) was held in a standard AXA toolholder. Shortly after that first video it acquired its own dovetail. It is still the one I use myself. Other comments suggested that they might be marketable, so I made a batch. They sold, so I made another. Those were machined from solid 4140HT, but being lazy (and hoping to reduce the time required) I have modified the design to utilize OTS toolholders. I currently make them in Aloris style AXA, BXA and CXA, with a special order CA in the works. I did make one unit similar to the original for someone who didn't have an Aloris style TP.

20220911_171026.jpg

Regarding the inserts, these will, of course, utilize any 16ER insert, though a change of anvil/seat/shim may be necessary.

The design is still undergoing refinements as they occur to me. Like everything I design, these things are Stupidly Simple®.
I keep expecting someone to tell me it appeared in Popular Mechanics in 1958.

I have been selling them on several machinist buy and sell groups on FB. I have no experience shipping to Canada, but if anyone is interested I will figure it out.
 

Doggggboy

Ultra Member
I can say I've ever seen anybody attempt a DIY version. The new breed of USB magnifiers kind of fills that role a little bit, but still not quite. I've been tempted to pick one up for a while after seeing various youtubers with them. I wonder if you could combine the magnifier with overlays in a cad software or something similar. That's would be spectacular. I know you could do it statically by saving the picture and importing it into cad that way, but to be able to do it dynamically with help from a stage would be awesome. That is way out of my wheelhouse though.
Everett kinda sorta did
 
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