I have made a thread carriage and having trouble keeping tension on the spool. i am using a 1/4 threaded rod with washers, nuts, spring, wing nut and tried binder clip. The problem i am having is when i start wrapping a guide everything starts turning even the wing nut. Anyone who has made a thread carriage could you give some advice to help with this problem.

Try using screw head covers on both ends of the screw and LARGE paper clips instead of wing nuts (quicker and won't move on you) [www.rodbuilding.org]

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Do you have nylon or plastic washers next to the spool or metal? I would suspect plastic is better next to the spool. You might consider some epoxy or double nuts on the threaded rod where it is attached to the base. You need to keep the rod from turning as well. Just some ideas to try.

I made my own as well. Try nylon wing nuts from the large home inprovement stores. I melted a little notch inside the threads on the top part of the nut. This will allow you to still thread it down on the rod and it will stay snug.

Steve

Plastic washers can be cut to size needed from bleach bottles and milk jugs

I have tried nylon and metal washers. The spring and washer turns then the wing nut starts turning. The rod does not turn. I will try the screw head covers. I made this for madeira thread. My other thread carriage the madeira thread spools were to long for the shorter rod on my Pac Bay Wrapper.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2009 12:57PM by Roger Rierson.

You need to file some flats on opposite sides of your threaded rod. Then use a matching washer between the spool washer and wingnut. This will absolutely prevent the wingnut from turning as the spool turns.

.............

Yep--Tom has it nailed I looked at my old @#$%& and there is a flat on the rod as well as a matching washer.

I use lock type wing nuts and nylon washers on both sides of the spool, works every time.
Can be had from Ace hardware store.

Thanks for all the replies. My Neighbor is filing the threaded rod as i speak. Again thank you for all the help.

Tom hit it. Basically set it up like a reel's drag system where the shaft is squared off on both sides.

I took a bit different approach that works well for me:

Next to the spool is a nylon washer, then the tension spring (conical with large end toward spool), then another nylon washer.
For the primary nut, I took a 3/16"x1.5" fender washer and drilled the hole with a 1/4-20 tap. This spins on and off the threaded rod very quickly.
After that I use a nylon wingnut to lock the "washer nut" in place.

This setup does not move and is cheap and easy to make.


Walt

Take a paper clip and straighten it out. Grasp the end with a pair of needle nose pliers and wrap the PC around the pliers forming a small loop in the end. You end up with about 3-4 inches of wire with a loop in the end. Place the looped end on the threaded rod between the last washer and the wing nut. Then when you spool off the thread the PC leg will spin till it contacts your table or the next spool holder and will stop spinning and the wing nut will not spin.

Cheers

Bill Bauer

Here is another option. Works great for me.
[www.rodbuilding.org]

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

You can flip the spool around so that it spins the wing nut in the opposite direction. Actually I find that it tightens itself to the "perfect" tension and then stops turning the wing nut.

Steven, thanks for saying what I (as a newbie) was afraid to say. Your solution was so obvious to me that I thought there must be some reason it should not be tried. I was thinking maybe some kind of undesirable thread twist would result, something everyone but me knows about.

I take my wing nut and washers and sand them as smooth as posible. 500-600 wet sand paper. Then take a pare of pliers and grab the threaded rod firmly - move it back and forth as to ruffen the threads up. This way the wing nut goes on snugly and will not move. All washers have to be as smooth as a baby's , well you know.

Bill - willierods.com

The LARGE paper clips (in Jay Hunt's and my links) allow for IMMEDIATE tension adjustments (especially when working with different height spools)and cannot unscrew and you can get a pack of about 40 for $5 or less at any office supply store.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Go to the hardware store and ask for a "collar" and thumb screw (not a set screw).
Basically it is a short spacer 1/4 - 3/8 in long with a threaded hole drilled in the side .
Ask for 1/4" or 5/16" I.D. hole in the colloar itself. (as the rod is threaded you might need the 5/16" I.D.)
You silide it over the threaded rod then tighten the thumb screw.
Easier still is buy a nylon spacer, drill the hole in the side, thread it and install a thumb screw.
I struggled for years with wing nuts and nylocn insert locking nuts. These collars are great!

All you need is to put a jam nut before your wing nut. Adjust the tension with the jam nut, hold it with your fingers and snug the wing nut to it and you are good to go.