Here is my thread tensioner that I put together this week to go with the wrapper I made..

here is another angle!

Looks great.you might think about selling a few.

Guess who his first customer is. ;) :happy:

Thats is smoking Russ. What else can you make??? WOw

Thanks!

If I had the equipment at home to do this I might think about it but this was all done on the computer machines at work and they dont mind you using it once in a while but would frown on it being used repeatedly.
Believe it or not all the parts were made from a hunk of scrap aluminum.



Russ

You out did yourself Russ!!!!

SUPERB!!!!

How did you handle the tension backing off or tightening during a wrap problem?

That is just great.

Thanks guys!

Billy you had to throw me a curve didnt you!!!
I havent thought of that! Probably because I havent added the motor yet and when I do it by hand i can catch it before it gets out of control!!
Any advice??

You can't find those ?D? washers, can you? The tensioners on the Renzetti & Clemens have a hole in the center washer shaped like this:
._
(_)

Rather than a full circle, to sides are flat, 2 are round. The threaded rod which holds the spool, is ground flat on both sides so that the washer slides on. The flat spots prevent the washer from turning. But you knew this already, I think??

So now what? One of the last Rodcrafter Journal's had a tensioner which only was used with one spool. THere were 2 threaded rods - one held the spool, the other was placed next to it. A small rectangular bar, had t2 holes drilled into it, slid onto both threaded rods. What would happen is the rod not holding the spool of thread would prevent this metal bar from backing off - it took the place of the regular washer.

This make any sense?

Damn that is sweet... OK, so you can't make anymore, any recomendations on how to get the stands cheap :) ?

First off
Billy,
I put a nut onto the rod prior to the wingnut and locked them together and from what I can see this will prevent the tension from changing one way or another. I was planning on possibly making up some washers by getting ones that are exactly 1/4" id and filing the hole into a D but then you have to put a D into the rod. Then unless you tap the washer how are you going to get it onto the rod? If the nut works I will probably just leave it alone for now! Unless I can find some old clemens parts or something!

John,
I sure wish I had known that alot of you guys would have wanted something like this! Then I would have just gone out and bought enough aluminum stock to make half a dozen sets or so!
Then when we were doing all the machining it would have been simple to produce them as I could have milled them in multiples!!!
I did make a duplicate tensioner but its spoken for!

I will keep my eyes open at work for some aluminum stock but we dont do the heavier stuff very much anymore.
If I do get some and can get permission again to do the work I will keep you in mind John!!!

Russ

look for large drag washer keys for fishing reels they should work

Thanks!

I just use a rubber band from the top therad to the bottom therad around the wing nut. It allows you to move the wing nut and gives just anough tension to stop the wing from turning. again not pretty or fancy but works for me.

Sorry I ment to say thats a great Job you did !!

You can see the rubber bands on my post here at this site.

again Great Job

Macojoe

Nice job Russ. You need to add the little whisker wire with a roller to the top to assist in tensioning that Billy 40 mentioned. Its an easy thing to add , just a small hole and a set screw on a stiff wire with a nylon roller. It springs back and forth to add or relieve tension , particularly when you stop or back up a little.

Hey Saltheart,

could you elaborate on that wire tensioner a little more, I'm not clear on how the wire and roller are assembled...I'm building this too.
Thanks

One of these

Saltheart what keeps your wingnuts from backing off, tightening, or do they? I am thinking it is the plastic washers.

Specialist - you can't tell from that picture, but the threaded rod and washer are not round - each side was ground flat, so the washer doesn't spin.

:) Thanks Billy.

SaltHeart,

Great picture-I assume that little nylon roller has a groove in it to keep the thread on it or does it just stay on from the tension?

The little white roller has about 5 grooves to handle & help seperate different threads