ThreadExpress 2. 2 - Pros and Cons

[@jasonhull5712]

Where can I purchase one ? I’m ready! I’ll sign a NDA, whatever penalties you want to put in there. It’s only going to my one man garage/ shop. I have watched every single video, I’ve been waiting for this to go to market. I just can’t believe it’s not generating massive interest ? What an incredible tooling accessory!! 🍻

[@Threadexpress]

I know, it mystifies me also. Glad some of you folk can see the potential. Maybe it just needs more time out there. So far the demand is too small to justify the input. Cheers, Cliff

[@Mr.PeterLowmass-tr4dk]

Hi Cliff. I think you have a great product. I hope your patience holds out as I’m sure you will reap the benefits. Wishing you success. Peter.

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for your kind words... and good timing! Cheers, Cliff

[@marianodiaz461]

At 14:20 , I have done the same to my pull studs to allow to use a draw bar in my Arbors...

[@Threadexpress]

Yeah, it seems to work fine with no downsides that I can see. Cheers, Cliff

[@FCleff]

Thank you for this thought provoking series of videos. I have never done thread milling of any kind and I appreciate your explanations of the technique's many advantages. Unfortunately, like many amateurs, I don't think I will ever do enough threading to justify building or buying such a device even if it were commercially available. That said, it seems to me that a lathe could be easily converted for thread milling if a reasonably robust milling spindle were attached to the cross slide, set to the proper helix angle and fitted with a thread milling cutter. The work piece would be held by an appropriate chuck, faceplate, etc and the thread lead would be set up normally via the lathes leadscrew. The work would be rotated at an appropriate speed by attaching a hand crank or one of the many other usual speed reduction methods. If indexing were required, it could be readily accomplished at the same setup by one of the many lathe indexing designs available on KZbin.

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for your thoughts and feedback! Cheers, Cliff

[@charlescamen5225]

A great unit. I am very interested in knowing more on it.

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks - Stay tuned. Cheers, Cliff

[@bkoholliston]

I always appreciate when you explain your thought process. Thanks!

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for that feedback! Cheers, Cliff

[@robbailey212]

My suggestion for a commercial product for people with existing mini mills or non-rotating turret machines would be a stand alone machine. As I understand it would only need one feed axis to advance the depth of the thread and perhaps a fixed spindle speed would suffice.

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for your thoughts. ThreadExpress V1 was a stand alone machine. There is an old video of it in my channel. Cheers, Cliff

[@PeckhamHall]

If you could make a 90° for a mini mill spindle maybe it would be able to be used on a mini mill. Or use a smaller cutter facing down on some short of large fly cutter on a normal mini mill head but I don't know if that would work or not?

[@RustyInventions-wz6ir]

Very interesting. That attachment is great, on another level. Good work sir

[@Threadexpress]

Thank you, appreciated. Cliff

[@mtnbikeman85]

Pretty cool. For the mini mills to avoid the stack height of the mechanism you would have to go to an electronically synchronized system. Basically a rotatary table and chuck on its on Z axis with steppers synchronized by a basic control box for dialling in speed and pitch and a start stop button.

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for your thoughts. Cheers, Cliff

[@mikerutchka1836]

Regarding mini-mills, many of them allow the head to rotate 90°, i.e. spindle parallel to the X-axis. Could Thread Express be operated horizontally, with a (much thicker) mounting block on top of the table, to match height with the now-horizontal spindle and set the helix angle of Thread Express, by pivoting about the (now-vertical) pivot bolt axis. The Thread Express unit would have to have the arc-slots built into it and the mounting block would have to have the threaded holes, since the fasteners could only be accessed from above. One disadvantage of this idea is that gravity would no longer help with removing backlash. Perhaps a spring could be used to remove backlash, or the feed nut could be made adjustable to minimize backlash. Food for thought.

[@Threadexpress]

Hi Mike. Good thinking, I have used it with my horizontal spindle, and it worked fine, and discuss this in an early video. I have the base plate extending enough on my prototype to bolt directly through to the table. Yes, and I have been thinking about tipping a mini mill head to 90 degrees also. I have not yet discussed this as I wonder how many mini mills tip to 90 deg? This could be the excuse I need to buy a typical mainstream mini mill and make a slightly scaled down version! Cheers, Cliff

[@markneedham752]

Just subbed. From Mark Presling. Ken Brilliant.😮😊

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for your encouragement! Cheers, Cliff

[@Preso58]

Cliff, I have a Bridgeport, so mounting a Threadexpress is no problem. I'm keen to have one, just for the novelty and the advantages that you have outlined. It's difficult to assess the best way to go about it without knowing how the pitch generator operates. If it's a simple mechanism, then I'd be willing to purchase drawings, but I understand how you would quickly lose control over your intellectual property that way. It's a conundrum! Regards, Preso

[@darrenfloen2693]

I think I have it figured out. Its probably just a leadscrew moving a nut, acting on a lever with a variable ratio to achieve the various pitches, or similar

[@bid6413]

As I recall you were going to reveal you thread milling accessories design, maybe even sell drawings. It seems now you are still looking for a way for the device to be an accessory you can market. I am disappointed but wish you well. Regards, Will

[@Threadexpress]

@@darrenfloen2693 Thanks for your thoughts! Cheers, Cliff

[@Threadexpress]

@@bid6413 Hi Will. Yes, that was my intention. Since then, I have had a few messages warning me that if I disclose the IP, I will lose all control. So now I don't know what to do! At some stage I may return to my original plan and disclose the design. Thanks for your good wishes. Cliff

[@Threadexpress]

Hi Presco. Thanks for your thoughts. You have got me thinking...drop me an email if you want to discuss this. Cheers, Cliff

[@jasonhull5712]

I want one of those so bad ! Amazing tool !!!

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for your feedback. Cheers, Cliff

[@garthwhelan6128]

Pretty cool invention!

[@Threadexpress]

Cheers! Cliff

[@Midlife-Adventures]

Cliff my Hafco mill does not have a head that can swing so I think I'm out in terms of mounting on the mill. I am wondering how necessary the mill is. Would it be possible to do this with a stand alone spindle with some sort of adjustment to set the distance between the job and spindle centre and skip the rest of the mill. It seems possible that if the fly cutter loads are light all that's really needed is a spindle with some side ways adjustment.

[@Threadexpress]

Hi. ThreadExpress started life as a stand-alone machine! See the first video in the ThreadExpress playlist made back in 2009. Cheers, Cliff

[@Midlife-Adventures]

@Threadexpress love it. I have a lot of catching up to do. If I do this I will need to go stand alone I think.

[@tates11]

Hi Cliff. I would like to see it in action using the horizontal spindle. Does your machine accept a 90-degree attachment on the horizontal spindle? If it does, the unit could be aligned along the X-axis. If it does not, maybe a D-bit type cutter will cut the thread with the unit still aligned along the X-axis. Have you considered a complete stand-alone unit with a simple single-phase cutting spindle? For me, it would be far more saleable, especially to those without a larger machine or even if they have no mill. It could be purchased as a second op machine for a regular job. I hope these thoughts help you.

[@Threadexpress]

Hi. Thanks for your thoughts. OK note to self, a video with the horizontal spindle. Yes, my Kondia head does accept a right-angle attachment, but I do not have one. I have tried D bit thread cutting, but it is not very efficient. My original design back in 2009 was stand alone. There is an old video of it in my ThreadExpress playlist. Cheers, Cliff

[@jonsmachineshop]

Thread cutting is a process that I find very interesting so I find this series intriguing. I'm looking forward to seeing how this machine works. If you published the plans, I would be interested. Can it be set to cut left-hand threads? I hate to recommend a Chinese manufacturer, but have you checked with Sinobi Mould? The company I used to work for used them a lot. They do really good work and the prices are very low. If you do use them, I'd send only a part or two at a time so they never see the whole assembly. Maybe you could keep some of the proprietary parts for yourself. If you go with a 5C collet spindle, there are small 3 and 4 jaw chucks that mount into them.

[@Threadexpress]

Hi there. Thanks for your thoughts and feedback. This current design can only cut right hand. Cheers, Cliff

[@pcka12]

I notice that your original machine was a 'stand alone' unit simply utilising an angle grinder as the 'miller'. I think that this route has possibilities because it overcomes the problems suffered by those who don't have a Bridgeport type machine (envy, envy) or lack access to one. I wonder if accuracy becomes a problem? As a person who way back as a teenager obtained a British 'O' level in Engineering Drawing I find that those three years of study such things as 'third angle projection' created in my head a sort of 'CAD of the imagination' (I was far better at free hand sketching afterwards) so that if you never reveal your mechanism I might just have been inspired to dream up my own version. As I have said the 'sine bar' concept allows you to 'describe' a helix which ranges from 'tends to zero (or a straight line) on one axis' to the same on the axis at right angles (or in the case of those rifling machines where sine bars are seen 'straight line rifling' which did appear in such things as experimental Baker Rifles in the late 18th to early 19th century. Looking forward to the next video.

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for your thoughts, I read them carefully. Cheers, Cliff

[@EDesigns_FL]

I think that you've developed an interesting tool with an extremely limited market potential. As you noted, thread milling can be easily accomplished on a lathe with a tool post grinder. So anyone with a lathe is likely not a viable customer for your product, but they need a relatively large mill to use it. That is a very small market and I wouldn't waste much time pursuing it.

[@Threadexpress]

I appreciate your thoughts/appraisal. As you can probably see I have been mulling a lot over this subject. I used to thread mill on my lathe for many years, I had made two different attachments. But now I choose ThreadExpress over those because it is quicker to set up and doesn't tie the lathe up when attached to the same extent. Also, it is easier to set the ratios and easier to rotate the chuck at the right speed etc. Also, because I can do index milling at the same time if it is required. All the same, those are subtle points that are difficult to convince others of. Cheers, Cliff

[@franklinperformance]

Curious what the two DRO’s on your mill are for?

[@Threadexpress]

Ahh...very observant! Well back in the day DRO's were very pricy so I only bought a 2 axis Hiedenhain DRO. But as they became more affordable, and I had more $, I decided to add a Z DRO, but as the HH was decades old I thought I would buy a 3 axis display for the Z, so if the HH scales die, I can just replace those and utilize the newer X and Y display. Cheers, Cliff

[@darylwayne5307]

This would be an opportunity to leverage the technology of CAD and 3D printing to produce component parts. Another way to maintain proprietary ownership would be to have a vendor mfg. %90 of the device while you supply several of key components, patents can and will be broken, copywriting would probably be more effective along with licensing. in the end its a relatively small market of machine geeks and nerds like me that want one. Much respect for the design simplicity of analog technology.

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for your thoughts! Cheers, Cliff

[@marley589]

This product without a doubt has potential in lots of different areas. The basic system could easily be refined and modified for other applications. Unfortunately, you won't release the details so others can benefit and implement the idea in their workshops and production facilities. It may be time to let it go and enjoy watching your legacy thrive and grow in directions you haven't yet imagined.

[@Threadexpress]

I hear your frustration. I did intend to release the details publicly some months ago, but I have received several messages warning me not to at this stage. It is looking like they are correct as a promising road ahead is opening up. Stay tuned for more news. And rest assured if I cannot find a road ahead, I will not take the design to the grave with me. Cheers, Cliff

[@hinz1]

OK, nice on a manual mill. But any half decent CNC can do that too, nowadays ;-)

[@Threadexpress]

Yes, I do thread milling on my CNC also. But for some work I prefer ThreadExpress. Cheers, Cliff

[@DJ-yp4kc]

interesting stuff

[@Threadexpress]

Cheers! Cliff

[@RobertBrown-lf8yq]

Keep Punching Cliff 👍 An invention like this WILL find a manufacturer. I’d be punting on India to find someone with the capabilities, the skills, and probable ( domestic) markets. Lots of quality stuff starting to come out of India ( ditto for Turkey). Avoid the design-stealing Chicoms at all costs IMHO. Regards Robert 🇦🇺

[@Threadexpress]

Thanks for the encouragement, Robert! I needed that! Cheers, Cliff

[@RobertBrown-lf8yq]

@@Threadexpress Cliff, From my limited experience, bringing a ‘machine’ to market is a long hard road. Keep at it…. the Threadexpress WILL have a market. Probably not in the USA, or Western Europe, but certainly in developing countries IMHO. Robert