DoN. Nichols wrote:

Hmm ... thinking about it -- you would need to make an L-shaped
mount for the toolpost to get it far enough out to pass in front of
the workpiece at center height. But *that* is something which you
should be able to make using your mini-mill.

Yay!

The taig in the basic configuration only goes down to 525 rpm
with an AC motor (1725 rpm). I have thought that a DC motor would be
the thing but that raises the price even further and the mini
becomes even more attractive.

I am quoting their web site.

Hmm ... I thought that it ran slower than that with the
multi-step pulley which came with mine. I do know that the top speed
is quite scary. :-)

But a different AC motor -- at half the speed -- should do fine.

And this is where the total cost begins to equal or exceed the mini :-)

You produced a shoulder as well as a thread with hand tools?

I cheated. The shoulder was there already.

The problem with a die is that it is easy to start one out of
line and then very difficult to get the thread back in line.

Tell me about it! I routinely chuck my gnomons (even those without a
shoulder) in my drill press, hold the die in the drill press vise and thread
that way. So far so good...

And -- if the diameter is an unusual one, dies to cut that
thread can be quite expensive.

But if you have a lathe can you not turn the diameter to something usual? I
did this in the drill press with a file. Fortunately it only needed a small
amount to take off.

Yes -- a die can be quicker -- if you can grip the workpiece
firmly enough. But lathe cut threads can be a nicer appearance than
most die cut threads.

Gripping strongly has not been a problem. Chewing up the piece by doing so
was.

Right now it is 3.5 degrees C in my "workshop" and I do not really want to
be there :-). I was supposed to get my woodworking stuff in order (I seem to
be doing more of that than I thought I would have to) which included making
a router table and extending the work bench. I made the router table before
the weather hit. I got as far as the planning stage with the bench. Still,
an opportunity to do some homework. I have also developed a line of clamp
knobs from bottle tops, 1/4"-20 bolts and epoxy. They are ugly but cheap and
can be made in the warmth of the heated house.

I wonder what there is in the gagage that is going to freeze...

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC