On Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:32:59 -0700, "Bill Noble"
wrote:


you know, don't you, that the 'real' spring winding machines extrude the
wire against an angled anvil that is tilted in X,Y (presuming the wire is
fed in Z) so that it causes the wire to bend to the desired spiral - if you
build that, then it's simple enough to adjust to get the diameter and
spacing you want, no adjustable mandrils required

That's true for inexpensive springs with loose tolerances. Precision
springs are still wound on mandrels. Look in McMaster to see the
difference in tolerance and price between standard and precision
springs.

--
Ned Simmons