Does any one have any ideas or plans for a better thread caraig the one I am using now is the one that vame with the power wrapper

? what brand power wrapper is it you have

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

American tackle

Chad,
What are your needs for the perfect thread carriage?

Do you ever have a need to have more than one thread active at a time on your wrapper?

If you only use one thread at a time, you can have a very simple and excellent thread carriage that you make yourself for very little $$$$$$$$$$

Be safe

I assume that this is a picture of your current thread carriage?

[www.americantackle.us]

I learned to wrap with the thread behind the rod. That way, I can have the wrapper right at the edge of the rod bench and this position makes it very easy for me to wrap. With the thread behind the rod, the thread is never in my way when wrapping.

A picture of the very simple thread carriage that I have used from the very first rod that I ever built a long time ago. The carriage just rests against the back of the power wrapper base. Since the base is nylon, it slides easily along the back of the wrapper base, sliding on the smooth rod bench.

[www.rodbuilding.org]


No joints anywhere, so that the carriage moves from one end of the power wrapper to the other with 0 impediments. I only use the tension device for wrapping nylon thread.

I use metallic for trim wraps, but I just use pieces of thread and for the short wraps, just hold the thread in my hand. Simply and easy.

Be safe

Chad is it a problem keeping the thread tight ?? there is this add on you can get you will have to give a little more info on what your wants are other wise we are shooting in the dark to help you

[www.mudhole.com]

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

As above - What is it that you dislike about the AmTac thread carriage? There are 2 versions. The newer version has one horizontal bar that will accommodate 2 regular size spools of thread. The older "original" version has 4 vertical posts and came with a nylon spacer for lager (4oz) thread spools.

If you wish to make your own you certainly can and it would probably be much sturdier than the one that came with the wrapper. One piece of 1/4" or thicker - nominally 4-5" wide x 4" deep plastic, plexiglas or hardwood; three (or four) rollers to fit the AmTac / PacBay tracks; as many posts as you'd like from 1/4" threaded metal dowel. Space the dowels to accommodate standard spools or larger "feeder" 4oz spools of thread. From there you could decide if you want to use the same type friction tensioner or use washers, beehive springs and wing nuts to apply tension to each spool.

The tensioners mentioned in the above posts work if the thread is coming from the back of the wrapper - like a Renzetti or Clemens. The AmTac / PacBay wrappers feed thread from the front - I don't think those will work well with the wrapper you have.

I have been using the American Tackle wrapper (with an ALPS chuck) with the newer style as Ken puts it with a horizontal bar and find that it works very well. It tensions the spool and not the thread which I prefer, this unit has wrapped hundreds of rods and I find it easy to use.

As Roger mentioned he is used to having the carriage in the back of the wrapper and it has been mentioned on this form that some have turned the wrapper around and moved the motor and chuck to the other end of the frame. I wanted to try that but just haven't as of yet.

If you have the old style carriage you might find that buying the newer one will make a big difference.

Tom

I don't mean to hijack the thread but have a question about the thread carriage that Roger posted a picture of. Does anyone have a diagram or information on how the thread should be configured on this carriage to get proper tension on the thread. I can never get it adjusted to work properly for me. I have another carriage that holds two spools horizontally that has threaded spindles to tension the thread that I tend to use most of the time because I can't figure the other one out.

Duplicate



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2017 03:57PM by Robert Hummel.

Robert,
[www.rodbuilding.org]

[www.rodbuilding.org]

If you look at the first picture, the spool sits on a pin. The thread comes off of the spool and goes through a loop on the lower part of the wood arm. Then, the thread goes up to the tension disks. Then to the rod.

I very much prefer this setup, because the thread path is just a touch higher than the height of the rod blank on the power wrapper.

As part of maintenance on any of this style spring disk tensioner, is to remove the nut, spring, washer and disks. Clean and then polish the disks now and then - at least once a year - to insure that the disks will give uniform tension, no matter the location of the thread on the disks. I simply pull on the thread and while pulling, adjust the nut on the tension disks to give me the required tension.

-----------
If using large thread spools which are designed to have thread pulled off of the spool, I use the setup in the 2nd picture. The spool sits on the base on a piece of solid stock blank material for a center shaft. The thread comes off of the top of the spool, goes straight up, to the first loop, then over to the 2nd loop and back down to the lower loop in the L shaped thread support. Then, from the bottom of the lower loop, the thread goes to the Backside of the thread loop on the thread tension device stick.

I tried - one time to put the big spool on the the common thread shaft stic, but found that turning the heavy weight of the large spool of thread really gave issues to a reliable thread tension. Hence the use of a thread stand where the thread spool does not revolve at all.

===============
This thread tension device which is the same device that is stock on the American Tackle thread carriage is virtually identical in design t the thread tension devices used on sewing machines around the world that produces millions of articles of clothing every single day. So, certainly the spring loaded tension disks are a very widely used and well proven tension device.

Take care

I have a piece of plexiglass that I have 4 post on it mounted on a angle with springs and wing nuts for the tensioner but I haven't finished it yet because I have been trying to figure out how to accommodate the tensioner that will allow me to back the rod up with out holding the thread.I think the one from mud hole will work just fine I will have to figure out where to mount it and if I want the thread in front or in back of the wrapper the one I am making is usable the way it is but there is always room for improvement. I am learning diamond wraps chevrons neat stuff. And I think this will help me some. I have made alot of rods just not with the fancy wraps I want to thank you for your help

I have a piece of plexiglass that I have 4 post on it mounted on a angle with springs and wing nuts for the tensioner but I haven't finished it yet because I have been trying to figure out how to accommodate the tensioner that will allow me to back the rod up with out holding the thread.I think the one from mud hole will work just fine I will have to figure out where to mount it and if I want the thread in front or in back of the wrapper the one I am making is usable the way it is but there is always room for improvement. I am learning diamond wraps chevrons neat stuff. And I think this will help me some. I have made alot of rods just not with the fancy wraps I want to thank you for your help

I have a piece of plexiglass that I have 4 post on it mounted on a angle with springs and wing nuts for the tensioner but I haven't finished it yet because I have been trying to figure out how to accommodate the tensioner that will allow me to back the rod up with out holding the thread.I think the one from mud hole will work just fine I will have to figure out where to mount it and if I want the thread in front or in back of the wrapper the one I am making is usable the way it is but there is always room for improvement. I am learning diamond wraps chevrons neat stuff. And I think this will help me some. I have made alot of rods just not with the fancy wraps I want to thank you for your help

I have a piece of plexiglass that I have 4 post on it mounted on a angle with springs and wing nuts for the tensioner but I haven't finished it yet because I have been trying to figure out how to accommodate the tensioner that will allow me to back the rod up with out holding the thread.I think the one from mud hole will work just fine I will have to figure out where to mount it and if I want the thread in front or in back of the wrapper the one I am making is usable the way it is but there is always room for improvement. I am learning diamond wraps chevrons neat stuff. And I think this will help me some. I have made alot of rods just not with the fancy wraps I want to thank you for your help

the tensioner will work either way front or back you can use it as a guide for the thread when mounted in front and when you stop it will hold the thread and it's position if you back off the wrapped thread it works the same as it does being mounted in the back .
how I mounted the one I made i put it on the back edge of the carriage and run the thread through a small eye screw and up through the top eye . and it has been working for the past 10 or more years

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

I'm sorry, I made a mistake in my previous post. I meant to refer to the American Tackle thread carriage not the one Roger posted. I just can't wrap my head around how the thread is supposed to be routed on this thread carriage.

This is my new wrapper I just finished building.

[scontent.xx.fbcdn.net]

And here are a couple of closeups of my thread carriage to give you another idea.

[scontent.xx.fbcdn.net]

[scontent.xx.fbcdn.net]

I'm used to having my thread come up from the bottom. You can see the eye I used to transition across the lathe bed.

Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

From the owners manual of the American Tackle power wrapper:

"The threading procedure for the carrier is quite simple. First, with the
carrier in it’s track between you and the machine, hook your thread into
the ceramic guide in the center of the platform. Next, bring the thread
Page 4
around the left side of the tensioner and between the two chrome
plates until you can catch the wire take-up hook. Finally, run the
thread from the take-up hook through the remaining ceramic guide.
Threading in this manner allows you to increase or decrease the
tension by simply adjusting the thumb screw on the top of the
tensioner. "