Threading with a Modified Die Holder

I didn't get any video of the first use of the die holder before I added the larger diameter UHMW plastic "handle". It was very hard to keep the 30mm die holder from turning while threading and left my hand and forearm very tired and sore after a few threaded ends.

For the next use, I bored out a piece of 2" (50mm) diameter UHMW rod slightly smaller in diameter than the die holder, then pressed the die holder into the plastic rod. For a little extra grip, I used a 60* threading bit turned on it's side and used that to cut shallow grooves along the side of the UHMW using the carriage.

If you're looking to do something similar, try different diameter material and find what fits your hand best. I used plastic since we use literally tons of this stuff every year. Wood might also be a good choice. Maybe a chunk of tree branch, turned down to size and bored to fit over the die holder should do the trick.

The end result is very easy to grip in my hand. It's no effort at all to thread both ends on 6 or 8 of our weighted shift rods in one run. This setup produces very clean and straight threads and it's very fast.

eBay search for "lathe die holder", this listing was similar to what I purchased:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lathe-Tailstock-Die-Holder-in-Straight-3-8-Parallel-Shank-Holds-1-OD-Dies/332624547100

More to come...

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