My twisting jig

Cody Hofsommer

Cody Hofsommer

Joined
Dec 2, 2011
Messages
913
I have learned so much from this site, and we all live looking at different ways of doing things. Here is a little jig I dreamt up. This is set up for 1/2" bars. I Forge the end down to 7/16" square.
 
That's a 7.5" bar of 60 layer that has been rough rounded. It has about 20 twists. Because I was using my vertical forge, I can only do one end at a time. I could easily get 20 twist into that in one heat if I could find a better way to get it hot.
 
I'm working on a twisting jig as well but I have picked up sockets with 3/4" drives. If you have a hex section on both ends you can use different size sockets to change the size of the square hole. That's my plan any way we will see how it works out. I was going to go with a geared motor and a foot peddle but I might just do like you did and go hand crank. This way I can easily count the twists I do.
 
JTknives said:
I'm working on a twisting jig as well but I have picked up sockets with 3/4" drives. If you have a hex section on both ends you can use different size sockets to change the size of the square hole. That's my plan any way we will see how it works out. I was going to go with a geared motor and a foot peddle but I might just do like you did and go hand crank. This way I can easily count the twists I do.
Click to expand...

https://www.google.com/search?q=rot...iw=1600&bih=780#tbm=isch&q=revolution+counter
 
JTknives said:
I'm working on a twisting jig as well but I have picked up sockets with 3/4" drives. If you have a hex section on both ends you can use different size sockets to change the size of the square hole. That's my plan any way we will see how it works out. I was going to go with a geared motor and a foot peddle but I might just do like you did and go hand crank. This way I can easily count the twists I do.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about doing something similar, but really don't do many different sizes. This it for multi bars and bigger stuff for single bar, but it would need a longer handle to twist the bigger stuff.
 
Manuel Quiroga, one who posted a couple of damascus WIP used to had one of these twisting jigs.
A couple of years ago he bought an electric tapping machine for gas/water pipes, and adapted the socket with one homemade! it is slow enough to control it and strong enough for twisting up to 1-1/2 in billets.
 
pleasanthill said:
I've seen people use these in other threads for twisting. Pretty cheap too.

http://www.harborfreight.com/portable-electric-pipe-threader-62203.html
Click to expand...

JPuri said:
Manuel Quiroga, one who posted a couple of damascus WIP used to had one of these twisting jigs.
A couple of years ago he bought an electric tapping machine for gas/water pipes, and adapted the socket with one homemade! it is slow enough to control it and strong enough for twisting up to 1-1/2 in billets.
Click to expand...
I remember his threads, but forgot his twister. Probably where I got the idea.

Karl Andersen has a pipe threaded set up for twisting. It's an animal!
 
im pretty sure ive seen a twisting jig with a sliding forge attached so you can twist the bars, move the forge a little, twist some more. that wouldnt get more of the bar hot but it might speed things up quite a bit.
 
This one started off to used that way, didn't work for me, but sense I have seen someone do it and it worked great. I think it might have been Steve Colver, but who ever it was it was a really great setup.
 
In my twisting jig - which is basically like all the rest of them - I use 8 point impact sockets, which will allow using square stock of any size. Just change out the socket to accommodate the size material you are twisting.
 
J.D.Smith uses a vice on one end, a pass though stand and a big torque wrench on the other and rosebud tip on an oxymoron acetylene rig to head it up. he welds plain stick to each end of the billet. A modified Rigid pipe threaded is probably the ideal solution, but those things have gotten crazy expensive for used ones.
 
Looks pretty handy, Cody!

Here's Ric Furrer's monster twister, fun video.
[youtube]tuLAUCL1zks[/youtube]

But this one is my favorite that I've seen. Just a small motor with right-angle gear reduction box, mounted on a primitive bed.
[youtube]F069Q1C0e8s[/youtube]
 
I was told that the Matt Whitmus rolling mill can twist a 1.5 inch bar with the fixture that mounts to the end of the powered roller like was nothing.
 
jdm61 said:
J.D.Smith uses a vice on one end, a pass though stand and a big torque wrench on the other and rosebud tip on an oxymoron acetylene rig to head it up. he welds plain stick to each end of the billet. A modified Rigid pipe threaded is probably the ideal solution, but those things have gotten crazy expensive for used ones.
Click to expand...

I use a vice on one end of my small billet twister, too.

Just skip to 21 minutes on this video:

[video=youtube;p_ZF9ySw2tE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_ZF9ySw2tE&t=95s[/video]
 
treewizzard said:
im pretty sure ive seen a twisting jig with a sliding forge attached so you can twist the bars, move the forge a little, twist some more. that wouldnt get more of the bar hot but it might speed things up quite a bit.
Click to expand...

What works REALLY well is one of these jigs with an induction heater. I'm lucky enough to be friends with a smith who has one.:rolleyes:
~billyO
 
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