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I bought the nut at Autozone for $1.59

It was a 12mmx1.5 which is what I threaded the rod with, it screws in and out perfectly. I think Im going to grind a flat spot for the screw that secures it then re run the die to make sure the threads are clean.

Well I just finished cutting the threads and I think it turned out pretty damn good. Instead of getting a regular nut I bought a 12mm 1.5 car lug nut which has a washer type lip in the middle, I just ground a few markings in it to give it some grip and just like that, I'm good to go.


Thanks for the suggestions guys!

How do you sharpen a cabinet scraper on a tormek?

This reminds me of an EXCELLENT video I have watched many times about Cut Brooklyn and how  Joel Bukiewicz makes their knives.

I highly recommend it.

http://vimeo.com/31455885

Yeah I've been backing up about every quarter to half turn as well as using machine oil. Its probably still not the sharpest die

Thanks for the post mark, I'm really surprised how well its healed up, I've been using this liquid suture in the morning after I put some aloe on it and the best thing the liquid suture does is keep it moist. Not moist like wet but it keeps the skin from drying which causes it to shrink and open the wound a little more.  I highly recommend everyone go get a bottle.

I went out and bought a new die last night and it worked MUCH better than the cheap one although it is still hard as HELL to turn . The threads appear to be cutting quite nicely. I only got about half way down before I lost my ability to turn it since I dont have a hex wrench. I was using a long 1" socket to turn it.
It's oddly satisfying cutting threads.

I used paslode oil (narf) on mine and it appears to work great, I kept a close eye on the absorption by the wheel to make sure I didn't overload it.

I wold think overdoing it could be remedied with some dish liquid and a good rinse?

Kirk,
This is dumb question on my end as I'm sure you know the difference. Where you trying to start the proper side of the die? One side has the teeth relieved for starting. They contact the rod first. Don't get mad at me, I'm just trying to analyze why it won't start.
Is it a fairly good quality die that is sharp? It doesn't have to be the absolute highest quality, but I don't trust Harbor Freight or comparable quality very far. I get my replacement taps and dies from my local lumber, hardware stores. They are kind of a medium quality material. If the die has seen a lot of use, it may be beyond its useful life expectancy.
A fair amount of down pressure on the die stock has to be exerted (making sure it is kept square) to start a die.
This is all from not knowing your level of proficiency with this type of work.

Oh no, that isn't a dumb question at all. I did make sure to use the tapered side of the die however it IS a cheap harbor freight set that I've used primarily for tapping and to run a damaged thread on a rod. Ill look into grabbing a 12mm and 1/2" die today.

Oh and I think I just misremembered the .463 number, I had measured it a few days prior.

I've been worried about the rusting main shaft even before I bought it. I've thought about removing the shaft and having a replica machined for me out of stainless but I'll cross that road later.

I tell ya, I tried to get a 1/2" die on this thing and it wouldn't catch on for the life of me. I kept checking it was really a 1/2" die and it's clearly marked so. Hell I took a caliper to the USB to make sure it wasn't somehow goofed up and it read .463" like it should.

I wonder if its just a crappy die.

Thanks for the reply!

How well does yours work for you?

The tormek I got was an older one without the threaded support so I was wondering if it were possible to thread the arm to dial in an angle.

I've cut nerves before (hundreds, possibly thousands   ) and I find the sharper the blade that cut it, the faster and better chance you have of it fully healing. I'm not terribly worried because the first night it was pretty much the whole top of my middle finger, today its only about an area the size of a dime (possibly smaller) and it's not completely numb, just tingly.

I think as long as I keep it clean and keep this awesome Liquid Suture on it, I should be fine.

a few days ago I finally got my first Tormek , I spent the next 2 hours reading the manual, setting it up, truing the wheel etc. I sharpened a plane blade I had been using and took it over to lap it on the strop. after I finished I reached over the machine to turn it off and either let the blade go or didnt notice what angle I was holding it on because when I pulled my hand back I felt that sting you get when you cut a nerve. I looked at my hand to see the blood streaming all over my freshly sharpened blade.

I was in the kitchen because I didnt want to wake the kid up in the garage (her room is adjacent). My wife was asleep so as I ran to the sink I yelled "BABE COME HERE I NEED YOU NOW" when she got in what do I say? "I cut my hand, get me my cell phone and take a picture 

The blade was so sharp it hit the bone (I can feel it today) and cut a nerve. I actually couldn't feel the entire finger for a little while.

I didn't go to the hospital because I stopped the bleeding pretty quickly, cleaning it was a bitch though becuse I still had honing compound on the blade. I dressed it for the night (so I could finish sharpening.........duhhh..) and put some Liquid Suture on it the next morning.

It's been a week since it happened and it appears to be healing nicely. It's going to be a great looking scar (my Tormek Tattoo)

I wish I had gotten some better pictures, essentialy the incision is about a quarter of the thickness of my finger totaling almost 2 inches. I'm lucky as hell I didn't do any tendon damage. I have full motion in the finger and the feeling has returned as well albeit tingly. One thing I got out of this is I LOVE medial CA glue, put it on a cut and you essentially dont feel it anymore, take it off and the little movements suddenly become painful.