# Wire twister



## Dan Krager (Feb 11, 2022)

Made this little widget that's been on my wish list for a long time.  Now that I'm unlikely to need it any more...how ironic.  A 5/8" x 1 1/2" bolt gave up it's drawer retirement for this.

DanK


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## rabler (Feb 11, 2022)

Nice job Dan, I like the idea.


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## Bi11Hudson (Feb 11, 2022)

A well done gizmo, with very good results. As an electrician, I have worked over 50 years with my 'Kliens' to twist wires. My Kliens reside in a pocket (the same one for all that time) in my pouch. A battery drill has only been around for 20-30 years. The trouble with keeping a drill handy in the field makes the gizmo useful for home but impractical for field work. The pictured device I have seen as both machined metal and 3D printed plastic. The home made version looks better than most, but I still wouldn't use one in the field, or even at home. Old habits are hard to break. . . 

.


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## Dan Krager (Feb 11, 2022)

After actually using this to test it on 4 #10, I can see why Bill (and others including me) might pass on using it in the field.  See the other straggly end?  First effort.  While wiring in my shop I struggled with twisting 4 #10 wires together well enough for a wire nut, so I thought this would be the cats meow.  Not so much now.  Though perhaps with practice it would become slicker. Some commercial ones strip the wire AND twist it, but I stripped the wire ahead for cleaner results.  Since a very slow speed works best, it could be used with a handle that allows twisting by hand like a tap.  I may try that.  

DanK


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## rabler (Feb 11, 2022)

How much did you trim off the better end after you twisted it?


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## Dan Krager (Feb 11, 2022)

About 1/4".  So I stripped 1" instead of the usual 3/4".  Actually thought of all the wiring you're going to do with heavy wire....  you want it?  I can easily make another one....  and so can you, but I'm already set up!  

DanK


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## rabler (Feb 11, 2022)

I wouldn’t mind giving it a try.  I just put the in-slab conduit and boxes down today.  I’m planning on the excavator tomorrow to run the feeder the last few feet into the edge of the building.


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## MikeInOr (Feb 12, 2022)

I like the idea and the ingenuity!  It looks like all 6 holes are drilled perpendicular to the bolt head and parallel to each other?  Would it work better, with less waste wire to cut off, if the holes were tapered to near touching at the center of the bolt head?  Maybe a 5 or 10 degree angle?  Just a thought!


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## Dan Krager (Feb 12, 2022)

This is not an original idea.  OK so I've never seen one made out of a bolt before...  LOL.    The holes are not parallel to each other nor the axis of the bolt.  They taper outward from where they enter the face of the bolt head to exit beneath the bolt head just outside the body of the bolt, an angle of perhaps 15° from the bolt axis.  

Yes, I wondered just how close together the holes should enter the face. With no special pattern to go by, it was a guess that worked reasonably well until the ends slipped out of the holes leaving about a quarter inch of stragglers.  If I make another I'll reduce the entry circle diameter untill the wire holes almost overlap hoping that will possibly eliminate the need to trim the twisted wires.  A smaller chamfer would be used or eliminated to keep them from overlapping.  

Here's a thought but don't know how to do it.  Suppose a shallow hole (say 1/4" deep) of diameter equal to six #10 bare wire bundled is drilled into the face first.  This would form the exiting twist to the hole diameter.  Fewer wires wouldn't be squeezed so tightly.  Then how would I drill the six angled holes through the end of the forming hole?  

Nother thought. Six shallow holes of max wire diameter could be drilled at the perimeter of the forming hole before that hole is drilled which would leave six "flutes" to continue the twisting until fully exited.  

I really think just shrinking the diameter of the hole spacing until they nearly overlap is worth trying.

Any more suggestions will be entertained.  Yes.  Indeed I'm overthinking it.  But it's fun.

DanK


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## rabler (Feb 12, 2022)

Dan Krager said:


> Any more suggestions will be entertained.  Yes.  Indeed I'm overthinking it.  But it's fun.
> 
> DanK


I think you're on the right track.  And to me that's what this hobby is about, not just being able to make things, but being able to make things that you think up.   To have the larger common hole, drill the individual holes first, then use an appropriate sized endmill to plunge cut the common hole.


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## MikeInOr (Feb 12, 2022)

Dan Krager said:


> Yes.  Indeed I'm overthinking it.  But it's fun.
> 
> DanK



I agree!  I love thinking through a design.  I like your ideas.

After you face off the head of the bolt could you then cut a little circular groove (while it is still on the lathe) into the top of the bolt head to use as a reference of where to start the holes and also serve as a bit of a lip for the drill bit to catch on when you are starting to drill the holes?  If the holes are spaced really close together you would have to drill some smaller pilot holes first if the full sized holes are going to overlap each other.  Just another thought.

I think I would start with slightly overlapping holes and not bore a center hole in the bolt head initially.  If this turns out to be too tight to slip all 6 wires into you can then bore a center hole and keep enlarging it until the wires slip in somewhat easily.  Just another thought.

How are you lining up and drilling the wire holes?  I am envision a rotary table with a chuck mounted on the top of it.  Then mounting the rotary table at a 15 degree angle to the table which will give you evenly spaced holes at a uniform angle with respect to the bolt face?

I don't yet own a rotary table so I don't know how hard it would be to use a block to raise one side to create the angle.  Or maybe you own one of those fancy indexers that you can tilt to any angle between 0 and 90 degrees?

Are there any patent attorneys on this board????  LOL!


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## Dan Krager (Feb 12, 2022)

> I am envision a rotary table with a chuck mounted on the top of it.


Ha!  I'm not the only one with overkill thought patterns!  LOL!.  I happen to have the rotary table with chuck, even a 100 lb+ angling indexer with chuck, but I'm simply using a spindexer equipped with 5C collets secured to the Y axis lathe table at the required angle (by eye).  I try to get the hole to exit under the head just kissing the body as it exits. There seems to be plenty of room at the corners of the hex. The centers (lathe and spindexer) happen to line up standing on a 1" block. A secondary 3 jaw chuck that will securely hold the 1/8" drill bit is clamped in the lathe 3 jaw, and the work is fed along the lathe X axis. I'm making another today, so I'll try to remember to get a picture while setup.  

Thank you for the great suggestions. That input is much appreciated and will be applied this afternoon.  Specifically,: tighten the six hole diameter to near coincidence at the top surface of the bolt head, i.e. the drilling entry point.  Then plunge a milling cutter of appropriate size into the center to create the twisting exit form, expanding if needed.  A center drill starts the angling holes on the flat head surface without any questions, no ring needed.  Inexperience gets things done that experience says can't be done.  (....and probably shouldn't most cases.)

Stay tuned for pics.
DanK


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## Dan Krager (Feb 12, 2022)

OK. Next iteration finished and tested.  Not so good. The forming hole was a good idea until it comes time to put six #10 wires in there.  Took probably 5 minutes of poking and persuading the last two and I was working with convenient short pieces, not laying on my back under some junction box in Spider City.  It's problematic to hold six wires without damaging the insulation with this iteration.  I trimmed some insulation to 3/4" and some to 1", and the 1" worked much better, but that leads to trimming the twisted set.  Twos and fours were trivial to thread and twist but for some reason they are not neat looking like the previous ones. Hair cuts are good for interviews.  

And the setup for doing it.

The inexperienced is now experienced.  Done.





DanK


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## woodchucker (Feb 12, 2022)

Dan Krager said:


> This is not an original idea.  OK so I've never seen one made out of a bolt before...  LOL.    The holes are not parallel to each other nor the axis of the bolt.  They taper outward from where they enter the face of the bolt head to exit beneath the bolt head just outside the body of the bolt, an angle of perhaps 15° from the bolt axis.
> 
> Yes, I wondered just how close together the holes should enter the face. With no special pattern to go by, it was a guess that worked reasonably well until the ends slipped out of the holes leaving about a quarter inch of stragglers.  If I make another I'll reduce the entry circle diameter untill the wire holes almost overlap hoping that will possibly eliminate the need to trim the twisted wires.  A smaller chamfer would be used or eliminated to keep them from overlapping.
> 
> ...


I'm thinking more wasted stripped would help, not less. I think you just need that to get it started. Just my opinion..


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## tq60 (Feb 12, 2022)

I thought wire nuts are to go on straight not twisted wires?

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk


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## FOMOGO (Feb 12, 2022)

I have a similar deal for putting on wire nuts with a battery powered drill. Got it from my commercial elect. supply place. My arthritic hands really appreciate it. Always used the Kliens for wire twisting too. Mike


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## FOMOGO (Feb 12, 2022)

I use the pliers to get them close enough to get the wire nut started first. Mike



tq60 said:


> I thought wire nuts are to go on straight not twisted wires?


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## Dan Krager (Feb 13, 2022)

I don't know about code requirement details re twisting.  I've never read that twisting is beneficial or not.  A good twist secures all the wires in good contact before depending upon the nut to do so. And yes, wire nuts are designed to accommodate straight ends. In my wiring experience I've seldom twisted the wires first.  I have encountered loose wire nuts in other's work and sometimes it's hard to get the nut to secure ALL the wires in the bundle when more than 3 are involved. In those cases I always tug them to check if any doubt. 

And it's interesting that there is a device to screw on the wire nut.  That makes the most sense to me.

This was mostly an academic metal working experience for this old woodworker!  

DanK


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## Manual Mac (Feb 13, 2022)

The partner is always bringing me interesting small objects she finds while she walking.
i say put it on the side of the road where folks like to walk.
this would be something that would be hard not to bring home, then try to figure what it is.
possibly adjacent to where the truck axle & mystery objects were found.


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## Dan Krager (Feb 13, 2022)

LOVE IT.  Just might do that....

DanK


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## brino (Feb 16, 2022)

Manual Mac said:


> i say put it on the side of the road where folks like to walk.




....then maybe you'll see it pictured again here with a "What is it..." title!   

Brian


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