Tell me about threading forks

[oldave]

Seemingly not cheap if this one is typical!

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Park%20Tool-FTS ... _11203.htm

 

[silverclaws]

If it's me you're talking about, I'm not an LBS owner yet - but hope to be by march.

And as soon as there's money for it, I'll be getting this tool, a BB thread cutter/facer and a headtube facer. Purely on the basis that nobody near me has them!

Even back in 95 when I started out in the bike trade in this country, it was damn near impossible to find a shop with the tools to do this.

Last place I worked we prepped everything before building. Just the act of doing it means the whole frame gets a really thorough checkover before you waste time putting bits on a frame that wasn't built properly. Saves a lot of time at the other end too.

Nope, not you, but others I know have an interest. To be perfectly honest, even if I were a modern bike shop owner I also would be interested because of the sales potential for old and often cheaply obtained bikes and bits, some even taken in part exchange where that exists, good for the customer and even better value for the bike shop owner seeing as old quality bits are now worth something in the retro scene.

But as to the topic in hand, I can use threading equipment, I do it often, but forks I would be very careful about due to the fact that a turning device is going to be on there. If I did not have the proper tool with a sleeve that the die follows to keep everything square, it would be a slow job with an angle square to make sure the first cut was square in both x and y planes, for that is the crucial bit, the start of the thread, after which the cutting tool follows the start, and thereafter the thread it has just cut to cut further.