Threaded Rod

[Alwayslearningelec]

Was told 3/8" rod(any other sizes) really only come in 6' lengths and not 10'? Is that true and what do you buy/ recieve on the job site? Talking about rod for trapeze hangers.

Also, when do you use a rod coupling? When joining two peices of rod to make a particular length? I'd think if you had a 8' rod drop you would use a 10' peice and cut it????

 

[LarryFine]

Yes, it's available. Grainger and Home Depot both show it available from a quick search.

Coupling nuts are for extending it, and spin a nut on before cutting to clear the thread.

 

[Alwayslearningelec]

Yes, it's available. Grainger and Home Depot both show it available from a quick search.

Coupling nuts are for extending it, and spin a nut on before cutting to clear the thread.

View attachment 2572300

Thanks. I don't follow this part and spin a nut on before cutting to clear the thread

 

[Eddie702]

10' threaded rod is widely available. If your buying a large quantity buy it from an industrial supplier or a Plumbing/heating supply house if the electrical supplier does not have it.

The reason to put a nut on it before cutting is a nut will thread easily on the factory end. Then you cut the rod and back the nut off the rod to straighten out the burr on the end of the rod you get from cutting.

Best tool for cutting is a Chop saw with a carbide tipped metal cutting blade. The saws are made by Milwaukee or Evolution and there are others they will cut a whole bundle of rod in one pass if your lengths are all the same.

A Band saw works good as well.

A Sawzall and a hacksaw will work but nut fun and not fast.

Avoid the chop saws with an abrasive blade if you have a better choice they leave a nasty burr.

 

[MD Automation]

Thanks. I don't follow this part and spin a nut on before cutting to clear the thread

Larry means that if you spin a nut onto the threaded rod first, then cut it with a hacksaw, then back the nut off the rod - the nut will tend to straighten out any slightly "goobered" up threads at the cut end. It's hard to cut threaded rod with damaging the threads a bit, so having a nut already on that you can spin off acts like a poor man's thread chaser.

Edit - yeah - what Eddie said

 

[infinity]

1/2" rod comes in 12' lengths. If you cut it with a portable band saw the threads will not be damaged. My weapon of choice is a Milwaukee compact cordless bandsaw. Can cut an entire bundle at once.

 

[Alwayslearningelec]

1/2" rod comes in 12' lengths. If you cut it with a portable band saw the threads will not be damaged. My weapon of choice is a Milwaukee compact cordless bandsaw. Can cut an entire bundle at once.

Thanks. You cut multiple pipes at once? 4" RMC?

 

[Alwayslearningelec]

1/2" rod comes in 12' lengths. If you cut it with a portable band saw the threads will not be damaged. My weapon of choice is a Milwaukee compact cordless bandsaw. Can cut an entire bundle at once.

So why would(or not) would you get 6' or 10' lengths instead of 12'?

 

[LarryFine]

Thanks. I don't follow this part and spin a nut on before cutting to clear the thread

Cutting threaded rod usually distorts the thread at the cut, making it hard to start nuts on them.

If you want to restore the thread both sides of a cut, thread on two nuts and cut between them.

Unscrewing each one will un-distort the thread well enough to start more nuts on over the cut.

 

[LarryFine]

So why would(or not) would you get 6' or 10' lengths instead of 12'?

If a factory length happens to be a suitable length, then of course one would buy that length.

But, as you noted, if you need 8' but can only buy 6' or 10', you either have to cut or extend.

 

[Alwayslearningelec]

Cutting threaded rod usually distorts the thread at the cut, making it hard to start nuts on them.

If you want to restore the thread both sides of a cut, thread on two nuts and cut between them.

Unscrewing each one will un-distort the thread well enough to start more nuts on over the cut.

Sweet I like that tip. Thanks

 

[infinity]

So why would(or not) would you get 6' or 10' lengths instead of 12'?

Depends on the distance between the ceiling and the racks. If the bottom rack is 11.5' below where you're hanging the rod from then a 12' rod is better. Another problem with rod couplings is if you have a multi tier rack and 6' down from above falls out in the middle of the rack then the rod couplings are in the way with 6' rods. I've never had an issue with the cut threads when using a band saw.

 

[DooWop]

Cutting threaded rod usually distorts the thread at the cut, making it hard to start nuts on them.

If you want to restore the thread both sides of a cut, thread on two nuts and cut between them.

Unscrewing each one will un-distort the thread well enough to start more nuts on over the cut.

Cool idea. I have used a die to restore a cut but it takes more effort than your idea.

 

[MD Automation]

A few years back in our shop, we would from time to time use some threaded rod - but not like you guys would use it - they were great for making adjustable standoffs when prototyping things.

And some summers we'd have interns working and we'd have them cut sections of threaded rod (like 6 or 8" long) on our band saw. While the cut ends were not badly deformed for starting a nut, I would make the interns aware how razor sharp those cut ends now were. The end of the thread, especially the top crest of that cut thread was ready to slice anything it came near.

So I showed them how to round off the ends on a little bench grinder or our 6" Delta / Rockwell belt sander. They tended to like the belt sander since the small flat table in front of the belt was nice and easy to use while rolling the rod around to ease the cut edges. But I would say you need to start slow and easy because that edge is ready to turn that 6" belt into a 2" and a 4" belt. I can recall them ruining a handful of belts some summers when they started learning. Done wrong, you can part that belt in a heartbeat with a freshly cut thread.