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cutting pre-cut spokes

Feb 13, 2002
1,087
17
Seattle, WA
Spokecalc says I need 269.3 for the left and 270.3 for the right.

I laced up the wheel with all 269s (all I had) figuring it worked fine, but the spokes are maybe 3 mm too long or so. They are DT swiss competition double-butted 2.0/1.8

will it be ok to cut these down 3 mm with a spoke-cutting machine (the one that cuts and re-threads) or do I need to buy some more spokes?
 
SirChomps-a-Lot said:
Spokecalc says I need 269.3 for the left and 270.3 for the right.

I laced up the wheel with all 269s (all I had) figuring it worked fine, but the spokes are maybe 3 mm too long or so. They are DT swiss competition double-butted 2.0/1.8

will it be ok to cut these down 3 mm with a spoke-cutting machine (the one that cuts and re-threads) or do I need to buy some more spokes?
Totaly ok to do.
I hate having a ton of boxes laying around, so I only have about ten-twelve boxes of spokes at a time, in 10mm increments. When I build wheels I get the measurement and then bust out the Phil spoke cutter and custom cut to the spoke length I need.

Cutting 3mm off is no biggie.
 

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
i'm just curious, if you cut more than a particular amount, will anything other than a strait gauge spoke weaken?
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
I believe that you can't just cut 3mm more threads with a Phil tool.It grabs the spoke and rolls it at high speed-how can you line up the old threads and not have them get squished when new ones are rolled???

Sounds like this guy knows how,i used to cut all my spokes,can't see how it can be done,never tried it though.

Krispy
 

patineto

The RM Mad Scientist
Feb 19, 2002
935
0
berkeley, ca
sounds to me like you ask for 3cross values and then you end up building the wheel two cross or something like that making the spokes longer than they need to be

personally i will relace the wheel with a pattern that require a little longer spokes (the 3Mm you have to spare) as oppose to cut them since the treads on the spokes most be at their very end, in fact i'm surprise you still have room to tension the spokes

i also have a question,,,what kind of rim /pattern/hub combination do you have...???

I build a few hundred wheels and i can not remenber ever ussing 270mm spokes.. ussually they go from 258MM to 266MM maybe 268 but never 270...
 
Yo Krisp-
Have you used a Phil Wood spoke cutter? It nips the end and rolls the spoke through the dies. The spoke threads line up with the dies, no problemo.
Give it a try if you guys have a Phil cutter. I've never had an issue in 17yrs of wheelbuilding using the Phil Cutter. It's the BOMB-DIGIDY! as the kids say....
 
the Inbred said:
i'm just curious, if you cut more than a particular amount, will anything other than a strait gauge spoke weaken?
Are you asking if you cut a butted spoke?
I've done this many times before and never had issues with spokes breaking.
When's the last time a spoke, of DT quality, broke anywhere except at the hub flange?
 
Feb 13, 2002
1,087
17
Seattle, WA
Yeah, the phil spoke cutters are seriously awesome. I used to have access to one. I bet a new phil wood spoke cutter costs more than my car.

The wheel is a power-tools front hub to a rhyno lyte XL. I must have screwed up the measurements because I just built the wheel with 265s and it's perfect.

It's good to know that you can cut them down by small amounts and not jack the threads, because I don't think I will ever build a wheel that needs 269s and I have a whole box.
 

Repack

Turbo Monkey
Nov 29, 2001
1,889
0
Boston Area
leprechaun said:
I believe that you can't just cut 3mm more threads with a Phil tool.It grabs the spoke and rolls it at high speed-how can you line up the old threads and not have them get squished when new ones are rolled???

Sounds like this guy knows how,i used to cut all my spokes,can't see how it can be done,never tried it though.

Krispy
I've heard the same thing. I've cut thousands of spokes on the Phil's machine and was always told that you should cut off at least all of the threads when shortening spokes. The machine is very sensitive and cutting threads on top of threads can mess with it.
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
Internal14 said:
Yo Krisp-
Have you used a Phil Wood spoke cutter? It nips the end and rolls the spoke through the dies. The spoke threads line up with the dies, no problemo.
Give it a try if you guys have a Phil cutter. I've never had an issue in 17yrs of wheelbuilding using the Phil Cutter. It's the BOMB-DIGIDY! as the kids say....

My old shop had one.
Thats way neeto! I just never tried it! Thanks! (i've only been building wheels for 10 years and there is allways something to learn.)

Loctite 222 4 ever.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
the Inbred said:
i'm just curious, if you cut more than a particular amount, will anything other than a strait gauge spoke weaken?

Not at all As long as your Cutt isnt into the butted section youll be fine cutting any spoke..... But if your cutting a DB spoke that far then your kinda wasting the money and should try getting one closer to the right size to begin with
________
LIVE SEX WEBSHOWS
 
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Repack said:
I've heard the same thing. I've cut thousands of spokes on the Phil's machine and was always told that you should cut off at least all of the threads when shortening spokes. The machine is very sensitive and cutting threads on top of threads can mess with it.
Well, I can tell you I've used the same cutter for the past 8yrs. and never had to do anything special to the dies.

Dunno. If Phil says not to, then do what you want. I'll keep hacking them off wherever I want.
:cool:
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
leprechaun said:
I believe that you can't just cut 3mm more threads with a Phil tool.It grabs the spoke and rolls it at high speed-how can you line up the old threads and not have them get squished when new ones are rolled???

Sounds like this guy knows how,i used to cut all my spokes,can't see how it can be done,never tried it though.

Krispy

Dont have to Line up the spokes with a Phill wood machine.... They roll the threads in .... Reshapes the metal and all.... i have never had trouble using a Phil wood machine
________
CALIFORNIA DISPENSARY
 
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