I have searched and found alot of different die holders for the dies I bought.
Do you recommend the simple hand held or buying the tailstock one?
The one for the tail stock are rather expencive but if they are better thats the way I will go.
Let me know what your opinion is.
Thanks
Rich
My opinion is based on how easy it is to completely destroy a tenon I'm trying to thread by hand-holding the die.
Just a couple of degrees out of square (in any direction -- left/right, up/down, and all points between) and the threads start out wrong and it screeches to a halt a couple of turns in.
Or I've managed to thread a part correctly, then want to chase it one last time to smooth the surface ... the die goes on cross threaded ...
The die holders I use were made by a former member here, a steel rod gripped in a Jacobs chuck in the tailstock and a machined delrin bar that slides on the rod, with a recess to hold a die at each end. Not cheap, but worth it to me.