Bird Nest Tool

Tornado

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Anyone using a bird cage tool for uniformly flaring cable ends before soldering?
Venhill sells one for the tidy sum of $180 !!?!
Seen a couple of videos now of homemade setups achieving the same thing and made a similar one as here:



Hope to give it a try shortly.
 
Anyone using a bird cage tool for uniformly flaring cable ends before soldering?
Venhill sells one for the tidy sum of $180 !!?!
Seen a couple of videos now of homemade setups achieving the same thing and made a similar one as here:



Hope to give it a try shortly.

I separate first about 1/8-1/4 longer than the ferrule, hold the strands together while inserting, pull back to be sure it holds, use a solder pot to solder, and cut/file off the excess. They never fail. No special tools other than the solder pot.
 
Made a tool out of thick alu stock and did some tests making the bird cage....worked a treat actually...nicely spiraled form to the cage strands and fit the barrel nipple I was using fine. Went ahead and soldered it all up using 50/50 plumbers solder and butane mini torch. Saved myself over $200 for Venhill's tool.
 
Made up a tool as like in the video linked in first post....outta thick stock alu. Getting the holes drilled went ok for the 2mm brake cable I needed to make. Would need ot get some smaller diameter drill bits to use some of the smaller cable sizes though.
Did a few tests and the bird cage came out very nice...all the strands neatly spiraled evenly into the cage shape and fit into the barrel nipple drilling just fine. Went ahead and soldered it up with 50/50 plumbers solder, flux and butane micro flame. Fitting to bike (Velocette TLS front drum)...could put max force using two hands and no sign of any slippage. Calling it a good-un!
 
Not sure how you can hold the cable tight, some kind of clamp or vice that doesn't damage the strands?
I just use alloy vice jaws , it's only small wire strands to be flared over into the nipple recess , with the correct size centre punch , your not trying to forge it to the nipple , I think the birds nest tool will require alot more force on your cable because your hammering it dead square on the end , till it collapses and kinks .
 
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Made up a tool as like in the video linked in first post....outta thick stock alu. Getting the holes drilled went ok for the 2mm brake cable I needed to make. Would need ot get some smaller diameter drill bits to use some of the smaller cable sizes though.
Did a few tests and the bird cage came out very nice...all the strands neatly spiraled evenly into the cage shape and fit into the barrel nipple drilling just fine. Went ahead and soldered it up with 50/50 plumbers solder, flux and butane micro flame. Fitting to bike (Velocette TLS front drum)...could put max force using two hands and no sign of any slippage. Calling it a good-un!
Looks good.
I've looked at the expensive little Venhills item a few times, but managed without it.
I've just held the cable in the vise and slowly birdcaged the end with fine needle nose pliers, 1 strand at a time.
The end product in the video looks much neater than my job plus it's quick and easy to do.
I'm making one of these little tools!

Glen
 
Looks good.
I've looked at the expensive little Venhills item a few times, but managed without it.
I've just held the cable in the vise and slowly birdcaged the end with fine needle nose pliers, 1 strand at a time.
The end product in the video looks much neater than my job plus it's quick and easy to do.
I'm making one of these little tools!

Glen
The Venhill and other online video diy tool Ive seen were made of steel angle with likely makes it more durable for longterm usage, though certainly harder to drill with the very fine bits meeded. Have extra bits on hand.
 
I suspect that an aluminium tool will see me out!
I try to buy the ready made silver soldered Venhills stainless/teflon Featherlite cables whenever they are available, so I really don't make up many cables at all, maybe one or two per year on average.


Glen
 
I was fortunate to purchase the Venhill tool on special at Stafford some years ago. I could make birds nest with it all day just for the pleasure of using it. 🙂
Careful there...you'll end up getting loads of cables to make for us all!
 
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If you need one in a pinch you can use plastic angle.
 

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