Tensioning cable

I am looking for ideas on how to be able to tension an 1/8in steel cable that is roughly 2ft long and secured on both ends by cable loops and a bolt/washer going through it.

My main problem is that the part doing the tensioning would have to be super lightweight for my intended use.

Does anyone know of any super light turnbuckles or a better way of tensioning cable between to points so that it is adjustable?

Do not use cable loops
Drill a 1/8 hole in a 8mm rod with threads on the end and schrink or solder the cable in the hole
If you do it right its as strong as a loop
Then the cable is easy to tension

Peter

I would do it like that:
Take a hex socket set screw.
Drill a hole along the axis
Put the cable tru hole
Crimp a piece of tube on cable
Cut the crimping shorter
And do it to the other end
I have used it for hanging designer lamps etc, it is the most lightweight setup I can imagine.

If the explanation is messy, I can make a drawing. Give feedback

Done similar to Madis using an ordinary hex head bolt on one end and a blind end threaded tube on the other. Worked well enough but I found cable tended to wind up and twist even with grease where the ferrules ran. Hard soldered my ferrules on, cable nipple style. This was way before crimping tooling became readily available. I still feel that splaying out the cable into a countersunk counterbore and selling with hards older so the splay can't compress and pull out is better than an ordinary hand tooling crimp. Especially for few off where you haven't got the time to test and refine technique.

Had commercial crimps slip, due to Bubba overloading things, so tend to be wary.

Clive

What's the intended use, and what are some numbers for the amount of load?

-Marty-

Marty Feldman said:

What's the intended use, and what are some numbers for the amount of load?

-Marty-

Click to expand...

Well, I have seen 1/8" "cable" rated for 1000 lbs.
And I would design my fittings around the breaking strength
of the cable...whatever it ends up being.

Marty Feldman said:

What's the intended use, and what are some numbers for the amount of load?

-Marty-

Click to expand...

Does such information really matter?

I mean, do you have an assortment of 1/8 th inch steel cable tension schemes that vary according to "amount of load".

I don't. If you do, please, share them all.

CalG said:

Does such information really matter?

I mean, do you have an assortment of 1/8 th inch steel cable tension schemes that vary according to "amount of load".

I don't. If you do, please, share them all.

Click to expand...

Because of the poorly defined requirements in the OP, yes the information matters.

Are you limited to one cable tensioning scheme?

Brake cable adjuster

Google cable railing.

lots of results like this

http://www.csjohnson.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=19


Edited as link did not work

CalG said:

Does such information really matter?

I mean, do you have an assortment of 1/8 th inch steel cable tension schemes that vary according to "amount of load".

I don't. If you do, please, share them all.

Click to expand...

Yeah it matters.

As pointed out, the use is poorly defined. I can come up with a great number of methods to tension cable, varying in cost, weight, and technology levels, but I'll be buggered if I will waste my life typing them all out so that the OP can look them over and find them all wanting.

Good questions, get good answers. The OP asked a vague question, and guys are guessing at what might work for him. More details are required.

Cheers
Trev

Check out the marine stuff, wires of those diameters are in common use on more than a few smaller racing dingy's very small light hollow turn-buckles are std stuff and there designed to be crimped straight on the wire. There surprisingly inexpensive for marine stuff too.

You really do not give enough details of the design for an answer to this question. You say it will have "loops" on the ends and a bolt/washer going through it. I am imagining the ends being anchored on a flat face with the cable being parallel to that surface and a bolt going through the looped ends.

The simplest way to tension a cable is by moving the end either with a hook or a eye style bolt. But that works best when the cable is perpendicular to the surface, not parallel to it.

The next thing that comes to my mind is a way of moving the point of attachment. An offset bolt or a offset washer/bushing that fits inside the loop would be one way of doing this. This washer/bushing would have some means of attaching a wrench or lever to adjust the tension and then the bolt would be tightened down to lock it. This would be a square or hex feature or a pair of holes or whatever. That is about as light in weight as I can imagine. Alternatively a small pivoted plate could be attached to the anchor point and the cable to that plate. The plate could be rotated to apply the tension. This would probably be somewhat heavier than the bushing idea, but could provide a larger range of adjustment.

It should be possible to make a drawing of this without showing any confidential details of the device. Just show the cable, it's ends, and a portion of the two parts that it will be attached to with any pertinent details. That would be very helpful if you need more ideas.

Edit: Another way would be to use an eye or hook bolt as I suggested above and run it through a hole in a stud or mounting block on the attachment point. A nut on that eye or hook bolt would provide the tension adjustment. This would probably be easier to adjust.

psandherr said:

I am looking for ideas on how to be able to tension an 1/8in steel cable that is roughly 2ft long and secured on both ends by cable loops and a bolt/washer going through it.

My main problem is that the part doing the tensioning would have to be super lightweight for my intended use.

Does anyone know of any super light turnbuckles or a better way of tensioning cable between to points so that it is adjustable?

Click to expand...

When people say super light weight and cables I think flying machines.

CarbideBob said:

When people say super light weight and cables I think flying machines.

Click to expand...

Yup, same here.
However not a peep from the OP as of yet.

I used a very strong spring at one end.. then a threaded rod and double nut .. a nylock would also be good.

Not sure on your forces, possibly use a gituar machine?

likely the simple would be a small piece of angle iron with a cable size hole for the wire draw screw to go through.. with having a nylock nut to draw tighter..I used this on a grinder lacking the rack and gear for long travel..

Even 1/16 ss wire rope is close to 500 pounds break strength.
looks like 1/8 is 1700 pounds break strength.