Originally Posted by fmw
Understand that factory spoke threads are rolled an not cut so that they are stronger. The Phil Woods machine rolls the threads. The Hozan machine cuts them so the spokes are weakened somewhat.
The Hozan rolls them as well. There's three rolling dies on the head and the adjustable nut determines how far apart they are for 1.5-2.2mm spokes. I've used this tool to build hundreds of wheels, it's slow, but for those times when you don't have quite the right spoke-length, it works well. Also best if you only have to shorten the spokes just a little so that there's 1-2 of the original threads left to start the rollers. With a bare spoke, you have to be careful to grind a bevel on the tip so thar the rollers can start gradually (makes them last longer as well). The Hozan tool is a favorite amongst the RC helicopter & plane crowd because they can use them to thread control rods.