having fun chasing threads

[smiife]

Hi guys
had fun chasing threads today,,,,,and It was about the same as a
bad day playing golf !! (I hate golf too...)
I am sure It is all about practice ,,,,,but i was so confident i went
ahead and made a box and then thought i would just thread the top
and bottom and finish off ! HA.HA. not that easy , I now have the
utmost respect for those that can chase threads , cos I sure can, t
I then started a second box thinking the first one was just put down
to experiance , it wasn, t much better than the first attempt
So I found an old pepper mill that didn, t work to good and was
made of Ironbark and very hard and just practiced for a few hours
I finally seemed to be getting somewhere,, i took a few photos
of the process thought some might get a laugh....
any tips , comments and advice would be appreciated.....

[dai sensei]

Practice practice practice, on your thread patterns, then depth of threads, then matching the internal/external threads.

Certainly not easy, although watching someone who knows what they are doing, it looks easy . Powderpost (Jim) is the man

[powderpost]

Hi Smiife, I can sympathize with you. I bought a pair if chasers about 15 years ago, simple eh? First attempt, bludy disaster, second attempt worse and so on. The chasers then spent a long time resting where they landed after many failures, in the corner of the shed. Sound familiar? 20 tpi chasers is the better place to start. Like all tools, they are not ready for use straight from the packet. Sharpen by rubbing a stone on the top surface of the chasers, they must be sharp. Set the lathe at about 350 rpm, with the tool rest about 20mm from the job for the male thread. Select a piece, not necessarily hard, but with a tight grain and turn round and smooth about 50mm diameter. Set the tool rest so that the tool cuts on the horizontal centre line. The trick is a VERY LIGHT touch and hold the tool LIGHTLY. It is not like turning where you need to hold the tool firmly. Place most of the fingers of the left hand under the rest with the thumb on top of the tool immediately above the rest. Rotate the handle in a clockwise direction and VERY LIGHTLY mark the timber. Repeat the process LIGHTLY and in the same place.

I would suggest that you just concentrate on chasing a male thread until you start to get the hang of it before you work on a box. After each attempt cut the thread off and start again on the same piece. Then start working on the female thread. You will find that much easier by boring a 25mm hole deep into a 50mm blank for the female thread. Making a box at this stage will only create pressure on you to "make a box" rather than master the technique first. There is more to making a threaded box than just chasing threads.

I do understand your frustration, been there done that, and learned the hard way. But mastering hand thread chasing is very satisfying.
Your pictures suggest to me that the tools are not sharp enough, and that you are using the tools in the same manner used for turning. Can't emphasize enough, light touch.

Hope this helps you....

Jim

[tea lady]

I have managed to get 3 threaded boxes working. But a lot of waste wood.

Little pointers-

-You need a groove at the bottom of the thread

-When you start the thread you have the chaser angled a bit (handle to the right. ) then gradually bring it straight with each pass.

-Ya gotta make sure the sides are parallel. I found this hardest on the inside. I think cos the thread chaser in not straight with the handle. And cos you can't eye ball it.

-The tool is in motion all the time. You probably know that. But you just sort of get a rhythm to moving the tool in , along the thread, out, around, back tho the start. repeat.

-The threads you are doing look good. Just not parallel.

[steamingbill]

Please excuse me if this is regarded as cheating.

Fine Woodworking - March/April 1983 - #39
THREADING WOOD
A router-table threadbox
by Andrew Henwood
A commercial threader
by Jim Cummins
Versatile threadbox cuts inside and outside threads
by Robert J. Harrigan

The last article describes a jig you can make that uses a dremel or similar tool to cut the thread with a v shaped high speed cutter. I've only got a faded hard copy. I cant find it on the web so I must have photocopied from library. I think there are a few versions documented on the web in various places - they use a threaded bar or a big bolt (most hardware shops) to feed the workpiece onto the rotating tool at the correct tpi rate........ Magazine might be available as a loan via library system.

Maybe you already know about them.

Heres a slightly different version http://www.instructables.com/id/Box-Threading-Jig/ the relevant bit starts at 5:20 and good view of basic jig right at start.

I made a terrible mess when I tried threading wood. Ripped it to pieces and that made me do some googling to find other ways.

Bill

[nalmo]

I've had some success with chasing threads.
At first I got results like smife's - good practice to get the technique right, but the biggest obstacle was in the choice of timbers. Like powderpost said, try using tight grained timbers and you'll notice a sudden improvement in the quality of your threads. Hard timbers do not make the threads cleaner, probably the opposite. I've had excellent results with some cherry.

[smiife]

[QUOte dai sensei;1859289]Practice,practice practice, on your thread patterns, then depth of threads, then matching the internal/external threads.

Certainly not easy, although watching someone who knows what they are doing, it looks easy . Powderpost (Jim) is the man[/QUOTE]
Hi neil,
Thanks for your thoughts, definatly not easy,, watched a u-tube of
Alan Batty and he certainly makes It look easy

Hi Smiife, I can sympathize with you. I bought a pair if chasers about 15 years ago, simple eh? First attempt, bludy disaster, second attempt worse and so on. The chasers then spent a long time resting where they landed after many failures, in the corner of the shed. Sound familiar? 20 tpi chasers is the better place to start. Like all tools, they are not ready for use straight from the packet. Sharpen by rubbing a stone on the top surface of the chasers, they must be sharp. Set the lathe at about 350 rpm, with the tool rest about 20mm from the job for the male thread. Select a piece, not necessarily hard, but with a tight grain and turn round and smooth about 50mm diameter. Set the tool rest so that the tool cuts on the horizontal centre line. The trick is a VERY LIGHT touch and hold the tool LIGHTLY. It is not like turning where you need to hold the tool firmly. Place most of the fingers of the left hand under the rest with the thumb on top of the tool immediately above the rest. Rotate the handle in a clockwise direction and VERY LIGHTLY mark the timber. Repeat the process LIGHTLY and in the same place.

I would suggest that you just concentrate on chasing a male thread until you start to get the hang of it before you work on a box. After each attempt cut the thread off and start again on the same piece. Then start working on the female thread. You will find that much easier by boring a 25mm hole deep into a 50mm blank for the female thread. Making a box at this stage will only create pressure on you to "make a box" rather than master the technique first. There is more to making a threaded box than just chasing threads.

I do understand your frustration, been there done that, and learned the hard way. But mastering hand thread chasing is very satisfying.
Your pictures suggest to me that the tools are not sharp enough, and that you are using the tools in the same manner used for turning. Can't emphasize enough, light touch.

Hope this helps you....

Jim

Hi jim,
Thanks for your comments and advice I will take all your points
onboard, what type of timber would you recommend to use as
a beginner , I thought jarrah would have worked well but not
in this case,,

n

I have managed to get 3 threaded boxes working. But a lot of waste wood.

Little pointers-

-You need a groove at the bottom of the thread

-When you start the thread you have the chaser angled a bit (handle to the right. ) then gradually bring it straight with each pass.

-Ya gotta make sure the sides are parallel. I found this hardest on the inside. I think cos the thread chaser in not straight with the handle. And cos you can't eye ball it.

-The tool is in motion all the time. You probably know that. But you just sort of get a rhythm to moving the tool in , along the thread, out, around, back tho the start. repeat.

-The threads you are doing look good. Just not parallel.

Hi ann marie,
I did put In the groove firstly but i think i may have cut it away
and getting the threads parallel ain, t easy , thanks for your advice
I really appreciate your help, do you have any pic, s of your boxes ?
Thanks for your pointers all well noted , all I have to do now Is practice
Practice and more practice....mmmmm........hope I can find the time

[smiife]

Please eitcuse me if this is regarded as cheating.

Fine Woodworking - March/April 1983 - #39
THREADING WOOD
A router-table threadbox
by Andrew Henwood
A commercial threaded
by Jim Cummins
Versatile threadbox cuts inside and outside threads
by Robert J. Harrigan

The last article describes a jig you can make that uses a dremel or similar tool to cut the thread with a v shaped high speed cutter. I've only got a faded hard copy. I cant find it on the web so I must have photocopied from library. I think there are a few versions documented on the web in various places - they use a threaded bar or a big bolt (most hardware shops) to feed the workpiece onto the rotating tool at the correct tpi rate........ Magazine might be available as a loan via library system.

Maybe you already know about them.

Heres a slightly different version http://www.instructables.com/id/Box-Threading-Jig/ the relevant bit starts at 5:20 and good view of basic jig right at start.

I made a terrible mess when I tried threading wood. Ripped it to pieces and that made me do some googling to find other ways.

Bill

Hi bill,
Not sure if it, s cheating,, certainly another way of doing threads and
if I had to do some for a customer on a regular basis probably a good way
to go, thread chasing was just something I wanted to have a go at and is
a lot more difficult than I thought It would be

I've had some success with chasing threads.
At first I got results like smife's - good practice to get the technique right, but the biggest obstacle was in the choice of timbers. Like powderpost said, try using tight grained timbers and you'll notice a sudden improvement in the quality of your threads. Hard timbers do not make the threads cleaner, probably the opposite. I've had excellent results with some cherry.

Hi nalmo,
Thanks for your advice , I will try some different timbers I think !
I will certainly not be giving up any time soon .

[powderpost]

-Ya gotta make sure the sides are parallel. I found this hardest on the inside. I think cos the thread chaser in not straight with the handle. And cos you can't eye ball it.

Hi Tealady, Making the male thread "parallel" is simple enough, just eye ball it with the edge of the bed. Inside the female thread is a little different. I use a small steel rule or a pencil held against the inside and eye ball it with the edge of the bed before cutting the thread. Helps also to rub a little EEE on the thread and work the threads by hand. Makes them nice and smooth.

Fim

[powderpost]

Hi jim,
Thanks for your comments and advice I will take all your points
onboard, what type of timber would you recommend to use as
a beginner , I thought jarrah would have worked well but not
in this case,,

Smiife, not sure what timbers you have access to. I have chased threads on citrus fruit trees, maybe you could try some of the stone fruit woods. Can't vouch for them as I don't have access to those up here.

Jim

[smiife]

Hi Tealady, Making the maIe thread "parallel" is simple enough, just eye ball it with the edge of the bed. Inside the female thread is a little different. I use a small steel rule or a pencil held against the inside and eye ball it with the edge of the bed before cutting the thread. Helps also to rub a little EEE on the thread and work the threads by hand. Makes them nice and smooth.

Fim

Hi jim,
Hope you don, t mind me keep asking questions,!
What do you mean by rubbing In eee and work by hand ?

Hi jim,
Thanks for your comments and advice I will take all your points
onboard, what type of timber would you recommend to use as
a beginner , I thought jarrah would have worked well but not
in this case,,

Smiife, not sure what timbers you have access to. I have chased threads on citrus fruit trees, maybe you could try some of the stone fruit woods. Can't vouch for them as I don't have access to those up here.

Jim

I will look around for some tight grain timber and try again
I think you will have to pop around and give us a demo
You would like It here ...a high of 8º today sleeting rain
and about 2º overnight.......sounds good doesn, t IT......
Thanks for your help!

[dai sensei]

You'll have to make it up to Proserpine and see Jim in action. I was next to him last year, cheeky bloke turned a box with threaded and textured lid in a matter of minutes , he makes it look sooooo simple

[smiife]

You'll have to make it up to Proserpine and see Jim in action. I was next to him last year, cheeky bloke turned a box with threaded and textured lid in a matter of minutes , he makes it look sooooo simple

Hi neil,
Yeah , I might have to do that , I still have a bit of time
to practice !!

[powderpost]

Hi Smiife, I certainly don't mind you asking questions. Again I will suggest you practice chasing threads on pieces of timber, instead of the extra pressure of making a threaded lidded box.
The EEE bit was referring to easing a less than perfect thread on a box, instead of easing with the chasers. That last cut invariably has unwelcome results. A very common result in wood turning.
As for "popping" around the corner, that could be a problem, I have a little difficulty with temperatures like that.

Jim

[powderpost]

Smiife, here is a bit of a challenge for you. This box is made from Queensland maple, not a good timber for thread chasing. I have inserted a piece of Burdekin plum into the bottom and inside the lid for chasing the thread. Another option for timbers that don't like taking a hand chased thread.

Jim

Maple box2.jpgmaple box3.jpg