Hand Made Handscrews

[Don Orr]

I recently made up 2 wooden old style handscrews like the ones before what are around these days. Made of Beech and finished with BLO. I harvested the wood and used hand tools for a large portion of the work. I have had the thread box and tap for a long time and finally got to put them to good use. I even picked up a 2nd place ribbon at the Northeastern Woodworkers Association Showcase in Saratoga Springs, NY. I am a member and volunteer for the show now in its 26th year. I also made a Moxon style sawing vise that I posted earlier.

[David Eisenhauer]

Nice, simple, effective work Don. I like the clamps. Don't use that kind every day, but did today and was glad to have them. Extra points awarded for the wooden screws.

[Rob Paul]

Nice clamps. I'm impressed.
Could you advise on the secrets to making good wooden threads ? I haven't tried for a long time, as my attempts at using my thread box seemed to only produce crumbly threads.
Do you have to use green wood ? (I've only tried dried wood)
Do you use a lubricant ? (I seem to recall someone's recommendation to slather on BLO before cutting)
Do you cut the thread in one pass, or increase the thread depth in successive cuts ?
Any special sharpening tips ?
Wood species recommendations ?
If I can get some good advice I'll dig out my old thread boxes, as I really would like to start cutting decent wooden threads

[george wilson]

I have made many a thread with wooden screw boxes. Yes,it does do some good to thoroughly impregnate the wood with boiled linseed oil. But,if your cutter isn't honed quite sharp,and set at the right angle and depth in the screw box,it can break the threads all the way off,leaving only a thin,scribed line amongst the broken off fuzz,showing where the thread once was !!!

I can't tell you how to accomplish this via this message.

[Robert Engel]

Hey, finally an excuse to by a thread and tap set!!

[michael langman]

Very nice clamps Don. Congratulations on the ribbon!

[Dave Parkis]

Hey Don,

Those are really nice. I was admiring them at Showcase. If you want to make some more, I would be happy to take them off your hands.

[Don Orr]

Thanks for the nice comments! Much appreciated. George is, as always, right on the money. His advice is well and truly appreciated.
To answer Rob's question as best I can:
I don't think green wood would help much since I think it could warp unfavorably and shrink so the fit might not be good.
I read an article on a woodworking magazine many years ago that said to use 50/50 BLO and mineral spirits which is what I used and it worked very well when soaked thoroughly. I did try it dry just to see how it would work and failed miserably as George described. Fortunately I had turned the blanks extra long.
I did cut the threads in a single pass all the way in one shot and it worked well. Setting the cutter took some trial and error before hand.
Sharpening is just basic honing like you would for low angle carving tools.
As to species, I have been told that hard maple, and probably most maples, do not thread well. I used Beech because it was what I had available and it works well with sharp tools. I think it also needs to be very straight grained. My wood was not entirely dry as I had to re-tap the female threads a couple of times due to apparent shrinkage. I applied paste wax to all contacting surfaces to aid function. I have been successful threading hickory and cherry, but have not tried anything else.

Hope that helps.

[Rob Paul]

Thanks Don, George, for sharing.
(I had thought I was screwed, but there's enough information in this thread to get me turned around )

[george wilson]

I can't find the picture of the most delicate thread job I ever had. It was a copy of an 18th.C. embroidery stand made of violet wood(which is hard as blazes!!!!). There were two long arms with long ,threaded screws on each side. They,the threaded portions, were 3/8" in diameter,and 8" long. So,there were four of these shafts to thread. They ran through a total of 4 thick,washer like pieces made of lignum vitae. You could tack a piece of cloth to cross bars,and stretch it taunt for embroidery work.

I think these embroidery frames,made of valuable woods and fitted with ivory decorations,were made in India to sell to the wealthy English ladies. I can only respect the craftsmen who made these things,no doubt with only the most basic of tools,and a little bow operated wooden lathe,held with the feet,and sometimes a foot's toes would grasp the chisel to turn this very hard wood accurately. I saw a video of an Indian craftsman sitting against the wall of a building in the dirt. With nearly nothing,but a knife,a chisel,and a little wooden lathe,he made a complete sitar where he sat. No bench at all. not even a small table or a chair.

I had no tackle for making threads that small in diameter,but for many,many years now,have made several tap and thread box sets for my own use. One thread box and tap set had a hole for right hand threads,and another for left hand threads. It was made to use to make an early wooden cooper's "divider" (can't think of the correct name now.) These wooden dividers had a thin piece of wood that made the bowed top section. Then,the same piece of wood thickened up where the threaded holes were,terminating in little steel points. In the middle of this device was the left and right hand threaded screw that adjusted the pointed tips. It wasn't capable of a great deal of adjustment,and had something to do with fitting the lids of casks. I've forgotten how the dividers were used. Especially right now as I spent most of the night in the emergency room. My wife got a little "spray" of a very poisionous plant in her eye,which started burning very badly about 4 hours later,and which could lead to blindness. It took several hours to get her eye treated.

P.S.: The taps are made from 01 drill rod.

Anyway,I had to make both the taps and the thread boxes for both of these items. The picture shows 3 of the taps..but I have several more made over the years. The taps with the handle in the middle have a right hand thread on one side,and a left hand thread on the other side. Both the same diameter. Makes it impossible to LOSE one of them when needed!! The little 3/8" tap is laying on top of the group. They cut very clean threads in holes drilled for them. And,these taps are shown in an 18th. C. catalog
I have seen. But,where,I have forgotten. I have a closeup of the cutting end of one of these. The end is bored out,and the end of a thread is filed away till just the square end is left. A hole is drilled right where the thread terminates.

Then,a small,triangular file(usually a needle file for the small taps) is inserted in the hole and a cutting edge is made. Then,the tap is hardened and drawn to a spring temper,so it is hard enough to cut,but soft enough to sharpen,like the temper in a saw blade. The shaving goes down the hole,and out front of the tap via the hole. Works quite well,and,it is more easily managed than those old tapered taps that Marples furnished with their die boxes. Those,being VERY tapered,can easily thread a crooked hole if the user isn't skilled and careful.

If I had wanted to make them with bright surfaces all over,I could have coated them with "P B C No Scale". But,the sutfaces didn't matter since they were made for myself,and as quickly as possible.