Thread Chasing

[Michael O'Sullivan]

I am thinking about taking advantge of the Hartville sale and getting a set of thread chasers. Anybody use the Crown or the Robert Sorby? What do you think of them? Also, is the relief tool a necessity, or can I easily get by without it?

[Jeff Nicol]

Michael, The relief tool is a nessecity if you are going to hand chase or power cut the threads. The relief cut gives you a place to finish the threads without leaving some half cut or going to deep and ruining the finished surface. The relief cutter can be made very easily at home. You need something that will cut 90 degrees to the shaft/handle. It could be a piece of dowel with a sharpened nail in it as you will be making smaller items and not cutting to far inside the box. I used some old taps and made a thread chaser that worked but I built the threading jig so I could cut them on the lathe with a spinning cutter. That is much faster and more precise.

Hope that helps, there are lots of threads online and books about it. I think either one of the chasers you mentioned will do the job.

Jeff

[Michael O'Sullivan]

Jeff --- thanx