Does anyone make small vise screws?

[Luke Dupont]

I've been wanting a small (5/8" x 12" or so) vise screw to make my own wooden vise. I only want the screw, no other hardware.
3/4" would also be acceptable.

However, it seems that the only screws (just the screw bit like you use for a leg vise or home-made tail vise. I don't want guide rods or a cast iron body) sold on the market are upwards of 1" and massive and extremely heavy, intended for large leg vises on Roubo style benches. That's not what I want. I want a small screw for a compact vise on a portable bench or planing board.

I'm currently making a prototype just using a standard 5/8" threaded rod which have threads on the "coarse side" but aren't as coarse as most vises. They seem like they would work, but will be slow to operate. I'll make a prototype to try out and see if it seems usable or not, but I figured I'd ask if anyone knows where I can find a better screw of the same size, but with coarser threads...

There are a few commercial woodworking vises with replacement screws of the size I'm looking for that I could order, but I would have no idea what where to buy a nut to use with them in the right size and pitch/tpi, nor would I know the specifications until I received the product.

[William Lessenberry]

You're looking for an Acme thread. McMaster Carr has a good selection here in the States, do you have anything like that in Japan?
BillL

https://www.mcmaster.com/screws/thread-size~5-8-8/

[Russell Nugent]

I used veneer press screws for my bench on a bench. Not sure if that'd be what you want.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Luke

Purchase one of the thread cutters. They can be had quite inexpensively.

This link is there I used the tap, but had to find another way for the thread as my cutter was broken ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/BenchInAWeekend.html

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/BenchInAWeekend_html_m6b8bfba7.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Stew Denton]

Luke,

A couple of thoughts. Look at the auction site doing a search for "acme thread 5/8" or "acme rod 5/8" and also under "Veneer Press." All of the suppliers that list the 5/8-8 acme rod only list 3' as the minimum length, but if you contact them, one of them may agree to cut the rod to the length you require. You can also buy the nuts on the action site as well.

A veneer press is about the length you want, and comes with a crank handle and a threaded mounting type nut that you can use to attach to the back leg of a leg vise or other type back of the vise you build. It also comes with a "foot" that could be used to build something like a shoulder vise if that is desired. Unfortunately the ones I looked at do not specify what size acme threaded rod is used in the press. You could send a note to the supplier and ask about the thread size.

That said, the veneer press option might be a good one, again IF the acme rod is a size you could live with. It comes with a handle, foot, and threaded mounting nut so you would not have to build those parts.

One other option, if 1/2" acme rod is not too small for your purpose, is to search for 1/2-10 acme rod. One shows up that is available in several lengths, including 12" long, and is supplied with a flanged brass nut. You can also find the acme thread 1/2" nuts on that site also.

I just saw that Russel had beaten me to the punch with the veneer press idea. He obviously hit send before I was through writing up my thoughts.

With regards to the McMaster Carr idea that William (who also beat me to the punch) mentions above, they may also have handles that are threaded to the acme threads that would also make life easier for you. You can high strength epoxy a handle to the thread and be in business with a handle.

Regards,

Stew

[Maurice Mcmurry]

There is a product called Coli Rod that is used in concrete construction. The threads fit rather loosely.
I dismantled an under counter trash compactor and saved the 4 - 5/8 inch x two foot long Acme Screws to use in vices, presses, etc. Some garage door openers have a long, small diameter Acme Screw.
Availability in Japan is unknown to me.

477755 477756

[Jim Ritter]

There was a discussion on this topic not long ago. You can find it here.
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?297116-DIY-vise-screw-and-the-sacrifice-of-many-a-twist-bit

Jim

[Luke Dupont]

There was a discussion on this topic not long ago. You can find it here.
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?297116-DIY-vise-screw-and-the-sacrifice-of-many-a-twist-bit

Jim


That's my thread, and my first attempt using regular hardware store threaded rods! lol

I started with 1/2" but I think that is just a little too small and slow. 5/8 is sturdier, but only 1 thread per inch faster. Still rather slow.

Anyway, lots of great suggestions here as always. I didn't know about Veneer presses or Coli Rod.

Also, I did see Acme threaded rod -- I think for 3d printers? Mostly in 8mm, but I found some in 12mm, or 1/2". A bit small, but maybe doable... I guess it's fine so long as it doesn't bend.

And then there's the wooden screw route. Would a 3/4" wooden screw be sufficiently sturdy for a small woodworking vise? I don't need to crush my workpiece or clamp down with thousands of lbs of force, just hold boards in place while I plane, saw, and chisel. Mortising and heavy chopping is done on the bench-top.

I wish I knew the Japanese equivalent for McMaster-Carr! My Japanese isn't bad, but my Japanese Google-fu sure is, and guessing what things are called in Japanese when I want to search for some specific piece of hardware is pretty hit or miss.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Tokyu Hardware and Industrial Supply (https://www.tokyuhardware.com/about_us.htm)

Luke, Here is what I use to turn my homemade vice screws. It speeds things up and one works for several vices and fixtures.

477763

[Luke Dupont]

Hi Luke

Purchase one of the thread cutters. They can be had quite inexpensively.

This link is there I used the tap, but had to find another way for the thread as my cutter was broken ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/BenchInAWeekend.html

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/BenchInAWeekend_html_m6b8bfba7.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek


I'm curious, where do you find the cheap ones? All I find are expensive ones, $50+, but everyone talks about "the cheap ones."
I was just looking on Amazon and found the DCT ones. Everyone seems to be comparing them to "the cheap ones" and saying that they're basically the same, but I can't find these things anywhere for any cheaper... Maybe I'm searching the wrong thing!

Anyway, this seems like it would be a good route too. I'm just put off by the high price and reviews that say that the cutters are trash and either break or get dull quickly, and are only hardened on the surface (therefore only able to be resharpened like once or twice).
I'll do some searching. Maybe I can find the "original" super cheap product coming out of China that everyone is just marking up 2x or 3x in price...

If all else fails maybe I can figure out how to replace the cutter with something manufactured from a square file or V-tool or similar...

[Tom M King]

I'm guessing this is too big. It's 2" stainless steel Acme threaded rod I bought off ebay, some years ago. It came cheap because no one bid against me. There is enough for two vises on a bench, but I've been too busy to do anything with it yet. The thing to the right in dipped plastic is a tap that matches, which also no one bid against me on. I have two nuts made out of 2-1/2" thick Delrin with that tap, waiting.

[Alan Schwabacher]

The veneer press screws may be your most cost effective option, but at this moment it’s hard to say what is available or what anything will cost.

Screwboxes can work well, particularly if used with well behaved wood like birch.

They do seem to have gone up in price, and I have noted the cutter was trash in mine. It’s not too hard to make a new cutter from a bit of steel, but I don’t know if that’s what you want to do. For that matter, it’s not too hard to make the whole thread box if you have a tap. If that sounds like fun, it’s an inexpensive approach. If not, it’s not: it costs time.

[John Stankus]

Grizzly has a veneer press screw for about $15 (don't know about the shipping to Japan) but it is
Shop Fox D2893 - Veneer Press Clamp it looks to be about 11 1/2 inches long

[Richard Coers]

Look for double start threaded rod for DIY CNC machines. Ebay has a ton of options for the rod and nuts.

[Tom Bender]

Acme thread is what you want. A loose tolerance variety is used on scaffolding to level the legs. It's a sloppy fit to make it dirt resistant but you might score a piece from a scaffold rental company, maybe free. You might need to saw, file, drill and weld to get a nice result.

Or you can buy higher quality material new.

I would not mess with wood threads, but that's just me. About a million of them have performed well over the centuries.

If you put leather or crubber on the jaws you will not have to clamp very tight.

[James Pallas]

Any hobby woodworker needs to befriend a hobbiest machinist. They love to work with the harder material just like you like the softer stuff. Things like vise screws are like candy to them. 😎
Jim

[steven c newman]

Dumbell bar is Acme threaded....buy with the wheels that lock the weights to the bar....Used to be about ~$8 at Wall mart sporting goods....

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Dumbell bar is Acme threaded....buy with the wheels that lock the weights to the bar....Used to be about ~$8 at Wall mart sporting goods....

Thats Brilliant! the diameter on this one is 15/16 inch.

478238

[Charles Murray Ohio]

Try looking at the Beal Wood threader. I used the 1 1/2" for a moxon vise. As you will see they have various sizes. The dowel rod (I turned my own) must be accurate in the diameter.
LINK; https://www.bealltool.com/products/threading/threader.php

[Maurice Mcmurry]

The answers to many mechanical problems come from Murray Ohio, ... or Dayton... or Cleveland : )

[Luke Dupont]

I think I found my solution!

ACME rods were expensive too for some reason, and rare to find anything even up to 12mm, so...

I ordered a replacement screw for a cast iron woodworking vise! It's acme threaded and comes with a handle and everything.

I don't have a nut for it, but I cut a hacksaw kerf in the first two threads and found that I can use the screw itself to cut threads into a piece of hardwood with an appropriately sized "starter" hole. This will give me a hardwood mounting nut. Might it wear out after a while? Yeah, maybe. But I think it will last plenty long enough, and it's super easy to make a new one if necessary in the future, so no big deal!

I also ordered a 3/4" wood screw tap and die set... So maybe I'll play with that too when it comes in. But I'm liking this metal screw quite a bit.

[Matt Hunstiger]

Here are results of threading two hard maple dowels with a 1-1/2" DCT set. I'm making a wooden saw vice a la James Wright on youtube. I read that soaking the dowels in boiled linseed oil for a day helps. I did that with a piece of PVC which was *just* larger than the dowel. Put in dowel, top it off, oil soaks in, top it off again a few hours later. The die set went through the dowel like butter and fits the nut nicely. A little boiled linseed oil on the tap giong through the nut worked well too. The nuts are made of hickory, and it went through just fine. I've been pleased with the DCT set.

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