old wood vice

[AndyT]

It's certainly cleaned up well - ready for another fifty years of use. I hope the benches will get matching patina of their own and blend in.

Cutting big threads is one of those interesting challenges that languish in the lower depths of my to-do list. It doesn't have to be costly tooling though. Roy Underhill covers it quite thoroughly in one of his books; or you could probably do a diy version of the Beal router jig.

 

[condeesteso]

yes Andy, I will do my part to age the bench to match nicely, but I suspect it will be over to someone else to complete the effect
I'd like to find the Roy U info - any idea which book, I think there are about 8?
And re patina - I must share my paint dating system, and here will do:

if the splashes are white, it's 'modern'
if they are cream it's post war
If they are green, it's pre-war

If my system is right the vice screw is pre-war

 

[jimi43]

yes Andy, I will do my part to age the bench to match nicely, but I suspect it will be over to someone else to complete the effect
I'd like to find the Roy U info - any idea which book, I think there are about 8?
And re patina - I must share my paint dating system, and here will do:

if the splashes are white, it's 'modern'
if they are cream it's post war
If they are green, it's pre-war

If my system is right the vice screw is pre-war

AAAAAAHG!!!!

Arsenic!!

Are you dead yet...Napolean was...but he slept with his...

I don't recommend you sleep with your bench and you should be ok! :mrgreen:

Jim

 

[AndyT]

That's an accurate tool dating system Douglas!

The Roy U info is in "The Woodwright's Workbook" from 1986, chapter 3. £15.50 from The Book Depository (now owned by Amazon) or £19.48 from Amazon.

He did a video on making screwboxes - http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/video/2700/2704.html - which may be useful.

In it, he spends a long time making the cutter from an old file, which is great if you want to learn about annealing, hardening and tempering. But Axi do sell the cutters on their own for only £8.20.

The clever bit that is in the book but not on the video is a description of how to make a big tap. This looks fairly easy - it's a big wooden cylinder with a metal scraper sticking out of the side of it. The forward motion is controlled by a helical thread on the wood, but this is just a shallow saw cut, which runs in a thin metal garter. (It's like the first stage of making a barleysugar twist turning.)

 

[Racers]

Hi, Andy

Thats good to know, I abandoned my attempt and a screwbox as I couldn't get the cutter I made to work.


Pete

 

[condeesteso]

Brilliant Andy - I wonder if the RU technique might also adapt to smaller threads say 10mm. You know those super-cheap marking gauges in DIY stores with a fat yellow plastic lock-screw? I'm thinking a smart variant with hornbeam screw. Then there are the various Moxon vices to play with. And the screw is one thing, what about the nuts I wonder. I shall get the book, I'm sure I owe Mr Underhill a few bob.

p.s. I looked at the Axi device, worth a play with at around £35... but I'm still interested in small 10mm, and bigger 2" plus.

 

[AndyT]

I've just spotted that the book is also available at Classic Hand Tools at £15.95 in case anyone was thinking of making up an order...

You have to make a tap first, so you can put the internal guiding thread on the screwbox, so you should always end up with the means to make matching pieces.

Here's a blog by someone trying to follow the methods RU shows - lots more about thread cutting in other posts there.

http://dblaney.wordpress.com/2011/0...for-making-large-2-12-diameter-wooden-screws/