Boys and Girls,
After the write up on my
Beall Wood Threader, I thought this may be an appropriate time to talk about metal threads... well, it would have been more appropriate 4 months ago before I got carried away with my puzzles.
Rather than reinvent the wheel treads threads I thought it’d be easier for me to migrate this article I published at Lumberjocks on Sep 14, 2020.
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Elementary Dear Wat’s_on Thread
Boys and Girls
Father's day has just passed in Australia, however, that doesn't mean there's no Father's Day in the US some day in the future and you can put this on your wish list or do yourself a favour, have quite a few drinks, order it online, go to bed and it'll be a surprise present when you sober up later.
This "tool" is not a must have but fall into the bloody handy asset category especially if you believe there are more than 1/4" nuts and bolts in the world.
I purchased this very basic set of
imperial and
metric ones from
Rockler many years ago,
however, when
Woodpecker retailed a
more comprehensive set (not their brand), and having experienced the
Rockler offering, I didn't hesitate to place an order.
Why you may ask? OK, picture this…
You have a pile of "orphaned" nuts and bolts in front of you…
All you veteran oldies can probably identify the pitch by mentally visualising the number of threads… much like the wrinkles in your face to guess your own age, but the baby-bum faced youngies would probably need a computer or at least a calculator/iPhone to count.
Consequently, most of the smart arses out there will simply reach for their box(es) of nuts and bolts and with trial and error, try a random selection of nuts/bolts till they get a match… they then dutifully place them, in like bundles, on the bench so as not confuse them and then have to reach for those boxes again to identify each pile in front of them… after all if you were clever enough to replaced the matching hardware in the right box, you'll only have to pull it out again if you have more hardware to check.
Convinced yet? NO! … OK.
Here in Australia, you can take your hardware down to the local Bunnings store and check the thread pitch with the hanging gauges they have down the hardware isle… only to find some mongrel has either pinched the board or you put the wrong hardware in your pocket.
Getting hotter? NO!… OK, try again.
Many of our frugal members will opt for cheap imported machinery that, damned if I know why, tend to have hardware that is not available in most local outlets…
You reach into your Tap and Die set, you do have one don't you, and drag out your thread gauge(s)…
You choose what seems be the best fit , record the number, visit your hardware vendor and return with what now turns out to be a mismatched thread.
Still not convinced? ... Just one more attempt.
You trundle down to a specialised hardware outlet, like Metro Bolts in Traralgon (Victoria, Australia), this time with the correct hardware in your hand, only to be told they don't carry that item. You then move onto the next remote supplier only to find that you left your "samle" at the previous location who will inform you they tossed that item into the bin as they had nowhere to put back on their shelves… Shizen, now you're missing two of those items.
Still in doubt?… Hell, reminds me of dragging that vacuum cleaner up some stairs with the cord wrapped around the legs… use your bloody welder…
otherwise…
Buy one of these gizmos… You don't need to go apeshit and buy both the full imperial and metric sets, however, if you happen to buy some quality European gear the chances are it'll be in metric… say no more. Furthermore, while that hand is in the pocket, why not just lash out for the full metric and imperial sets.
Then… slip your nut or bolt into/onto a close match and move along the wire until you get a hit otherwise move over to the other system till you get a hit.
Handy addition
near my hardware storage,
If you crap out on both strings for a match, you have really crapped out and are neck deep in the poo. Suggest you give/sell the tool/machinery to your favourite nemesis.
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