Has anyone had much experience chasing threads in local wood? I know boxwood, and blackwood are supposed to be the best. I have chased threads on manzanita with good success. Any others work well?
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Woods for thread chasing.
- Thread starter Wyatt Holm
- Start date
I have heard hop-hornbeam is used a lot for threads. That suggestion probably won't help you much where you live. The reason being that it's hard and strong. Basswood would be the opposite end of the spectrum being a very soft wood. I don't have any experience to say whether hard or soft wood makes a difference in the long run.
In my limited experience, there some things to consider:
1. Thread size - larger threads (fewer per inch) can be turned in softer woods.
2. Application for the threads - Are the threads a used to secure a lid or need to with stand force like in a vise. The wood used in a low force application can be softer than what would be needed for a vise.
3. Will the top of the threads be pointed or flat - it can be challenging to get pointed threads in a some woods.
4. Are you cutting the threads by hand or with a jig - I've heard the cutting finer threads or in soft, coarse or chippy woods by hand can be difficult
5. Using CA glue to harden threads is helpful
6. Small diameter is likely harder to cut than larger.
With a Hope jig and CA glue I have success cut 8tpi threads 3" diameter on a variety of woods like cherry, maple, walnut, even aspen.
1. Thread size - larger threads (fewer per inch) can be turned in softer woods.
2. Application for the threads - Are the threads a used to secure a lid or need to with stand force like in a vise. The wood used in a low force application can be softer than what would be needed for a vise.
3. Will the top of the threads be pointed or flat - it can be challenging to get pointed threads in a some woods.
4. Are you cutting the threads by hand or with a jig - I've heard the cutting finer threads or in soft, coarse or chippy woods by hand can be difficult
5. Using CA glue to harden threads is helpful
6. Small diameter is likely harder to cut than larger.
With a Hope jig and CA glue I have success cut 8tpi threads 3" diameter on a variety of woods like cherry, maple, walnut, even aspen.
Cutting by hand 16 tpi chaser. I primarily want to make threaded boxes.
I have no personal experience, but do have a suggestion. Mike Peace has a video where he discusses this exact topic.
You might also want to look at Mike's playlist in chasing.
Additionally Sam Angelo (wyomingwoodturner) has a wealth of threading content to look at.
WYOMINGWOODTURNER
Sam Angelo is a writer, artist, demonstrator, and offers woodturning classes in his well equipped shop in Billings, Montana. samandcheryle@gmail.com
youtube.com
Gregory
I haven't done a lot of hand chasing I use 16 tpi. I've used hickory, hard maple, black locust, and walnut. Hickory needed ca glue to help it not chip out. Lubrication is a big help. I use paste wax. I recently cut threads at 4 tpi with my metal lathe and used linseed oil for lube but haven't tried it for hand chasing yet. It worked for the metal lathe job. I modified my chasers by grinding relief and negative rake on the end per Kirk DeHeer's instruction sheet.
Negative rake grinding is actually the recommended sharpening method for thread chasers to maintain the pitch and depth... I learned that from the late Allen Batty's VHS... Whatever that is... Haha. Lignum vitae / Verawood are good choices too. I would suspect Maple, beach, and birch should produce good clean threads too.
Sorry Wyatt, that is not my area of expertise. Good luck.
One of my favorite domestic species around here, though perhaps not local to you, is flowering dogwood - hard, fine grain, excellent for detail and tapping threads although I haven't tried threading it. Another strong, heavy, fine-grained wood is pear - bradford pear is common here and usually easily to come by. Sugar (hard) maple, holly also have fine grain, take small detail well. Have any of those?
You're in just the right spot, Wyatt. See if you can find a place not on BLM and cut a branch of Mountain Mahogany. It's one of maybe a couple North American woods that can be hand chased well.
It grows in areas so hostile to plant life that juniper ('cedar') or any other large shrub or tree can't survive. Up here, anyway, BLM won't give permits for cutting it. I sourced some from state land with permission on a 'firewood' permit, but there's no way I'd take a cord of this extraordinarily slow growing wood. You have the southern species down there in the basin and it's supposed to be larger than our northern species, which maxes out at about 4".
With my Baxter I have to chuckle as I tell folks that I haven't found any wood I can't thread with the Baxter, I say that I think I could thread Jello 
Did you even read the question? I did not ask about how to cut threads, I will buy a jig if that is all I need. I asked about wood that you have experience hand thread chasing.With my Baxter I have to chuckle as I tell folks that I haven't found any wood I can't thread with the Baxter, I say that I think I could thread Jello
Thanks, I have seen some around here. I will give it a try.
Allan Batty commented at a work shop I went to, the only N American wood suitable for hand chasing threads, other than box wood, is Mountain Mahogany. You will not find that on the marked. I have heard of some using holly, and dogwood. Some can get it to work with sugar maple too. Any dense oily wood, like lignum or maybe cocobolo or rosewood can also work. I use the Baxter, but I should learn hand chasing some time.... I do have a good supply of boxwood.
robo hippy
robo hippy
Do you have access to red tip photinia or mesquite? For me the red tip works very well, even with homemade chasers.
I can get mesquite, never heared of red tip.
I've had good luck with cotoneaster, which Is a common invasive tree/shrub here. I've also had good results with apple.
Yes I read the question and there is no wood that I cannot cut threads on, that answers your question as to which woods work!
Dogwood is excellent. Bradford Pear which is more common takes a nice thread as well. I bandsaw 1/2" sections about 2- 3" wide or whatever I want the diameter of the inserts to be and put them aside to air dry for a bit., before threading I bandsaw to rough diameter and dry them for a day or so in silica gel. I thread them mounted with the grain perpendicular to the lathe axis like a bowl blank.
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Do you mean this video:
Sharpening the chasers starts at 55:50
JKJ
No. The video was a BBC production from the late 80s in the UK with Allen Batty and was very choreographed. Allen was using Sorby threading tools for the demo.
Allan's video is up on You Tube as is his skew video. Both excellent!
robo hippy
robo hippy
It is a fact that changing the rake to a bit positive you very slightly distort the tooth shape if the tool was originally made as neutral or negative rake. But for how these type tools are used that distortion of tooth form is no problem. Wood threads are usually much looser than precision threads cut in metal where tooth form distortion might affect interchangeability and would be a major concern. Oh, and it doesn't change the pitch only very slightly the depth.
Using metal cutting taps can be a good substitute for the chasers. They have positive rake and high speed steel taps will better maintain sharpness. Weld on a shank to hold.
The teeth on neutral rake cutters used in threading jigs can be re-ground to positive rake for better cutting too.
Ah. yes, you are indeed correct... what I was trying to say is the pitch is maintained and the depth is consistent between teeth.... principally, removing the top of the teeth will make them shallower as they are back cut below. When I think of thread chasing, it's on 4"-5" hollow forms and boxes. anything under an inch, I use a tap and die.
Old time woodworkers used to grind their own profile cutters for wood shapers. This was before the numerous sources for brazed carbide shaper cutters we have now (like from Grizzly).
I'm sure there are videos online about laying cutters out to account for the positive rake. A tedious process to layout and hand grind deep profile cutters.
I've had profile cutters custom made on wire a EDM machine for metal cutting. They have software to distort the profile on high positive cutters. I suppose if someone wanted positive rake on their chasing tools they could have them wire EDM'd. Not cheap though.
I'm sure there are videos online about laying cutters out to account for the positive rake. A tedious process to layout and hand grind deep profile cutters.
I've had profile cutters custom made on wire a EDM machine for metal cutting. They have software to distort the profile on high positive cutters. I suppose if someone wanted positive rake on their chasing tools they could have them wire EDM'd. Not cheap though.
I've wanted to try chasing threads and have purchased the tools.
I believe that most of the chipping happens on the end grain (correct me if I'm wrong)
Has anyone tried making segmented rings and threading those since you'd never be chasing the endgrain?
I believe that most of the chipping happens on the end grain (correct me if I'm wrong)
Has anyone tried making segmented rings and threading those since you'd never be chasing the endgrain?
I have used segmented rings to make lids for Urns and you are right they make excellent threads without having to use CA but I use a setup on my metal lathe to cut the threads on both the end grain urn and the segmented lid.
That’s sounds like a good idea. Did you devise a spinning cutter like those used in threading jigs or do you use a single point cutter such as for cutting threads in metal?
I bought some “cheaters” to try, bronze threaded rings to glue into the wood.
Threaded Rings For Urn - Niles Bottle Stoppers
Threaded rings are a type of hardware used to create a secure closure for urns. They are typically made of metal, such as bronze, and consist of two parts: a male thread and a female thread. The male thread screws into the female thread, creating a tight seal that prevents ashes from leaking out.
nilesbottlestoppers.com
JKJ
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
Side grain pieces don't thread well with hand chasing. End grain chases best. If you do a segmented ring cut it so the end grain faces out.
The threads are cut with a small router mounted on the cross slide more specifically the top slide, which is set to 29 degrees and the router is then aligned with the x axis. The photo below is cutting the female thread
I have never used the metal rings but I have seen examples that others had used. The metal rings seemed to be extremely bulky and I have never seen an example that had gone thru a seasonal change. The wood will always try to be in equilibrium with it's environment so what will happen when the wood surrounding the female thread shrinks and the metal doesn't does the wood check as in crack or the wood inside the male thread shrinks do the two separate?
In my somewhat limited thread chasing experience, I have had success with hard maple as far as non-exotic woods. Padauk (not local wood) which is relatively easily available and not too expensive has also worked well for me. I am using 16 tpi chaser.
I know cyanoacrylate glue is used to enable threading of softer woods, but has anyone tried wood hardener, normally used for rotten wood.
Just wondering what the health implications might be between the two?
Just wondering what the health implications might be between the two?
John,
That is exactly opposite of what I would have thought....but I'll try it
Not true. Give it a try, it will blow your mind. You can chase threads in almost anything in cross-grain blanks. I use slightly coarser chasers (10tpi) but can chase in Walnut with ease.
Richard
I suspect the type of wood (volumetric and T/R ratio, i.e., mesquite vs red oak), the shape and wall thickness, the grain orientation, the initial moisture content, and the environment (when made and final home) could make a difference.
Perhaps interesting to some:
Dimensional Shrinkage | The Wood Database
www.wood-database.com
And comparison charts like this.
JKJ
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Chasing will be easier if you truncate the crests a bit. You don't need sharp crests since box threads don't need full profile threads for strength.
On edit: Truncate may not be the correct term here. What I mean is make the female bore larger than normal so you don't have to cut so deep. Likewise, make the male part smaller than normal.
On edit: Truncate may not be the correct term here. What I mean is make the female bore larger than normal so you don't have to cut so deep. Likewise, make the male part smaller than normal.
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Yes, that's how I was taught, the thread crests are left flat for both wood and metal threads for clearance and reduced friction.
Especially in wood, since sharp points at the crests can be fragile.
The proper major diameter creates a flat on the top of the crest.
When cutting external threads in metal, the flat on the threading tool top view at the bottom of this tool-sharpening diagram provides a similar function to ease the sharp point at the bottom of the thread. I don't think that's entirely necessary but I think it makes cutting threads in metals easier and makes the tool stay sharp longer.
I don't think the flat it would matter as much at the bottom when cutting external wood threads. I notice the cutting points on the chasers I have are flattened on the internal cutters and look more pointed or perhaps a little rounded on the external cutters.
The rotating cutter on my Baxter threading jig has very sharp points for cutting both internal and external threads, but again, the flat on the crest is a function of having the correct major diameter.
Every time I cut threads I have to study the books and make diagrams to keep from getting confused.
I use two books about threads in wood, "All screwed up" by John Berkeley about threads in puzzles and boxes, and "Making screw threads in wood" by Fred Holder. Sorby also has a DVD on thread chasing.
JKJ
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
would love to see you do it. I'm sure I can learn from you. Our walnut is quite soft and hand chasing with a 16tpi is impossible for me. I need to look through my chasing tools and see if I have a courser set. I bought a bunch at a flea mkt but many of them don't have mates.