Complete beginners threading euphoria

With apologies to all those on here who are "creative" with their eyes closed but i I am simply so chuffed that I have cut my first experimental 1.25mm thread on my C2. A nut fits, albeit a little on the wobbly side, but it fits. I can tell you the nervous exhaustion involved in changing lathe gears was , in my case, virtually complete! Great gulps of tea!

Had to get that off my chest. Sorry.

Now...what next...?

Chris Bason (Lincoln)

It is nice when you do things like that and they go right. i have not tried cutting threads on the lathe itself yet.

Well done Christopher.

When you're cutting threads, especially when you're starting out and test-fitting the nut each time, keep an eye on the thread outside diameter. In many materials the OD will grow as you make the thread because the flat-topped threading tool raises a small burr that you might not notice. This will cause the nut to not fit even well after you have cut the full depth, the usual result being a very sloppy fit as you have found on your first attempt.

Make a few threading passes then check the OD with a caliper and you'll soon spot any problem. A quick swipe with a flat file as the part is turning will keep it all in check. Using lubricant can go a long way to avoiding it.

Pete.

Very well done Christopher, it's nice when it works out.

Brian

Next thing We will hear He has completed an AntiKrythera mechanism. Good job, carry on.

Congrats, I felt much the same after cutting my first thread

Making your first lathe-cut thread is a proper champagne milestone, well done you. Quite hairy the first time you try it what with gear ratios, half-nuts, indicators, and tool-post angles etc.

I wouldn't worry about the wobbly fit, that's how I'd describe DIY store studding!

How did you cut the thread, under power or manually? If under power you'll be aware of the risk of crashing into the chuck which can be bad news! As mini-lathes are tad fast for screw-cutting under power I made a removable collet crank handle for my mine: a common idea, they clamp inside the spindle and give excellent control when you wind the lathe by hand.

Just don't forget to remove the handle before powering up the motor.

Never tried it on a mini-lathe but my preferred method on my bigger machine (thanks to JasonB), is to cut threads with the lathe in reverse and the tool on the backside of the work. Cutting from the chuck outwards means there's no chance of smacking the toolpost into the chuck and breaking the lathe, so you can cut down on tranquillisers and safely use more speed.

Dave

Congrats,

I think we all remember our first thread and the amazement when a nut goes on!

Today I had to make a long M6 thread today (about 60mm) and was delighted to find the gear train already set up and a threading tool in the holder - I thought i'd switched back to fine feed

You may be interested that I cut it to 0.35mm depth in 3 passes (supported with a travelling steady) then finished with a die. I should have gone a bit deeper as it was stainless steel and still quite a load on the die at 100rpm.

It's the support rod for a telescope secondary mirror. The arrangement is quite neat - the mirror carrier is sprung with three screws to tilt it, the usual way uses a forcing screw against the three adjustment screws which is a lot more fiddly to adjust. I needed to make a longer one as I fitted a new focuser which was bigger and used the opportunity to move it down about 1/2".

Neil

Thanks for the supporting comments -much appreciated

Welcome to the Forum!

You have years of pleasure ahead of you. Currently insoluble problems will no longer be so; just a bit of an inconvenience. In many cases, the impossible will now be possible.

Howard

BTW minor thought -after examining and adjusting my cross and compound gibs I wonder if it is pronounced g-gem-gib or g-golf-gib?

'jib'

Neil

Jib?? I've always pronounced it the other way!! Oh, the shame, the shame!!!

Oh you sailors !!

Golf at my corner of the planet.