Threading Wood on a Shopsmith Lathe

paulmcohen · Post by **paulmcohen** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:36 am

Does anyone know how to do this, searching Goggle did not turn up anything?

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 6:41 am

I'm unclear what you are wanting to do. Are you wanting to make threads on a turned spindle or are you wanting to hold a block of wood?

paulmcohen · Post by **paulmcohen** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:27 pm

I want to turn a jar with a lid and I want the two to thread together.

I have seen wood taps to thread a block into a screw.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 6:20 pm

You may want to try searching on the web for "thread chasing."

Good luck,

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:12 pm

Hi Paul! A wooden jar with a wooden lid that screws onto the jar sounds like an ambitious project.

If I were to attempt this, I would mark the jar threads with pencil and using a saw to cut out the valleys between the threads. I know I'd have to finish up with carving tools. This would work something like the barley twist lamp we saw on the Forum.

The lid is something else!!! I would plan to make a two piece lid like a canning jar, then using carving tools try to cut matching threads on the inside of the lids rim. Again a pencil layout would be the first step. That's why I think I would need a cylinder, rather than a cap. I suppose threads could be carved inside a cap, but think it would be easier with a cylinder and a separate cap to fit inside like a Mason Jar lid/

I've never seen one of these - That's just my guess of how to do it.

Just looked up "thread chasing" in Google as Chris recommended, and found this PDF. Looks like if you have the speed reducer and the right tool this can be done on the lathe. I didn't look any farther than this PDF, however it lists a source of tools.
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/prod ... THRDCH.pdf

paulmcohen · Post by **paulmcohen** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:21 am

I have made a few wooden jars with press fit lids, I was watching Wood Turning on DIY and saw a lathe based way to do it. You mount a cutting tool in the headstock and mount the chuck in the device. When you turn the crank the chuck rotates and moves toward the headstock.

I found one by bestwoodtools but Shopsmith is not listed as a lathe it fits.

I will contact them next week and see what they say, so far everything they sell is available for Shopsmith. All there stuff is made in Tennessee.

I used the Thread Chasing tool once and was less than successful.

horologist · Post by **horologist** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:48 pm

Charlese

Good article.
Thread chasers do work, I have watched skilled people use them to cut fine threads and have even had a chance to try my own hand. It does take a little practice. The tools I used were all antique and of the highest quality. The lathe was treadle powered so running at a slow speed was no trouble. I don’t have the speed reducer so I can’t say for certain if it will work but the minimum speed of a standard SS is going to be too fast.
Hard woods with fine grain work best. I used ebony.
It is good to know that these tools are still available. I had always assumed I would have to make my own one day.
Troy

paulmcohen · Post by **paulmcohen** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:31 am

horologist wrote:Charlese

Good article.
Thread chasers do work, I have watched skilled people use them to cut fine threads and have even had a chance to try my own hand. It does take a little practice. The tools I used were all antique and of the highest quality. The lathe was treadle powered so running at a slow speed was no trouble. I don’t have the speed reducer so I can’t say for certain if it will work but the minimum speed of a standard SS is going to be too fast.
Hard woods with fine grain work best. I used ebony.
It is good to know that these tools are still available. I had always assumed I would have to make my own one day.
Troy

Several companies still sell the Thread Chasers, but "skilled people", does not describe me when it comes to using the tool.

greitz · Post by **greitz** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:24 pm

Packard Woodworks sells a set of threaded rings to make ca. 1.5" boxes with a threaded lid. It's part number 154917, $5.50 per set. Just cut recesses for the threaded rings and glue them in with CA glue. Yeah, it's sort of cheating, compared with cutting your own threads, but the gold plating on the threaded rings make the boxes look pretty classy.

Gary

RobertTaylor · Post by **RobertTaylor** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:59 pm

at last months local woodturners club meeting i saw a video on turning lidded boxes by "Turning Boxes with Richard Raffan" just where we stopped for our meeting he was starting to do a box with a threaded lid. as best i can describe he had a device similar to the ring master except that it held a tool similar to a dremel with a cutter to make the threads. pretty neat but way past my capabilities. i have however now completed two lidded boxes on the shopsmith with amazing results. (to me anyhow) i was able to find that video on amazon pretty reasonable. was a dvd not vhs as it was longer than 20min. hope this helps, bob

Shopsmith Forums

Threading Wood on a Shopsmith Lathe

Threading Wood on a Shopsmith Lathe

easy threads