The making of handscrews
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- This topic has 40 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 10 months ago by Salko Safic.
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26 October 2015 at 12:21 pm #131704
After two weeks of no woodworking the cravings are too much to bear so why not make a couple of handscrews. I may make a quite a few of them and some bar clamps I just haven’t worked out the metal bracket part.
I’m using Qld Walnut I got some from a fellow cabinet maker he sold me a whole bundle very cheaply so cheap that I felt guilty and threw him some extra. Walnut is seldom used in the US it is similar to Black Walnut but more similar to Tasmanian Oak and English Oak. It is high in silica which causes a severe blunting effect on tools and has interlocking grain. Fortunately for me I haven’t come across any yet but the boards aren’t wide enough for me to worry about.
In the first pic everything in it’s raw state, second I’m about to turn to make the screw. I must be rusty because I made the finished dimensions which I shouldn’t prior turnings which is why you see in the third pic I’m using a rasp to shape the end of the handle. 4th pic I’m making a screw.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.26 October 2015 at 4:15 pm #131715Wish I could wast walnut on tool work, good going they will work very good for your normal work. Nice lathe and saw bench as we’ll.
Frankj26 October 2015 at 9:41 pm #131721Believe me Frank I wouldn’t use Qld Walnut on shop made tools if I could use it for anything else they’re simply just not wide enough. I’ve probably got over 20m of just on 2″ wide stock and I got it cheap.
26 October 2015 at 10:42 pm #131722Looks like fun, Salko. No shop time for two weeks? What happened? Knowing you, you must have been on vacation, or injured or worse!
26 October 2015 at 10:45 pm #131724haha it’s worse I was busy finishing off that estimator now I’m stuck working on my websites, I’m planning on starting those moulding planes you did. I’m really looking forward to them.
26 October 2015 at 10:50 pm #131727There are some parts of your tutorial I didn’t quite understand I can’t remember which parts but I’ll send you a pm when I start the build and get stuck.
27 October 2015 at 2:03 am #131761The crispness of these are just second to none, the combination of sharp tools and quality hardwoods, as you can see I’m such smart ass boring dead accurate straight holes but I’m also a dumb ass for not testing on a scrap piece first. The screws are 3/4″ dia. so the holes obviously should be the same but it turns out that they are too large and I rightly don’t know how that worked out. I checked the screws with my calipers and are dead on 3/4″ so how it all fell apart I don’t know. I’m not pissed that it happened I’m angry at myself for not checking pre hand. It hurts that I just blown a piece of walnut had it been pine who cares but this is prized and very expensive had I purchased it at a lumber yard. Once bitten twice shy no matter how confident you feel always recheck yourself.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.27 October 2015 at 2:22 am #131764I plugged it up rather than than wasting it, the 3/4″ dowel is a very tight fit so why those screws are loose has me bewildered.
27 October 2015 at 3:06 am #131765The set I have came from Beal years ago. It’s a one inch set to tap it calls for a 7/8 hole to cut threads it calls for a true one inch round if it’s off at all it binds up real easy. There is a dowel cutter that takes a one inch chisel that cuts true.also it calls for the wood to be wet with mineral oil. It’s worked ok the few times it’s been used. The set in your photo looks to be the same style
27 October 2015 at 3:11 am #131766I must of been doing wrong but anyhow the magic no. is 5/8 it’s ever so slightly sloppy fit but screws in freely and has good grip. I guess for handscrews having that perfect tight fit wouldn’t be ideal.
27 October 2015 at 8:56 am #131769To my great disappointment after completion I hate to say but it’s a bin job, they just do not work and I believe it’s because of the blind hole. Why they have one and the metal screws don’t I don’t know but it’s a damn shame on the wastage of timber. I’ve never ruined prize timber before and I wonder if two weeks away from the bench has made me a little rusty but I’m distraught over it. I will make another attempt but with pine as these clamps are very handy to have. I will also have get one of those what ever you call them from Sorby to make accurate diameters on the lathe. The very tight fitting I got where I couldn’t even turn the screw was from the inaccurate turning. To rectify it I had to sand down the threads a fair bit not that it rendered it in effective but over time I guess it would.
Well if anyone wants it I’ll be glad to give it to you.
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