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I made a clamp today, using a one inch thread box.
I wanted a clamp that I can fix in my vise. This should be handy.
And you know what they say about a clamp: One can never have to many. Cheesy platitude, I know it, true all the same.
Being able to make a custom clamp will be pretty nice.
I used an import thread box from Amazon. It works pretty good after sharpening the cutter
That's a good idea. I am always looking for a way to do that with store bought clamps, but no way to do it. Pretty darned handy to make some custom clamps like that. Very cool solution. I never had a good enough reason to buy the tooling for cutting those threads, but you just gave me one more reason. Thanks for posting.
Btw - how are liking the dog leg vise? I rally like my Klaus bench, but I'm not wild about the dog leg. Just a personal preference sort of thing. Workstyle kind of dictates bench style. If I had the room, I'd have four or five different styles. (A workshop always needs to be bigger I guess. Just like sheds and barns.)
I like the dog leg vise: it's serving its purpose for me. I need to make another fixture to hold up the other end of long boards. But that's a challenge with any face vise...
The biggest thing with a thread box is getting the cutter sharp. I found a video on YouTube that has worked well for me:
sharpening a v gouge without stones - YouTube (https://youtu.be/V8IX3FDcSYs)
Green dowels make better threads too.
One thing that I have not figured out is if a branch would be better for threads. I have a reference text somewhere that says threads should not be cut on the quarter, but I'm not sure what that means...
I've never studied the details on choosing stock for wood threads. Interesting though. Curious about that "cutting on the quarter" phrase.
For that bench, a free standing board jack is about the only option. No big deal. I made a temporary version in about half an hour that would get me by until I made the pretty one. That was about 20 years ago and I'm still waiting for free time to make the pretty one. Boards don't seem to care though and it's essential to have some kind of board jack. Early on i just stacked a couple things up to set the other end of the board on. A few times doing that and I stopped and made my "temporary " board jack. :D
Glad you're enjoying your bench. You did a lot of nice work building. A good workbench is the most important tool in a shop.
I made a floor jack/bench slave. I always have to clean up to use it. I have an idea to make a bench attachment, just need to do it.
If I think about it tomorrow, I'll see if I can find the 1/4 reference.
I found it:
"Ordinarily, for the screws of screw jacks, wine presses or large machinery, you take some very sound wild stock, some service tree or unhewn walnut, that is to say, the round log — never the quarter — or, finally, some good elm."
- Bergeron's 1792 Manuel du Tourneur (chapter 1, section 3, plate 7)
This this is also in one of roy underhill's books
Interesting. Thanks. Clears that right up.
Roy has a lot of knowledge and most of it was gathered from craftsmen from the ages. I think he really performed a huge service bringing all this knowledge together and making it available going forward. He made some nice thread cutting boxes and (and taps I guess ? ) too, but I can't seem to find enough time to make everything myself. :(
I used to run low on clamps, and it would hold up progress. Then Menards came here, and they had all these great clamps on sale, and I built a A frame clamp tower, filled it up, and have not been able to get them all on panels and glue ups at a time. By the time I have a bunch clamped up, some are already dry enough to pull the clamps and use them again. So I think you can get enough clamps.
In Sweden where this bench configuration is standard, and there is only one more traditional bench maker left, the root end of a Birch tree is used for the screws.
Do they use a sapling for the screw? Or do they split it from a larger log.
I don't know. I can look at mine sometime and see.
Ok, I'm curious if the screw has the pith through the center...