home made taps and dies

[savarin]

A little tip I found but havnt tried yet.
Use a high tensile nut and bolt of the correct size you require.
Screw the nut on flush with the bolt end (not the head)
Use a new sharp drill bit drill down through the nut and bolt where they meet so as to produce a channel in each part. (3 equidistant holes?)
The use of a vise and bench drill would I think help here to stop wobbling and possible drill breakage.
Unscrew the nut and bolt and when used the channels allow chip clearance.
I think these would cut on aluminium and thread cleaning/repair in steel.
Gotta be worth a try and I will report back once I've had a go.

[John Lewis]

I've done something like this. I used some BB shells and cut grooves with a Dremel tool. Chases the BB threads no trouble.

I've made die nuts from a bit of softened auto spring more or less as you describe. Make a nut from the spring. Then harden and temper. I even use old spring steel to make lathe tools both for the Gingery and my woodlathe. Soften by throwing in the woodfire, getting red hot and allowing to cool overnight in the ashes

John Lewis

[TheKid]

I remember when you posted the BB threading. This new idea of Savarin's sounds terrific. I'll have to try it. Thanks for sharing. I'd also like to take the time to share again a method for threading an alloy hub, which can be done on the right side of some rear hubs for allowing the use of a disk brake. As long as the hub is the correct diameter, it will work. I used the BB retaining ring. After reading John's thread, I cut grooves in it, which helped a lot.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/000_0452.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/000_0455.jpg

[savarin]

This new idea of Savarin's sounds terrific. I'll have to try it. Thanks for sharing.

Whoa! it isnt my idea I just found it and thought it was a winner.
That threaded hub is to get a proper thread on the other side that tightens if a sprocket is screwed on?

[TheKid]

Whoa! it isnt my idea I just found it and thought it was a winner.


At any rate, thanks for sharing.

That threaded hub is to get a proper thread on the other side that tightens if a sprocket is screwed on?


I suppose if you find a sprocket that screws onto 1 3/8" hubs, you could use the BB retainer as a lockring and have left side fixed gear drive. (I mistakenly said the right side in the previous post.) The wheel in the pics is a rear hub threaded for a freewheel, and I used the retainer to thread the other side so it could be used with a screw-on disc adapter.

[savarin]

The wheel in the pics is a rear hub threaded for a freewheel, and I used the retainer to thread the other side so it could be used with a screw-on disc adapter.

How strong was it?
Did it end up working ok?

[TheKid]

I used it on my first tadpole. On the right side, it worked fine. On the left side, the adapter started to loosen. (On the left side, the disc was on the right side of the hub, so when the caliper gripped the disc, the forward motion of the wheel unscrewed the adapter.) I tried all kinds of epoxy, including JB Weld, but to no avail. You'd have to weld the adapter to the hub, or find an adapter that's threaded left. With that in mind, it should be possible to make your own screw-on adapters out of 1/4-3/8" thick aluminum, and using BB cups, thread one right handed and one left handed. If you use a rear wheel on the right side, it will already be threaded for the freewheel, and you could use the right threaded adapter without having to thread the hub. So you'd only have to thread the left wheel with a BB shell. You also need a tool to drill the centers of the adapters out to 1 5/16" or slightly larger. Adjustable bits are available to do that:

http://www.amazon.com/Skil-Adjustable-Dial-Saw-0073400/dp/B001ASC7LQ/ref=sr_1_2/188-1681267-3650731?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1244677159&sr=8-2

http://www.pndtools.com/adjustable-circle-hole-cutter-p-1245.html

http://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Circle-Cutter-Blades-Better-Balance/dp/B0012KA5P2/ref=sr_1_12/188-1681267-3650731?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1244677159&sr=8-12

On the DR, I have a disc adapter screwed on the freewheel threads of a rear wheel, and it works perfectly.