The wood for the gauge is from a white oak beam I salvaged from a barn that was built in 1867. It has a wonderful caramel color and is quite dense. I am very happy with this tool.
When tapping threads in a piece of wood the same
rules apply as making the screw. Use fine grained wood. Normally I would not
use oak, but as mentioned earlier this oak is very dense and hard. I’m guessing
it has to do with either the age or it could be that I counted 32 growth rings
in the small section that makes the head. This tree had to be well over a
hundred years when cut down in 1867.
The hole for the tap has to be straight and smaller
than the diameter of the screw. If you buy a threading kit it should tell you
what size drill bit to use. I just practice on scrap to make sure it’s the correct
diameter and tap that before using it on my project. With this oak I used my
post drill to make sure the hole was straight. Post drills are really more for
metal, but I don’t have a drill press so I used it. When I made my slitting gauge
I used an auger bit and just eyeballed the hole and got it straight. I think
that was more luck than skill.
I used linseed oil to lubricate the tap and I
ran the tap through it a couple of times. One side note; the linseed
oil made the threads swell up and the screw would not fit at first. After an hour
the wood soaked up the oil enough that the screw worked with no problem.
6 comments:
Nice work!
I had the same sentiments about making my own cabin and everything I needed by my own hands. Of course that was in 1980 when I first saw the Woodwright's Shop. I wish you luck with this.
ralph
I love the projects you come up with! And I wanted to thank you for posting the link to the St. Thomas Guild website on my blog. It's fantastic--lots of pieces I would like to build. I do not have your email address nor do I know your name, so I'm thanking you here. :o)
Thanks to all for the compliments
Great site. Have big collection of knives and woodworking tools i have collected from around the world. Built a nice log home with logs pulled from the woods withy horse team. 90 % built with no power and home built tools.
Thanks David
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