LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

What Screw Pitch Gauge to buy for odd threads on vintage tools?

2K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  DLK 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
So I thought this would be easy, but there are so many different varieties of nearly the same Screw Pitch Gauge tool
that I am getting very confused as what would be best to buy.

Currently I am trying to determine the thread pitch for certain Sargent hand planes. I think it may be 22 tpi.

Anyway I thought I'd pick up a "vintage" Screw Pitch Gauge say a Starret, but omg there are so many varieties?

What do you recommend for checking threading on old tools?
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
You can buy quality pitch gauges, like this one, relatively cheaply. I would go to e-bay and find a vintage one if it were me. It's a simple gauge and it's really pretty hard to get a bad one. FWIW, you can also just go buy some machine screws different pitches, mark them so you know what the pitch is and use them as gauges. Of course, there is no common screw with a 22 pitch… Are you sure it's not a #12 screw with 20 tpi? That's what Stanley used.
 
#3 ·
Except for BSW threads, pretty much every thread gauge checker is going to come with the basics you'll need. I got a cheap one off amazon that had metric and a wide variety of imperial threads on it. About the only ones it doesn't have are some of the odd sizes like 17 tpi. It has a lot of odd sizes but not all.

The one difficulty you could have is checking BSW threads since they are 55 degrees it's harder to get solid confirmation you have the right thread, but you still might be able to see they are lined up to the right pitch.

Here's WayneC's blog that lists a lot of the plane threads:
http://lumberjocks.com/WayneC/blog/38068
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
Kenny: I am quite certain.. The Stanley screws and the common screws don't fit the Sargent and I also read somewhere online that that the fence rod for the Sargent 79 is 1/4 -22. I also expected it would be the same as Stanley or common thread. I was wrong.

Thanks for the info on quality pitch gauges.

Tim: Thanks for the info. Unfortunately WayneC (nor anyone else) says anything about Sargent planes.
 
#9 ·
Don, just face the facts, before long you will have three or four or seven like me. They all work as they should. I think my vintage Craftsman has the most variety, but I could be wrong.
Jim
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top