Greg wrote:

Aw Geez...Now you've got me second-guessing myself. I'll double-check the
next time I go to the hardware store. A 3/8-16 threaded on quite smoothly.
16 tpi equates to a 1.58mm pitch. The closest metric equivalent is
M10x1.5, but it's not exact. If my handle was metric, wouldn't a UNC nut
bind up??

I think it *was* 3/8"-16... I had some holes in aluminum that I boogered
up. I took a piece of scrap steel, drilled a hole, tapped threads, tried
the set screw. It fit perfectly. So I used that size tap to clean up the
threads in the aluminum pulley. After I did that, it was painfully obvious
that I had used the wrong tap. The threads were now *seriously* loose,
though the set screw did fit.

I ended up drilling it out one more size and cutting new American threads
for an American set screw, the way the woodworking gods intended. Metric
is for sissies and Kanukistanis.

I'd bet 13.5 cents that the threads in your drill press are Metric. You
probably don't want to repeat my screw-up, though anyway it might have been
1/4"-20 or 5/16"-18... I can't quite remember. Whatever it was, the
metric screw fit well enough into the American threads. Just didn't get
solidly tight.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/