Having been accused of having a book for sale, I felt perhaps that I should add
a few more comments that may help you. This is an extract from an article that I
wrote on the subject:

One of the ancient turning techniques that has been gaining in interest over the
last few years is the art of hand chasing threads. I first became interested in
this almost forgotten turning technique when I began reading Bill Jones' column
in Woodturning magazine (the UK publication). I had never even heard the term
before. Thus, began a search, in fact, almost an obsession to learn more about
this topic and also to learn how to do it. I've been making threads in metal
with tap and die for many many years, but the thoughts of freehand cutting
threads on a lathe intrigued me. The road from hearing about thread chasing to
actually chasing a successful thread was not an easy one, but the journey has
been an interesting one.

The first stage of my journey was John Jacob Holtzapffel's book, Hand or Simple
Turning, where he devotes a section to the tools for chasing threads and how to
use them in making threads on hardwood and ivory items. I read the sections on
making and using chasers and tried to make my own, an outside chaser, but it
didn't work. Finally, I found a location that had a supply of used chasers for
sale, G & M Tools in England. They sold them for $6.00 each or $12.00 per pair.
I ordered several pairs and wound up with chasers for 11 tpi, 16 tpi, 19 tpi,
and 24 tpi. They didn't work either. I decided it must be the speed, my lowest
lathe speed was 500 rpm. I even tried using my Carba-Tec lathe and turning it by
hand to get the speed down to a manageable level. Nothing seemed to work. I was
almost to the point of giving up.

I re-read Holtzapffel's book, he says that chasers are used to cut threads in
hard woods and ivory. He says, that a different technique was required for
cutting threads in softwoods, I didn't see this at first, or at least it didn't
regester. I began to rethink my definition of hard woods. I had been using
maple and apple woods, considering them "hard wood." I had some cocobolo on
hand, so I chucked up a piece onto my Carba-Tec turning the lathe by hand. I
tried the 11 tpi chaser, thinking that the coarser thread would be easier to
cut. I was wrong about that, but it worked anyway. I was elated and the journey
continued with a search for more answers. I purchased one of Dennis White's
videos that included a section on thread chasing and James Lukin's book, Turning
Lathes, which also has a good section on thread chasing. Anytime I had some
spare time to play and a piece of suitable hardwood, I cut a few threads.
Incidentally, that chaser I had made in the beginning now worked also. I'm
afraid my main problem was in the definition of what is "hard" wood.

I wanted to share what I had learned, so I wrote an article on this subject for
the British Magazine, Woodturning. That article was published in their June 1997
issue and reprinted in Useful Techniques for Woodturners, one of "The best from
Woodturning Magazine" series. In that article, I described chasing threads on a
Carba-Tec lathe by turning the lathe with my left hand while I held the chaser
with my right hand. It worked very well and I've cut a lot of threads in that
manner.

Both Holtzapffel and Lukin were using treadle lathes. Before treadle lathes,
turners had used springpole lathes. So, I graduated to my foot powered lathe,
it is a spring pole type with a lathe spindle and a full three revolutions per
downward stroke. Wow, this was even easier than turning the Carba-Tec by hand,
I now had both hands to work the tool. I began to feel confident. Enough so that
when I agreed to demonstrate my foot powered lathe at the January 1997 meeting
of The Seattle Chapter of AAW, I included thread chasing. Since then, I often
demonstrate this technique at craft shows when people ask how I cut the threads
in one of my threaded boxes. I have now progressed to chasing threads at 500
rpm. I will admit, however, that a speed of 100 or 200 rpm would make it a great
deal easier.

I share the above with you to explain how I got from hearing about thread
chasing to actually doing it successfully. I'm sure the journey would have been
much shorter had I been able to watch Bill Jones or Allan Batty demonstrate the
technique. A chance that didn't come about until after I had finally learned to
chase threads on my own.

First, you have to have a pair of thread chasers, one for the inside and one for
the outside, as shown in Fig. 1 (This was a more difficult task when I began my
journey, now you can buy them from several locations .). Incidentally, when it
comes time to sharpen that chaser, hone or grind on the very top only. Bill
Jones and Allan Batty both recommend grinding on the top of the chaser - never ,
ever grind on the face. I sometimes grind the top and sometimes use a diamond
hone, either works well.

You also need a suitable supply of "hard wood". Wood that is hard enough for
thread chasing is generally wood that will cut cleanly with a scraper: lignum
vitae, boxwood, Osage Orange, desert Ironwood, redheart, African Blackwood (the
best). I've also cut threads in oak, black locust, holly, and mesquite. I've
even used a bit of Red Lable Hot Stuff CA Glue to harden apple wood enough to
cut threads in it, but I don't recommend the softer woods. The key is a dense
hard wood that will take and hold fine detail. This defined, let's get to making
threads.

In all of the literature I read there was no definition as to which you should
make first, the inside (female) thread or the outside (male) thread. Bill
Jones didn't seem to think that it mattered, but Allan Batty says to make the
inside thread first. He says that the inside thread is more difficult to make,
because you can't see what is going on inside the hole. I agree with him. A lot
of my thread chasing practice has been to take a 16 tpi chaser and make a thread
to fit a 3/4" x 16 tpi nut. This was always a trial and error situation until I
watched Batty demonstrate at Provo in June of 1997. He said to make your inside
thread first and then on the end of the external thread to make a short tenon
that just fits into the inside thread. This tenon is then the bottom of the
external thread, when your chaser marks this area, your nut or box top will
screw on.

Hope this explains the subject a bit more.

Fred Holder
http://www.fholder.com?

In article , Eric says...

Hi there,

I'd be greatful if someone could share some experience about these
threading tools with me.

I've been trying many times to make threads for lidded boxes without
success. The doc that comes with the tools does not say much really,
and there is probably something to do that I dont know, or I do wrong.

Thnx for yr help

Eric