At 08:54 PM 2/21/97 +0000, RO Y wrote:
>Is there a way to repair a vise that the threads have just worn out of.
>It would be the part that the main tightening screw goes into. This
>appears to me to be an odd thread shape. It is a Columbian brand vise I
>bought new about 30 years ago and is otherwise in good shape.
>
>Roy
I believe that most vises use a modified Acme thread. This could be
recreated on most lathes with a thread cutter. The difficult parts would be
1) finding the correct material to use for the screw and 2) knowing how to
heat treat the resulting screw for use in a vise. And if the screw threads
are damaged, there is the real possibility that their mates in the vise are
badly worn as well. Regardless of the vise's condition otherwise, it might
be time to replace it. For whatever it is worth, I think that two factors
contribute most to early failure of vise threads: metal filings and other
abrasive trash in the threads and using the vise where a hydraulic press
would be more appropriate. Other things, like nicking the threads with
hammers, chisels, hacksaws, etc. don't help either.
Mike
|