Posted by DC31k on 17/06/2023 17:08:15:
Posted by Tony Ray on 17/06/2023 15:28:56:
Thanks Peak, I use this as my starting point, a real nusiance that they don't quote TPI.
It is not usual to quote tpi for a BA thread, …
True, but this USA website does.
Small fasteners on British equipment are often BA. After finding Whitworth threads were unsuitable for Electrical and Instrumentation type work, the British Association set up a committee to define a good alternative and they came up with a logical metric thread. So far so good except they made BA dimensions a bit odd by converting them to inches!
Even numbered BA are more usual, so likely panel holding screws are 4BA=0.66 (38.5tpi), 6BA=0.53 (47.tpi), 8BA=0.43(59.1tpi)
How close your lathe can get to these pitches depends on what change wheels are available. On my machine I can do:
- 3BA – gear ratio 48:65, (34.4tpi), error about 1%
- 4BA – gear ratio 144:221 (38.98tpi) or 2:3 (38.1), error about 1%
- 6BA – gear ratio 9:17 (47.98tpi), error about 0.001%
- 8BA – gear ratio 3:7 (59.27tpi), error about 0.003%
Closer is possible by doing the sums. The required decimal ratio is converted to a series of increasingly close integer ratios by calculating converging fractions. For example, pi is approximately 3/1, 22/7, 333/106, 355/113, 103993/33102 etc. Then gears are made to implement the ratio on a banjo. More hard work!
Also, the thread angle is 47.5° not 55 or 60.
All very tedious so I'd just order some ready made BA screws off the internet and fit them!
Dave