Stanley/Bailey woodworking plane screw threads.

[Dave Ward 1Participant @daveward1]

[Dave Ward 1Participant @daveward1]

Hi All,

Can anyone please assist me?

 

I have a couple of english made Stanley/Bailey planes Nos. 4 and 5 which I need to restore and use. Both had handles in need of repair and both had broken studs which fix the handles to the plane sole. Measuring what I could of what was left of the stud provided a screw of 0.210 inches in dia. with a 20 tpi thread. All of the rest of the screws in the plane appear to be the same size and thread pitch. I have searched my catalogues of special thread tap and die suppliers, but no one lists such a tap. Can anyone shed some light on what stanley used for their screw size?

 

I have to drill out a couple of broken screws rethread the holes and replace them. Yes I can increase the size to 1/4 inch Whit or UNC but I would like to keep these planes in as origional condition as possible.

 

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

Cheers

Dave

[Richard ParsonsParticipant @richardparsons61721]

Dave Hi – A few days ago I was browsing through F.W. Britten’s Horological Hints and Helps when I noticed something which might help. If you can get at both sides of the screws you need to extract (even if they are blind holes). You could use an oversized screw extractor.

What is a screw extractor? It looks like a ‘Gee’ clamp. One end of the ‘Gee’ has thrust bearing on it. The other has a normal screw thread with a point which is sharpened with three triangular facets which are hardened. To use it you screw it down onto the broken screw. You then tighten it by holding the threaded part still and moving the ‘Gee’ frame and tighten up the lock nut. You then turn the frame the other way. If the point has dug well in to the broken screw you may start it moving.

I have never used one. It is cheaper than a ‘sparky’ and if old Britten who was a ‘downy old bird’ describes it. It probably works.

Finaly remember what we think are special screws very often are ‘normal threads’ used out of context. I bought a French made kitchen tool. To clean it you had to unscrew something. The Hungarians did the usual, lost the screw. There was then ‘wailing and gnashing of teeth’. Down to the workroom, sure enough it was ‘0’ B.A. and not 6mm. They had used an obsure commercial thread rather than design their own.

P.S. if you can get at both ends of the broken screw, then you use two three faceted points and leave out the thrust bearing

Good luck

Dick.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Stanley used their own unique threads. Ask on the following woodworking forum there are a lot of hand tool collectors there and I am sure there are sources for these replacement screws, failing that screw cut them yourself assuming you have a lathe. You can also buy taps for this size but it may be from a U.S. source, can’t quite remember as I’m more a user than collector.

 

http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/

 

Jason

Edited By JasonB on 14/04/2011 07:22:49

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

A little reading would seem to suggest the thread is infact a US series 12-20 which is no longer a standard thread, the OD of 12g screws is 0.216″

 

More reading Here, start at page 13 if you want to skip the waffle.

 

Two thirds down the page this company sells a 12-20 tap & die set. They also do ther replacement parts if you don’t want to make your own

 

J

Edited By JasonB on 14/04/2011 17:42:58

[Dave Ward 1Participant @daveward1]

Hi all,

Thank you to all who have replied. I am having a problem with my internet supplier, as when I try to reply to your individual responses, I get the message that my response was undeliverable! So to all that have replied I am most graeful. Thank you all, so much.

 

It would seem that the screw is a #12 x 20 tpi. Thanks Jason,

 

I’ve e-mailed a couple of US tool suppliers to see if they can supply a suitable tap and die. I do have a lathe and Mill so If I have to, I’ll make a tap and die, but if I can purchase one I would prefer to.

 

Cheers

Dave Ward

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