Delboy's Garage, Simple Skills, "Cutting a Thread"

A 'Simple Skills' video on cutting a thread down a metal rod, to make it into a bolt..! Easy, and a great basic skill for your arsenal.
If you want to help support what we do here, you can become a 'Patron' of the channel, link here ;- www.patreon.co...

[@exonusgod]

I'm pretty sure only Del and Penny are the only people who can make a 17min video about cutting threads and make it so interesting that I didn't realise how much time has passed!

[@Moonfleet41]

+exonusgod Blimey, thank you so much - didn't realise it took that long myself lol !

[@exonusgod]

Moonfleet41 You know it's good when you enjoy watching it yourself :) Simple skills is one of the best series you guys do!

[@OKNERO]

+exonusgod Exactly what I was going to say! Thought to myself holy shit I didn't think I'd sit through 17min of this but I did haha! Great video guys!

[@Moonfleet41]

+NINJA NERO Thanks mate... simpel stuff, but constructive aye..

[@OKNERO]

Yes it is! At one point my wife walked behind me and said are you watching someone make a screw HAHAHA! Good stuff as always bud

[@tonyjeffery3]

Have cut loads of threads in the past and still learnt a lot watching this blog,,,,,, nice one Del. Tony

[@Moonfleet41]

+Tony Jeffery Cheers Tony... simple stuff aye.. !

[@borissg123]

This is not boring, this is the sort of basic stuff I love. And you were right, first thing I thought when you reached for the grease was, "no mate, you want some trefolex on that". Good vid :D

[@Moonfleet41]

+Sam Gamble Yeah, i know, i was convinced i had some on the shelf..but i cant find it anywhere.. always the same after moving... lol must have chucked it out to clear out clutter...Doh..

[@daronfayas8145]

Excellent instruction. Great little little side pointers too. Thank you.

[@jamievandalen]

Great video. I've done this dozens of times over the years. Never new about the two-stage depth cutting. Great tip! Will do this from now on!

[@Moonfleet41]

+Jamie VanDalen Hi Jamie, only works with split dies and if you take your time, it does make a clean thread to be proud of!

[@billg5704]

Excellent presentation. Well done sir!

[@stevesstuff552]

I recall doing this as an apprentice back around 1970. Taps and dies came in sets of three: starter, intermediate, and finishing cut. None of this adjusting the die size malarky ;-) It took a couple of goes to really get the hang of it; we were cutting plain mild steel bar for most of our "projects"; but I did enjoy the whole "working with materials" stuff, and this video brought back fond memories (yea gods, I sound like an old fogey!). Of course, I moved to the drawing office and then into IT, and haven't cut a thread since... :-(

[@stepawa]

I remember doing this at school and later as an apprentice engineer technician... it was 1,2,3, back, 1,2,3 back..etc. and yes, there were 3 sets(taps or dies) to achieve final finish. I'm not an old fogey either, but I think these skills should be re-introduced to teaching kids in school. :)

[@leslieaustin151]

Steven Paul Walker Steven, I agree it would be good if schools taught this sort of thing, but there is at least one generation (maybe two) who have never been taught this. So a whole generation of teachers need to be taught first! Les

[@petergoddard1960]

Seen you cover this before, but not in as much depth. So I learned how the adjusters operate now, and makes sense finally. Thanks mate. Looking forward to seeing how you measure up and drill that yoke!

[@Moonfleet41]

+pgod1960 Thanks Peter, felt it was important to cover it in some depth, as the obvious thing to do is just wind the die down and churn away, but it's the quickest way to trash a die, or even snap the bolt, it is SO important to cut a thread in two bites, that way you get no nicks or chunks out of the thread, and your die will last more than one use lol !

[@mynamesrob]

YES! It's not always fun work but knowledge like this is paramount to avoid high fees by others who have the knowledge. And a tap and die set isn't terribly expensive either. Good video!

[@Moonfleet41]

+Rob Pratten Too right Rob, cutting a thread is a simple hand skill that anyone can learn and save a lot of money on small repairs.. Thanks for watching mate... take care. Del

[@macmckie8029]

Stunning, just what I was after and well done as usual. Confidence meter up.... on with the work !! Thanks !!

[@Moonfleet41]

Most welcome mate, am glad it helped you!

[@robhurley5258]

Best video on the topic - thanks!

[@Moonfleet41]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andywolfskill9643]

Great video Del. It's the little things on a project that you might not think are important, but if done wrong can mess up the whole day. Del, please use eye protection when using compressed air, eye safety is very important. Love this new project of yours!

[@Moonfleet41]

+Andy Wolfskill You'll love the next video, we made if for eye protection lovers....lol.. and i always blow into a towel, catches all the swarf.. lots of drilling in the next one.. so glasses all the way..!!!

[@andywolfskill9643]

+Moonfleet41 Cant wait, love your videos. I've got a plate I'm sending you off a 73 Trail 90 that was given to me, Keep up the good work, and stay safe.

[@andywolfskill9643]

+Andy Wolfskill What is your mailing address?

[@Moonfleet41]

+Andy Wolfskill Hi Andy, if you could kindly email Penny direct on : [e-mail], she will sort out a contact address with you! Thank you, Del

[@publicsvenemy5331]

Nice and helpful video aus always! Need a set like this....! Have a wonderful evening del!

[@Moonfleet41]

+Sven Schröder Thanks Sven, treat yourself, or stick one on your birthday present list, they are a worthy investment!

[@JohnGalt2016]

I have a tap-and-die set with the basic SAE sizes from 1/4" to 1/2" and bought a separate 1/4-28 pitch tap. But in all these years I have never used the dies and am about to do that. Glad I found this video rather than rummage through all the ones that might not be as informative.

[@tomprovan50]

very informative great video

[@hallkbrdz]

Best video on this I have watched. And yes, spend the money for good HSS cutting dies, not thread cleaning dies which are usually cheap carbon steel.

[@Krizla4]

Another one of those things I knew something about but wouldn't know how to do it exactly. Excellent info on the subject! Thanks! Watching your video's makes me doing all these mods on my bike ... this is saving me money but I'm still spending it on things I didn't plan on doing! Ha! :) Guess it's ok, because it's the best hobby! :)

[@Moonfleet41]

+Kris Schobben Too right Kris, motorcycle modding is the best hobby in the world... (next to riding them)..

[@engleharddinglefester4285]

"Stick to the basics, the fundamentals," I heard decades ago. You'll never go wrong when you have your basics down.

[@Dave-in-France]

Excellent vid mates, as always.

[@Moonfleet41]

+David Jebson (thebiglad) Thanks David, always good to hear from you Sir !

[@MrAlmar07]

Great helpful video as usual Del. Cheers mate.

[@mostuntz7619]

Hilarious I'm doing the same thing to my gsxr and this came up when I searched threading a stainless bolt. Very helpful 👌

[@Moonfleet41]

Thanks Morgan, good luck with yours buddy.

[@scottblubaugh]

I didn’t know that the 3 screws were meant to be tightened to spread or close the die, I always just snugged down all 3! Thank you for this.

[@Moonfleet41]

Yes buddy, it works most conveniently on cutting stainless steel bolts, they're a lot harder so it gives you a chance to make a shallow cut (spread open) and then a final cut bu pushing in the outside 2 screws... there's not much in it, only a few thou' on an M6, but it's enough to make a difference, and preserve the life of the tools!

[@tonyday7233]

Thanks for the great explanation, have taps and dies, but never knew how to use them.

[@Moonfleet41]

Nice one buddy, glad it helped... why not pop along to B&Q, grab some 10mm and 8mm bar and practice cutting a few threads and if you have somethick plate you could practice tapping a few holes too... enjoy it and thanks for your support mate!

[@mick21778]

something very cathartic about cutting a good quality thread.

[@alexfaulds7070]

Thanks for the vid Del, I've never thought about altering a bolt size before I've always just gone out and bought them new. Got a funny feeling I know what tool kit I'm going to be purchasing next lol

[@Moonfleet41]

+Alex Faulds Too right Alex, everyone should have a Tap and Die set in the garage...

[@rmulchi]

As always, great tips. Thank you guys.

[@RenchRanch]

As always, massively helpful information! I am quite sure Melly and I will be referring to this video as I have many custom parts to make for her Honda Rebel CMX250c. Being able to cut new threads down a shouldered bolt is extremely useful as motorcycles tend to have a lot of specialized fasteners that aren't standard hardware store fare. Certainly worth the Patreon support. If anyone finds this useful and has saved $$$ with Del's videos, they should consider supporting the channel via Patreon. Cheers! Mike & Melly

[@Moonfleet41]

+Michael Rench Thank you brother, hoping you can use this, one way or another, you are so right about the specialised fasteners on bikes, if you can make a bolt, or modify one, it's the difference between a mod and a bodge... really looking forward to launching the next video, I think you will like the tune that plays through it!!!!!! Time to drop the flat bar conversion on the top tree tomorrow... and dying to use a cool new RGW tune we got yesterday lol ! It's gonna be awesome !

[@RenchRanch]

Cool!

[@atifrashid1421]

I was thinking about it ........and now I have found the video plus tons of information that would not have been available anywhere else

[@wmckin11]

I remember learning to do this in high school, great skill to have but haven't needed to use it yet!

[@buaan]

Spot on Del. I've used my taps but never the dies in anger so this was a good watch

[@Moonfleet41]

+buaan Thanks buddy, simple stuff, and will get you out of all sorts of trouble...

[@StevePhillips]

Cool demo thank you more detail on this one than others I saw.

[@alantraherne]

I remember we used to use tallow at school as a lubricant. I imagine it's banned now as it's made out of cow bum or something similar. great vid as usual.

[@toyfoxokey]

My wife calls me "simple minded". Maybe she's referring to the training I'm getting from Delboy and Penny's "Simple Skills" series! Good stuff........

[@Moonfleet41]

+Okey Akers There you go... simple skills for simple tons.... easy aye..lol

[@Meifesto]

Bought one after the video of chase, because it would be handy to have for when i'm doing my own bike. But this video explains quite a bit more about the die. Easily explained and some proper tricks that you wouldn't think off. And measuring how to get the proper mm and grove i already know. (might been useful to mention it for the people who don't know ;) )

[@chrismills5110]

Very useful, thanks

[@DukeDyson]

It's like therapy buddy, keep 'em coming :)

[@Moonfleet41]

+DukeDyson Simple stuff aye.. . cheers buddy.

[@Limeayy]

thank you. extremely detailed and helpful.

[@Moonfleet41]

+Lime Sauce Thanks buddy, glad it helped.

[@springy-2112]

Yes, spent many a happy time doing just that... on that last fighter 'o mine i drilled the top yoke in the thickest bit as it had s sort of webbed casting underneath..thus was a brilliant idea untill i put the custom made stainless 4inch risers on to acceot my drag bars...unfortunately the risers crept iver the fork hole by about 2 mm thus rendering any fork adjustment through the yoke impossible !!! i had put trident non adjustable legs in so didnt hinder the top preloads... it was quute a high front end position fir a good few months but tgem i decided i fancied doing some corners and put on trident clip ons and lowered the front through the too tree...handled great !!! looked pants!!! good video great advice xxxxxx

[@Moonfleet41]

+springy 2112 Cheers Springy....drilling the top yoke tomorrow, and lucked in on the design of the yoke... you'll see, its almost made to be drilled out this one... gonna try to get it loaded by Thursday.... and ill watch out i dont cover the fork holes..lol Laterz chap..

[@springy-2112]

Nice luck there drive !

[@RobMacKendrick]

Very nice, clear, complete how-to. Thanks very much! (By the way, I'm working on a bicycle. Hope that's OK. If it's any consolation, it's an awesome bike.)

[@suzuki750stu]

Another great vid yet again, I love my Tap and Die set, I can remember when I first acquired it, everything ended up with a screw thread 😆😆, look forward to the next video, regards Stu 👍👍

[@Moonfleet41]

+suzuki750stu Cheers Stu, you'll love the next video, up tomorrow mate.. Top yoke conversion time.,.

[@britishbluetess]

hi del I'm a sparky and when we used to thread conduit we used tref lex but I was told by an old sparky you can use lard as it has a higher melting point! never tried it myself but could be worth a look

[@Moonfleet41]

+britishbluetess Yeah, I thought I had a tin of treflex, but it's so long since I used it, and we've moved twice since then, probably got tossed out in one of the moves ! Never heard of the lard though ..... cool idea !

[@dan350z2007]

Nice one del and penny

[@royspeakman1157]

Geat stuff !

[@Lostinthesupermarket11]

Handy little tips and good advice, especially don't waste money on cheap sets of tap and dies. I've done it and whilst they may be all right at cleaning threads they aren't up to cutting threads. Also the sounds horrible especially when tapping brass , that makes a right horrible sound that goes right through you. Looking forward to seeing what you use for bars.

[@Moonfleet41]

+englishandproud11 Cheers Matteo, next video up for the bars, just can't wait any longer to slap those Renthals on and I can't face putting the clip ons back on now we need to mvoe it around a bit !

[@ericlitalien6139]

that wd40 sure is practicle,i used this video to make a clutch tool for my gear up,the job went well,now i have to put the whole thing back in the frame thanks again dell pen!! i owe you many push ups budy!!!! air borne ahh!!!

[@Moonfleet41]

Hey Eric, glad the video could help... great when you can make stuff and not have to buy it aye... take care mucka.. Del.

[@ericlitalien6139]

hi dell peney i just got back from Virginia usa from a Norton bike rally,, i was hoping to see y'a all their i used my 883 iron for the trip it was great!! now i'm heading for the Gaspé area safe ride! see you soon! eric

[@kevinmartin3244]

Great stuff. Thank you.

[@Cueballproductions1149]

done video like this before i think del nice video anyway handy how to as always think these are sort of videos are ur best 1s ride safe see u at sailsbury

[@Moonfleet41]

+Cueball “cueball” Productions Did internal thread "tapping" before, this was an external thread.. slightly different.. .... cheers mate.

[@Cueballproductions1149]

+Moonfleet41 i see nps

[@myz06rocks]

I’m going to buy a tap and die set just so I can try this!!!

[@jimgeelan5949]

Thanks for that del, I thought the three screws were just for holding the die in place under pressure. Never to old to learn something new. ( if you learn something new everyday you'll die a very wise person)

[@Moonfleet41]

+Jim Geelan Hi Jim, yeah, i guess the smaller details are onl important if you do it every day.

[@luciannozarate1971]

What would you have to do if you wanted to thread a steel rod right in the middle?

[@Moonfleet41]

Ok buddy, the only way to do that if you want the centre of a piece of rod to have thread and each end to be clear, then naturally the clear ends without thread would need to be small enough to slide the nuts over to reach the thread, so the easiest route would be to but some pre-threaded bar and get somebody with a lathe to turn down the dia. on the ends, so they're clear of thread... hope that helps you.

[@groundskeeperwille]

Very much appreciated, thanks :-)

[@janwoodworth5072]

thank you for that supermoonfleet ;-)

[@chessguru900]

The bolt needs to be 100% straight up in the vice. slightest angle can make the die go off line. In that case if you put a threaded bush in a shaft you will find that it is off straight and that causes a lot of problems specially if you are threading a shaft of an electric motor etc. The first thread is extremely important since it is used as a guide, as you thread along.

[@lennycruz4558]

very informative

[@petefroud5308]

Great advice again Del. Would you need a pitch gauge , or the like to select the , correct die.

[@Moonfleet41]

+Peter Froud Hi buddy, if you have a large set of taps & dies with varied pitches, then, yes, use a pitch gauge to be sure (and such a large set would contain a pitch gauge for just such a purpose), but generally speaking, most metric bolts are a generic pitch! Kinda one size fits all !

[@1987RaPsCaLLioN]

Del - how do I know if a thread is fine, course or otherwise? Do I need a set of verniers to measure it? I have a 14mm CCW thread that I need to repair and thinking of getting a tap and die set, are there things to look out for? Which ones are good quality? Is that 14mm a M4/M6 or whatever that means??

[@ianmcd7523]

nice one guy's,and very interesting,myself I have always got somebody else to do it, but now will give it a go. Question to ask,how do you find the pitch u need? As I have looked at a set of tap and dies,and they have the same eg. 12mm,and then a couple of diesel with a different pitch

[@Moonfleet41]

+Ian Mcd Hi Ian, most sets come with a pitch guage...like a little set of feeler gauges with teeth, if not, then you can buy them from any tool shop..

[@mlunden11]

Was just watching ur threading video if u ever need bolts let me know what u need ill get it in the usa for you. Ok. Thanks del john frm florida

[@clemmcguinness1087]

Brilliant

[@janwoodworth5072]

is copper grease ok to use when putting more thread on a bolt cheers mike

[@Moonfleet41]

Yes Jan, that'll work, but better if you intend to do a bit more cutting threads, get yourself a tube of cutting oil...!

[@albertheaton6455]

thanks del been using my tap and die set wrong way for years you live and learn at least I do?

[@Moonfleet41]

+Albert heaton Hi mate, it's not uncommon to assume that and split dies are not the norm, most of the itme they are a solid die, but with split dies, you can make pristine threads and they last longer too !

[@SuperKingkong1989]

How do you know which die to use?

[@Moonfleet41]

Measure it mate, the diameter of the example piece and then it's just a choice of coarse or fine thread, which is obvious when you look at it.

[@jt9498]

Great video, and as much as I liked it, I found the audio to be very echo-y! Sometimes it was hard to make out what you were saying. Perhaps it's the room you're in or, perhaps it's your microphone. Don't know. Just thought I'd let you know. Cheers, mate. ps: I rode Triumph Bonneville's for years! Had 6 of them over the years. :)

[@Moonfleet41]

A very old video mate, back before we used stand alone microphones, take a look at the Channel at one of our current videos and you'll see how much our production has improved... thanks for your kind feedback.

[@gearjammer3688]

Nice

[@robertdormer1074]

hi a little no how goes a long way.how is the patreon going? working out ok i hope

[@Moonfleet41]

+robert dormer Hi Robert, thanks for you kind thoughts, Patreon looks to be off to a good start, it has so far managed to fund the streetfighter build to this point, we'll have a few things to pay for ourselves, or wait till the next cheque rolls in, but the great part is we can now ear mark the money and plan ahead with it which we couldn't do before!

[@chittychad18]

I'm trying to cut threads into a 7/16 plain round stock and even with the vise as tight as I can get it, the torque makes it slip. any advice?

[@Moonfleet41]

Yes mate, rather then increasing the grip on the item, reduce the torque in the tap... use a cutting agent, and take small 'quarter turn' bites at it, then turn back....also you can use some copper jaws in the vice that will grip it better..! hope that helps..

[@GaryT1952]

I always glean bits of knowledge from your videos, many thanks for sharing. Just wondering how you became such a competent motorcycle mechanic is it your vocation or avocation?

[@Moonfleet41]

+trackdog90 Hi buddy, i guess its a lifetime at it in some way or another, first bought an old scooter to work on with a buddy of mine at school, had a moped at 16, learned a lot from my Dad and Grandad, then the rest i learned myself over the last 35 years... not a vocation, although i ran a bike shop for ten years.... its more of a passion than an avocation... you know how it is, we always excel at what we love to do..

[@TheOrganicartist]

great well explained video, only question: who is the beautiful lady posing with the bike at the end of the video?

[@Moonfleet41]

Hi mate, that was a model hired for the day when we had a photo shoot for that bike for 100% Biker magazine...

[@richardbale481]

As per usual, great vid! I can't tell you how many times I have gone looking for a replacement fastener, only to find that the exact size is not available from any local hardware retailer. (My 04 Thruxton was particularly frustrating in this regard. ) Going through the dealer isn't much rewarding. As most American motorcycle dealerships don't like to keep much of an inventory in such mundane stuff, a special order is most often necessary. So after waiting the requisite 3-5 business days for delivery, one is rewarded with the privilege of paying $5+ for something that would have been $2 from anywhere else. PS: However did the world get on before the advent of WD40?

[@Moonfleet41]

+Richard Bale Too right buddy, attitudes like that just confirm that point that they are nothing more than wealthy vending machines and, often, they only stock what is profitable for them!

[@compprufus]

Delboy, does that set of yours come with M8x1.25? Because I can't find specs of that set anywhere. Everybody copies info from offical website, so it seems. I bought myself a set at local store and it can't be spread and is intended to cut full thread at one go. Terrible.

[@Moonfleet41]

Hi buddy, am not near the set right now, I'd have to look, but you can buy them individually from any good tool store, or online, if it's soft material, you can cut to full depth in one go.. .but not something like stainless... so have a look at Machine Mart and see what they've got to offer, am pretty sure they sell individual dies...

[@compprufus]

Hello Delboy, thanks for the reply. If you could, some time in near future (before autumn starts) to look at your set, that would be lovely. I managed to cut the thread on both bolts I needed, although one of the crest got mangled. Nut still comes over so no biggy. However I am willing to cut full threads on bolts that cost few pennies but not so keen to screw up tripples worth of 100 quid. What is interesting, I found yours set on ebay, and it sold for 30ish pounds so about 7 pound more than what I paid. Sadly I went back to the shop and looked at other more expensive sets, one which was 3.5 times the price of mine and looked the same. Old style dies/taps are hard to come by.

[@Moonfleet41]

Hi again buddy, ok, as you asked so nicely, and I was in the garage all day today, I checked my Clarke tap & die set and it does, indeed, have an M8x1.25 die, which is slit, so it's adjustable... believe they are in stock at Machine Mart, take a look and let us know how you get on! Hope that helps you my friend... Del

[@compprufus]

Hey thank you Delboy, much appreciated. Think I am going to order from ebay, live over the channel. I may comment later in some other viedo (stripped internal torx on a button head bolt - yikes). First need to get hold of those bolts again before proceeding to different removal methods though. Thanks again. Lukas

[@brandywell44]

Bolts and screws, ever wondered how theyre made? Heres the first stage which turns a coil of wire into a correct length fastening with the beginnings of a the head. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGfShaZqisaZfqc Next stage on another machine would be to trim the hex onto the head and then another machine to roll the threads then onto heat treating and plating. Unbelievably noisy when theres a factory floor full of them.

[@RaiderOfTheLost]

Can you do the opposite.. ?

[@Moonfleet41]

+MrMatt Finch The 'Opposite?'?

[@RaiderOfTheLost]

Instead of creating thread, create the blank part? Basically a reverse of what you've shown.

[@Moonfleet41]

+MrMatt Finch Only by machining it down on a lathe...and then it would be too thin..!

[@hughiemg2]

Way to man up and not cry when you skinned your knuckle on the vice. Did you get Penny to kiss it better for you??

[@STEVEBLACKA]

Great video`s but i hate the intro them . Steve

[@anthonyt7595]

it's easy when you already have threads lol try it without threads damn near impossible

[@TheOrganicartist]

naw, it's easy, just did it for the first time threading the rod i used to make a rapier that fits into a modern pistol grip fencing hilt. as long as you don't rush it it's fine. =)

[@anthonyt7595]

I was trying it on hardened steal ended up breaking the die lol had to take it to work and let them thread it with a lathe

[@Moonfleet41]

The reason you broke your die was probably cos you tightened it right up in the die wrench on the first pass, and attempted to cut the full depth of the thread straight away... if you are cutting case hardened steel, you cannot do it by hand in the first place, unless you anneal it first to soften the surface and then re-case harden it afterwards... but if you are just using regular hard grade stainless steel, you take three passes with the die at increasing depths... that is why the die is split open in the first place, and also for hard steel you use a specialised cutting medium to add lubrication... so it's not damn near impossible, it's perfectly easy, you just need to do it correctly mate ...