Making wooden bolts and nuts?

CNC Machines Shapeoko
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Does anyone have experience making wooden bolts and nuts? I want to incorporate them into my toys and it is very confusing since I’ve never tried that yet. I understand the process but I get bogged down researching thread mills. I would like to make 1/2" and 3/4" dia bolts with 2 or 3 tpi, yes probably unusual and to complicate it more I’d like them to be acme threads for more surface grab on the threads themselves. Of course I want to do it with my Shapeoko 3. Any help would be appreciated. This is the yutube video that inspired my desire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d4PxlJbhDU
He has a custom tool source in Germany and wants you to contact him not the tool company (I don’t trust that). Any help selecting acme thread cutting tools for 2 or 3 tpi with 1/4" shank I guess is what i’m asking. Thanks all. Grumpa

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I would think to make wooden nuts and bolts you’d need a lathe.

Personally I’d consider what they are being used for, wooden nuts and bolts didn’t really take off as they don’t do a great job of bolting tings together. You’d be better off with pegs/dowels.

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Estlcam supports thread cutting, and you can try it for free. You’ll need the appropriate bits of course. From what I’ve seen it would lend itself to the larger sizes you cite.

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Yeah, I have Estlcam but I’m almost ready to fire up the Shapeoko and every cut will first be in styrofoam. I finished the enclosure and am waiting on the last piece of the puzzle. The particular thread mill I need is my stumbling block. The cnc could make more than one at a time as opposed to the lathe. They’re for toys and not structural just fun for the kids. For larger pieces I’d glue them and gain an interesting accent. Thanks for the help.

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Not that unusual — quite traditional.

You’ve got a couple of choices:

Making a 4th axis has been gradually working its way up my priority stack — looking forward to it getting to the top, it opens up a lot of possibilities.

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To make my own I’d follow Roy Underhill, (I have all his books) I’ve made one years ago and it’s not a production process but I’d need them by the hundreds and watching the video I linked, it’s a one tool process, that would be desirable. 4th axis has it’s potential in my mind for another production process which I’ve investigated and when I’m more intune with CNC in general I will proceed with it. Thanks Will, would winding the wooden nuts wound the wooden wounding wrung around the wooden bolt???:smirk:

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If you need to produce lots of them, I’d suggest cutting to the chase and getting the Beal thread cutting kit and using a router — it has an excellent reputation and “just works”.

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Another option would be to get a “thread mill” which would allow you to cut internal threads — external threads as well for things which aren’t too tall which the machine and endmill geometry allows for.

A bit (make that a lot) pricey, but if you’re doing production and needs threads and are willing to do a tool change (on the bright side, there would be a bit of leeway on the tool height if one didn’t need indexed parts, or was willing to do that post-production).

http://www.threadmillsusa.com/

(though I had a moment of sticker shock when I looked up the price on the sizes which you would probably want)

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If you watch the video you’ll see what I think is a novel way to cut acme threads, one tool for both the interior and exterior threads. I was able to email the tool company in Germany and they quoted me a price of $228.00. I plan to talk to a local vendor to see if he can get it made here. The company said they have it in 1/2" dia shaft and for 1/4" shaft it would be a special order. Yeah it’s pricey but if that’s whats I wants than that’s whats I gets. Than of course I’ll have to figure out the tooling, does feed and speed ever end??? Thanks again Will.