does anyone have a good tip or reference for how to adjust timing on screws? (i.e. making the slots on the screws all align in the same direction once it has been tightened down, like you would see on some custom made guns and old autos like the Cord/Duisenbergs).
is this even possible with the average wood screw?
Edited 12/2/2005 3:21 pm ET by jquinn
Replies
The term used by gunsmiths is 'regulating' the screws. One trick is to try ANOTHER screw in the slot. Not all screw threads / slots are in the same allignment. SawdustSteve
I am making this up so perhaps it wont work, butt..... Assuming the screws are countersinked you could probably use a hand powered countersink tool to deepen the hole for minor adjustments. If the screws are a fine pitch it shouldn't take much.
Mike
If you use phillips head or square-drive instead of the old slot-style screws, you only have to adjust each screw less than 22.5 degrees instead of 45. Heck, if you use Torx or Allen-head, you're down to less than 15 degrees.
J, if you have to use slotted screws you can do things to get this right, especially if you are using brass screws, which do not take kindly to over tightening:-
Apply candle or paraffin wax to the screw threads-and tighten slowly . If you have lots of them to do , apply the wax and screw them all in -some will not co-operate, so leave them an hour or so and come back to them-the wood fibres will have slacked off a bit and you may get lucky.
For those that are way off, you can countersink a little more.
As a last resort you can try another screw-but this is a hit or miss chance...
If you see my web site http://www.collectablefurniture.co.nz you will see that I put brass slotted head screws c/s into brass,and prefer to align them. I have found that the wax prevents breakages and greatly facilitates the alignment problem.
In fact I always wax screws-you then know that they are properly tightened.
Ofcourse screws with a fine pitch are easier to align.
Er, I once knew a gentleman who broke some screw heads through overtightening, and glued them back in, but made the mistake of aligning them-this made a certain person suspicious, who then tested them... The gentleman did stay long in the job.Philip Marcou
Edited 12/9/2005 3:48 am by philip
This is accomplished with screws that have an extra tall head. After the screw is in place it's marked, removed, the new slot is cut and the head is ground down to have a nice flush fit. Check out http://www.brownells.com for gunsmith supplies, including screw slotting saws and tall head screws.
Cheers,
Don
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled