Checkered ends... How?

[elementalrage]

How do you checker the ends of small rods (2 on right side) like this ::

 

[Tony Wells]

I'd take the cheat way and get a thread mill with the pitch I wanted and run it across the face, then rotate it 90° and do it again. A little buffing to "dull" it, and there you go.

 

[wrmiller]

I've done this a few times. I use my checkering files that I use for laying out checkering on a pistol.

 

[ranch23]

I, too, would use metal checkering files, if I was doing just a couple. If not see Tonys answer.

 

[elementalrage]

Thanks for the great ideas, guys!

 

[Tom Griffin]

If you don't want to spend the cash on a special cutter or checkering files, just grind a V shaped tool bit the angle you need and mount it in a fly cutter. It'll take a bit longer, but if you don't have many to do at least it's free.

Tom

 

[Tony Wells]

If 60° was OK, you could make a cutter out of an old tap. Just leave one tooth "active". As Tom said, it would be slow, but cheap. A fine pitch thread would be more likely to have enough relief on a tooth to not drag because of the lead of the tap. Of you could just grind it to suit.

If you wanted to pitch the mill head over, you could do it with a normal end mill and elevate the table (on a knee mill) for each pass, and rotate it to do the other set. Time consuming, again.

 

[george wilson]

I use checkering files too. Brownell's sells them in several TPI.

 

[ScrapMetal]

Instead of checkering files, here's your excuse for picking up a shaper! :biggrin:

Just sayin'.... :rofl:

-Ron

 

[Ray C]

If it was just a couple... Checkering files. I did the front strap on a 45 once. Came out great and didn't take all that long.

If I had a bunch of them to do, I'd make a hardened die and rig-up something with a 20 ton bottle jack. It would peen the ends a little so it would require some second-op lathe clean-up.

Ray