Can anyone help to identify these things?

[HelloWorld!]

Hi! New member here.

I was given these bits by a friend who was clearing off his inventory. He believed it has something to use with lathes. They are all Presto brand in BSW. Can anyone help to shed some light?

Ps: I tried Google Image search but nothing came out right.

TIA

 

[The Cobbler]

BSW stands fro British Standard whitworth .
My guess is either a thread form tool or a thread gauge of some sort , perhaps a boring bar for internal ( female) threads

 

[BillK]

They almost look like they could be thread cutting tools ? Very coarse pitch. 3 1/2 and 9 TPI ?

 

[isb cornbinder]

Home - Presto International UK Limited

Presto Drilling, Reaming, Threading, Milling and more.

www.presto-tools.co.uk

 

[slowtwitch73]

Paper weights

 

[dutchgray]

They are lathe thread chasers, intended for cutting external and internal threads depending on the tool.
I believe they are supposed to be used by hand (probably fitted into a handle of some sort) on a wood lathe to form threads in wood. But I guess they could also be used on an engine lathe.

 

[RTM]

I've seen them called thread chasers if sharp. Internal and external thread shapes are different.

If dull, thread gages seems logical.

Here is a 1904 reference, looks like Acme thread chaser.

American Machinist

books.google.com

1907 how to

Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech...

books.google.com

1939 reference

Screw-thread Standards for Federal Services, 1939

books.google.com

Not that Etsy is a reputable source, but what mine looks like

Vintage, Bolt Thread Chasers, Lot of 10, Machinist Tool, Original Box, Industrial, Steampunk Supply, Gift for Maker, Crafter - Etsy

This Shaping & Modeling item is sold by injoytreasures. Ships from Freedom, ME. Listed on Apr 11, 2024

www.etsy.com

 

[cmandp]

I saw some similar tools in the Baltimore Museum of Industry this weekend. They called them thread combs and were with a silversmithing display with a metal spinning lathe.

They said they were used to cut threads by hand like you would with wood turning tools (also metal spinning tools if you've seen them.)

 

[Dave455]

As stated above, they are thread chasers.

When you have cut a thread on a lathe, with a single point threading tool, the crests and roots of the thread are sharp, but they need to be rounded.

The 'hand chaser' enables you to finish the thread correctly.

These are only to round the crests and root of a thread, as distinct from the thread chasers found in a die box, that are used to cut a thread on a capstan lathe.

 

[RTM]

Here are mine. Top four are Pratt & Whitney, bottom four are SW Card. I was planning to do wooden thread cleanup, if I ever find any big enough. I was surprised to see the references above to "adjusting" threads post head treatment. and @Dave455 updated what little I knew about them.

 

[RoninB4]

To the question of whether these are used as a thread gauge, several are marked HSS and I can't see that being used as a material for a gauge when plain carbon or SS will do. They are also far too long to be a gauge. What would be the point in wasting all that metal for a single pitch when they are far more convenient in multiple leaves held together as a set?

 

[Dave455]

To the question of whether these are used as a thread gauge, several are marked HSS and I can't see that being used as a material for a gauge when plain carbon or SS will do. They are also far too long to be a gauge. What would be the point in wasting all that metal for a single pitch when they are far more convenient in multiple leaves held together as a set?

They're not used as a thread gauge, although I suppose they could be, not particularly well! They are marked with the thread form and pitch so you can choose the correct one.

I seldom use chasers now. Even if I cut a thread on a lathe for accuracy, I just run a die over it to finish it.

 

[RoninB4]

They're not used as a thread gauge, although I suppose they could be, not particularly well! They are marked with the thread form and pitch so you can choose the correct one.

I seldom use chasers now. Even if I cut a thread on a lathe for accuracy, I just run a die over it to finish it.

-I was just offering an opinion to those speculating on whether they were used for gauging purposes. As a retired toolmaker that has cut a great many threads on the lathe with a single point tool I still enjoy doing it when the application benefits from it. Not fond of threading dies unless it's for NPT or wood. YMMV

 

[seber]

Can't tell the size from the photos but to me they look like thread cutters for a wood lathe. It is a skill that takes a lot of practice to get right. The reason I say wood lathe is the tang is tapered for a wood lathe type handle.

 

[RTM]

While poking around for tap die stuff on the Vintage side, saw this catalog listing, from 1898.

The Wiley & Russell Mfg. Co. [1898 Catalog Excerpt] : Wiley & Russell Manufacturing Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

20 p., illus., 21.3 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

Looking at the sizes available, the 3-8 might work for wood, but 9-30 is definitely a bit too fine to hold something in both M & F threads.

 

[HelloWorld!]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

This is similar to what I have: Presto thread chaser 3mm internal

The square shank is about 14mm x 14mm. Seems a little too large for hand chaser. Possibly used on machine lathes?