Shortening screws

8 Attachment(s)

Shortening screws

Hi All
sometimes I have the need to shorten bolts and screws for my models. These are sometimes to small and fiddly to use in my lantern chuck. So I have made a filing jig. A piece of 1/8” mild steel drilled and tapped and I screw the bolts in to the jig and space as necessary to give the desired length. The packers are the same as I use for the rivet shortening tool.

Attachment 34592 Jig, Spacers and 8BA screws to be shortened.

Attachment 34593 Setting length with spacer
Attachment 34594 Screws tighten down onto spacer

Attachment 34595 Attachment 34596Filed down to 1/8” steel

Attachment 34597 Attachment 34598 Attachment 34599 Two screws finished and bolted into place.

I find this a very quick method to get bolts to the correct length.
Thank you for viewing
The Home Engineer

Thanks thehomeengineer! We've added your Screw Shortening Jig to our Fastening category,
as well as to your builder page: thehomeengineer's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-screw-shortening-jig"> <img src="/uploads/232331/homemade-screw-shortening-jig.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-screw-shortening-jig">Screw Shortening Jig</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/thehomeengineer">thehomeengineer</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/jig'>jig</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Oh that's excellent. I usually just throw a nut on there (to chase the threads) then have at it with the bench grinder.

Nice, I like it, simple is beautiful !

I looked again at your rivet shortening tool, and saw that you have several sets of shims, or packers. Did you make these, or are they commercially produced?

Hi Philip
Hope you and your wife are keeping well.
I made the shims from three different thickness of material I have ordered some 0.5 mm but that was back in January from eBay coming via China but it hasn’t arrived yet. These were cut on a CNC router and made to suit the rivet shortening tool hole pitches. All I do is gang the shims together to get the required length.
All the best
Andy

The Home Engineer
I love your design of your shim plates but that must have been time consuming. The only change I would make is washers parted off on a lathe to all the lengths I needed. Wonderful idea.
Nelson

2 Attachment(s)

Hi Nelson
Good to hear from you. Washer work really well and can be made to an exact size. But when you have a lot of screws to shorten the shims are far quicker as several screws can be done at once. Otherwise you would need to make lots of washers all the same length. The Shims I made were produced on a CNC I have access to so while the machine was set up I ran quite a few off but to be honest you don’t need that many. As you could make different thickness Jig plates and drill and tap them with the size bolts you normally have to shorten. Then use the shims to get to the finished size. (No matter what size jig plate you drill and tap you will always want to shorten a screw that you haven’t yet made a plate for).
I had to shorten 24 8BA screws today and it was done in two batches of 12. (See photos below). Like most things in engineering there is always more than one way to get the job done but in the home workshop we sometimes have to get a bit creative. Does not always work but it is very nice and satisfying when it does.
Attachment 34638 Attachment 34639
Filing jig loaded and ready to file down to size. 3/16” under the head.

Again great to hear from you
The Home Engineer

Congratulations thehomeengineer - your Screw Shortening Jig is the Homemade Tool of the Week!

This is a clever solution for a common task, although admittedly less common than the cling film screw holding method you also posted this week! Congratulations again on also winning the Top 10 Tool Builder award this week, for placing in the top 10 on our Tool Builders List :)

Some more good builds from this week:

Small Screw Holding Method by thehomeengineer
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Mini Plate Compactor by olefella
Sanding Tool by PB Machines
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Round Workpiece Vise Jaw Attachment by Tuomas
Sanding Block by rgsparber
Welding Tip Tool by garage nut
Paint Shaker by TigerCreek
Marking Gauge by Didpoolhall
Clamp Rack by Make Things

thehomeengineer - you'll be receiving a $25 online gift card, in your choice of Amazon, PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and gift card choice and I'll get it sent over right away.

This is your 9th Homemade Tool of the Week. Here are all of your Homemade Tool of the Week winning tools. Congrats again :thumbsup:

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Congratulations again! Your contribution to this site over 3 years has been outstanding! May I offer you a new challenge? Design a solar forge for the back garden!

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehomeengineer

Hi Philip
Hope you and your wife are keeping well.
I made the shims from three different thickness of material I have ordered some 0.5 mm but that was back in January from eBay coming via China but it hasn’t arrived yet. These were cut on a CNC router and made to suit the rivet shortening tool hole pitches. All I do is gang the shims together to get the required length.
All the best
Andy

Thanks for yet another fantastic post. It might be worth noting that I didn't grasp the scale of this tool until I saw the photo with the file. It might help to throw a scale in the photos from time to time.

In any event once I realized the scale it was like, man I have all sorts of scrap to make something similar from. The shims might be an issue without a CNC but that can be addressed. This is obviously a great idea in that it stimulates the mind and solves problems.

Crimping Tool with screw shotrtening

Hallo,
ich benutze seit Jahrzehnten eine einfache billige Crimpzange für diesen Zweck.
zum Beispiel diese für M3 bis M5 Gewinde, gibt es auch für zöllige Gewinde:

https://www.amazon.de/InLine-43054-C...s%2C529&sr=8-2

Zum crimpen benutze ich jedoch bessere Zangen, zum Abisolieren ist diese gut, sehr gut jedoch zum kürzen von Schrauben, da diese in das vorhanden Gewinde eingeschraubt werden und dann abgeschert werden. Beim herausdrehen wird das Gewinde nachgeformt und kann direkt ohne Nachbehandlung neu eingeschraubt werden.

Günter

1 Attachment(s)

Attachment 44307 Attachment 44307
Hallo, Gunter!
Welche Zange wuerdest du benutzen? Die am linken Sind Krimpenzwange, Oder? Und wie Sind schrauben gekurzt werden mit denen?

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2gsg2_muc

Hallo,
ich benutze seit Jahrzehnten eine einfache billige Crimpzange für diesen Zweck.
zum Beispiel diese für M3 bis M5 Gewinde, gibt es auch für zöllige Gewinde:

https://www.amazon.de/InLine-43054-C...s%2C529&sr=8-2

Zum crimpen benutze ich jedoch bessere Zangen, zum Abisolieren ist diese gut, sehr gut jedoch zum kürzen von Schrauben, da diese in das vorhanden Gewinde eingeschraubt werden und dann abgeschert werden. Beim herausdrehen wird das Gewinde nachgeformt und kann direkt ohne Nachbehandlung neu eingeschraubt werden.

Günter

Hello,
I've been using a simple cheap crimping tool for this purpose for decades.
For example these for M3 to M5 threads, there are also inch threads:

https://www.amazon.de/InLine-43054-C...s%2C529&sr=8-2

However, I use better pliers for crimping, these are good for stripping, but very good for shortening screws, as these are screwed into the existing thread and then sheared off. When unscrewing, the thread is reshaped and can be screwed in again directly without post-treatment.

GunterHi Gunter

As with all engineering processes there is always more than one way. The most important thing is the result. If I had only one bolt to shorten a hacksaw and file or maybe a linisher will do, on larger diameter bolts/screws. My favourite pliers for smaller bolts up to 3mm/1/8".

But when shortening many bolts for a model, the consistent length is great so all the bolts look the same with the correct amount of thread poking out of the top of each nut.

Hallo Günter

Wie bei allen Engineering-Prozessen gibt es immer mehr als einen Weg. Das Wichtigste ist das Ergebnis. Wenn ich nur eine Schraube hätte, um eine Bügelsäge und eine Feile zu kürzen, oder vielleicht ein Linisher, würde es bei Schrauben/Schrauben mit größerem Durchmesser reichen. Meine Lieblingszange für kleinere Schrauben bis 3mm/1/8".

Aber wenn Sie viele Schrauben für ein Modell kürzen, ist die einheitliche Länge großartig, sodass alle Schrauben gleich aussehen und die richtige Menge an Gewinde aus der Oberseite jeder Mutter herausragt.

Hallo Philip,
die linke Zange ist die von mir beschriebene. Um den Drehpunkt herum sin drei Gewinde M2, M3, M3,5 M4 und M5 zu sehen. Die Zange wird soweit geöffnet, dass man durch das Gewinde hindurch sehen kann dann wird die Schraube von der Gewindseite soweit eingeschraubt bis die Schraube mit der gewünschten Länge zwischen Schraubenkopf und Zange minus 4 mm herausschaut. Also wenn die Schraube 4mm lang sein soll, wird diese soweit eingedreht bis der Kopf an der Zange anliegt. Jetzt wird durck schließen der Zange das Gewinde abgeschnitten, das erfordert je nach Schraubendurchmesser mehr oder weniger Kraft. Das gekürzte Gweinde fällt jetz aus der Zange heraus. Jetzt dreht man die Schraube aus der Zange heraus, wobei das abgeschnittenen Gewinde so geformz wird, dass die Schraube ohne weitere Behandlung benutzt werden kann. Natürlich kann man auch von der Gewindeseite auch messen, um wieviel die Schraube gekürzt werden soll. Wenn man zum Beispiel eine Küzung vo 8mm benötigt, darf man nur 4mm Gewinde messen.
Viel Erfolg
Günter