CA-ALL Farm yards are a great stock source

[Susquatch]

I often mention finding old farm equipment to scrounge metal from in the bush or in a farm yard. A neighbour called me over today. He has a trailer loaded up to go to the scrap yard. He told me to help myself. So I did.

A lot of it is old and mostly mystery metal but it will be great for the kind of stuff I do. Might even end up back on his own equipment some day!

That long piece of 1/4 x 1-1/2 on top will make lots of perfect screw cutting coupons. Maybe even a full set? I'll set it aside for just that purpose. Maybe I'll even finish that before I fill a big hole someplace......

 

[BMW Rider]

I was expecting pictures of farm animals when I read the title.

 

[Megar arc 5040dd]

What are screw cutting coupons? I have never heard of them before.

 

[Darren]

I'm not near any farms, but I live in the country. My favorite neighbor is downsizing and getting rid of stuff. He just dropped off 5 of these 2"x4"x36" steel bars. Just mild steel off cuts but ill make something with them.

 

[Susquatch]

What are screw cutting coupons? I have never heard of them before.

Just my name for them. I'm sure somebody has a better name.

I once used a screw checker to cut off a screw and had a buddy chew my head off for wrecking a perfectly good screw checker. I happened to have two so it didn't really matter but boy was he ever annoyed with me....

Screw Checker

https://a.co/d/fzvUztm

So I made one of my own out of 1/8 flat bar cut into 2x1.5 "coupons" just to satisfy him.



I liked the coupons waaaay better than using a screw checker. So much so that they are shop practice for me now. I make them one at a time as needed. I drill and tap a fine thread hole in one corner and a course thread in the other for a given screw size and mark them accordingly. The coupons can be stacked neatly away in a box just like checkers for the neat freak guys on here.

To use a screw cutting coupon , you find the coupon for the required screw thread. Thread the screw in to the desired depth, and then cut the screw off on the back side a wee bit long. The coupon will easily hold the screw in a bench vise. This will leave a screw stud that can be ground off flush with the coupon leaving behind a nice screw that is not all chewed up ready to be used with a nut or threaded hole elsewhere.

You can chamfer the screws too if you want, but I generally don't. When I do, I just thread the screw in further, then grind the chamfer, then unscrew it to clean up the threads.

This method works best with small screws. But Thicker coupons would facilitate bigger screws.