How to make a tiny machine screw for an antique French clock

I've been doing a bit of posting about practical matters in the world of clock repair on my other site clockfix.com. In one of my recent blog posts there, I documented how to make a very small steel machine screw for a French clock I was working on. Here's the result:

A colleague who has far more experience in this field made two good suggestions. The first was to anneal the metal before turning it down and threading it. This will make the dies last a lot longer. The second, was to part the piece using a jeweler's saw rather than a file. The blades are cheap, and the file will last a lot longer too. He then hardens, tempers, and finishes the screw as the final steps. Good advice; all of that makes perfect sense.

Here's where you can see my post on how to make a tiny machine screw for an antique French clock.

---

Mechanical gift idea #5 - Making Things Move book

If you have a maker or aspiring maker in your life and they don't own this book, this should be your holiday gift to them. You won't just be giving them a book, but a fundamental education in machines and fabrication techniques that they will be able to use for the rest of their life. No, that's not an exaggeration.

In Making Things Move, Dustyn Roberts explains mechanical design principles and their applications in non-technical terms, using examples and a dozen topic-focused projects.

Some of the topics covered:

• Introductions to mechanisms and machines
• Finding and using materials such as metals, plastics, & wood
• Basic physics
• How to fasten and attach things in a bunch of different ways
• Info on different types of motors and how to use them
• Converting between rotary and linear motion
• Using off-the-shelf components
• A wide variety of fabrication techniques
• How to have things made, if you can't do it yourself
• A primer on Arduino micro-controllers
• There is even a section on automata!

This is an outstanding book with a ton of great information presented in a very accessible way. I believe it to be a classic-in-its-own time for makers. I wish I had owned it years ago!

Here is where you can order the book Making Things Move DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists.

---

How to fix a cam, gear or handle to a wood shaft

My latest installment of Dug's Automata Tips, Techniques and Tricks is now available at on the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre web site.

There seems to be fairly widespread agreement that there are a handful of particularly useful techniques for attaching cams and other parts to round wooden shafts. There doesn't seem to be much advice on why you might choose one method over another. I've tried to address this topic in my latest column. I've given an overview of the methods and some of the factors that make one technique more suitable than another in certain situations. I've tried to provide a few helpful tips along the way.

Here is where you can read the full article Attaching Cams, Pulleys, Cranks, Gears, and Handles to Wooden Shafts by Dug North.

---

They have almost everything at SmallParts.com

If you are looking for tools and materials to make an automaton or any other project, SmallParts.com is offering free two-day shipping on orders over $50.00 for a limit time.

What do they have? Well...almost everything! Seriously. Here's a very small sample:

Springs, tweezers, drill bits, brass tubing, music wire, needle-nose pliers, calipers, universal joints, cam follower bearings, WD-40, shoulder washers, gears, wood screws, pin vises, worm gears, brazing torches, cyanoacrylate adhesives, ball bearings, pulleys, hole saws, router bits, machine screws, epoxy...and way, way more.

And, despite the name, it's NOT just small stuff. They sell full sized milling machines!

If you haven't already, I suggest you check out all the cool stuff available from SmallParts.com.

---