Making a mini threaded picture frame, on the wood lathe

Tools and materials I propose:

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Bandsaw

Sanding adapter

Metal square

Axe

Forstner bit set

5 minute epoxy

Magnets

This project was a good excuse for me to practice thread chasing on a woodturning lathe. I made it out of apricot wood. 

I also want to thank Mr. Sam Angelo, the Wyoming Woodturner for his thread chasing tutorials.

First of all I split an apricot log with an axe, to make my blank. I then cut it on the bandsaw.

Next I clamped the blank between centers on the lathe, and turned it true with the roughing gouge. 

I filled a few cracks with super glue to prevent them from expanding further.

I used the skew chisel to make the tenon for the chuck. I then parted the piece off and cut it in half on the bandsaw. 

I made the female part first. I hollowed it with forstner bits. The lathe was set at it’s lowest speed. 

At this point, I used my homemade recess tool, to create a groove on the back of my female threads. This will give my female thread chaser a way out, once it completes a cut. 

Then using the female chaser I started creating the threads. The lathe was still set at it’s lowest speed. I begun threading at an angle and gradually I tried to turn the tool parallel to the sides of the wood. Once the chaser creates the first couple of threads, then it kind of follows the threads on it’s own. Minimal pressure needed here. An old toothbrush can help you clean the threads and check how the threading process evolves. 

Once the female side was ready. I created a slightly larger tenon on the male side. I then started threading with the male tool. I kept checking the fit between the male and the female side. It’s better to take it slow here, because if you remove to much material, you can’t go back. 

I then connected the two sides and shaped them together a little. I then parted the piece off the lathe. 

On the back of my frame I epoxied a rare earth magnet in place. I then sanded the piece and finished it with my homemade, beeswax and mineral oil finish. This also acts as lubricant for the threads. 

I used the plastic from an old package as my frame’s glass. I then printed a photo of Scrapy to place inside of my frame. 

I am still a newbie at thread chasing but it was fun experimenting with this technique. My next goal is to match the grain between each threaded side.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this project, because that was it. See you soon with a new project video.

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