Very seldom do I wish for a smaller lathe but today was one of those days. A customer had a Colt 1903 .32 auto that was missing the screw that holds the safety/hammer pin in from the right side. Looked at all the usual places and he finally asked me to make one. The screw is a 2-64 that is 3/16th long. Was kind of unwieldy using a 9 inch swing lathe for something that small but it worked out. I do believe this is the smallest screw I have ever single pointed on a lathe!

It's a pain doing small screws. I was making a #4 screw with a threaded section under the head, and a long pin extending below that a couple days ago, did two of them and snagged and bent one parting it off, then bent the second one in the threading. Third time lucky, or more careful.

dave

You need one of these tools
http://www.cnccookbook.com/img...Cookbook/BoxTool.jpg

I use small dies when making a small screw. Brownells has the 2/64 TPI. Make up a die holder to use in the tailstock chuck. Make this holder at least 2 inches long and drill a hole thru the center so the parts can be extended into the tailstock. This die holder will keep the die inline. I turn the shank as short as possible and then try the threading after you file a taper on the screw body to enter the die.

Les,
I have made a die holder also. The need was urgent so I gave it a try as I did not have the appropriate Die and would have had to order it.

My first two attempts were between centers but they didn't work out so I ran the lathe in reverse and threaded on the backside and away from the headstock.