How Do I Trim Ss Screws Accurately And Cleanly?

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angelfj1

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I never seem to have the right length screws and bolts. When working with mild steel or brass screws, I use my electrical strippers. They have a provision where you thread in the screw you want to cut and the tool makes a clean shear cut. When you back out the remaining screw the tool reforms the threads that may have been damaged. With a little clean up I'm usually good to go.

So, I had 4 - 10-32 x 1.25 SS socket head screws that had to be shortened by approx. .25". I tried the stripping pliers, but the SS was too tough and I did not want to damage the tool. I did not have a convenient way to hold these screws in my mill vise and same thing with my lathe.

So, what is the best way to trim SS screws and bolts that results in an accurate and clean cut?

Thanks, Frank
 
When I need to trim screws to length of any type, I do it in the lathe.

  1. chuck up some scrap that has been turned round and face both ends
  2. trim it to the appropriate to length
  3. drill and tap it for the bolt size in question
  4. pull the stock and thread the screw in, and lock it in place with a jam nut
  5. remount it, and face/turn the bolt to length.
  6. an optional step is to chamfer the end
 
Depending on the tools at hand, I use either a Dremel with a cutoff blade or grind it down on a wheel or sander. Threads can then be cleaned up with a knife-edged small file.
 
Tap a through hole in some steel plate. Thread your bolt through it to the proper length, and dremel or grind off the extended piece. When you back it out, it should straighten the threads, just like the electical pliers.
 
wawoodman said:
Tap a through hole in some steel plate. Thread your bolt through it to the proper length, and dremel or grind off the extended piece. When you back it out, it should straighten the threads, just like the electical pliers.
Click to expand...

This is what I do. I made a 3/8" x 8" steel plate with multiple, common size, tapped holes and then heat treat. One side is SAE and the other is Metric. You need a pretty clean cut (deburred) so you don't screw up the jig.
 
planeflyer21 said:
Depending on the tools at hand, I use either a Dremel with a cutoff blade or grind it down on a wheel or sander. Threads can then be cleaned up with a knife-edged small file.
Click to expand...
Put a nut on it first. When you back the nut off it will clean up the threads (or be fancy and put a die on it first). I often just use the grinder to bevel the end a bit.
 
I just saw the screw off and grind the end to clean up the threads. With small screws, I either hold the screw in visegrips or put it on the end of the appropriate driver. I angle the screw down slightly, with it held straight out from the wheel, and roll the screw as I grind it.
Takes only a moment and cleans up the threads and puts a nice chamfer on it at the same time.
 
Second on using a nut. Screw it on past length, cut off, back the nut off. Works very well on most screws.
 
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