Surplus sources for lead screws ?

Enco

Good Luck, BobH

Leadscrews used to show up in surplus daisy-wheel printers, but those have disappeared even from surplus stores.

John Nagle

I was going to suggest 8" floppy drives, but they have gone the way of the buffalo too.

BobH

more) as a 1/2 inch #13 screw thread.

Yep - I would LOVE to get my hands on a box of those! jcd

more) as a 1/2 inch #13 screw thread.

Hmmmm - the only ones I have seen at Home Depot have 10-24 thread or similar. I haven't looked at Lowes yet - they have the best selection of odd hardware down in this area ( Atlanta ).

I did notice a concrete drill bit that was cheap that might work, though. anyone tried using one of those ? I would just use some of that ShapeLock plastic to form a nut if I used one of those.

thanks! JCD

Threaded rod is not the same thing as a lead screw. Threaded rod is intended to be used for a fixed bolt/nut application, not as a linear drive. Bolts and nuts are designed to have high friction under load; lead screws are designed to have low friction under load. Lead screws are usually square or Acme cut, and are often used with ball nuts to reduce friction.

For a small lead screw, a bolt-type thread may work, but you're talking about half-inch rod, which would imply a load upwards of

Here's some reasonably priced 1/2" Acme threaded rod:

Also take a look at the screw jacks on this page:

John Nagle

Awesome! *Exactly* what I need AND at the price I'm willing to pay. THANKS!!! JCD

^^^^ Reading For Comprehension--------||||

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Methinks BobH already knew that.

mlp