Drywall router + lathe = broom handle repair awesomeness

[forhire]

So earlier this week I couldn't find a broom with a handle at the school shop. After some hunting I did manage to find one and a half dozen broken handles.

Researching handle threads I found a hand die for cutting 3/4" wood threads but reading the reviews several mentioned the die cut 6 TPI and didn't work as expected for handles despite the claims of the description. After some measuring I opted to try 3/4" 5 TPI stub acme. Kinda odd but old threads like broom handles conform to their own standard. A few days ago I cut a 3/4" 5 TPI stub acme test plug from aluminum and the the fit was great. Unfortunately, as expected, when I tried the hss tool on the wood just splintered apart.

Today while running some robot parts I decided to fill the time by fixing brooms. A few minutes at the table saw I was able to put my drywall router on the lathe with some zip ties. Plenty rigid for the task. I used a 1/8th inch ball nose end mill to cut the threads. Two passes and done. Easy as pie and the fit was great.

Figured some of you might need to fix a broom or two so maybe you'd find this interesting. Enjoy!

[MinnesotaDave]

Funny, interesting and helpful

[el bob]

Funny, interesting and helpful

+1 Dave nailed it.

That is awesome. Must have been at least a little bit fun!

[boroko]

That's crafty. Never would have thought of that in a hundred years. Good Job.
bo

[rhunt]

Damn that's slick! Bob

[farmshop]

Beats grinding a taper and driving it in and running a screw with a washer like I do but I don't have a lathe or dry wall router

[cornemuse]

Gotta lotta free time on your hands, huh?

[bigb]

hope you cleaned all that yucky sawdust off the lathe

[duaneb55]

Where's the dial indicator to monitor progress?


Who keeps breaking all the broom handles?

[docwelder]

awesome thinking out of the box forhire. we use thousands of brooms here and put large plywood gussets on either end of the handle where it meets the broom.

[VPT]

Nice work!

We convert our brooms and brushes to aluminum handles, they tend to break less.

[forhire]

Funny, interesting and helpful

Thanks Dave.

+1 Dave nailed it. That is awesome. Must have been at least a little bit fun!

Thanks Bob. It's fun to mess around now and again. Sometimes I just do stuff because I can.

That's crafty. Never would have thought of that in a hundred years. Good Job.

Thanks.

Damn that's slick! Bob

Thanks.

Beats grinding a taper and driving it in and running a screw with a washer like I do but I don't have a lathe or dry wall router

Now you have reason to buy a lathe for the farmshop.

Gotta lotta free time on your hands, huh?

The great thing about CNC equipment is that I have a lot of free time. I have to always be doing something. I circle the shop like a shark looking for something to fix, do, or improve. Sure I can buy broom handles down the street for $7 each but where is the fun in that.

hope you cleaned all that yucky sawdust off the lathe

A little sawdust never hurt anyone. Shop gets cleaned everyday. If it's not clean when you start then you clean and then clean again when your done.

Where's the dial indicator to monitor progress?

Who keeps breaking all the broom handles?

Your funny! This was done by eye... I stopped when it looked about the same as the broken one. After I had the first one I just ran the dials to the same depth and they all came out the same.

I broke the last one. Cheap pot-metal end. Looked at it wrong.

awesome thinking out of the box forhire. we use thousands of brooms here and put large plywood gussets on either end of the handle where it meets the broom.

If anyone would appreciate this trick it would be you! I like the plywood gusset idea.

Nice work! We convert our brooms and brushes to aluminum handles, they tend to break less.

Thanks. Do you buy the aluminum handles or make them? I thought about turning some aluminum adapters but didn't have enough stock on hand. Turning the wood threads was free.

[storeman]

I've got the same drywall cutter. I need to try that on my lathe just for fun. Thanks.
Jerry

[steve45]

Innovation at it's finest!

[forhire]

I've got the same drywall cutter. I need to try that on my lathe just for fun. Thanks.

Thanks Jerry. It worked remarkably well. I'm sure I'll find more uses for wood threads in the future.

Innovation at it's finest!

You know what they say... necessity is the mother of invention.

[Oldendum]

Take this broom and stick it.

Speaking as a former FIRST mentor, you've been hanging around those kids too long.

[docwelder]

forhire; although we use a different repair method i'm going to tell our machinist about your fix. that is if i can remember it 2 hours from now

[VPT]

Thanks Dave.


Thanks. Do you buy the aluminum handles or make them? I thought about turning some aluminum adapters but didn't have enough stock on hand. Turning the wood threads was free.

I make most of them. Most times I thread a short chunk to fit whatever broom, brush, dipnet, and then cut a length of tube and weld it to the threaded stub.

[ferrret3238]

I like that idea, It will cut good flat bottom threads. I did something similar a long time ago by putting a saw blade in my tool post grinder and dialing down the speed. The threads weren't nice and square but they worked. I like your idea better cause they could be flat bottom or any shape you want it to be by grinding the bit to the proper angles.

[flushcut]

Pretty cool!
How many passes did it take?

[forhire]

Take this broom and stick it.

Speaking as a former FIRST mentor, you've been hanging around those kids too long.

I tell them the most important tool in the shop is the broom. I'm still having fun. I don't get wrapped up in the competitive side. I keep to the shop as much as possible.

forhire; although we use a different repair method i'm going to tell our machinist about your fix. that is if i can remember it 2 hours from now

My memory isn't what it use to be either.

I make most of them. Most times I thread a short chunk to fit whatever broom, brush, dipnet, and then cut a length of tube and weld it to the threaded stub.

Good idea. I might make a few when the wood ones get too short.

I like that idea, It will cut good flat bottom threads. I did something similar a long time ago by putting a saw blade in my tool post grinder and dialing down the speed. The threads weren't nice and square but they worked. I like your idea better cause they could be flat bottom or any shape you want it to be by grinding the bit to the proper angles.

So I thought about grinding a split tool to stub acme but after looking at a few factory ends I decide a ball end mill would be close enough. I'd like to find a published standard but so far I haven't found one.