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Need Assistance with J&L Model 20S Die Head

jbacc

Hot Rolled
Joined
May 5, 2009
Location
New Jersey
Good Evening, All,

I impulsively purchased several Jones & Lamson Model 20S die heads from a forum member for a very fair price. They were accurately described and were shipped very quickly. I know very little if anything about these heads and as I said, it was an impulse purchase that I do not need nor did I thoroughly research with regards to parts and chaser availability.

In any event, one of them is complete minus chasers and 2 others are missing some parts. I searched quite a bit but I cannot find any literature and/or diagrams to help me identify various parts. I have uploaded 2 photos, one is the complete unit which is marked 9/16" LH 20.

I am trying to figure out what that specific part is called as it seems the dies apparently attach to them. Assuming it is marked LH, I would need RH models to attach dies to it for normal right handed threading? I searched online and found some dies on ebay but I do not see the parts the dies attach to. My 2nd photo shows another head minus those parts as well.

Please forgive me if my post is not clear, it's a challenge as I have founding nothing in the way of parts or other literature that would help me describe what I need and looking for.

Thanks in advance for any and all assistance.

Joe
J & L Model 20S Die Head.jpg

J & L Model 20S Die Head II.jpg
 
The cutting part is a chaser. The chasers for that sort of die head attach to chaser holders. I don't know how many different sizes or models of die head J&L made. Here are some chasers and holders on eBay.

Lot of 33 Jones and Lamson Die Head Thread Chasers and 8 Holders 22 23 24 25 J&L | eBay Note that J&L parts are not Geometric parts, but the seller is confused on that point.

More here, with useful info on grinding and a promise of other sizes in stock.

Jones and Lamson J&L die head chasers 3/8 - 16 , 9/16" holder | eBay

Here is another lead to parts: Jones & lamson die head chasers

Larry
 
Larry,

Many thanks and much appreciation for taking the time to respond. I just tried to PM Doug but his inbox is full so I revived the old thread hoping he might see it. I checked the links to ebay, unfortunately, the first link are for larger models of die heads which won't work on my model 20S. None the less, thank you for your help. At least I know the names of the parts I need.

Best.

Joe
 
I have seen J/L die heads from 20s to 26s. Does anyone know how these correlate to thread sizes? Are the thread cutters pretty available? Bobby
 
You will find there are 10 million different sizes,dovetail angles etc of chasers..........anything you can buy new will cost a fortune ,and be uneconomic for a hobbyist or ocassional user......my advice is use what you have complete,and watch ebay for chasers......but remember there are so many possible variables with this style of chaser..........however ,you may strike a mother lode of new chasers ,as I once did for Landis heads,only to find the organization used their own unique dimensions,and what you have is half a ton of HSS scrap.
 
Just my $0.02

Die heads ( all brands) have a boat load of variables, the best thing you can do is educate yourself WELL in the differences. Once you understand the models and size denominations you can begin to get a good idea of what to look for in surplus tooling. Keep in mind however that often times sellers do not know the differences, and therefore extra caution must be exercised when making purchases.

Jones and lamson manuals are available on vintagemachinery.org
 
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Ok..... Let’s approach this differently. I haven’t bought anything yet. I need to make a bunch of axel spindles for a trailer manufacturer. I want to try to set up this J+L turret machine to do it. These will all be the same size thread. Any suggestions on threading heads would be appreciated Thanks, Bobby
 
Ok..... Let’s approach this differently. I haven’t bought anything yet. I need to make a bunch of axel spindles for a trailer manufacturer. I want to try to set up this J+L turret machine to do it. These will all be the same size thread. Any suggestions on threading heads would be appreciated Thanks, Bobby

Geometric type D die heads are the most common and have the easiest to find chasers. There are some German heads that take Geometric D chasers. What size threads do you need to cut?

Larry
 
Ok..... Let’s approach this differently. I haven’t bought anything yet. I need to make a bunch of axel spindles for a trailer manufacturer. I want to try to set up this J+L turret machine to do it. These will all be the same size thread. Any suggestions on threading heads would be appreciated Thanks, Bobby

most die heads will do the job quite well as long as you have a large enough head, and machine torque. in production a good quality cutting oil will make your tooling life and part finish much better. I have mostly Geometric heads, but also Landis and Acme. all produce good results when set up properly, and make threading a breeze. when threading with a die head the first time, use practice steel of the grade to be used for the finish part. you will find that there are many variables to getting a good finish beyond just rpm and sharp chasers (with the correct "hook" for your material). new chasers are available from a couple of different companies for a nominal fee. (I was quoted around $350.00 for a set a couple years ago)

Be aware of the differences in the head designs however, some have trip levers, others have trip stop pins or pulls for screw type machines, and some have pull off heads (after the turret travel stops the head is drawn a short distance before reaching the trip point and popping open) There is a good video about Geometric Die heads, well worth watching for anybody interested in using any brand of automatic die head.
 
Ok..... Let’s approach this differently. I haven’t bought anything yet. I need to make a bunch of axel spindles for a trailer manufacturer. I want to try to set up this J+L turret machine to do it. These will all be the same size thread. Any suggestions on threading heads would be appreciated Thanks, Bobby

Maybe try to find a Fette or similar thread rolling die head on EBAY instead.
 








 
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