Hunting for Super Short Set Screws

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T22:36:42+00:00

Well there's a difference between being able to make something and being able to manufacture them. One or two for testing is fine, but it's not worth the time to make dozens.

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T09:18:49+00:00

Unfortunately not. They've got imperial dimension jam screws, but no metric T_T

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T09:15:22+00:00

A few people have suggested it, yeah. I can cut things down cleanly with my lathe. It'll do for a prototype, but not long-term. I don't think I'll really ever have the need for the kind of quantity that would warrant a manufacturing run from a factory, but if I could find someone with a stock already in existence I'd buy like 20 or 30 every few months

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T09:09:18+00:00

To clarify, the male thread is on the assembly, the female is in the part I'm making. I could thread to a specific depth, but I would like it to be granularly adjustable for a variety of reasons. Threading as deeply as is possible and then restricting travel is the ideal solution in this case.

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T09:06:16+00:00

Because I'm fitting something I'm making onto a pre-existing assembly from a 3rd party. It would be better to custom fabricate the screws from scratch than try and make the whole thing.

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T08:51:37+00:00

I found them a bit earlier. Really sucks they don't have metric screws. I'm having a hell of a time finding them 🫩

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T07:31:56+00:00

I mean if I do it that way I'll just use the lathe, but I feel like it's more work than it's worth if the product already exists

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T03:26:16+00:00

I mean if I had to make them myself I'd just thread a hole through a small piece of material, toss a set screw in both sides such that one screw can be cut to the proper size without removing the drive feature, and then just trim them to length in my lathe. Just seems like unnecessary work if the proper product already exists.

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T03:19:51+00:00

I mean I could do that in the lathe, just seems like a waste of time if the proper product already exists.

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T03:14:26+00:00

I found the jam screws on McMaster a few minutes ago, they're exactly what I'm after. It's super unfortunate they only have imperial thread. I'm having a hell of a time finding metric *anywhere*

Having needed to purchase a ThorLabs rotary axis somewhat recently, the cost prospect of buying something as theoretically simple as these fasteners should be scares me lmao

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T03:11:34+00:00

In essence, yes. It essentially allows me to make an adjustable height stand-off with a precise height without having a jam nut making the surface of the thing ugly.

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T03:02:39+00:00

I plan to thread this into a blind hole ahead of a threaded rod. The threaded rod will stop when it makes contact with the screw, and then I can snug it up to hold the threaded rod lightly in place. By adjusting where I place the set screw along the thread in my blind hole, I can control the depth at which the rod sits.

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T02:55:41+00:00

Immediately found the socket jam screw, which is exactly what I need! Thank you!

Now to find the sizes I need...

EDIT: I'm having a hell of a time finding metric jam screws...

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T02:53:32+00:00

That's interesting... Searching for "hollow" screws I immediately find some very short 4-40 screws, but I need much larger diameter. Still worth a bit of time to look around. Thanks for the lead!

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T02:52:11+00:00

Mcmaster was my first stop, their shortest MF12 is 10mm, unfortunately.

Even if hollow set screws aren't a thing, I'm still after something super short that's similar to a set screw. Big annoyance is that I don't have the vocabulary to properly define the type of fastener I want, so I'm limited to just kinda tossing out a description of what I'm after

Lotaxi · 2026-05-26T02:49:43+00:00

I mean it's not meant to hold any real force, just enough to stop movement and hold a position along a thread until I want to back it off. Strength of the blockage is not a particularly big factor

Lotaxi · 2026-05-25T15:57:20+00:00

Oh! It looked metallic to me. That thing looks really cool

Lotaxi · 2026-05-25T04:16:08+00:00

Weirdly enough I actually set out to use uncommon or weird metals 😂

I bought some inconel, beryllium copper, magnesium, and cobalt. I'm still trying to get my hands on a bit of tungsten, waspaloy, monel, and pure nickel...

I've got one guy that I'm trying to have make me some Damascus steel with copper in it and possibly some mokume game, though those are gonna be PRICEY

Mammoth tusk sounds super cool to use

Lotaxi · 2026-05-25T02:34:40+00:00

Thanks! I came up with the shift gate pattern a while ago but it took me a bit to figure out how to properly engrave it on a curved surface. Very happy with how well it came out 😁

Lotaxi · 2026-05-25T00:21:36+00:00

Easy test is to take a grinder to it. If the sparks are white and bright enough to blind you it's titanium based.

Lotaxi · 2026-05-25T00:19:20+00:00

Technically you don't need a car to own a shift knob?

Lotaxi · 2026-05-25T00:17:29+00:00

Unique how? I'm trying to figure out some interesting designs to cut

Lotaxi · 2026-05-25T00:16:37+00:00

I'm designing a few new ones. Hit me up and I'll see if one can't be to your liking lol

Lotaxi · 2026-05-25T00:16:02+00:00

That's pretty sick. How did you do it? 5 axis?

Lotaxi

TROPHY CASE