Metric wonderment experience

[hazmat]

For harder to find hardware

McMaster Carr

 

[_RaT_]

Of course, let's not forget NPT (National Pipe Thread) that are the tapered pipe threads. According to my 21st edition of Machinery's Handbook, we have the following pipe threads:

NPT - American National Standard Taper Pipe Thread
NPTR - American National Standard Taper Pipe Thread for Railing Joints
NPSC - American National Standard Straight Pipe Thread for Couplings
NPSM - American National Standard Straight Pipe Thread for Free-fitting Mechanical Joints
NPSL - American National Standard Straight Pipe Thread for Loose-fitting Mechanical Joints with Lock-nuts
NPSH - American National Standard Straight Pipe Thread for Hose Couplings

Then there is:

NPTF - American National Standard Dryseal Taper Pipe Thread for Pressure-tight Joints

...and the variations of:

NPTF-SAE Short - Dryseal SAE Short Taper Pipe Thread
NPSF - Dryseal ANSI Standard Fuel Internal Straight Pipe Thread
NPSI - Dryseal ANSI Standard Intermediate Internal Straight Pipe Thread

Let's not forget square threads, which are similar to ACME; but aren't.

To paraphrase Mr. Spock from the episode "I Mudd", "There is a coarse thread, a fine thread, an extra fine thread, a taper thread, a dryseal thread, a whole plethora of threads; but only one ACME thread."

I wonder how many of these thread types are still in existence. Does anyone have the latest (27th I believe) edition of Machinery's Handbook to verify?

Don't forget the threaded bolts/screws on my kids wooden toys. They look to be ultra course thread turned on about a 1/2" maple dowel.

 

[tommu56]

Another supplier we use at work is
Metric Multistandard Components Corp.

they have some of the odd tube fittings too.

tommmu56

 

[mjncad]

For harder to find hardware

McMaster Carr

McMaster-Carr is my favorite place to get hardware followed by MSC Direct MSC Industrial Supply Co. Home Page, then MSC's sister company Enco Enco - Guaranteed Lowest Prices on Machinery, Tools and Shop Supplies , and finally Fastenal Home | Fastenal

All of these places are pricey; but they have what you want, what you need, and stuff you never knew existed.

For what it's worth; I have a self imposed $50 minimum order, which doesn't take long to achieve. I do this because I have found these places to be such valuable resources for stuff, that I would hate to see them stop selling to lowly little homeowners like me and take the snotty Grainger attitude. Heck, Grainger is even snotty to its corporate clients.

Even though I place the order and know what's in the box; when the UPS driver leaves the order on my doorstep, it's like opening packages on Christmas day for me.

 

[Danno1]

.

And to confuse things even further, an M5 and a 10-32 are so close that you can thread a nut from one system onto a bolt from the other!!!

.

 

[DiezNutz]

Assuming we'd want to