Looking for info on threaded inserts; a thread thread

I do woodturning as a hobby so I've been thinking about turning a custom stick shift knob. I was hoping that someone on this forum has done a similar mod and might be able to tell me where to get the inserts with the right thread & pitch. I've got a 2019 TRD Sport Taco with a manual tranny.

Thanks!

 

If you wanted to you could just use a tap and thread the wooden knob.

 

Might use the ones they make for furniture that you tap in.

 

Wood can be successfully tapped but it can also fail depending on if you hit a knot or a void you couldn't see from the outside. For dependability sake I was thinking to use the tap-in type plus epoxy. Still begs the question of where to get them and what size is needed.

 

The thread size for our stock shifter knob is M12 x 1.25

 

The thread size on the stock shifter is
M12 x 1.25

 

Thank you muchly. Now to search out a supplier.

So excited to give it a try!

 

Haven't found the adapter by itself, but did find a kit that includes multiple sizes, including the size you'd need. I'm guessing you could file/grind the external threads & epoxy it in the wood knob. Will add the link shortly. Good luck & keep us posted on your progress.




Found it available separately
https://www.americanshifter.com/cat...-1-25-to-16mm-x-1-5-custom-shift-knob-adapter

 

Actually, having external threads and a nut is a good thing, I think. If I got a bolt that fits the ID I could use gotoman's idea of tapping the knob, add a little epoxy into the hole and then use the nut and bolt to drive the insert into the knob. Should be a really good bond. Just gotta watch out I don't get epoxy into the interior threads or glue the bolt into the insert.

At $10 for the insert I'm beginning to understand why I've seen shifter knobs for sale in the ~$100 range. Parts + time is going to add up real quick.

Thanks mtip! My searches were not yielding the best results. What keywords did you use?

 

The shifter has had to take a back seat. I'm rebuilding the engine on my 94 pickup. Of course the registration has become due while the engine is out of the truck and smog is required. I'm trying to get that done because the longer it takes the more I pay in overdue registration fees. Besides, it isn't a good idea to raise a lot of dust with an open engine sitting a couple meters away.

However, I have a couple ideas to try once I have time. I plan to turn the whole thing on a lathe as one piece and drill the right size hole for the threaded insert which I'll epoxy in place at the end. Drilling holes is quite easy on a lathe so my original question was where to get the right insert. Although your idea of using a nut instead of an insert would likely save $, those darn inserts ain't cheap.

What concerns me more at the moment is the molded clip on the bottom that attaches to the knob to the shifter boot. My ideas for that are:

1: make a mold of the bottom of the existing shifter and cast that in resin so it will clip onto the shifter boot. When I do the casting I'll put some sort of wood/resin combo on top of it to make the knob. I think this is the better option but I've never done molds like that before. Yay, an opportunity to learn something new! Besides, a mold would enable me to make a few of these to switch out as my mood indicates or, who knows, maybe make some for sale.

2: Make an oversize casting and carve the bottom area to shape with the lathe, chisels, dremel tool and etc so it matches the existing knob. Like the other idea, part of the casting would be the materials I want for my shifter knob, turn the new knob, drill and glue in insert. This would probably work but more iffy.

 

Finally, I had time to try this out. It didn't come out exactly as I had envisioned but not bad for a first effort.

 

Okay, that didn't work. There's gotta be a sticky somewhere discussing how to post pictures to your thread....not easily found though. Let's try something else.