How to Make a Screw Jack

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Heavy-duty nuts and bolts come in various lengths and diameters, as this assortment shows. The center bolt has a curved top plate, for specialized uses. In the background, lengths of pipe are welded to base plates. 
Heavy-duty nuts and bolts come in various lengths and diameters, as this assortment shows. The center bolt has a curved top plate, for specialized uses. In the background, lengths of pipe are welded to base plates. 
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Here is a homemade telescoping screw jack—the versatile
Here is a homemade telescoping screw jack—the versatile "high rise" model—on display.
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The screw jack has only one moving part, which does all the work: a nut that travels up the threads of its bolt.
The screw jack has only one moving part, which does all the work: a nut that travels up the threads of its bolt.

The screw jack, one of the simplest and most basic machines ever invented, is a willing workhorse that has helped people time and again, around the homestead, in construction work, and in the field of maintenance. The weight-bracing device may cost anywhere from $10 to $24 (depending on its size) if purchased from a department store or mail-order house. But if you’re adept at scavenging and have access to welding equipment and a heavy-duty drill (or oxyacetylene torch), here’s how to make a screw jack on your own, using materials that are often found lying around in junk piles, free for the taking.

Screw Jack Parts: Nuts and Bolts

The screw jack has only one moving part, which does all the work: a nut that travels up the threads of its bolt. The homemade screw jack is turned with a wrench and consists of six parts: a bolt, a matching nut, a section of pipe, a cap plate, a baseplate, and a top plate (which can be replaced by a nut, if desired).

  • Published on Jul 1, 1983
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