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HOME
DIRECTORY
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Tripod Thread Sizes of US Makers |
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Until the
3½ inch X 8 threads per inch standard and the ⅝ inch X 11 threads per inch
standard |
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were
adopted the various manufactures had their own thread sizes. In the
following list I have |
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attempted
to identify those sizes of tripod head threads. Threads were not
standardized |
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until 1890
and standards of lengths were not standardized until 1918 with our entry in
to WW1. |
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Odd thread
sizes continued to be used by the makers for many years after thread
standardizing. |
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Thread
sizes varied widely, even sometimes in the manufactures own shop. Therefore
you will |
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see many
variations in the list. Although you can usually identify the maker by the
thread, that is |
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not always
the case. I will continue to update this list as more information is
available. Threads |
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are listed
by size expressed in inches and decimals and by the number of threads per
inch, |
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(or pitch).
Fractions are used only for those that are now standard. Examples were
measured |
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over
unworn sharp threads. When known the maker has been listed. |
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Tripods with Male Threads |
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Thread
size |
Maker |
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|
.500 X 13 |
C. L.
Berger & Sons, 1st issue military tilting level tripod, 2nd issue was
⅝ X 11 |
.500 X 16 |
|
.500 X 20 |
C. L. Berger
& Sons farm levels and transit levels |
⅝ X 18 |
standard
thread on Johnson Head plane table tripods by various manufactures,
(Government Standard) |
⅝ X 11 |
modern
standard, used on auto levels, lasers and theodolites. |
.640 X 20 |
(Taken
from a light compass tripod believed to be W. & L. E. Gurley) |
.695
X 24 |
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.980
X 32 |
W. & L. E. Gurley |
1.375 X 13 |
C. L. Berger
& Sons and Dietzgen ( actual thread size is metric 35mm X 2mm ) |
1.062 X 12 |
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1.174 X 20 |
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1.250 X 18
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W. & L. E. Gurley |
1.275 X 16 |
Herman
Pfister of Cincinnati for wye level |
1.485 X 18 |
L.
Beckmann Co. of Toledo, Ohio |
1.500 X 12 |
Bostrom -
Brady |
1.500 X 16 |
|
1.500 X 18 |
W. & L. E. Gurley |
1.525 X 12 |
Buff &
Buff |
1.525 X 16 |
|
1.625 X 12 |
David
White |
1.638 X 20 |
A. S. Aloe |
1.675 X 14 |
(taken
from a English tripod) |
1.735 X 16 |
Hunt
& Scott |
1.755 X 12 |
F. Eckel |
1.765 X 20 |
F. J.
Sloane & Company, Francis J. Sloane, Baltimore, MD |
1.800
X 12 |
Wm. Young & Sons |
1.805 X 14 |
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1.812 X 12 |
C. E.
Grunow, NY (Taken from a Wye Level.) |
1.875 X 12 |
John
Roach, of San Francisco, CA (Taken from a Wye Level.) |
1.912 X 14 |
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1.937 X 12 |
|
2.156 X12 |
possibly
Dietzgen |
2.255 X 12 |
Buff &
Buff and C. L. Berger & Sons. |
2.250 X 10 |
C. L. Berger
& Sons |
2.265 X 16 |
Keuffel &
Esser for Expedition or Explorers Transit. 2 17/64 inches X 16 threads. |
2.270 X 10 |
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2.484 X 12 |
|
2.562 X 12 |
Eugene Dietzgen |
2.578 X 12 |
Eugene Dietzgen
|
2.750 X 13 |
|
2.750 X 14 |
David
White |
2.812 X 16 |
W. & L. E. Gurley
(normally Gurley threads are 18 threads per inch) |
2.812
X 14 |
B. L.
Makepeace |
2.815
X 14 |
Heller &
Brightly |
2.820 X 16 |
Heller &
Brightly |
2.830 X 24 |
Heller &
Brightly |
2.839 X 24 |
Heller &
Brightly |
2.840 X 18 |
W. & L. E. Gurley |
2.850 X 18 |
W. & L. E. Gurley |
2.880 X 12 |
Wm.
Ainsworth and Beckmann |
2.918 X 12 |
Bausch &
Lomb |
2.938 X 12 |
Eugene Dietzgen
|
2.955 X 10 |
(
possible Bausch & Lomb ) |
2.965 X 10 |
(
possible Bausch & Lomb ) |
2.966 X 16 |
Kolesch &
Company |
2.970 X 13 |
(
possible Bausch & Lomb ) |
2.975 X 16 |
B. C.
Soltmann, NY |
2.985 X 12 |
Keuffel &
Esser same as below |
3.000 X 12 |
Keuffel &
Esser |
3.000 X 10 |
Keuffel &
Esser |
3.000 X 18 |
|
3.000 X 16 |
|
3.015 X 16 |
Kolesch &
Company |
3.100 X 12 |
(
possible Bausch & Lomb ) |
3.125 X 12 |
Bausch
& Lomb |
3.125 X 14 |
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3.156 X 14 |
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3.160 x 16 |
Warren-Knight
|
3.165 X 14 |
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3.170 X 10 |
J. H.
Temple |
3.187 X 14 |
Warren
Knight |
3.312 X 12 |
Buff &
Berger, Buff &
Buff and C. L. Berger & Sons |
3.478 X 12 |
Queen &
Company |
3.350 X 12 |
T. Cooke & Sons |
3.375 X 12 |
Eugene Dietzgen |
3.375 X 14 |
|
3.375 X 11 |
C. L. Berger
& Sons (
normally Berger is 3.312 X 12 threads per inch ) |
3.460 X 10 |
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3.460 X 14 |
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3.500 X 8 |
Modern standard.
Recommended as standard by the US Bureau of Standards in 1930. |
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(Eugene Dietzgen,
Keuffel &
Esser, W. & L. E. Gurley,
Buff & Buff, C. L. Berger & Sons, |
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and some
others as a option continued to offer their old thread sizes until the
1960's.) |
3.532 X 12 |
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3.584 X 24 |
William E.
Stieren of Pittsburg, PA |
3.625 X 12 |
Keuffel &
Esser |
3.625 X 18 |
W. & L. E. Gurley |
3.640 X 12 |
Keuffel &
Esser |
3.687 X 12 |
Eugene Dietzgen |
3.720 X 12 |
|
3.750 X 12 |
|
3.795 X 12 |
J.
C. Ulmer
and with
1.312 X 12 female thread |
3.860 X 12 |
possibly
Queen & Co. made by W. & L. E. Gurley |
3.875
X 12 |
Queen & Co. |
3.875
X 18 |
W. & L. E. Gurley |
3.909 X 12 |
Young &
Sons |
3.930 X 12 |
Heller &
Brightly |
3.937 X 12 |
|
3.950 X 12 |
Eugene
Dietzgen |
3.969 X 10 |
A. Lietz
Co. |
3.997" X 12 |
J. C.
Sala, San
Francisco |
4.100 X 18 |
W. & L. E. Gurley |
4.125 X 18 |
W. & L. E. Gurley
and some S&K instruments (copies of Gurley Wye Levels made in Japan) |
4.250 X 12 |
Young &
Sons also Heer & Seelig |
4.281 X 12 |
possible Young &
Sons |
4.300 X 12 |
|
4.468 X 12 |
|
4.500 X 11 |
Fauth &
Co. |
4.590 X 12 |
Heller &
Brightly |
4.625 X 12 |
Heller &
Brightly |
4.635 X 12 |
Heller &
Brightly |
4.750 X 14 |
Possible
Young & Sons found on a Young & Sons transit appears to be original to the
instrument. |
6.858 X
12 |
Heller &
Brightly - plane table tripod |
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Metric Threads |
19mm X 1.5mm
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Kern and some other European makes. |
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Tripods with Female Threads |
.687 X 26 |
David
White, Used for farm levels and transit levels. |
1.058 X 20 |
C. L. Berger
& Sons -
spring loaded three screw leveling tripod head. |
1.025 X 20 |
Buff &
Buff and C. L. Berger & Sons - spring loaded three screw leveling tripod head. |
1.125 X 16 |
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1.187 X 10 |
Keuffel &
Esser - spring loaded three screw leveling tripod head. |
1.250 X 18 |
Buff &
Buff |
1.312 X 12 |
and with 3.795
X 12 male thread |
1.375 X 16 |
Keuffel &
Esser, Used for Architects Wye Levels and Dumpy Levels. |
1.437 X 16 |
Keuffel &
Esser, Used for Architects Wye Levels and Dumpy Levels. |
1.468 X 14 |
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1.500 X 12 |
W. & L. E. Gurley,
Used for Architects Wye Levels and other larger Wye levels |
1.500 X 14 |
Simplex 12
inch Builder's Dumpy Level |
1.500 X 16 |
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1.525 X 12 |
W. & L. E. Gurley,
Used for Wye Levels and Dumpy Levels. |
1.532 X 10 |
A. Lietz
Co. |
1.562 X 12 |
W. & L. E. Gurley,
Used for Wye Levels and Dumpy Levels. |
1.562 X 16 |
W. & L. E.
Gurley, (Taken from solar compass leveling head.) |
1.875 X 12 |
Young & Sons. |
3.143 X 14 |
Aloe |
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If you can
identify those that are unknown and are sure of it please let me know, and |
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if you
know of other sizes not listed please let me know if you are sure of the
thread size. |
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Often the
threaded tripod plate of instruments were changed by different makers
as a repair |
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or to fit
a tripod other than the instruments manufacture. It is very common to find
replacement |
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threaded
tripod plates of 3½" X 8
thread on older instruments. |