Have you ever heard the saying, “righty tighty, lefty loosey?” It’s a saying myriad people use when they’re trying to remember how to screw or unscrew something. They turn a screw to the right to make it tighter and turn it to the left to make it looser.
At least, that’s what they do when they’re using a fastener with right-handed threads. Right-handed threads have become the go-to threads for most people because somewhere between 70 and 95 percent of people in the world are right-handed. As a result, fasteners with right-handed threads have sort of become the standard and are put to use more often than not.
However, it’s important to note that there are left-handed threads out there that operate in the same way as right-handed ones, just in reverse. You need to turn screws in the opposite way to tighten and loosen them if they have left-handed threads on them. It can be a little bit confusing at first for those who have never used fasteners with left-handed threads, but there are benefits to using them.
Although left-handed threads aren’t anywhere near as common as their right-handed counterparts, they are used in many situations, especially when the rotation of an object that is screwed into something would conflict with the direction of the thread used to keep it tight. In these instances, left-handed threads are used to prevent objects from inadvertently coming loose. You’ll usually find left-handed threads on the fasteners used on the left pedals on bicycles, the securing nuts on certain circular saws, turnbuckles, and more.
If you need to get your hands on fasteners with left-handed threads or if you simply want to learn more about how they work and in which situations they might benefit you, reach out to Dependable ACME Threaded Products today for help. Call us at 800-893-3792 to order any threaded products you might need.
