Need advice for threaded piece and drill

[Tactical-Nap40]

I'm helping my brother with a DIY project and he had this threaded tube that he swears can be adapted to a drill. We tested it by hand and it fits over a small rod but the connection isn't strong enough to spin under power. I don't really want to buy specialty adapters unless I have to, since we've already sunk too much into parts. We have plenty of hand tools in the shop. Is there a way to make a simple coupling ourselves, maybe with epoxy or a modified nut?

 

[slim3r6]

We had a similar problem last year when I helped my cousin make a homemade auger. We used a threaded rod and made a simple connector using a deep nut and some JB Weld glue. We scratched up the parts a bit so the glue would stick better, then let it dry overnight. It worked fine for light spinning.

If you have a bench vise, you can also try holding the rod and tube together with a split collar or even a hose clamp. It's not perfect, but it worked for us and we didn't have to buy anything extra.

 

[Tactical-Nap40]

We had a similar problem last year when I helped my cousin make a homemade auger. We used a threaded rod and made a simple connector using a deep nut and some JB Weld glue. We scratched up the parts a bit so the glue would stick better, then let it dry overnight. It worked fine for light spinning.

If you have a bench vise, you can also try holding the rod and tube together with a split collar or even a hose clamp. It's not perfect, but it worked for us and we didn't have to buy anything extra.

Using JB Weld with a deep nut aligns with our initial consideration. The hose clamp is another practical option for a non permanent connection which we hadn't thought of. We have the materials on hand to try one of the approaches this weekend. Regarding the hose clamp method, was there a specific torque level where you found it started to slip?

 

[s3s@m3_]

I'm helping my brother with a DIY project and he had this threaded tube that he swears can be adapted to a drill. We tested it by hand and it fits over a small rod but the connection isn't strong enough to spin under power. I don't really want to buy specialty adapters unless I have to, since we've already sunk too much into parts. We have plenty of hand tools in the shop. Is there a way to make a simple coupling ourselves, maybe with epoxy or a modified nut?

I can tell you that you should forget the epoxy cause that'll fail instantly under torque.
The best DIY approach is the modified nut method you mentioned. Find a standard nut that threads perfectly onto your existing tube. Then, you need a way to grab that nut with the drill. If the nut is bigger than the drill chuck, you can weld or braze a short bolt to the flat side of the nut. The head of the bolt goes into the drill chuck.
Now that you have a threaded adapter, the drill can grab securely!

 

[Tactical-Nap40]

I can tell you that you should forget the epoxy cause that'll fail instantly under torque.
The best DIY approach is the modified nut method you mentioned. Find a standard nut that threads perfectly onto your existing tube. Then, you need a way to grab that nut with the drill. If the nut is bigger than the drill chuck, you can weld or braze a short bolt to the flat side of the nut. The head of the bolt goes into the drill chuck.
Now that you have a threaded adapter, the drill can grab securely!

Your drill-and-thread method might be the cleaner fix long term, and I'll test it once I confirm the rod's wall thickness. I've tried JB Weld and clamps already, but torque still breaks the bond after a few spins. Have you found a thread depth that holds up under moderate load, or does it depend more on the adapter material?