Originally Posted by
Jeff Wills
I don't know if anyone there would know what to do now, though.
The point about checking that it has a 7/8" ID (1/16" wall) is valid. Some forks not intended to be threaded have thinner walls and cannot safely be threaded and, anyway, the ID is oversize for a quill stem.
Unfortunately threadless systems have been out long enough that a decent percentage of mechanics today don't know how to properly thread a fork, even if the tool is still there under layers of dust.