Tap and Die Set

[Greg_E]

Gator Tools V tap guide, they have imperial and metric, really helps prevent broken taps. Or you can drill your own if you have number drills and a drill press or milling machine.

 

[E3]

realy good imfo from members ... they left somethings out. to avoid a work hardened hole you need to do three things 1- match your drillspeed and feed to the material 2- always a sharp drill 3- drill the hole undersize first if is a tough or high chrome material. the shop I managed we always threw out small drills when they became dull. cheaper and safer. about taps , get a chart telling you what % of thread in relation to your tap drill size. VERY important what size tap are you using ? not 6-32 / 8/32 10/32 but what is the GH or GL number. Look on the tap shank for these numbers, they tell you how oversize or undersize the tap is. GH =ground high GL =ground low , and the number after the letters tell you the number of >.0005 oversize or undersize. EX 8-32 gh3 is .0015 oversize on pitch diameter. A gh3 is typical of most drilled hole in products. You may have to to a Industrial supply shop to get specific tap sizes. I go to Zengers in Franklin park ,Ill. Ask them if they have any cutting tool manufactures books or look for them on line they are loaded with imfomation. Hope this helps you .
. E3


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[Billy Boy]

Are there any tap and die sets this community would recommend? I am still try to figure everything out, but i think I would need fairly small threads for the project i am planning.

Buy plain carbon steel taps. If you ever break one in a hole you can shatter it with a hardened punch and get the pieces out. Buy the best you can find.

 

[Packrat]

Having been a Machinist, tool maker and especial projects persons for over 40 years, I hate 6-32 taps. I have taped 0-80 and every thing in between , but 6-32 drives me to the EDM machine

 

[flconch53]

Having been a Machinist, tool maker and especial projects persons for over 40 years, I hate 6-32 taps. I have taped 0-80 and every thing in between , but 6-32 drives me to the EDM machine

Followed by 10/24.

 

[Mikekj]

I like math.

Keeps the brain sharp.

But charts are less prone to mistakes.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I'll probably get spanked for this. But, I have had very good luck with El Cheapo sets from Harbor Freight and the like. Don't believe I have ever broken a tap. Lubricant and care are important.

 

[TobJohn]

I'll probably get spanked for this. But, I have had very good luck with El Cheapo sets from Harbor Freight and the like. Don't believe I have ever broken a tap. Lubricant and care are important.

I have some chisels and a file from them that are not great, but the belt sander I got from them is great.

 

[flconch53]

Just came in from my shop. I have tap sets from Amazon that come 3 taps in a set. You get a rough,finish,and bottom tap. They are from Irwin but made by Hanson. I have used alot of Hanson taps over the years. These sets have lasted me over 5 years and I make all the bench rods I sell with them. The bench rods are stainless

 

[Crow Choker]

Hi,
I would buy taper, plug, and bottoming taps in each of the following sizes:
6-32, 6-40, 8-32, 10-32, and taper and plug taps in each of the following sizes 1/4-20, 1/4-28, and 5/16-32. The smaller sizes are good for lock and tang bolts and lock screws. The larger sizes are used for top jaw screws and vent liners.

dave

What Dave says about what sizes and styles. I've been messing with guns since the early/mid 70's and have found the sizes and style of taps will cover the great majority of what you run into. The 10-24 is one also as mentioned by 'flconch53 that you may come across at times. The information E3 gave is worth reading and understanding. If anyone has never or has done very little tap and die work read as much as ya can before working on your firearms and practice some on metal as close as possible to what you will be working on.

Mess ups will require ya to sometimes go to a bigger diameter screw and/or thread (tpi) which requires alot more work. Ifin ya need to do that you may have enough metal area to do so, but in some cases you may not which results in "alot of heartache and sorrow" to get things fixed right. Even if all you're doing is cleaning out and/or straightening out some threads do so with care. Been there/done that experience. Over the years I've bought the majority of my taps, die's, and needed drills from Brownell's, but have found quality ones in places like Ace Hardware, but I always buy quality stuff. MidwayUSA has quality items from what I've seen also.

Edit: Of course there is always the PITA metric threads that come along at times

 

[45man]

As many holes as I tapped, one will break at some time. I had my dentist save me old dental burrs, with a moto tool they will cut a tap and are small enough to work without cutting your work piece.

 

[LME]

As many holes as I tapped, one will break at some time. I had my dentist save me old dental burrs, with a moto tool they will cut a tap and are small enough to work without cutting your work piece.

I have a slew of dental bits but will they really cut a tap?

 

[Whiteoak15]

I use Hanson 98% of the time. If a tap breaks, I've found that carbon steel taps are easier to remove than hi-speed steel. Always use LOTS of proper lubrication!

 

[DuncNZ]

I wanted to buy a few taps and dies for working on my muzzle loading firearms and range rods etc . I could only find metric in any of the engineering supply shops in my area , the sales people all looked up the wholesaler's lists and couldn't find anything in the country . They all offered to order them in a great cost and even greater delay .
I was having a look in a local hardware store and found a set , which had been hidden out of sight on the back of a shelf at a very old price , so I snapped it up , I now have the few taps and dies I wanted and a lot I will never use but I am a happy chap .

 

[TobJohn]

I wanted to buy a few taps and dies for working on my muzzle loading firearms and range rods etc . I could only find metric in any of the engineering supply shops in my area , the sales people all looked up the wholesaler's lists and couldn't find anything in the country . They all offered to order them in a great cost and even greater delay .
I was having a look in a local hardware store and found a set , which had been hidden out of sight on the back of a shelf at a very old price , so I snapped it up , I now have the few taps and dies I wanted and a lot I will never use but I am a happy chap .

While its your neighbors in Australia and not New Zealand, there is a video from the Australian Armored Museum on their Grant tank restoration. They need to get the old guy in the shop to help because he is the only one who grew up with Imperial and all the young folk are struggling to convert from metric when restoring the parts.

 

[bptactical]

A good trick when you break a tap and need to remove it- get a can of aerosol keyboard duster- turn it upside down and spray the broken tap liberally. You will freeze the tap and then smack it with a punch/hammer.
Frozen tool steel shatters like glass.
Protect your eyes accordingly.

 

[ARHAM SHAFIQUE]

As many holes as I tapped, one will break at some time. I had my dentist save me old dental burrs, with a moto tool they will cut a tap and are small enough to work without cutting your work piece.

It sounds like you've found a clever solution to your problem of breaking taps! Dental burrs can indeed be useful for creating small taps, and using a motor tool can make the process easier and more precise.

 

[Sam squanch]

Get a cheap harbor freight tap set. Leave it out to loan to people who bug you. Lock up your good taps out of sight. This is a good idea if you have neighbors and family who who want to borrow tools but don’t have the skill to use them correctly.

 

[EC121]

To help avoid breaking a tap don't use a 75% thread when a 50% thread will do.















to save a tap

 

[ZUG]

I buy MOST of my taps, dies, and drill bits from <Toolsavings, LLC online store>. They have US made stuff and also import stuff which I find will do just as good as US made but at a much better price (other countries DO make items BETTER than the US now a days). Buy H.S.S. stuff they will last longer and cut smoother - use a good tapping fluid not just an oil - tapping fluid has different prosperities that make cutting threads easer and cleaner (contains sulfur and other stuff).