Tap and die set recommendation

B

Brian.Evans

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It seems lately that a lot of what I want to do with fabrication requires taps or dies. It's like before I had a welder and had to work around that with designs, it's getting very frustrating working around tapping holes.

Can you guys give me an idea on a decent set? Maybe I'll ask for it for father's day.
 
If you can find a set of HSS taps then go for it. I would recommend however you buy the ones you need as you need them. There are only a few you will use on a regular basis. When I need one I order 12 then I don't run out for years. Which ones depends on what you do the most. I get quality HSS taps. Normally 2 flute. Stay away from the carbon steel taps unless you absolutely have to. Then really think about it. A tap stuck in a piece of SS or Ti can be a real pain. You can get them out but that's a whole new subject.
 
do not waste your time buying anything you can get at Sears, Home Depot, Harbor Freight or any other "home improvement" hardware store.

I have found that spiral point "gun taps" (they are meant to be used industrially in a "tap gun" ) are the way to go. Most taps you get at hardware stores are the type that you turn a half turn, back up a quarter turn turn a half turn etc. and even when they are good quality (which is getting harder and harder to find) they take bloody forever and all of the stressing back and forth, especially on small (6-32 etc.) taps leads to breaking off in holes quickly. Spiral point taps are designed to push the chips in front of them and be run into and out of the hole in one quick motion. They take a bit more care to align but the holes will be threaded cleanly and you will have much less tap breakage.

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPAGE=94&PARTPG=INLMK32

-Page
 
What tap do you recommend for threading blind holes? I have a client who wants a buttcap on a hidden tang, with no pins or the end of the tang showing.
 
Taps come in three tapers. The starting tap has the most taper. The plug tap has a modest amount of taper. A bottoming tap has the least amount of taper and is therefore used in blind holes where you need the maximum thread depth. It is hard to start a bottoming tap because it lacks taper. The short answer is: you may a set of taps to properly thread a blind hole.
 
I understand, thank you. I haven't threaded anything since high school shop class. That was... a while ago. :p :o
 
I agree with the above, forget sets and forget hardware store sets especially

Tiguy is right that hand taps are in 3 types, but those sets only give you 1 tap per size and it's never the taper starting tap
Those sets are aimed at home or auto use, where you rarely start a new thread, just fix an existing one.


Page has a great point, spiral point taps are stronger and will break less,
but it's nice if you have a way of starting them straight, like holding in a drill press.


If you really want a set, you can get Hout index boxes for taps, or taps and the right drill
and put them in there as you get them.
 
I'm looking to settle on 2 or 3 sizes and get back-ups for those. I doubt I would use a whole lot of different sizes for what I do, so I would rather spend the money on a few good taps/dies rather than a bunch of half-vast ones. Perhaps a starter and a bottoming tap in each size I decide on? Would I really need the plug style for through holes?

I've seen people use a drill press to hold 'em straight, makes a lot of sense for tapping a flat piece.
 
Buy good quality HSS taps and save yourself a world of pain. I buy drillco taps, and they cut through mild steel like butter. Usually with just a little cutting fluid placed on the tap before starting.

Prices of good "industrial" taps are usually as cheap or cheaper than crappy home improvement store taps, especially if you compare then to the big box store's "premium" taps. This is especially true for smaller sizes, although good quality taps in large sizes can get very pricey, but are even more mandatory.

I rarely need bottom taps, and good quality plug taps can be as easy to start a thru tap as a crap quality taper. Since I know you're doing a grinder build Medicevans, make sure and get a 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 taper taps and corresponding drills. You'll use those a lot. I use those sizes every day.

There are some cases where some cheap import taps may make sense. I bought NPT taps for making air manifolds out of aluminum in my shop, and for the price of the taps I could have purchased the manifolds. Considering how rarely I think I'll be using these taps, I realize now that I could have bought a set of import NPT taps at NorthernTool for the price i paid for one premium tap. But since these were larger and more specialized, they were pricier than expected.
 
Thanks guys. Good taps and good drill bits are something I need to get invested in.

I'm finding never to skimp on anything in a shop that cuts or abrades. Sandpaper, belts, files, taps, bits, saw blades, and on and on. Lots of chances to get caught in false economy there.
 
The number of times I have needed a bottoming tap I can count on the pinky toes of my left foot. I didn't have one so I took a spiral point that was getting old and wet ground it to the first full depth thread. I order 3 of each spiral point I am likely to use, then when the first one is ready for replacement I still have two in reserve while the replacement ships because the only time I ever break taps is 2 hours after midnight on Saturday when I am working on something I have to have finished by 8 AM Monday. If I knew I was going to be doing blind holes I would get the spiral point taps for starting, use a sheetrock screw for pulling the chips out and have at least one extra bottoming tap on hand, it sucks when you turn too hard and they lock into the bottom thread against the bottom of the hole

-Page
 
Hmmm. Lots of useful info here... Page, what kind of tap from the page you linked to do you recommend? I'm unsure of what the different plating really means for someone like me who wants to tap mild steel, tool steel and probably titanium for folders. Also, what are the H1, H2, H3 etc designations? Are those important or is there a specific one that we should stick to?

Thanks in advance :thumbup:
 
wolffbite said:
Hmmm. Lots of useful info here... Page, what kind of tap from the page you linked to do you recommend? I'm unsure of what the different plating really means for someone like me who wants to tap mild steel, tool steel and probably titanium for folders. Also, what are the H1, H2, H3 etc designations? Are those important or is there a specific one that we should stick to?

Thanks in advance :thumbup:
Click to expand...

For mild steel any of the coatings should be fine, I have not worked with Titanium so I do not have any answers for that, tool steels I would consider the TiN coating. H2 is the typical thread fit standard giving half a thousandth over the major pitch diameter on each thread. Higher H limits give you a looser fit

-Page
 
A mini hand tapper, like the one made by Cedarberg Industries, should make your life easier and reduce tap breakage. It works best on threads 1/4" or less in diameter.
 
When I was talking about getting a set of taps, I meant a set of three, all the same size but with different tapers.
 
I agree with pretty much all of the above.

To help start a tap straight, you can run a countersink in the top of the hole first. It helps a lot by allowing the taper of the tap to seat into the material to be tapped a little.

You can also chuck the tap in the drill press and start it with hand twisting. If it's a deep hole, just start it that way, then loosen up the chuck and run it through with a tap wrench.

If you have a forward/reverse on your drill press or mill, it's actually pretty easy to rigid tap (with "larger" taps anyway).

Don't overlook a good tap wrench! :)
 
james terrio said:
What tap do you recommend for threading blind holes? I have a client who wants a buttcap on a hidden tang, with no pins or the end of the tang showing.
Click to expand...
Since you are going to be drilling and tapping into the length of the tang, just drill deeper than what you intend to tap. No bottoming tap needed. I would only use a bottoming tap if I was tapping into a shallow limited depth hole (in relationship to the screw).
 
The buttcap will have a threaded blind hole in it, and the end of the tang will be rounded and thread to match.
 
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