Tapping straight

Too blippin' awkward in most cases. And the tap handle is too short for arthritic hands to wrestle with. Much easier even to hold the tap wrench firmly in the right hand and crank the handle with the left. Or even rest tap handle against the carriage with suitable protection . The extra leverage of the handle makes it much easier, including the backing up restarting etc. This is for the sizes I mostly do for bike work anyway, 1/4" to 1/2" UNF etc. Smaller stuff for small models may be easier with the wrench. But I rarely do that in the lathe. Mostly on the bench with very small tapping blocks made from short lenghts of key steel.

I thought about making one with the spring that automatically disengages it when not in use. But, nah, I'll never need that, I said. Haha. Then, the VERY first time I used it...

Edited By Hopper on 25/03/2022 09:59:45

Luckily I still have a reasonable grip and also most of what I do is 6mm or less, if it is bigger then more than likely a fine thread so still easy to hold.

I'm also going over to spiral flute so it's only older or seldom used taps that need backing off to break the chips. having a bolt on chuck also means I can reverse the tap out after driving it in under power and the hand grip acts as a slipper clutch if it's a blind hole.

I like the handgrip idea for the smaller stuff. That's magic. Might be my next project!

Most of my taps are older than I am so spirals had not been invented yet!

It works for external threads with a tails stock die holder too. Infact the tap chuck in the video above is held in a die holder, part of a set ARC sent my to try out but for various reasons it was decided not to stock it even though it was very nicely made.

This is my old imperial tailstock die holder, I made a holder for metric OD die sthat has a shallow knurl but the smooth one works OK too, just make sure the grub screws at the other end are not sticking out and there is good clearance between it and the toolpost so no risk of catching your thumb.

There have been designs for mandrel handles with a dog clutch and a spring so they disengage unless you apply a little force to keep them connected when winding.

N.

With tapping holes straight and concentric, starting with a 1st taper tap and the 2nd and then the plug is about as good as you can get. The use of tap blocks etc are also a good idea , but only if they are square themselves. With a lathe situation, if you leave the tap in the part and everything is correct, when you spin the workpiece with the tap in place, it will run true for the length of the tap. As for a tapping fluid, I have been using for the last about 18 months Blaser cutting oil from Switzerland. Work has been using it for about the same amount of time with very pleasing results. The main advantages from it seems it does not smell to most people ,and is very clean. It works on a large variety of materials as well.

The Masonmaster Despeeder is a good tool to convert for tapping in the lathe or mill (Past article in mag) as it just idles round at spindle speed until gripped by the operator. I have one which I have converted and have made several interchangeable tap drivers that fit onto it. Mostly used for taps under 8mm. And of course works in reverse.

One can make something similar to this:

**LINK**

Myfordboy has a good idea on his YouTube channel under the heading "No more broken taps.

I made myself this tiny tapping block for small diameter work:

When I first started planning to build my little CNC mini mill I figured that I'd need a way to drill and to tap into the edges of alu plate in a somewhat accurate and perpendicular manner, so had this made - those top hats have proved very useful time and time again:

Edited By Wal Werbel on 27/03/2022 23:26:53

I did laugh at the Kase slice! It has a lovely finish for a workshop tool, I seldom have the patience.

Edited By Jon Lawes on 28/03/2022 00:50:42

A problem with many of the freehand tapping guides I've seen is that you need two good arms to operate them: one to hold down the guide and another to turn the tap.

On iron and steel a guide like the Gator that had a very strong on/off magnet that left the actual work area unmagnetised might be a solution, but on brass and aluminium I'd still have to faff about with clamps of various kinds.

Because a magnetisable Gator-type guide doesn't exist, afaik, when tapping freehand on flat surfaces I nearly always have to resort to just eyeballing it.

Edited By Bill Phinn on 28/03/2022 02:18:21

I´ve been considering a 3D print of the Gator design. Incorporating magnets seems a good idea.The variations in shank diameters would probably mean making several.

Cheers

Peter

I liked the Mason Master idea. I had been wondering what to do with the one that I have. A mag ref would be interesting.

Cheers

Peter

Hehe - yep, it was literally a bit of scrap that I was simply going to drill some holes in - then it turned into an 'evening project'...

Wal.

Has anybody designed something like GT’s Pillar Tool but NOT using Castings.

Article in an old magazine perhaps?

MC

Hardly needs a different design, Base and table can be cut from a couple of bits of round bar and the two arms from square or rectangular stock. Up to the builder how much shaping they want to put into the "castings"

Though it still means moving the work away from the position it was drilled in so may need setting up again under the pillar tool's spindle which could be a pain if its a casting that has been shimmed up true for drilling or set at an angle so may a swell just tap where it was drilled.

Bruno Mueller has done one without castings.

.http://www.mueller-bruno.de/saeulenwerkzeug-pillar-tool.html

Cheers

Peter

Thank you

Unfortunately, Herr Mueller has described what he built in German - which is a closed book to me.

The photographs showed what looked like castings to me!

With best wishes and thanks again.

MC