# Manual Tapping Machine



## golash (Oct 10, 2010)

Hi
I`ve bee doing metal for a few years. I have a South Bend Lathe, Bridgeport and a DIY
CNC machine in the shop. I am wondering if this would be a good addition to the shop. 

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PARTPG=INSRAR2&PMAKA=318-0007&PMPXNO=953101

Regards Barry
http://www.woodsolutions.com/


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## wheeltapper (Oct 10, 2010)

Hi
Nice machine, nice price too.

get a cheap drill stand from aldi/lidl and make one.






this does everything I want.

cheers
Roy


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## Blogwitch (Oct 10, 2010)

Exactly the same, less than half the cost.

http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2539&category=

But looking about you can get much cheaper and easier to use. The one you are looking at is really a collection of gizmos that are not needed. Just a square spindle with a chuck on the end is all that you require.


Bogs


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## GWRdriver (Oct 10, 2010)

Some years ago I made myself a tapping stand from odds and ends and it's one of the best additions to my workshop I ever made. The most important thing it has done is to reduce my tap breakage frequency from _On a Regular Basis_ to _Virtually Never_ and I regularly tap in steels down to 00-90/12BA. It has changed my thinking on tapping from _Will I break a tap today?_ to _I probably won't break a tap this year!_ That alone justifies the time and relatively small expense in making it. As Bogs states, all that's really required is a vertical spindle with a chuck on the end. I would be glad to describe this tapper in another thead.


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## Dan Rowe (Oct 10, 2010)

Harry,
Nice tapping stand. I see that the knob is sized for small taps.

If you have noticed most of the comercial tapping stands are not recomended for taps smaller than a #6. 

Well that is where my problem with hand tapping starts. I have a stand that has an adapter for the smaller size taps and it has a smaller handle with a larger one that can be used for larger work.

It has a 1/2" spindle and that is what I use to drive the 00-90 and smaller taps.

My small tap disasters have been reduced to managable level.

Dan


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## GWRdriver (Oct 10, 2010)

Pat J  said:
			
		

> It takes a delicate sense of tough to feel when the tap binds. - Pat J


Pat,
That's why the relatively small serrated knob on my tapper. It helps me feel wot's going on in the hole.


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## Blogwitch (Oct 10, 2010)

What you need to do is to fit a small knurled wheel under the main handle, as I did on mine. 

Then you can control the cut with fingertip pressure.


Bogs


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## Twmaster (Oct 10, 2010)

Ow that is spendy. I just got as really nice used Rockwell drill press. This means my busted old chinese drill press will now become a home-shop-made tapping stand.


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## krv3000 (Oct 10, 2010)

HI this is the one that i made


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## GWRdriver (Oct 11, 2010)

Bogstandard  said:
			
		

> What you need to do is to fit a small knurled wheel under the main handle, as I did on mine.


Bogs,
I hadn't thought about that but it's easily enough done and worth try - no harm no foul as we say. So far the knob shown, which is 1.75"OD with a notched periphery as found on old radio gear, has done well enough through the intended range of the tool. It does make for a bit of a chore with threads above 1/4" diam in steel but it otherwise gives me excellent tactile feedback although it is certainly possible to over-torque the very small taps if I'm not careful.


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## Blogwitch (Oct 11, 2010)

My remark wasn't aimed at you Harry, but the stands shown before, which seem to have such large handles, but if you want to do it, it is not up to me to stop you.

The handle on mine is about 4", but the small knurled one underneath it, is about 2" diameter.


Bogs


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## wheeltapper (Oct 11, 2010)

Just because mine has a big handle it doesn't mean I use all of it.
with small taps I hold the centre between finger and thumb.

cars come with accelerators but you don't drive with them flat on the floor all the time.

altho most cars going down my road seem to 

Roy


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## d-m (Oct 17, 2010)

The one I built a few years back I have scraped the vise and replaced it with a screw less vise you can see in the second pic how I did my handle pined with a spring. I was thinking I would make a handle for it and could easily interchange between the two haven't needed to do so yet I use it a lot and like the feel of the small knurled wheel works well.
Dave


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## Blogwitch (Oct 17, 2010)

Just a few tips on using small taps. This is aimed more towards the new people to model engineering, and so in laymans terms.

Make sure you always have the correct sized hole. Or if you haven't got the exact sized drill always go larger, not smaller. As long as you don't overdo the size, you will still get a good grip from your thread. In fact, on some charts it will tell you what the maximum size is that you can use and still be 'safe'.

ALWAYS use a good quality tapping lube. A reasonably priced bottle will last you for years. I usually decant some into a syringe, that way it gets to where it is really needed and doesn't waste the lube.

Buy the best quality taps you can afford, cheap taps are a real false economy. If you pick up a box from say a garage sale, unless they are protected in their original wrapping, and look to be new, consider them as scrap. Bouncing around loose in a box, or a bit of rust, will take the cutting edges off straight away.

You can get very good discounts if you buy in bulk from the manufacturers. If I buy 10 super quality ones, they are actually cheaper per piece than buying a mediocre one.

When cutting the thread, at the first sign of galling (usually you can hear it squeak), dump the tap and use a new one, you are getting very close to having it snapping off down the hole. Your taps need to be razor sharp. Small taps are just not worth trying to resharpen. Larger ones can be 'rescued' rather easily. Taps do wear out and go dull, it all depends on what materials you are cutting, so don't expect those small taps to last forever, so you should always have some in reserve when doing a lot of threading.

If cutting thru holes, depending on the type of tap being used, the swarf either drops out of the bottom, or gets pushed back out of the hole, most times, you will be using the drop out of the bottom type. No problem with thru holes, but the same thing happening in a blind hole can give you the same symptoms as above, galling in the hole. So every so often, retract the tap completely and either blow the swarf out of the hole, or turn the job upside down for it to fall out. Trapped swarf is another cause of easily broken taps.

For cutting, I use the regime of one full turn forwards, one third of a turn back. This breaks up the swarf as you are cutting and so it doesn't bunch up and cause the tap to jam in the hole. If the tap does jam, try very gently going fwds and backwards a tiny amount, don't try and force it too far. After maybe a dozen rocks back and forth the bit of trapped swarf should break up and allow you to retract completely to get rid of it. DON'T just carry on as though nothing has happened, clear it out first.

I know it can be difficult for some of you because you are on such tight budgets, but in all honesty, buying good taps save money in the long run.

I have a lot of experience using small taps, but also I have the hands of a gorilla so can't get that super 'feel' which is required sometimes, but by following the above rules, it can be a great leveller, and just by following those few basic rules, almost anyone can become proficient at using small taps. I have cut thousands of threads over the last two or three years, and have only broken one tap down a hole, and that was my own fault, for trying to do it by holding the part in my fingers rather than on the tapping stand.

Bogs


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## George_Race (Oct 17, 2010)

I really like this one for the price. Take a look here:

http://www.micromark.com/MICROLUX-TAPPING-FIXTURE,8363.html

George


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