I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl

Karl Townsend wrote:
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Tapping head and a drill press.
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...&PARTPG=INLMK3


--Winston

Karl Townsend wrote:

I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl

Use aluminum (one of the softer grades) for the mounting plate, and put
a roll-forming type tap (no chips to clog) into a cordless screwdriver
with a comfortable F-O-R control so you can spin in and spin out without
having to futz with a separate forward-reverse control.

On 2009-06-16, Karl Townsend wrote:
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

You can tap with a drill or screw gun, for this sort of thread. I have
seen it done and did it with 10-32 (my favorite thread). A while ago I
acquired a Bosch electric tapper 1462VS, which is a more suitable
device for this.

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

you can get away with steel just fine. You have an advantage of
tapping thin shieetmetal.

i

A typical reversible cordless drill will tap small holes in panels almost
effortlessly.

FWIW, 6-32 taps are the most likely to break, but if you can avoid using
that size, the other sizes aren't particularly fragile.

I think combination drill-and-tap drills are available for the number sized
threads, and would probably be worthwhile/effort-saving over using 2
cordless drills with separate drill and tap.

The back plate could be aluminum, but it should be of adequate thickness to
provide reliable/secure attachment (thread contact area) of the components
to be mounted to the plate.

The mounting screws for the various cabinet components could be the
drilling-type, short, self tapping screws, with hex heads, that could be
driven in with a cordless drill fitted with a magnetic hex driver.

--
WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
anews.com...
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an
electrical cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with
a screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros
don't futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl

On Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:59:37 -0500, Karl Townsend wrote:
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an
electrical cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping
with a screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the
pros don't futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Perhaps consider Greenlee combination drill and tap. Eg
http://www.grainger.com/1/1/127777-greenlee-dtap8-32-drill-tap-countersink-bit-8-32x3-l.html
or http://westsidedelivers.com/item.asp?PID=7303
singles, or in sets,
http://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-Drill-6-32-Pieces-Gauge/dp/B000LDHURC
or http://www.toolbarn.com/product/greenlee/12151/.

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had
this removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

--
jiw

"Karl Townsend" wrote:

I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

I've tapped lots of 8-32's in Hoffman back panels. Use two flute, use proper taping
fluid, keep tap straight. Piece of cake. Nice thing is, if you do break a tap, the far
end is there for you to use to remove broken tap.

Wes
--
"Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect
government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

On Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:59:37 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

I've drilled and tapped thousands of 8-32 and 10-32 holes in NEMA back
panels with gun taps in a pistol drill. A drill with a convenient
reversing switch is a big help. The older Milwaukees with a long lever
above the trigger are my favorites for power tapping. Solid tapping
compound applied to the tap every few holes seems to help, without
making a mess. Unless you're very careless tap breakage isn't a
problem.

I wouldn't use aluminum unless it happens to be more convenient than
purchasing a replacement back panel.

--
Ned Simmons

On Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:59:37 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl

Karl...I use..for 90% of my tapping duties on Stuff..any decent
cordless/corded Variable speed electric drill.

Period.

And Ive got mills, tappers etc etc etc.

And the hand drill gets the majority of your kind of work.

In act..you can buy a tap drill that drills the holes and then taps
them..all on the same shank.

For sheetmetal use..they are GREAT!!!

Gunner

"Lenin called them "useful idiots," those people living in
liberal democracies who by giving moral and material support
to a totalitarian ideology in effect were braiding the rope that
would hang them. Why people who enjoyed freedom and prosperity worked
passionately to destroy both is a fascinating question, one still with us
today. Now the useful idiots can be found in the chorus of appeasement,
reflexive anti-Americanism, and sentimental idealism trying to inhibit
the necessary responses to another freedom-hating ideology, radical Islam"

Bruce C. Thornton, a professor of Classics at American University of Cal State Fresno

Gunner Asch wrote:

In act..you can buy a tap drill that drills the holes and then taps
them..all on the same shank.

For sheetmetal use..they are GREAT!!!


http://www.mcmaster.com/#tap-drills/=2chqjj

Hope this comes across, I've known they exist but I have to tap a bunch of cable clamp
attachments soon. I'm getting some.

Wes
--
"Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect
government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
anews.com...
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an
electrical cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with
a screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros
don't futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl



I usually use my cordless screw driver. It's a two speed with a smooth
trigger and good speed control. I usually tap in low range.

But there is another trick when you are really concerned about breaking a
small tap. You can find tape wrenches that look like this one:
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/5430905
But the allow you to slip out the round T-Rod, and drive them with a 3/8"
socket. I use one of these with a 3/8" speed handle for tapping delicate
holes. Works quickly on small taps, mantains a good feel for the tap load,
and without the possibility of loss of control.
In case you are not familiar with a speed handle:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...peedHandle.php

I usually use my cordless screw driver. It's a two speed with a smooth
trigger and good speed control. I usually tap in low range.

But there is another trick when you are really concerned about breaking a
small tap. You can find tape wrenches that look like this one:
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/5430905
But the allow you to slip out the round T-Rod, and drive them with a 3/8"
socket. I use one of these with a 3/8" speed handle for tapping delicate
holes. Works quickly on small taps, mantains a good feel for the tap load,
and without the possibility of loss of control.

What a great idea!!! I have several tap wrenches, more than I need. They
all have a round top, but I found one that was a press fit to a 13mm socket.
I put it in the vice and squeezed. That socket ain't ever coming off.

Karl

In act..you can buy a tap drill that drills the holes and then taps
them..all on the same shank.

For sheetmetal use..they are GREAT!!!


http://www.mcmaster.com/#tap-drills/=2chqjj


Looks like a father's day present. I think I'm worth a whole set. VBG

Thanks for the tip, I had seen these; but it had never registerred. They
would save even more time in the CNC mill.

Karl

Karl Townsend wrote:

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

YMMV, but I've tapped thousands of holes with a reversible drill.
Aluminum and carbon steels. Yes, broke a couple, but for the time saved,
well worth it. I have a couple nice Bosch 3/8 drills with the reversing
lever right above the speed control trigger. I don't find it terribly
hard to give the trigger a quick bump, let off and reverse the
direction, then apply power again to back the tap out.
I've only done this with through holes however.... It's generally not
too difficult to remove a broken tap from this materials.

BTW, I've tapped from 0-80 to 1/4-20 this way. Only a few of the
smaller, at least a thousand 1/4" holes, thicknesses from 1/16 to 1/4"


Jon

On Jun 16, 1:59*pm, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. *Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl

Don't overlook rivet nuts
http://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivet47.htm

and Self-Piercing/Tapping Screws
http://www.aaronsself-tappingscrews.com/

Many modern cordless drills have an adjustable tension setting which
lets the chuck slip at a certain point.

N

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:59:37 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an
electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with
a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

I've drilled and tapped thousands of 8-32 and 10-32 holes in NEMA back
panels with gun taps in a pistol drill. A drill with a convenient
reversing switch is a big help. The older Milwaukees with a long lever
above the trigger are my favorites for power tapping. Solid tapping
compound applied to the tap every few holes seems to help, without
making a mess. Unless you're very careless tap breakage isn't a
problem.

I wouldn't use aluminum unless it happens to be more convenient than
purchasing a replacement back panel.

--
Ned Simmons

Hi Ned -any further info on solid tapping compound? It sounds useful -
maybe cake soap?

Karl Townsend wrote:
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl



I've tapped a lot of panels, cordless drill is the bomb! I love the
panasonics with about 20 clutch settings, you can even do 6-32's because
you can set it to stall before snapping the tap.

Need to find some of that solid tapping stuff, is it a wax based product?

With bigger taps (10's and 1/4's), you can even run them surprisingly
fast in the thin sheet of back panels.


Stuart

On Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:59:37 -0500, Karl Townsend wrote:

I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an
electrical cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping
with a screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the
pros don't futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had
this removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl

At my dad's company we would tap 1/4-20 holes into mild steel with two-
flute taps driven by pneumatic impact wrenches. It's really fast.

Taps broke, but surprisingly seldom.

(It's been a long time, but I suspect the holes were oversize -- letter-
series drill bits were for hoity-toity machinist wannabees; real men used
fractional sizes).

--
www.wescottdesign.com

On Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:59:37 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl


Chuck an HSS 8-32 plug tap in an inexpensive air drill from HF with
pushbutton instant reverse and have at it. Small air drills have
enough torque to tap but not enough to snap an 8-32. Electric
drills, corded or cordless, have considerably higher stall torque
which is not a plus for tapping.

That's how they did it on Mark 46 torpedoes at Honeywell, though I'm
sure the tool was not from HF. Many hundreds of holes per torp, zoop
zoop. But I've done it with the HF tool, works great. Figure on
about 2 seconds per hole. Apply cutting fluid with a squirt bottle.
Use a good USA HSS tap, not carbon steel ala Craftsman or Vermont
American.

Done hundreds of back panels with a cordless drill. I useually use 10 -
32 unless the component is small, then it's a 6 - 32. I'm surprised no
one has mentioned these beauties - Lisle (LIS70500) 8 Piece Tap Socket
Set. Work excellent with a 1/4" hex to square adapter.

"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
anews.com...

I usually use my cordless screw driver. It's a two speed with a smooth
trigger and good speed control. I usually tap in low range.

But there is another trick when you are really concerned about breaking a
small tap. You can find tape wrenches that look like this one:
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/5430905
But the allow you to slip out the round T-Rod, and drive them with a 3/8"
socket. I use one of these with a 3/8" speed handle for tapping delicate
holes. Works quickly on small taps, mantains a good feel for the tap
load, and without the possibility of loss of control.

What a great idea!!! I have several tap wrenches, more than I need. They
all have a round top, but I found one that was a press fit to a 13mm
socket. I put it in the vice and squeezed. That socket ain't ever coming
off.

Karl

That'll work! It might be fractionally slower than a cordless drill, but you
should NEVER break a tap.

Karl Townsend wrote:
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

What everyone said about using a screw
gun or electric screwdriver. Works well,
but be meticulous about blowing away chips
and keeping things lubricated. Have plenty
of new taps on hand and toss a tap the
instant it seems to be getting dull. I know
this will go against your grain, but it will
be far cheaper in the long run.

On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:51:44 +0800, "Dennis"
wrote:


Hi Ned -any further info on solid tapping compound? It sounds useful -
maybe cake soap?


Accu-Lube is one brand, Boelube is another. It does feel like waxy
soap. It doesn't works as well as regular cutting oil, but doesn't
make as big a mess either.

--
Ned Simmons

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:51:44 +0800, "Dennis"
wrote:


Hi Ned -any further info on solid tapping compound? It sounds useful -
maybe cake soap?


Accu-Lube is one brand, Boelube is another. It does feel like waxy
soap. It doesn't works as well as regular cutting oil, but doesn't
make as big a mess either.

--
Ned Simmons

Thanks for that Ned, I've not seen those brands on my side of the pond
however there are other "dry-lube" sticks. I've grab some and try it.

"Dennis" wrote in message
...

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:51:44 +0800, "Dennis"
wrote:


Hi Ned -any further info on solid tapping compound? It sounds useful -
maybe cake soap?


Accu-Lube is one brand, Boelube is another. It does feel like waxy
soap. It doesn't works as well as regular cutting oil, but doesn't
make as big a mess either.

--
Ned Simmons

Thanks for that Ned, I've not seen those brands on my side of the pond
however there are other "dry-lube" sticks. I've grab some and try it.


http://www.formaxmfg.com/grease_stic...ks.html?id=SSW

"N" sez:
"Many modern cordless drills have an adjustable tension setting which
lets the chuck slip at a certain point."

A non-issue because taps are usu. broken by leaning out of square with the hole - it only seems like
spindle torque did it.

Bob Swinney

"N Morrison" wrote in message
...
On Jun 16, 1:59 pm, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

Karl

Don't overlook rivet nuts
http://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivet47.htm

and Self-Piercing/Tapping Screws
http://www.aaronsself-tappingscrews.com/



N

"Tim" wrote in message
...

"Dennis" wrote in message
...

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:51:44 +0800, "Dennis"
wrote:


Hi Ned -any further info on solid tapping compound? It sounds useful -
maybe cake soap?


Accu-Lube is one brand, Boelube is another. It does feel like waxy
soap. It doesn't works as well as regular cutting oil, but doesn't
make as big a mess either.

--
Ned Simmons

Thanks for that Ned, I've not seen those brands on my side of the pond
however there are other "dry-lube" sticks. I've grab some and try it.


http://www.formaxmfg.com/grease_stic...ks.html?id=SSW


thanks Tim

Ned Simmons wrote in
:

On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:51:44 +0800, "Dennis"
wrote:


Hi Ned -any further info on solid tapping compound? It sounds useful -
maybe cake soap?


Accu-Lube is one brand, Boelube is another. It does feel like waxy
soap. It doesn't works as well as regular cutting oil, but doesn't
make as big a mess either.

I don't recall the brand, but I saw some stuff at a machine tool show
that was in thin rods. The idea was that you pick the size that fits
into a blind hole, stuff it in all the way and cut it off flush with the
top. As you run that tap in, the lube is compressed, and forces the
chips back out the flutes. They did a demo, and it seemed to work pretty
well, but I suspect it depends a lot on the tap & material. I can't
imagine it would work well with a gun tap.

Not really applicable for the through holes under discussion, but an
interesting dodge in the tap lube department.

Doug White

On 2009-06-16, Karl Townsend wrote:
I've got a hundred or so holes to drill and tap in the back of an electrical
cabinet. Mostly 8-32. Its for mounting electrical components.

I've always hand tapped, kind of slow. can you get away with tapping with a
screw gun? Or will this just break a bunch of taps? Surely the pros don't
futz with hand tapping. What do they use?

With 8-32 or 10-32, I would use a gun tap in a drill motor
(electric drill) with variable speed and easy reverse switching. If it
tends to coast on for a while before stopping, I would make up a sliding
tap holder which would disengage when I pulled the drill motor back.

Better would be a TapMatic tapping head with a bracket holding
an anti-rotation bar, but that would be heavier and harder to maneuver
-- unless you have a way to get the electrical cabinet on a drill press,
in which case the TapMatic head will be great.

And you might try the drill tap combinations so you don't have
to keep swapping out the drill bit and the tap.

Also, I need a new inside sheet to mount components. The cabinet had this
removed. Will it work OK/better to use aluminum here?

If you need the sheet to also make a good ground reference, I
would go with steel or copper. If it is just for mounting rigidity, the
aluminum (of sufficient thickness) should do.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

"Doug White" wrote in message
...
Ned Simmons wrote in
:

On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:51:44 +0800, "Dennis"
wrote:


Hi Ned -any further info on solid tapping compound? It sounds useful -
maybe cake soap?


Accu-Lube is one brand, Boelube is another. It does feel like waxy
soap. It doesn't works as well as regular cutting oil, but doesn't
make as big a mess either.

I don't recall the brand, but I saw some stuff at a machine tool show
that was in thin rods. The idea was that you pick the size that fits
into a blind hole, stuff it in all the way and cut it off flush with the
top. As you run that tap in, the lube is compressed, and forces the
chips back out the flutes. They did a demo, and it seemed to work pretty
well, but I suspect it depends a lot on the tap & material. I can't
imagine it would work well with a gun tap.

Not really applicable for the through holes under discussion, but an
interesting dodge in the tap lube department.

Doug White

The DoAll wax is soft enough you can roll your own. But if you had to do
many, the rods would be the bomb.

On Jun 18, 5:21*pm, Doug White wrote:

I don't recall the brand, but I saw some stuff at a machine tool show
that was in thin rods. *The idea was that you pick the size that fits
into a blind hole, stuff it in all the way and cut it off flush with the
top. *As you run that tap in, the lube is compressed, and forces the
chips back out the flutes. *They did a demo, and it seemed to work pretty
well, but I suspect it depends a lot on the tap & material. *I can't
imagine it would work well with a gun tap.

In Lautard's "Machinist's Third Bedside Reader" TMBR#3 he recommends
wax threads for this and shows a design to create them by extrusion.