I tapped (4) 3/8-16 through holes in 1/2" HRS
yesterday. I wasn't looking forward to the last
four holes, because starting the tap straight and
cutting the threads was more difficult and time -
consuming than I wanted it to be.

I decided I had a mechanical 'impedance mismatch'
between me and the tiny tap handle.

The cure was to clamp a tap handle in the wheel
for my tubing roller:
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/man...9999/99736.pdf
(See Page 6 and 7 "Turning Wheel".)

The Hanson 12002 secures perfectly in the bore of the
turning wheel once one removes the crossbar.
http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images...213-254276.jpg

The final four holes tapped quickly and easily.
I found that I could hold the tap on axis and apply
the necessary pressure to get a clean start.
The huge lever arm made the process fun!
(Yes, I was grinning at the time.)

--Winston -- A 'High - Z' guy in a 'Low - Z' world

"Winston" wrote in message
...

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images...213-254276.jpg

I hate those things--I probably have at least 1/2 dozen of them with galled
up "jaws" that I've picked up over the years--even in good condition they
are only capable of ( insecurely ) holding taps that are within a fairly
narrow size range....

--only reason I keep them around at all anymore is for the occasional
emergency where one of the higher quality ones temporarily has been
misplaced.

Much better are the ones made by General or Starret that have separate
hardened chuck jaws instead of slots.


http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl...iw=800&bih=410

My personal favorite=

http://www.uxcell.com/general-handle...e-p-28102.html

--



--

On Feb 27, 12:48*pm, "PrecisionmachinisT"
wrote:
"Winston" wrote in message

...

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images...-rw-100213-254...

I hate those things--I probably have at least 1/2 dozen of them with galled
up "jaws" that I've picked up over the years--even in good condition they
are only capable of ( insecurely ) holding taps that are within a fairly
narrow size range....

--only reason I keep them around at all anymore is for the occasional
emergency where one of the higher quality ones temporarily has been
misplaced.

Much better are the ones made by General or Starret that have separate
hardened chuck jaws instead of slots.

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl...X&ei=SqlqTfaYG...

My personal favorite=

http://www.uxcell.com/general-handle...tchet-tap-wren...

--

--

I have a couple of Stanley ratchet types that work well, but once you
get above about 5/16" in steel, you can't beat a dogbone. Here's a
high-end one:
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...PARTPG=INLMK32

Most of mine have come from auctions, nobody wanted them, so cheap.
Downside is that they take a lot of room to swing, but not a real
problem when using one on a lathe. Most of the larger taps already
have centers, so supporting one from the tailstock isn't a problem.

Stan

PrecisionmachinisT wrote:
wrote in message
...

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images...213-254276.jpg

I hate those things--I probably have at least 1/2 dozen of them with galled
up "jaws" that I've picked up over the years--even in good condition they
are only capable of ( insecurely ) holding taps that are within a fairly
narrow size range....

Yup. Unless I tighten it significantly, this one loosens in use.

--only reason I keep them around at all anymore is for the occasional
emergency where one of the higher quality ones temporarily has been
misplaced.

Much better are the ones made by General or Starret that have separate
hardened chuck jaws instead of slots.


http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl...iw=800&bih=410

I was doing an experiment so the 'disposable' tool would not
have been much of a loss had I scrapped it.
Now that I know this works, I may adapt a quality tool.

My personal favorite=

http://www.uxcell.com/general-handle...e-p-28102.html

I don't care for that type as much as a 'dogbone'.
The ratchet mechanism just slows me down.

--Winston

wrote:

(...)

I have a couple of Stanley ratchet types that work well, but once you
get above about 5/16" in steel, you can't beat a dogbone. Here's a
high-end one:
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...PARTPG=INLMK32

Nearly 15" long. Very Nice.

That 24" hand wheel gives me *lots* of oomph for very
little effort. I like it a lot.

It *is* difficult to carry in a hip pocket, though.

--Winston

Adapting a drill press to an unpowered/manual tapping fixture is a
relatively easy project. The method I used doesn't require disassembly of
the DP to machine it's parts (then re-assembly).. just a fairly simple
bolt-on solution.

Step 1 for each use.. pull the power cord plug from the receptacle.. that
way, there's no need to mess with the drive belt to prevent accidental
power-up with the spindle crank in place.

A Dremel or similar rotary tool can be used to grind shallow flats on common
small taps, so they can be held securely in drill press chucks (flats don't
interfere with other holding tools).

For my inexpensive benchtop drill press, I cut a 3" diameter hole in the
belt cover above the spindle, then turned a hub to fit on the top step of
the spindle pulley on the lathe, with the recess just deep enough to accept
the top nut and the first edge of the top belt groove.
Then drilled/tapped 3 holes around the edge of the recess to accept 3
1/4"-20 screws (spaced exactly 120.0000 degrees apart so as not to adversely
affect the perfect balance of this fine piece of precision equipment).
On the top surface of the hub (approx 2-1/2" diameter x 1-1/2" thick) I
drilled 2 holes (opposite sides of the center line) to accept pins about
1/4" in diameter x 3/4" deep.

The 3 holes in the bottom side of the hub are for using 3, 1/4"-20 bolts
with washers to hold the top edge of the top pulley groove into the recess,
and the thickness/heighth of the hub just extends about 1/2" from the top of
the closed belt cover.

The crank consists of a ~12" section of 1" x 1/4" flat stock with a crank
handle on the end, and 2 pins welded to the other end, to engage the 2 top
holes in the hub.. friction holds the crank in place, no tools required.
The bar section of the crank could be double-handled or even adjustable
lengthwise, but this length works well for me.

The quill return spring housing is a cup to cover the spring with a little
tension applied (about 1/4 turn of the cup) to hold the quill in the fully
upright position (and seat belt on).

So, to do some tapping, all I gotta do, is.. Step 1 - remove the power cord
plug from the receptacle.. remove the spring cup nut and cup from the shaft
by hand, and it's ready to put the crank on top and start tapping.

Having the DP table and vise (or other holding device) makes for very simple
tapping with the absolute precision that only a fine piece of precision
equipment as this can produce (Ryobi 9" benchtop).

To convert back to a powered DP, the cup and nut can be reinstalled by hand,
holding the quill in the fully upright position, by turning the cup just a
quarter turn to apply just the right amount of quill return tension.

Attaching the hub in the manner described eliminates the top belt groove on
the spindle pulley (for the highest spindle speed) as a trade-off of being a
dual-use machine.

--
WB
..........


"Winston" wrote in message
...
I tapped (4) 3/8-16 through holes in 1/2" HRS
yesterday. I wasn't looking forward to the last
four holes, because starting the tap straight and
cutting the threads was more difficult and time -
consuming than I wanted it to be.

I decided I had a mechanical 'impedance mismatch'
between me and the tiny tap handle.

The cure was to clamp a tap handle in the wheel
for my tubing roller:
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/man...9999/99736.pdf
(See Page 6 and 7 "Turning Wheel".)

The Hanson 12002 secures perfectly in the bore of the
turning wheel once one removes the crossbar.
http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images...213-254276.jpg

The final four holes tapped quickly and easily.
I found that I could hold the tap on axis and apply
the necessary pressure to get a clean start.
The huge lever arm made the process fun!
(Yes, I was grinning at the time.)

--Winston -- A 'High - Z' guy in a 'Low - Z' world

My son got me a tap wrench that is a cross, not a T handle. Drill the
tap hole in the mill or drill press. Remove drill and loosely put the
top of the tap in the drill chuck without moving the table. This is
great for those real small, break when you look cross eyed at them,
taps.

Karl

"PrecisionmachinisT" wrote in
news:8OydndEJ5bEQN_fQnZ2dnUVZ_sidnZ2d@scnresearch. com:


"Winston" wrote in message
...

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images...rw-100213-2542
76.jpg

I hate those things--I probably have at least 1/2 dozen of them with
galled up "jaws" that I've picked up over the years--even in good
condition they are only capable of ( insecurely ) holding taps that
are within a fairly narrow size range....

--only reason I keep them around at all anymore is for the occasional
emergency where one of the higher quality ones temporarily has been
misplaced.

Much better are the ones made by General or Starret that have separate
hardened chuck jaws instead of slots.


http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl...ei=SqlqTfaYG5C
8sQP_9eWoBA&ved=0CDQQvwUoAQ&q=starrett+93c&spell=1 &biw=800&bih=410

My personal favorite=

http://www.uxcell.com/general-handle...het-tap-wrench
-forward-reverse-p-28102.html

The General looks nice. One question: Does the top knurled bit have a
well centered hole you can use with a tapping guide?

http://www.penntoolco.com/catalog/pr...ategoryID=2117

Doug White

On Feb 27, 7:29*pm, Doug White wrote:
...
The General looks nice. *One question: *Does the top knurled bit have a
well centered hole you can use with a tapping guide?

http://www.penntoolco.com/catalog/pr...ategoryID=2117

Doug White-

The small spring loaded pins have male and female centers. On mine the
big end has a hex setscrew that retains the spring.

jsw

Wild_Bill wrote:
Adapting a drill press to an unpowered/manual tapping fixture is a
relatively easy project. The method I used doesn't require disassembly
of the DP to machine it's parts (then re-assembly).. just a fairly
simple bolt-on solution.
(Snip elegant dual - use tool.)

Cool! I hope manufacturers are looking at RCM for ways to make
their products more appealing to hobbyists. I'd've happily paid
extra for a lever that disengaged the retract spring and
motor pulley and perhaps some kind of side crank for tapping.

--Winston

Karl Townsend wrote:
My son got me a tap wrench that is a cross, not a T handle. Drill the
tap hole in the mill or drill press. Remove drill and loosely put the
top of the tap in the drill chuck without moving the table. This is
great for those real small, break when you look cross eyed at them,
taps.

Karl

Get a squared up block of metal and drill a hole through it and drill
and tap through the drilled hole to keep the drill and tap straight..
You will need two holes in the block one for the tap drill and one for
the clearance drill. In an emergency you could crazy glue the block to
your work. A little heat or acetone will break it loose.

John

On Feb 27, 8:28*pm, John wrote:


Get a *squared up block of metal and drill a hole through it and drill
and tap through the drilled hole to keep the drill and tap straight..
You will need two holes in the block one for the tap drill and one for
the clearance drill. In an emergency you *could crazy glue the block to
your work. *A little heat or *acetone *will break it loose.

John

That is almost exactly what I do. The only difference is I use a
short piece of 2 by 4.

Dan

Jim Wilkins wrote in news:4893b825-9adc-4104-8c4e-
:

On Feb 27, 7:29*pm, Doug White wrote:
...
The General looks nice. *One question: *Does the top knurled bit have
a
well centered hole you can use with a tapping guide?

http://www.penntoolco.com/catalog/pr...ategoryID=2117

Doug White-

The small spring loaded pins have male and female centers. On mine the
big end has a hex setscrew that retains the spring.

Yes, but it doesn't answer the question of whether one will work with the
General rachet handle.

Doug White

Winston wrote:

I tapped (4) 3/8-16 through holes in 1/2" HRS
yesterday. I wasn't looking forward to the last
four holes, because starting the tap straight and
cutting the threads was more difficult and time -
consuming than I wanted it to be.

I decided I had a mechanical 'impedance mismatch'
between me and the tiny tap handle.

The cure was to clamp a tap handle in the wheel
for my tubing roller:
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/man...9999/99736.pdf
(See Page 6 and 7 "Turning Wheel".)

The Hanson 12002 secures perfectly in the bore of the
turning wheel once one removes the crossbar.

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images...213-254276.jpg

The final four holes tapped quickly and easily.
I found that I could hold the tap on axis and apply
the necessary pressure to get a clean start.
The huge lever arm made the process fun!
(Yes, I was grinning at the time.)

--Winston -- A 'High - Z' guy in a 'Low - Z' world

"Doug White" wrote in message
...
"PrecisionmachinisT" wrote in
news:8OydndEJ5bEQN_fQnZ2dnUVZ_sidnZ2d@scnresearch. com:


"Winston" wrote in message
...

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images...rw-100213-2542
76.jpg

I hate those things--I probably have at least 1/2 dozen of them with
galled up "jaws" that I've picked up over the years--even in good
condition they are only capable of ( insecurely ) holding taps that
are within a fairly narrow size range....

--only reason I keep them around at all anymore is for the occasional
emergency where one of the higher quality ones temporarily has been
misplaced.

Much better are the ones made by General or Starret that have separate
hardened chuck jaws instead of slots.


http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl...ei=SqlqTfaYG5C
8sQP_9eWoBA&ved=0CDQQvwUoAQ&q=starrett+93c&spell=1 &biw=800&bih=410

My personal favorite=

http://www.uxcell.com/general-handle...het-tap-wrench
-forward-reverse-p-28102.html

The General looks nice. One question: Does the top knurled bit have a
well centered hole you can use with a tapping guide?


Don't have it handy at the moment but pretty sure it's dome shaped at the
top with no center but has a nice chrome plate.


http://www.penntoolco.com/catalog/pr...ategoryID=2117

On Feb 27, 9:35*pm, Doug White wrote:
Jim Wilkins wrote in news:4893b825-9adc-4104-8c4e-
:

On Feb 27, 7:29 pm, Doug White wrote:
...
The General looks nice. One question: Does the top knurled bit have
*a
well centered hole you can use with a tapping guide?

http://www.penntoolco.com/catalog/pr...ategoryID=2117

Doug White-

The small spring loaded pins have male and female centers. On mine the
big end has a hex setscrew that retains the spring.

Yes, but it doesn't answer the question of whether one will work with the
General rachet handle.

Doug White

I have several generic ratcheting tap handles with the 3-position
slider and the lift and turn knob. The top end holes are drilled
straight, not conical.

jsw

"Winston" wrote in message
...
I tapped (4) 3/8-16 through holes in 1/2" HRS
yesterday. I wasn't looking forward to the last
four holes, because starting the tap straight and
cutting the threads was more difficult and time -
consuming than I wanted it to be.

I decided I had a mechanical 'impedance mismatch'
between me and the tiny tap handle.

The cure was to clamp a tap handle in the wheel
for my tubing roller:
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/man...9999/99736.pdf
(See Page 6 and 7 "Turning Wheel".)

The Hanson 12002 secures perfectly in the bore of the
turning wheel once one removes the crossbar.
http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images...213-254276.jpg

The final four holes tapped quickly and easily.
I found that I could hold the tap on axis and apply
the necessary pressure to get a clean start.
The huge lever arm made the process fun!
(Yes, I was grinning at the time.)

--Winston -- A 'High - Z' guy in a 'Low - Z' world

I've been using my hand brace (aka the brace in brace & bit)
for tapping. The 2 jaw chuck holds the tap securely enough for
a 3/8 tap into 1/2" Al plate. I haven't tried any larger taps nor
tapping a thick steel plate. I found that trying to chuck the tap by
it's square end is no good as the tap is often crooked. Grabbing
the round shank works much better.
Art

Artemus wrote:

(...)

I've been using my hand brace (aka the brace in brace& bit)
for tapping. The 2 jaw chuck holds the tap securely enough for
a 3/8 tap into 1/2" Al plate. I haven't tried any larger taps nor
tapping a thick steel plate. I found that trying to chuck the tap by
it's square end is no good as the tap is often crooked. Grabbing
the round shank works much better.

I never would have thought of that.

--Winston

On 2011-03-01, PrecisionmachinisT wrote:

"Doug White" wrote in message
...
"PrecisionmachinisT" wrote in
news:8OydndEJ5bEQN_fQnZ2dnUVZ_sidnZ2d@scnresearch. com:

[ ... ]

Much better are the ones made by General or Starret that have separate
hardened chuck jaws instead of slots.

[ ... ]

The General looks nice. One question: Does the top knurled bit have a
well centered hole you can use with a tapping guide?

[ ... ]

http://www.penntoolco.com/catalog/pr...ategoryID=2117

[ ... ]

Don't have it handy at the moment but pretty sure it's dome shaped at the
top with no center but has a nice chrome plate.

Mine (decades old, with a recent acquisition of a very similar
one from Germany which handles larger tap shanks) has a domed top with a
center drilled hole.

I've got another by General (even older, I believe) which looks
more like the rigid T-handled tap wrenches, but has a two-piece jaw
chuck, and a ratchet in the handle. That ratchet has as bit more torque
to the click, but I still use it by preference with 0-80 taps and
similar.

I wonder who made them for General? Two different makers I have
to believe.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Remove oil spill source from e-mail
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 ---

On Mar 2, 9:33*pm, "DoN. Nichols" wrote:
On 2011-03-01, PrecisionmachinisT wrote:



"Doug White" wrote in message
0...
"PrecisionmachinisT" wrote in
news:8OydndEJ5bEQN_fQnZ2dnUVZ_sidnZ2d@scnresearc h.com:

* * * * [ ... ]

Much better are the ones made by General or Starret that have separate
hardened chuck jaws instead of slots.

* * * * [ ... ]

The General looks nice. *One question: *Does the top knurled bit have a
well centered hole you can use with a tapping guide?

* * * * [ ... ]

http://www.penntoolco.com/catalog/pr...ategoryID=2117

* * * * [ ... ]

Don't have it handy at the moment but pretty sure it's dome shaped at the
top with no center but has a nice chrome plate.

* * * * Mine (decades old, with a recent acquisition of a very similar
one from Germany which handles larger tap shanks) has a domed top with a
center drilled hole.

* * * * I've got another by General (even older, I believe) which looks
more like the rigid T-handled tap wrenches, but has a two-piece jaw
chuck, and a ratchet in the handle. *That ratchet has as bit more torque
to the click, but I still use it by preference with 0-80 taps and
similar.

* * * * I wonder who made them for General? *Two different makers I have
to believe.

* * * * Enjoy,
* * * * * * * * DoN.

--

One of the General ones I've seen is a very close copy of one of hte
Stanleys I have. Has the ratchet slider on the side and a dome with a
centering hole. One other has a dingus on the top you have to lift
and turn to change ratchet direction, Don't care for that one. Both
have separate jaws, not spring fingers.

Stan

On 2011-03-03, wrote:
On Mar 2, 9:33*pm, "DoN. Nichols" wrote:

[ ... ]

* * * * Mine (decades old, with a recent acquisition of a very similar
one from Germany which handles larger tap shanks) has a domed top with a
center drilled hole.

* * * * I've got another by General (even older, I believe) which looks
more like the rigid T-handled tap wrenches, but has a two-piece jaw
chuck, and a ratchet in the handle. *That ratchet has as bit more torque
to the click, but I still use it by preference with 0-80 taps and
similar.

* * * * I wonder who made them for General? *Two different makers I have
to believe.

[ ... ]

One of the General ones I've seen is a very close copy of one of hte
Stanleys I have. Has the ratchet slider on the side and a dome with a
centering hole. One other has a dingus on the top you have to lift
and turn to change ratchet direction, Don't care for that one. Both
have separate jaws, not spring fingers.

The older one has a square notch in the head just below the
handle and on a side which has a lever with a spring loaded pin. Set it
pointing in one direction, it feeds that direction. Set it pointing in
the other direction, it turns in that direction. Set it pointing
straight out, and it is locked against ratcheting in either direction.

I really prefer that to the sliding direction changer on the
other two tap wrenches.

Of course -- then there is the two bar tap wrench which I made
to handle up to the Morse Taper #5 reamer (barely). Started with 3/4"
square steel stock for that one. Copied one of the much smaller cheap
tap wrenches which I have.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Remove oil spill source from e-mail
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 ---