Looking for a good Tap and Die Set

R

ronsack

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I have a Craftsman set but the tap and dies are not very good, i am looking for some recommendations for a full set metric and American something like 4-40 to 1/2" or bigger, I want HSS for making threads not just for cleaning, most of my work is in 1018 crs or A36
Thanks in advance for your reply
Ron
 
While I prefer the old stuff. I need (ok: wanted) some a set of small standard taps and matching drills.
DavidH (a participant on this forum) was able to put together a bulk order for standard taps several months ago.
He then sorted all the taps and drills and mailed everything to the interested HM members.
I wonder if there is enough interest, and if he could do the same with metric?

Daryl
MN
 
Get ready to spend some dough.

The way to go is to build your set piece by pieces. Unless you are a shop with a big fat budget you are not going to get anything good in a set.

But you can find used and NOS here and there in the odd lot. Pawn shops get them in sometimes, and often have taps and dies lost at the bottom of the bins. Make a list and start checking them off. Another thing about taps and dies - especially taps - there are LOTS of types. Gun taps are my favorites, then spiral type, with different flute counts, I use a lot of 2-flute ones for aluminum and plastic but you'll want 4-flutes for steel. There are roll taps and different thread limit taps and on and on.

Look at McMaster-Carr and MSCDirect.com for some ideas. Quality is necessary with taps and dies, even re-threading is almost impossible with those cheapies. Never buy anything Chinese, I've never seen a decent one of any kind. (Other stuff from China can be somewhat useful, but not dies.) Stick with Greenfield and Butterfield, OSG, names like that. Fleabay has tons of taps and dies all the time, from deep to cheap.
 
Look at Vermont American brand. They have a complete set with a case. They used to make great tools.
 
thanks daryl, i would be more than happy to do another group buy. remember i need multiples of 12 for ordering as most of the 1/2 and under sizes come packaged to me that way. they won't sell singles or smaller quanities to us distributors.

i have not heard a lick from anyone that participated in the small size of gun taps/drills so either they are all ****** or they were satisfied.

let me know what your interested in, i will shop for ideas and go from there.
is there any advantage to us hobbiest to use gun taps (spiral taps) compared to standard ? i really don't know, but would welcome comments..................................
standing by here. . .
davidh




Uglydog said:
While I prefer the old stuff. I need (ok: wanted) some a set of small standard taps and matching drills.
DavidH (a participant on this forum) was able to put together a bulk order for standard taps several months ago.
He then sorted all the taps and drills and mailed everything to the interested HM members.
I wonder if there is enough interest, and if he could do the same with metric?

Daryl
MN
Click to expand...
 
Depending on sizes and quantities, I may be interested.

I have an older (circa early 1980's) Craftsman set... missing a few critical sizes.

When enough folks are interested... please contact me and let me know... THX

Subscribed to thread.
 
You can sure tell the difference between a good tap and a poor one. I just finished tapping some 6061 with some small metric taps. I was in a rush to get a couple of holes done so I picked up some new "Craftsman" taps to try and get the job done. I figured I only have two holes to tap so it shouldn't be a problem. I did get the job done but I was biting my nails all the way through it. I could see the taps themselves twisting as I turned them in the holes. Had to back off about every half turn to baby them through. The same material but with standard taps, I grabbed an old Snap-On set that I have with fairly decent taps (roughly the same size) and the difference was like night and day. The "good" taps went through the 6061 like it was butter with no deformation of that taps that I could discern.

Now I just get taps "by the job" as some of them in a set rarely get used. When I come across a thread I don't have a tap for I just order it from McMasters or anywhere else that carries a quality tap/die.

JMHO

-Ron
 
A few years back I was starting to look around for a new tap and die set, as my old ones were getting pretty tough. The Snap On truck happened to show up at the shop one day while I was there and John showed me what items he had on sale. One of them was a tap and die set that included imperial and metric, both in fine and coarse threads. Sizes ran down to about 4-40 up through 1/2" plus 1/2" NPT. Hex drive dies, not round, die stock and tap wrenches included as well as both metric and imperial thread gauges, all in a nice case. $300 out the door. I bought one and have been quite happy with it so far. Taps and dies all seem to be of very good quality and I cannot complain a bit. Some might say that the price was a bit high, but I am quite content with them.
 
I bought a set from MAC tools about 20 years ago and I have had to replace a few over the years but it has been a great set. I bought a set made by Westward from my local Grainger a couple of years ago because it had the round adjustable ties. It was a true thread cutting set vs. a thread chasing set. I was a little reluctant because I have heard good and bad about Westward seeing as how they are Grainger's "economy" brand but I have been impressed so far.
 
I have a circa 1977 vintage snap on metric tap ànd die set I got when I was a mechanic, I would love to have a similar set for American threads. So I would be interested in a group buy for a good quality set.
Rich
 
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