Mr petes mini tap wrench

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Hukshawn

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He's posting videos right now of a small sterrett type tap wrench.
I don't have a very good tap wrench. Mostly just use a drill, which for many reasons is undesirable. So this was s good project to do.

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Well, this project got put on the back burner when I found out my mini mill wasn't rigid enough to punch out the square notch in the hole. Well, the new big mill had no problem at all. Finally able to finish this thing.

This is my first swing at gun blue. Kept looking online for bluing to be disappointed with the price and shipping. Then remembered there's a gun store about 20 mins away. $19 bucks. And it's a paste, which I was weary about. But man, it was really easy.
But this wrench sat for so long I had to sand a bunch of rust off. Which is evident in the uneven blueing. But I think it came out nice. I'll make the screw next.
After I try to remember what thread I put in there...

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Finished it, finally.
Little disappointed in the way the punch worked in the center hole, it's a bit crooked. And there's no way to make a tap follower work. But it's a better tap wrench than the cheapo one I have. I will probably take another swing at this with a bigger version.
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If the tap wrench is thin enough top to bottom, the tap follower can bear directly in the tap center drill hole or the ground male shank point of the tap itself. That is inherently the most accurate setup, needs the least headroom, and has fewer places to loosen up.
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I'd have to make a tip for the tap follower that's thinner to sit inside. However, this is a small tap wrench, mainly for doing taps up to about 1/4-20. Most of my small taps don't have the center hole.
 
He's posting videos right now of a small sterrett type tap wrench.
I don't have a very good tap wrench. Mostly just use a drill, which for many reasons is undesirable. So this was s good project to do.

View attachment 234899

I often use a cordless drill for small machine taps (not hand taps) with it in the clutch position and the clutch setting fairly low. While not ideal it is often the best way to get a job done in a reasonable amount of time. To be fair, as a communications tech (since the 80s) and a license communications contractor (1993- 2016) I've probably drilled millions of holes and set hundreds of thousand of screws with a cordless drill. I may be better at holding a drill (or a screw driver) straight than somebody who hasn't worn out a cordless drill or two or five or six... I can also strip wires with the wrong tool without nicking wires. LOL. Two hands on the drill helps, but its no guarantee.

I would probably not use a cordless for tapping large heavy holes that require a huge amount of torque. Its hard to hold the drill straight against the starting torque of the cut when you first pull the trigger. An alternative that works for some medium size holes is to start the drill, then approach the hole. Spiral point are easier than spiral flute. If a spiral flute bottoming is required I would probably still start the hole with a spiral point (if its deep enough) and blow the chips out before finishign with the spiral flute.

In any regard, yes, a cordless drill really is not the right tool for the job.
 
If the tap wrench is thin enough top to bottom, the tap follower can bear directly in the tap center drill hole or the ground male shank point of the tap itself. That is inherently the most accurate setup, needs the least headroom, and has fewer places to loosen up.
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In this image I see what is similar to a B&S tap follower or equal. I was considering buying a Brown & Sharpe 599-792-30 Adjustable Spring Tensioned Tap Guide and I am unable to find specifications for this tool and I am also unable to find instructions for how it works. I am a very intuitive person when it comes to figureing out almost any tool once it is in my hand(s). But this concerns me that I do not know how to find stuff on the internet like owners manuals and product specifications. Any help will be appreciated.
 
There are lots of tap followers out there, no reason to just search for B&S unless you have that fetish. Here are some links to look at:
Tap followers are also often a shop made project, if you are looking for something to do and/or enjoy making your own tooling.
Here is one from this site to look at: https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/slitting-saw-arbor-and-tap-follower.63415/
There are no doubt more of them if you search for it. Hope that helps.
 
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