Procunier 1E tapping head

[BGHansen]

I picked up the Procunier 1E tapping head shown below off eBay for a really good price. Works as it should but came with just one tap collet. I can make other collets for other tap sizes; there are YouTube videos out there plus I have an example to dimension up for turned/milling.

Question however, has anyone taken the approach of simply turning down the shank of a T-handled 0-1/4" tap wrench to fit into the "large" 1/4" collet? I guess a pin vise would work also.

Cons: would extend the tap further from the head, probably have some run out and put torque on the non-hardened shank of the tap wrench.

Pros: It would take the number of collets for a set of 5 (#6, #8, #10, #12, 1/4") to 1. If I make the collets I'll probably skip the #12 size as I have once in my lifetime come upon that thread (on an L&W dividing head).

Thanks, Bruce

 

[T Bredehoft]

Should you have enough Z travel, your tap wrench would be a good idea. When I had the use of tap drivers, Z was always a consideration. I'd be making sockets, if it were mine.
Yes, I'm jealous.

 

[BGHansen]

Should you have enough Z travel, your tap wrench would be a good idea. When I had the use of tap drivers, Z was always a consideration. I'd be making sockets, if it were mine.
Yes, I'm jealous.

Thanks Tom,

Plenty of them out there on eBay if you're shopping. Most have a MT2 input shaft in this size (0 - 3/16" in steel, 0 - 1/4" in non-ferrous and cast iron) which I didn't want to fiddle with. This one has a 1/2" shaft. It was $40 off eBay with free shipping. Ettco, Tapmatic and Procunier (plenty of other names too) are the popular US made ones from my searches. I've been power tapping brass primarily with 6-32 and 8-32 threads using a cordless drill. Only cutting 3 - 4 threads so frankly this was more of an impulse buy than a necessity. I figure it'll hold its value even if I keep with the cordless drill method.

Bruce

 

[Bob Korves]

I have a Procunier 2E tapping head that also came with just a 1/4" collet, and they were fairly expensive on eBay. I like your idea of adapting a T-handle tap wrench to the collet and I will look into that. I have a bunch of them. Thanks for thinking outside the box, Bruce!

 

[BGHansen]

I have a Procunier 2E tapping head that also came with just a 1/4" collet, and they were fairly expensive on eBay. I like your idea of adapting a T-handle tap wrench to the collet and I will look into that. I have a bunch of them. Thanks for thinking outside the box, Bruce!

Thanks Bob,

Not that making these collets is out of my limited talent level, but being basically lazy I'd rather make just one if I can away with it! Maybe my boss is trying to tell me something, he says something like "the way to find the best solution is to give the task to the laziest guy, he'll find the easiest way to do it!" Hum, maybe that's why he keeps calling me in his office . . .

Bruce

 

[mmcmdl]

A lazy machinist would make a set of split sleeves ! I have the collets somewhere in the junk drawers but I could make the sleeves faster than finding the collets .

 

[4GSR]

The collets do show up on eBay time to time. I've manage to buy most of the common one's mentioned above over the years. But I like the idea of mating a tap wrench instead of using collets for holding taps. Seems like the no. 6 collet is the most hardest one to find too.

 

[Tony Wells]

That's because of all the 6-32 taps that are broken, and the operator sailing the collet off into the weeds behind the shop so he can get out of tapping that horrible thread. I think that's my least favorite thread dia/depth ratio there is. Should have been a 34 or 36 for NC. Just seems to be a deep thread for that diameter. I've seen more people break 6-32 taps than any other, I believe.

 

[ch2co]

My most common thread is 6-32. No problems that I have come up with in my 60+ years of tapping. Over that time I bet that I have tapped maybe 100
6-32 holes. (lets see now thats 1.66 per year on average)

 

[Bill Gruby]

1.66 holes per year ? When working in the trade I'd do twice that in a week. LOL The smaller fixtures reaked of that thread. The guys in the elox room hated us.

"Billy G"