# Lathe Tailstock Tap/die Rig?



## Splat (Jun 17, 2016)

I didn't know where was the best sub to put this in...Figured here was good.  

So I needed to tap some stock the other day and did it on my mill. I then got to thinking about doing it on the lathe but by then I was done and never got around to doing it but I kept thinking about it. So I went searching around today on the web and found Neil Butterfield's rig for taps and dies and was wondering if anyone here has used/bought it or another brand like it?


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## jfcayron (Jun 17, 2016)

I am the proud owner of one of Neil's kits. Simple, effective design, I just love it.


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## mksj (Jun 18, 2016)

I also have one of his MT3 rigs, woks well and nicely done. Very handy for tapping and cutting smaller threads with the die holder. I did need to make new die holders to fit my dies which where slightly different and also a 1.5" die holder. You need to use round adjustable dies which where more difficult to find, unless you already have them. I also made an adapter to fit my mill. But overall very handy to have. I only use it to manually tap and thread and do not use lathe under power.


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## jfcayron (Jun 18, 2016)

mksj said:


> I also have one of his MT3 rigs, woks well and nicely done. Very handy for tapping and cutting smaller threads with the die holder. I did need to make new die holders to fit my dies which where slightly different and also a 1.5" die holder. You need to use round adjustable dies which where more difficult to find, unless you already have them. I also made an adapter to fit my mill. But overall very handy to have. I only use it to manually tap and thread and do not use lathe under power.


I do use it to power tap. It works fine too. Just make sure you are in back gears.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk


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## petertha (Jun 18, 2016)

Here is a set of die holders I machined from leftovers. It wasn't that hard to make & a huge improvement over those crappy cast handles that never properly fit die OD's & cheesy thumb screws coming off in every direction except the ones that match the dies themselves. It has a deep body to accommodate the die thickness and also insert able handles in the rear made from drill rod. Because the back is flush I can set the tool perpendicular to the work just lining up flush with the drill chuck or MT blank, whatever is in there. No special arbor required. Once the threading starts has initiated a few threads, just retract the tail post out of the way & carry on threading. Some similar homebrew holders I see are somewhat limited by the length of stock they can thread because the work dead ends into the bore of the tool itself, so be aware of that if its a limitation to your projects. Mine acts like a regular die handle in this regard. the head has a recess through hole so you can just keep threading. I made my handles removable (which is another way of saying I wish I had a TIG torch to weld them up permanently). But I guess it knocks down for storage.


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## MikeWi (Jun 18, 2016)

I made something similar to Niel's kit last year. based on some pics I saw of someone else's rig.  Only two problems 1. I made it in aluminum since that's what I had and I was still learning. 2. I only have some harbor freight taps and dies to use with it, and they are pure crap. LOL  Fun project though and I have to go back and redo it sometime when I have something that will actually cut a thread besides a lathe tool.


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## DoogieB (Jun 18, 2016)

I thought Mr Butterfield's idea for a tail stock tap/die holder was so slick I made a copy.  It was one of my first big lathe projects:




It's very slick to power tap/die small threads because when you hold the knurled sleeve your hand acts like a clutch.  It's almost impossible to screw-up a thread or break a tap this way.  As the threads get bigger you need to switch over to the tommy bar to hold the sleeve.  I think the tool works best with the thread sizes in the size range of the 13/16" dies.

*On my copy*, I reamed the knurled sleeve with a 1/2" reamer, so I could only drill-out the arbor shaft so far: the through-hole in the arbor shaft limits how big a rod you can use with the threading die.  I know mine can do 5/16" and maybe 3/8" (I can't remember).  The one that Mr Butterfield sells might have a bigger through-hole.

For bigger sizes, I prefer to use the more traditional methods anyway.  I use a Starret tap holder supported by the a center in the tail stock or the regular die holder started against the drill chuck.  The chuck-to-die holder interface was never that great with my setup, so I just knocked-out a drill pad this afternoon which should hopefully work a little better.


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