Comprehensive tap and die set

mattthemuppet2 said:
that list contains a lot of sizes that you'll probably never use. About 1/2 of the imperial and 2/3 of the metric are pretty rare threads. I can count on the fingers of one finger the times I've used 1/4-28, 3/8-24 and 5/8-11 (last one was for a panhard rod on a friend's truck). I have 3/4-10 taps and never use them.
Click to expand...

Haha! Apparently everyone is different. I've built airplanes. 1/4-28, 3/8-24 are pretty much standard sizes in aviation.
I've got some of the combo set. It is cheap crap that like you said, mostly is barely used if ever. So I'll build my rack, using the chart you provide (thank you), leaving a lot of blank spaces. I'll use the cheap crap I have, and back fill it with quality tools as they break, and as the blanks need filling.
 
that is very true. My projects are pretty varied, bikes, tools, fixing stuff around the house, so I use a mix of imperial and metric, mostly in the smaller sizes. Projects I make myself use whatever I have of about the right size (only 3 10-32 but 4 M4? Use M4 :)) which in turn depends on what I dismantled in the past.

If you do much work in alu check out form taps, they make stronger threads and you don't have to deal with chips.
 
Shotgun said:
I think I'm going to run with that idea, tq60. I've got some 1/4" aluminum plate. I'll mark out a grid and label for all the sizes I'll ever likely come across. As I build up my set, I'll drill three holes for each size, and tap two. The bit goes in the untapped. The tap goes into one of the tapped, and a screw goes in from the back of the last. Then the die can live on the screw. The whole thing can then be hung on the peg board behind the mill. As a bonus, I have a way to check the size and pitch of my random set of nuts and screws.

I guess I have my next project.
Click to expand...
Do NOT NO WAY tap the holes and screw the tap in.

Do make a "test hole" which one check screw size.

Having the tap screwed in when you drop the thing will make it land on the tap and break it off...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
Shotgun said:
Would you guys consider this to be a comprehensive list of sizes to have readily available?

SAE: 4-40, 6-32, 8-32, 10-24, 10-32, 12-24, 1/4-20NC, 1/4-28NF, 5/16-18NC, 5/16-24NF, 3/8-16NC, 3/8-24NF, 7/16-14NC, 7/16-20NF, 1/2-13NC, 1/2-20NF, 9/16-12NC, 9/16-18NF, 5/8-11NC, 5/8-18NF, 3/4-10NC, 3/4-16NF.
Metric: 3mm-0.50, 3mm-0.60, 4mm-0.70, 4mm-0.75, 5mm-0.80, 5mm-0.90, 6mm-1.00, 7mm-1.00, 8mm-1.25, 9mm-1.00, 9mm-1.25, 10mm-1.25, 10mm-1.50, 11mm-1.50, 12mm-1.50, 12mm- 1.75, 14mm-1.25, 14mm-2.00, 16mm-1.50, 16mm-2.00, 18mm-1.50, 18mm-2.50
Click to expand...
OK ... this is my own personal take on your list. Take it with the requisite grain or two of salt:

12-24 could be omitted. I don't recall EVER using that size, either at home or when designing machinery at Hewlett-Packard. 10-24 is seldom used, but probably OK to include. It is the preferred size for use in aluminum (I still use 10-32). 7/16 can be omitted. ½-13 and -20 OK. I'd hold off on larger sizes until and unless needed for a specific project.

Metrics - Really no need for two thread pitches for each size. M3x0.5, M4x0.7, M5x0.8, M6x1.0, M8x1.25, M10x1.5 and M12x1.75 will take care of just about any fastener you're likely to run into. There was ONE particular prox sensor we used on machines at HP that had M8x1.0 thread, but that's the only time I ever saw/used that thread. M7 - VERY uncommon. And as with inch threads, I'd not worry about having anything above 12mm (~½") until and unless there is a specific need. Besides, the bigger taps are the expensive ones!

As far as organizing things is concerned, I absolutely LOVE this black plastic holder for inch taps, tap drills and clearance drills. They've been around for years. I was VERY lucky to find one, fully populated with high quality taps and drills, gathering dust and on closeout at an industrial supplier in Oregon several years ago. Snapped it up! The holders are still available, but unpopulated:
https://www.mcmaster.com/tap-and-drill-cases/ (bottom of the page)
kHPIM0204.jpg

Note that McMaster also offers an equivalent metric holder. I haven't bought one of these, for fear it'll be the same as the "original" that's been out for many years (photo below). The original is chock full of stupid errors ... incorrect pitch callouts, mismatched hole sizes, etc. - NOT recommended! The description of the metric holder on McMaster does sound just a bit different, so maybe worthwhile. Anyway, I "improved" mine by adding half-pipes (1 ¼" PVC) for die storage. You could do the same with the inch tap and drill holder.
kHPIM0207.jpg

PS - just thought of something. Try visiting an ACE Hardware store [NOT Home Depot or Lowes] and browsing their multitudinous nut-and-bolt drawers. If you can't find a specific inch or metric pitch there, you're not too likely to encounter it elsewhere. I'd be willing to bet that what you find will be pretty close to the pared-down list I offered above.
 
Last edited:
Shotgun said:
Thank you all for your input. I guess the thrust of my question is that I'm looking for a comprehensive set that covers what is most likely covered by the home shop. By comprehensive, I meant a set that included the tap and the matching drill bit. Why don't sets come with the bit as standard, considering that the correct bit may be fractional, numbered or lettered bit? The taps I do have, I try to store with the matching drill bit.

Irwin/Hanson sells such a set. The asking price is around $400 and includes a LOT of pieces I do not and will not ever need. Like Bill, I have very seldom used a die. I'd be much happier if sets came with the matching drill bit instead of matching dies.

I'm looking for GTD and GearWrench to see what they have.

This is the closest thing that I'm really looking for. If this could be expanded to include a wider range of sizes and thread pitches, with metric as well as SAE, I'd be happy.

Click to expand...

If you have a set of fractional inch drills and a set of metric drills you will find a suitable drill for just about every thread you will want to use. I have never found a tap that I couldn't drill a suitable hole. If you ever do then just buy that one size drill. I have also never seen a tap and die set that includes drills.
 
I come at it, again, from a slightly different side since I do mostly repair work. When I make a new part I match the existing. The sets I have, never have all the sizes needed! That is particularly true of metric. Japanese use some different pitches than European. I keep adding bottoming taps as needed. I have a few taps designed for production power tapping, expensive. Drill sets: I have a quality set of fractional, # and letter drills in jobber length. I also have a set of screw machine cobalt fractional bits that are my prefered bit. My set of metric bits doesn't have a complete series of sizes but with the 118 set I can come close enough. I have a scattering of sizes of aircraft length (long) bits. I drill a few thousands over the recommended tap size in harder or tougher materials. Use a tap follower. Dies: I have both hex and round and greatly prefer the round adjustable dies. Broken bolts or taps will require some practice. I don't like the "Easy-out" gizmos. Drilling the broken item anywhere near center might happen but then the "Easy-out" just wedges the bolt in tighter. A left hand drill or end mill will often walk the broken part right out, best used on the milling machine. The only thing I've ever accomplished with a tap extractor was adding more metal to the hole. If you have a really irreplaceable part with a stubborn broken bolt or tap take it to a shop with an EDM.
 
For general hobby use it was impossible for me to predict what drills, taps and dies to buy years before actually needing them.

Much good advice is offered in the above posts. What has proven important to me in the last 50years is:
-buy quality taps and dies from the get-go
-buy as large a starter set as you want to afford (knowing that none are large enough to be complete)
-buy single sizes and specialty taps and dies as the need arrises to complete your set
-buy drill sets using these same guidelines
-forget the notion of one drill size for a given tap. For sound reasons that you will discover with time, you will want to deviate from the 'standard' drill size in certain situations and more often than one would think.
-learn to use thread charts and understand them completely.

Ask KBC tools for a free catalogue. It has a wealth of information and it has a Decimal equivalent conversion chart that has a complete list of screw sizes and tap and die sizes.
 
Last edited:
My plan now is to take something about the size of a lawn mower blade, (one for metric. one for SAE), and lay out a grid of labels. One for each size in the chart that matthemuppet linked to. I should be able to fit everything on a 2" length of steel. Back it with a sheet of nylon. Drill and tap the holes for the sizes I have. A hole in one end will allow me to hang it on the peg board. I agree with tq60, that dropping it will screw the pooch. hman's holder blocks would be safer. But, that would require them to sit flat someplace. I have an entire wall of peg board, but flat space is at a premium.

The holder will be sparsely populated initially, but I'll leave space for it to grow.
 
GunsOfNavarone said:
$82 right now! Jump on it!
GearWrench
Click to expand...


This set does not appear to have ground treads. It is not mentioned in the text. The pictures also look grey, not bright and shiny in the threads. If you want to cut good threads it is important that the thread form is fully ground not just the cutting edge in the flutes. I would expect to [pay about double that for fully ground threads. Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top