Replacing my tap & die sets with 30mm round dies

[bionicback321]

I recently purchased a 30mm die holder for the tailstock of my lathe. I went with 30mm because my old set of hex dies are between 28 and 29mm and I figured I could shim them to get them centered. I have decided to invest in a new set of round dies that will fit in the 30mm holder. The problem I'm having is the wording I'm using as search criteria is not yielding useful results. I want to get both metric and SAE sets, but most of what I'm finding is 25mm. What kind of wording or terms do I need to put in the search box (Amazon, eBay, whatever) to get some useful results. The 30mm holder took about a month to get here (from India) and it wasn't cheap, so I really don't want to order a different one. Any suggestions or sources you can recommend? 

 

[ChazzC]

This seemed to work best “round die, 30mm OD”

This may help with adapting your hex dies:

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/hex-die-adapter-for-tailstock-die-holder.112387/

 

[mksj]

Common round die holders are made for dies with an OD 13/16", 1.0", 1.5", 2.0", 2.5", 3.0 and then some larger increments. It will be very hard to find any dies for a 30 mm holder. What you can do is make an adapter with a 30 mm OD that fits into the current die holder, extends past it with a new set of set screws and either a smaller or larger ID to fit different size round dies. I do something like this in my lathe tail stock adapter so I can fit a wide range of tap heads and different size dies (both round and double-hex).

 

[MrWhoopee]

^^^This^^^

I have an assortment of dies in both inch and metric diameters. I have made aluminum sleeves (with holes for set-screws) to allow using them in the tailstock die holder I made that will accept 1" and 1-1/2" diameters.

 

[machPete99]

You might be able to modify an appropriately sized socket (6 or 12 point) to hold your hex dies in an existing holder.
The impact grade will be easier to machine than heat treated chrome molly.

 

[WobblyHand]

I'd make adapter sleeves in your lathe. Seems like a good use of a lathe!

 

[ChazzC]

You might be able to modify an appropriately sized socket (6 or 12 point) to hold your hex dies in an existing holder.
The impact grade will be easier to machine than heat treated chrome molly.

1"hex holder salvaged from die stock and mounted in 1-1/2" tail stock holder.

 

[bionicback321]

"I'd make adapter sleeves in your lathe. Seems like a good use of a lathe!"

First of all, thank you all so much for your wise words of council. I have given up on finding a set of 30mm OD dies and instead get the more common 25mm. I have a piece of 38mm 6061 rod, from a previous project, that I can turn down to 30mm and then bore out to 25mm (or whatever the new ones end up being). Making an adapter would not have dawned on me if it hadn't been for your suggestions (well, it may have, but it would have taken awhile). I've only had my Grizzly since June so I'm still gathering the institutional knowledge that is second nature to the rest of you. I am very thankful to be a member of this forum!

 

[bionicback321]

This seemed to work best “round die, 30mm OD”

This may help with adapting your hex dies:

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/hex-die-adapter-for-tailstock-die-holder.112387/

I just finished reading your May 19th post (and watching the video), which ended up being very prescient. I'll be doing something very similar to what TimNummy did, just not as long. I bought the 30mm tailstock die holder because my old hex dies fit in it. The new set I'm looking at getting has 25mm round dies, hence the need for an adapter. This will be a good excuse for me to practice my basic lathe skills.