wanareef Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I always try to find a faster way to do things and eaiser at that. Here I am threading holes in a flange for a 1/4"x20 nylon thumbscrew using a 17/64" drill bit. All the holes are pre-drilled and then the fun begins. I chuck-up a 1/4x20 tap into my drill-driver and tap all the holes. It took me longer to write this up than it was to thread the holes. Just a quick DIY.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algae Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Nice job, again. Been so long since I used my tap & die sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrellw Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Did you use any lube, or just dry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanareef Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 Just dry. The biggest hole is probably 3/8" and into 1/2" acrylic would be the max thickness. Always use the correct drill for the size tap. When I use to work at a machine shop, they showed me how to drill and tap holes on the drill press (metal) Drill the hole, change out and insert the tap, start the feed into the hole, turn on the drill press and then turn it off, letting the momentum of the motor do the work. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I've been tapping by hand, using a ratchet. Unfortunately, it's hard to get perfectly straight threads that way. I've been too nervous to try doing it on the drill press, worried I'll just strip out the hole instead of threading it. Maybe I'll give it a try using the momentum trick and see how that works. Thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I do all if my taping by hand as well. Acrylicis is already too fragle and brittle as it is (especially when dealing with a flange that might only be 1/2" think). I would be too afraid to do it with a drill.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Got any tricks to keep the tap vertical while cranking? I've found a drop of mineral oil helps with the cut, but I'm still too uncoordinated to keep things upright (sad) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanareef Posted February 21, 2009 Author Share Posted February 21, 2009 Well guy's, I've been doing this for a long time and not worried about it being off or crooked or cracking. I use all cast material, drill the recomended hole before I tap the hole. As I suggested try it on a piece of scrap and see what happens. Just use the correct drill size as stated on the tap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquidHC Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 I have tapped thousands of holes in metal doors. Piano hinges are the worst. Anyway, if you pre drill the correct size hole there's no reason anything should crack as the tap will remove only the material that is where the threads will be. Just go really, really slow. Also, they make tap lube, but I don't know if its acrylic safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrellw Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Got any tricks to keep the tap vertical while cranking? I've found a drop of mineral oil helps with the cut' date=' but I'm still too uncoordinated to keep things upright (sad)[/quote'] Maybe a dumb question, but are you maybe using bottom taps? Regular through taps should fit in the hole and stay relatively straight before they start cutting. -Darrell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 They do stay relatively straight... I'm gunning for perfectly straight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acrylics Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Just dry. The biggest hole is probably 3/8" and into 1/2" acrylic would be the max thickness. Always use the correct drill for the size tap. When I use to work at a machine shop, they showed me how to drill and tap holes on the drill press (metal) Drill the hole, change out and insert the tap, start the feed into the hole, turn on the drill press and then turn it off, letting the momentum of the motor do the work. They actually sell a device called a Tapmatic which is made for this. You chuck it up, and drive the tap through the hole then an internal clutch reverses the tap and pulls it back out, handy little tool if doing a bunch of holes. If doing a lot of these, try a spiral fluted tap, really helps to keep the chips from packing, comes out as long threads. As for doing it with a drill, I do it all the time, in any thickness. If the tap is good, material thickness shouldn't matter much. Best/easiest lube IMO is a 50:50 mix of Palmolive and water. Slippery and water soluble James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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