Tap wrench guide

A tapping guide is used to keep a tap straight when it's not possible to mount the work on the lathe or mill. The simplest style is nothing more than a block of metal with a hole to match the tap diameter drilled through. While that works, it doesn't support the tap wrench so it's still possible to put undue side pressure on the tap and break it.

Professional guides like the black one in the picture below use a fitted wrench that turns freely in the support column. They're expensive for an occasional-use tool.

It's easy to make one to fit a conventional T-handle tap wrench. I bored an aluminum cylinder to be a running fit on the wrench chuck and added a through hole to permit the tap to extend out the bottom of the cylinder.

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/f...he/54771-1.jpg

This cylinder is held in a base that can adjust up and down on the cylinder and is held in place by a screw. Cutouts in the base permit in situ cleaning and lubrication of the tap. The cutouts also provide a means of clamping the base to the work if that is required. A V-groove on the bottom of the base allows the tool to be used on shafts and cylindrical workpieces.

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/f...he/54771-2.jpg

Thanks mklotz! We've added your Tap Wrench Guide to our Tapping and Threading category, as well as to your builder page: mklotz's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tap-wrench-guide"><img src="http://www.homemadetools.net/uploads/143291/tap-wrench-guide.jpeg" /></a></div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tap-wrench-guide">Tap Wrench Guide</a> <span> by <a href="/builder/mklotz_3">mklotz</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/tapping">tapping</a>, <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/guide">guide</a></div> </div> </div> </div>

That is pretty slick. Does it use the knurled surface of the tap tightening nut as the inner "bear" surface?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mr95gst

That is pretty slick. Does it use the knurled surface of the tap tightening nut as the inner "bear" surface?

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Yes, it does. My guide is made of aluminum so there will be a very slight amount of wear. I'm not concerned about that because the tool is used only infrequently and the tiny amount of wear that might result will not affect its operation.

If you're concerned about wear, make the sleeve from steel or, alternatively, turn the knurling off the lock nut and mill some flats so it can be tightened with a wrench.

Attachment 42682Hi: I bought one of these tap guides back in 1977. Then I made this stand to hold it over parts. It was over 25 years before I broke a tap in it, and I was just being sloppy. It is all anodized aluminum and still works fine. Carl.

In response to Carl Blum & post *5; The tap wrench handle I comprehend, well as pix of motorized tapdriver built from a hand drill motor/ gear head; with a mechanical forward-reverse arrangement. Very creative all around. I'd prefer a tap chuck over a drill chuck; but that is less than secondary importance.

Pic titled P18-12v Turnout Motor Installed.JPG needs some descriptive detail, please.
Attachment 44178

Hello Toolmaker51:
The turnout motor is mounted under the model train layout. At the bottom you can see the end of a piano wire that runs through the motor and table to the tracks above. By twisting the wire it moves the point rails. Very easy to install. The gray blocks are cams that hit the limit switches to stop the motor and to light up signals. The block with "7" on it is tapped for mounting and the switches. The top mounting plate is tapped to hold everything else. We made 75 of these in series production.
Commercial turnout motors require a sizeable hole be drilled before the track is laid. Torque wire control can be installed without disturbing anything above.
Carl.
Attachment 44180

Quote:

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Originally Posted by carl blum

Hello Toolmaker51:
The turnout motor is mounted under the model train layout. At the bottom you can see the end of a piano wire that runs through the motor and table to the tracks above. By twisting the wire it moves the point rails. Very easy to install. The gray blocks are cams that hit the limit switches to stop the motor and to light up signals. The block with "7" on it is tapped for mounting and the switches. The top mounting plate is tapped to hold everything else. We made 75 of these in series production.
Commercial turnout motors require a sizeable hole be drilled before the track is laid. Torque wire control can be installed without disturbing anything above.
Carl.

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I'm sorry but I fail to see how the switch actuator motor is related to the thread subject, tap wrench guide. Can you clarify, please ?

Each motor has 12 tapped holes and I have made two series of motors for a total of 150 motors or over 1800 tapped holes. Motorized tapping was a real time saver. Plus I still have a power tapper and wrote an article for Village Press. The tap guide stand has an aluminum guide and is still fine after 50 years. Carl.

It all makes sense now, though never had guessed at model railroading angle
Already big fan of power tapping, power insertion of Heli-Coils, and power running of fasteners.
The electric motor driven tapping head is unique; not dependent on machine speed range, of course reversible rotation is function tying it together.
Is it capable of 3/8-16 in steel?

Hello Toolmaker51:

The drill motor only has a 1/4" chuck and I have only used it to tap in plastic. It will tap 1/4-20 through 1/4" PVC just fine. I might have tapped 8-32 in steel, but I don't remember.
Carl.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by carl blum

Hello Toolmaker51:

The drill motor only has a 1/4" chuck and I have only used it to tap in plastic. It will tap 1/4-20 through 1/4" PVC just fine. I might have tapped 8-32 in steel, but I don't remember.
Carl.

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That limitation doesn't detract from the design and reversing mechanism. The benefit I see is not requiring or obstructing a machine spindle; whole thing could be purpose-built; and there are a LOT of more powerful suitable motors. That creates options in the various chuck mounts.
Any bench tapping I've used were suspended by a parallelogram maintaining tool perpendicular to work surface, nice but a lot of motion navigating hole to hole. Most tapping is a couple fixed locations on successive parts. Moving the part to a specific location needs no [or very little] coordination.

My favorite "tapping" machine are the large radial arm drill presses. You clamped your part to the table once and you could drill, countersink and tap in one setting. No fancy tapping head, we just clamped the taps in the 3/4" Jacobs drill chuck. When the tap slipped in the chuck we put in a new sharp tap. One lever would switch the rotation from CW to CCW-fast so the taps would back out quickly. One day I tapped one hundred 5/8" hole in a bolster plate.
Attachment 44185

Radial drills are good machines to run large taps, and with the right Morse Taper adapter, they can run small taps just as easily.
I know it's common practice, but I won't run a tap in a drill chuck. Seen too many instances of jaws in bad shape for drill holding, it's nearly always due to spun taps,not drill bits. Good modern chuck brands are easily rebuilt and jaws replaced, good old chucks have rare parts, all involve time off a paying job.
Swapping a drill for a tapping head takes seconds. A bit of planning, (allowing enough daylight,aka work clearance, for the swap) makes it happen. Many radials have feed rates keyed to thread pitches, a tap runs best fed at it's rate of pitch (rigid tapping). A tapping head allows the tap to self feed, the real advantage is they are geared to back out at increased RPM with out a speed change of spindle.

Every job at hand would determine whether to drill and tap while in position, or prep all the holes with drill and countersink, then run the tap. On a radial drill, for me, this is the more frequent plan with less tool handling, speed changes, chip removal, coolant adjustments, etc.
There are so many variables, literally impossible to state one plan and tooling combination is more favorable than another.

"A V-groove on the bottom of the base allows the tool to be used on shafts and cylindrical work ..." That is an important feature. Thank you.
The tap guide can be simplified to:
Attachment 45794
The bore for the tap's shaft is reamed.
The grove near the bottom permits clamping to the work by a forklike 'thing'.
A little play is necessary to permit a compliance in X and Y.

Very practical: Each tap has it's own handle and it's own tap guide and is stored as such. (except the sets of 3)

Hi: Here is a photo of my Funky Power Taper:
Attachment 45798
It has tapped hundreds of holes. Carl.

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Thanks carl blum! We've added your Power Tapper to our Tapping and Threading category,
as well as to your builder page: carl blum's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-power-tapper-4"> <img src="/uploads/259913/homemade-power-tapper-4.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-power-tapper-4">Power Tapper</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/carl+blum">carl blum</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/tapping'>tapping</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>
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Hello Toolmaker 51:

Sorry, the funky tapper won't hold a 3/8" tap, the drill chuck is only 1/4". The aluminum tap guide can hold 1/2" taps, perhaps larger.

Carl.

Hi: The Funky Power Tapper has a 1/4" Jacob's chuck so it wouldn't hold a 3/8" tap. Also I doubt the motor has the power to turn that tap. I think I have tapped 1/4-20 through 3mm steel sheet metal. Carl.