Garage Gazette
TOOLS AND THE SHOP => MECHANIC HAND TOOLS WE USE => Topic started by: goodfellow on October 29, 2020, 01:57:58 PM
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When I fixed my old Sears moisture trap a few days ago, I didn't have a large tap/die size (5/8"-18) in my inventory to cut the required fitting threads. I lamented that fact to Matt_T in a few posts.
The fact that I don't have a larger set of SAE taps/dies above 1/2" bothered me. Hence, after some looking, I decided that for my occasional need for SAE threading jobs, the large Chinesium HF set was good enough. I looked around for older US sets in the larger range, but they were all much more expensive "used" than a new set that covered all the sizes.
Uncle Buck was smart some years ago when he bought the excellent Craftsman Krome Edge expansion sets that were an add-on to the basic set. It provided for sizes above 1/2". I wasn't as smart and missed out on that opportunity. Lesson learned!!!
The set arrived today -- nothing spectacular, but it is HSS
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo18/goodfellow_2004/PICT0347_(Medium).JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/goodfellow_2004/a/e8af106c-859e-40dc-b547-61fc38b0ae45/p/303baa26-fc32-4e8f-b046-713ccf2f6700)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo18/goodfellow_2004/PICT0345_(Medium).JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/goodfellow_2004/a/e8af106c-859e-40dc-b547-61fc38b0ae45/p/17dae27e-22ce-41fe-bf95-2faff7ec7ea2)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo18/goodfellow_2004/PICT0346_(Medium).JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/goodfellow_2004/a/e8af106c-859e-40dc-b547-61fc38b0ae45/p/5a1c68e4-73aa-451c-80c5-feaed3654834)
The dies and taps are of pretty good quality -- and that's the most important thing, but the handles are flimsy, loose, and look just borderline usable.
No big deal, I have plenty of vintage quality US made tap handles and wrenches in my box, but for someone buying these sets as their only set, the cost might go up when you need to purchase better tapping handles.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo18/goodfellow_2004/PICT0348_(Medium).JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/goodfellow_2004/a/e8af106c-859e-40dc-b547-61fc38b0ae45/p/db33fab8-914e-4039-96b0-dbaae2d721fb)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/oo18/goodfellow_2004/PICT0349_(Medium).JPG?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) (https://app.photobucket.com/u/goodfellow_2004/a/e8af106c-859e-40dc-b547-61fc38b0ae45/p/a8fbd020-ba8b-44e6-8530-6ca86c58309f)
All-in-all, after using a 20% coupon and free shipping, the set cost $68 -- not a bad price for HSS taps and dies.
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oooooohhhh!!!!! shiney! :lol_hitting:
all jokes aside. there is value to having an emergency tool at your disposal. you may go months or years before needing one of them. the trick is remembering that you have them and know their location when needed.
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Having them in the box when you need them is better than trying to find them when you don't have them. I'm pretty good on taps all the way to 2" USS but light on the large dies.
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A couple of years ago, I found this set in a Restore, dirt cheap. It was missing a few taps, but all the dies were there. And while I don't use these sizes often, I am glad to have them when I do need them. The set goes from 1/4 fine to 3/4 course. With a couple of pipe sizes thrown in.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50545194518_caaf38c27b_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2k1vkn1)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50545194438_ce9237c31c_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2k1vkkC)
I love these old wood-cased sets. Just seem right.
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You'll be glad you have them. Not using them hard everyday, they should last you a long time.
Sent from my E6910 using Tapatalk
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Does anyone have tips/suggestions for fabricating die holders for larger round dies? I'm guessing that my add on set (imported) that has just 3 larger pipe dies was designed to be used with die-specific handles.
As of now, I'm thinking of fabricating some round pipe to be close to the OD of the die, and run a screw down for the locking point to keep it from rotating. Then weld on some handles. Not pretty...but functional.
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oooooohhhh!!!!! shiney! :lol_hitting:
all jokes aside. there is value to having an emergency tool at your disposal. you may go months or years before needing one of them. the trick is remembering that you have them and know their location when needed.
^^^This^^^
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I had the standard cheapo carbon steel set I bought last year and it was so horrible I just threw the whole set in the trash when I rearranged my garage a couple weeks ago.
Worst $16 I ever spent.
Those nitride ones look much better, but only because the others are truly that horrible.
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Does anyone have tips/suggestions for fabricating die holders for larger round dies? I'm guessing that my add on set (imported) that has just 3 larger pipe dies was designed to be used with die-specific handles.
As of now, I'm thinking of fabricating some round pipe to be close to the OD of the die, and run a screw down for the locking point to keep it from rotating. Then weld on some handles. Not pretty...but functional.
I wouldn't weld anything, I would drill all the way threw and tap the two holes. And allow one to be the part that tightens on the die.
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Oversized tap and die sets used are scarce. I don't get many and they don't last long on the shelf. That said, I would be hard pressed to buy the HF set but for light duty use, it should get you by
Large individual used taps are plentiful, large dies are not
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For many people the HF tap and dies would be broken in no time. However, Ray is not your typical ham fisted garden variety wrench and I know that he will do just fine with these tools. He will be able to use the tools within their limitations and they will work just fine for his needs, not to mention he will rarely need them so they will serve him just fine. :cool2:
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You can buy the best in the world and pay several hundred dollars for them and at the end of the day they are still consumables and they will wear out, plus I don't care how good and careful you are you are going to break some and loose some over time, The Harbor Freight tap and die set's are nice sets, so you need to ask yourself would I rather loose, break or wear out a 25-30.00 tap or a 2.00 tap ???
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I used to make these parts which were galvanized after completion. There was a 3/4-10 square nut welded to the top which had to accept a galvanized cast steel insulator post installed by the customer. We made these parts by the thousands and I had to ensure the post would screw into every part before shipping as they needed to avoid problems in the field during installation.
You can imagine the problems of installing a galv. cast post into a nut with threads full of galv. My solution was to have a company tap the 3/4-10 plain steel square nuts tapped .030 oversize by a company before welding to the part. After galvanizing I would put the part in a vise and chase out the threads with a tap in my Bosch 1/2" hammer drill. My first attempts at chasing the threads didn't work as every tap I tried would seize in the threads and these weren't cheap taps. So I ran down the road to Ace Hardware and bought a Hanson tap pretty cheap. That tap never got stuck in the threads and lasted a couple of years and probably chased 50,000 holes. I think the expensive taps were just too sharp to clear the galvanizing out of the threads.
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.........So I ran down the road to Ace Hardware and bought a Hanson tap pretty cheap. That tap never got stuck in the threads and lasted a couple of years and probably chased 50,000 holes. I think the expensive taps were just too sharp to clear the galvanizing out of the threads.
Yup, same thing has happened to me with some new taps. I keep a box of old worn taps (even cheap taps found at yard sales) to use as sacrificial thread chasers if the need arises. They're worn and dull, but for cleaning and chasing stubborn threads they work very well; better even than the popular thread chaser kits.
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More expensive don't always mean higher quality, Snap on taps, dies and screw extractors are all rebranded by Irwin Hanson also their thread repair sets are rebranded by Lang. :))
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50545194518_caaf38c27b_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2k1vkn1)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50545194438_ce9237c31c_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2k1vkkC)
What a beaytiful vintage set! :PDT_Armataz_01_37:
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Love that set. I have something similar that was passed down from my grandfather to me father to me. It sits under the bench in my garage and has never been used by me but I have it if I need it.