Hot Rod Forum banner

Tap and Die sets???

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  Oldguy48 
#1 ·
Hey Everyone,

I am going to buy a Tap and Die set and am wondering if it is necessary (or recomended) to purchase the more expensive Titanium coated sets? I am a complete rookie to all this. I can get a 46 piece Titanium coated set on sale for $49 ( reg $129) or a 60 piece Heat Treated set for $59 (reg $79). Any opinions welcome.

Thanks
 
#3 ·
What sizes are you looking for? And for $49 if you are planning on doing a quite a bit of threading and tapping, then hang on to your money. When it comes to taps & dies, and depending on your expertise, you want to make sure that you get a good set. If you pick up a cheap *** Chinese set, the most that they will be good for is cleaning up threads. If you plan on tapping and threading a lot, then a good set would be in order. There are quite a few out there that will fill the bill.
 
#5 ·
yeah e bay tools real good if you only us em ONCE and then they become dust collectors do not waste your money buying tools from that place sears is better and that is not saying much.

some buy tools to fill the tool box and the rest of us buy them to use.
 
#7 ·
wacko said:
Hey Everyone,

I am going to buy a Tap and Die set and am wondering if it is necessary (or recomended) to purchase the more expensive Titanium coated sets? I am a complete rookie to all this. I can get a 46 piece Titanium coated set on sale for $49 ( reg $129) or a 60 piece Heat Treated set for $59 (reg $79). Any opinions welcome.

Thanks

For those prices about all you can expect to do will be to chase existing threads and you may have to remove a broken tap or two even doing that. Also with even some of the better sets (the Hanson brand made by Irwin is a really good set at a "home shop" price) you will find only plug and bottom style taps, sometimes not even the bottom taps are included. Taper, or starter, taps are almost never included and they expect you to start new threads using only the plug style taps which is a major PITA and often leads to screwed-up holes and/or broken taps because the tap has to cut way to much metal at one time. Taper (starter) taps are sometimes a bit difficult to find because it seems everyone wants to just stock the one type (plug style) as it "can be" used to start threads but it is far from ideal so if you intend to use this set for thread cutting in addition to thread chasing plan on adding the cost of a taper tap for each thread size in the set.
 
#8 ·
wacko said:
Is Titanium coated necessary or just a gimmick?


Titanium coating reduces friction and sticking which will extend tool life and keep them sharp longer so it is not just a gimmick but I would beware of the quality of the coating on the cheaper sets. A tap and die set, like drill bits only more so, is one tool you don't want to cheap out on because a cheapo set can do more harm than good, twist off a tap in a hole and you will see what I mean. The better quality sets are definitly worth the extra cost unless all you will ever need them for is to chase old threads and even then the really cheap ones are likely to fail. That Hanson set I mentioned costs about twice what you are looking at but it is a very good quality set for the money and will do a much better job for you, however it too would require the addition of the taper taps to efficiently cut new threads.
 
#9 ·
I can't offer any advice on the Titanium variety because I've never used them, but for what it's worth, buy the highest quality tap & die set you can afford. And stay away from the Chinese *****. I'd also avoid Sears. I've used some of theirs, and they might be just OK for occasional light duty use, but not for hard usage. Just one tap broken off flush in a blind hole, and you'll have a really bad day. Might I suggest checking out this website. Their
products are of excellent quality, and they are like a giant hardware store on steroids, with super fast shipping. They are primarily an industrial supply house, but will sell to individuals. :thumbup:

http://www.mcmaster.com
 
#10 ·
Another idea would be to not buy a complete set and just buy what you need as you need it that way you will not be buying pieces you may never need. It may cost somewhat more in the long run if you wind up with the complete set but the cost will be spread out. If you do it this way look for the three piece sets that include taper, plug and bottom taps, in spite of it's popularity a plug tap is not a starter tap for new threads and don't let anyone tell you it is. Oldguy is exactly right about breaking off a tap flush (or even worse, below flush!) if you do you will wish you had never seen those cheap taps.
 
#11 ·
Since you stated you are a rookie to all this, I'll make another suggestion. When you purchase your tap & die set, practice on some scrap material until you get the hang of it. Tapping threads isn't difficult, but the drilled hole must be sized properly, and you'll need to use a lubricant.
Cool-Tool is one, although there are many others. A common cause of tap breakage is uneven pressure on the tap. Take your time, get a feel for how the tap is cutting, and practice. Better to break a tap in a piece of scrap, than an expensive engine block or other valuable part. I'm sure there are many websites that can offer the proper techniques required. Take advantage of them and practice lots! :thumbup:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top