Everything you need to know about drilling and tapping holes | DIY

We’ve all given that small, non-load-bearing bolt just “one last turn,” which results in hours of regret and a mess of stripped-out threads. Well, fear not, we have just the video for you. If you want a quick three-step video on drilling and tapping holes, this ain’t it. In this video, Davin covers everything you need to know when drilling and tapping holes: essential tools, thread types, thread design, thread tolerances, and yes, the step-by-step process of drilling and tapping.
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Contents of this video
0:00 Intro
0:12 Recommended tools
1:33 Design of a bolt
4:29 How to use the tools
6:40 Determining thread size
7:55 Reading a tap and die chart
9:22 What drill bit you need
10:33 Drilling the hole (hand tools)
12:18 Prepping the hole
12:40 How a tap works
13:07 Tapping the hole
15:50 Finished product
16:04 Tapping on a drill press
20:15 Minimal tools needed
#DIY #RedlineRebuild #DavinReckow
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[@christophersparkman]

This no-frills, no gimmicks, no special effects style of video just earned my subscribe. Thanks Hagerty. Looking forward to more legit content.

[@mth469]

I believe I heard him say "Boom!" at one point. So there was some special effects.

[@ryankim3612]

@@mth469 valid point!

[@troycarpenter3675]

I hate when they have a long intro and a bunch of nonsense no one wants or needs to hear. Just get on with it!

[@howardhughes7427]

​@@troycarpenter3675 what maybe pointless to you someone else may need or want to hear j/s

[@victordipersia]

Dude... a lot of people know their stuff and make videos on YT showing what they know but "teaching" through good communication is a skill that very few posses. YOU BELONG IN THE CIRCLE SIR !

[@zohaibsarfraz4508]

It was one of the most informative and comprehensive crash courses I have ever seen. Covered everything in a few minutes. Thank you, sir 😊

[@dirkmcghee1604]

A few minutes? That's a Boomer's few minutes if I ever heard one. 🤣

[@autka_me]

Just my two cents on the subject, that I've learned the hard way over the years: - T-handle if you can fit it in is best way to drive the tap for two major reasons: it's easier to see if it goes straight and it's harder to break the tap because you don't apply side force like with ratchet. - It's handy to have some kind of small machinist square to check if you starting straight. Especially for thread that will go deep into the element and you don't have/cannot use drill press with spring loaded tap center. - And as much as power-taping seems appealing because it's fast and almost effortless - sometimes it's the fastest way to spend next two days trying to get broken tap out ;)

[@kw2519]

Unless you have an edm in your garage lmao

[@autka_me]

@@kw2519 yeah. Those are awesome btw

[@kw2519]

@@autka_me I ran one for a little bit at one of first machining jobs lol messy

[@dougrobinson8602]

@@kw2519 Damn. You beat me to it! That's the only way to get out a really stuck bottomed tap.

[@kw2519]

@@dougrobinson8602 haha Been doin it for a little bit. A chisel and hammer can save you if you’re really careful and have the time. Really careful.

[@bassinbillRC5300]

As I was installing a class 3 Hitch on my Kia Sorento I discovered the four threaded holes in the bottom of the frame rail were bunged up from rust. One trip to Ace hardware to buy a n M10 by 1.25 thread pitch tap, a tap handle and cutting oil saved the day. I followed the instructions this gentleman proposed. In between tapping the individual holes I used brake cleaner to clean off all the shavings on the tap before using it for the next hole. The supplied hardware now has attached my hitch to the frame because of this video and my purchases from Ace hardware. Thank you Hagerty for uploading this informative video.

[@aral2dmax]

Dang , your good at explaining how to tap. True professional, no gimmicks. You went head on with your explanation , no beating around the bush , straight shooter I meant it in a good way. I give you 3 thumbs up. 👍👍👍!!!

[@nathanaelcain9557]

As a HD mechanic I picked up a nice little tip from that video. And that I need that drill index in my kit 😂

[@dougrobinson8602]

I use a drill press for tapping whenever I can. My tip is if you have a cheap belt-driven press, pull the belt off, and turn the drill press with the belt pulley above the drill chuck. That way, you can back the tap and feel if the tap is taking too much torque to turn. Don't forget to unplug that drill press before you touch the belt or pulleys. Always,always, always wear goggles or a face shield when tapping. When a tap shatters, it will throw tiny and sharp shards of extremely hard metal. Nice video with great explanations of thread dimensions.

[@martysmith6240]

Safety first

[@matthewboyd5953]

Thank you so much for sharing all this knowledge; that was a great rundown.

[@BGAKIRAKNOXVILLE]

Best video on the subject matter I have found on youtube. Thanks, man. Subscribed.

[@DirtZen]

KZbin University for the win. Really awesome detailed video. Thank you!

[@sheeeple2069]

Thanks for the guide! I just drilled and tapped my first hole and it felt so good when the bolt went in perfectly. 😆

[@richm.1583]

66 yoa; never had a clue how to. Very informative. THANK YOU!

[@madeleinesutherland1623]

Ha! I'm in the lab construction business rather than the car business, and this video was very helpful information! You never know how many ways the content you put on KZbin can be useful.

[@curtklemenz4783]

Super, nice/slow explanation. You must have been a High School shop teacher. Mr. Dwyer would be smiling down on you.

[@LloydGM]

Perfect for amateurs like myself: clear, short but detailed, and to the point. I really appreciate the great advice you worked in, too. Many thanks! PS I especially appreciate talking about threads at the beginning. That helps we who want to learn more than just how-to steps. /cheer

[@TJDST4]

Absolutely great lesson! Thank you. The only, only, thing that I would add is that PATIENCE is absolutely required!

[@78a67h]

Thanks. Your tutorial was better than most I ever received at the University

[@lilebkillinit]

Got a drill and tap test in the morning for a job ....perfect video .

[@aaronarmstrong406]

You... You beautiful man. Thank you. My god. You have saved me so much time, heartache, troubleshooting, cussing, embarrassment, etc. Thank you.

[@4thGloryMonday]

heres a tip for tightening a drill chuck when the bit spins in the chuck, tighten chuck in all three holes then back to the one u started with

[@johnmilner7603]

I always tighten 2 hole and that works for me.

[@allogan8152]

Also, don't bottom the bit into the chuck. Put the chuck grips on the end of the drill bit, 1/4" or so. When they heat-treat the bit in the factory they hold by the end so the metal there is left softer and the grips will grip better.

[@timrowe234]

Great video brother! I learned a lot from this. Tapped my first hole today and busted it to pieces.. should have watched first. I didn’t oil it and didn’t do back and forth. Learned from my mistake. Thanks

[@omarshanab98]

The video explanation is very useful for beginners

[@user-gj9mw2zs9q]

Thankyou great job now I will feel more confident on my upcoming project

[@josephtoala3088]

When they started explaining more of these tools I immediately subscribed! It was extremely easier for me to understand on campus/job when talking about measurements!

[@mickgatz214]

I was very intrigued by your video. Now that got me thinking of how to 'thread' a custom bolt 8mm/6mm reduction. (couldn't find this anywhere, so I think I'll have to make one) from Australia 😀

[@amde-michaelmekoya3488]

Best tutorial and information I have seen on the subject. Thank you so much!!!

[@Kake84]

Nice to see even pro can make thread not straight 14:54 but great video. I making threads in drill press just keeping T-handle straight with drill chuck and rotating with hand. Very easy method get straight threads.

[@kar4tube]

Thank you! Very thorough and extremely helpful. Seems I've always had a working knowledge of basic tapping concepts and steps, but needed a deeper level of detail for my current challenge. I'll be putting your guidance to work on a BMW differential cover plate bolt hole. Was just checking the torque specs on the cover plate earlier this month and discovered one of the bolts was spinning freely. Turns out at some point in the car's history someone had half-assed a helicoil on the hole in question. So, I'm in the process of conducting a thorough thread repair - properly! 👍🏼

[@theKarlJ]

I was trying to find a simple tap and die tutorial and got an entire college course on threads and thread creation. I hope youtube is paying you well, professor.

[@williambutler8624]

Great video, very well explained, did machine work for a few years, had my share of drilling and tapping, and every now and then you gonna break a tap, live and learn is the best experience.

[@stevenclarke5606]

Excellent presentation, I haven’t done any metalworking since leaving school a few years ago, and I just wanted to refresh how to tap a hole before actually doing it. Great job many thanks.

[@pnmacdonald]

I've never done this before. Of the 6 or 7 videos I watched, yours was the most complete and interesting to watch. Plenty of explanations as to why it was done a particular way as well as what not to do. Great job. The video and audio quality were perfect, as well.

[@lancedyer4870]

This is awesome. Everything I missed in shop class.

[@reccocon3442]

Much respect -thank you for intro in 101 class. Good instructions and instructor.

[@spaceoddity2485]

Excellent! Detailed info well explained. Look no further than this video. Then practice.

[@dgriffin6074]

Nicely done. I have a rather large set of drill bits which I've owned for YEARS. It has some drill bits labeled by number or letter, not fractional size, and, until now, I had no idea why they were in the set; nor have I used them. Thanks again.

[@MrTexasDan]

Great how-to! A couple of tips from an ex-machinist: 1) Like Davin says - chamfer your holes, preferably out to just over the major diameter of the thread. This makes for a clean finished look, and prevents sharp threads above the surface which will pull out. 2) In a drill press, instead of center punching, use a "center drill" to start the hole before drilling. This bit will locate the hole, and provide the chamfer in one operation.

[@davidrandall271]

This is going to sound grumpy, but it seems there just isn't a lot of knowledge here. Let's be clear...you use a spot drill for pre-drilling, not a centre drill. A centre drill is used for putting a centre in for turning between centres on a lathe, it is bad engineering practice to use a centre drill for a drill. Also these dies here are die nuts, only suitable for reclaiming threads as the rake angle is typically negative. Split dies are used for cutting thread.

[@MrTexasDan]

@@davidrandall271 Yes, of course you are correct, it does sound grumpy.

[@maksymriabov1356]

This man looks Texas. An engineer from Texas is a certified W.

[@rogjackson]

Extremely valuable content!! If Davin had a TV show, I'd watch it like clockwork twice. Maybe more. Great video!

[@josephsessaph.d.3575]

I believe you did a great job with your tutorial. I would for everones sake always recommend safety glasses no matter the operation. I served in the Navy and witnessed accidents to the eye that could have been avoided but for the shipmate not wearing googles. Thx

[@davebarron5939]

Ahhh ...yes, nothing like that "crunch-snap" sound of your tap breaking in the hole. "Great now what"? LOL nicely done, enjoyed this. Thanks Davin.

[@noisybarinavalon]

Hey Hagerty!!! This! This is exactly the type of information I enjoy learning from this channel. The special effects "dancing valve springs" while may be entertaining to some is not very informative. I much rather prefer Davin's monologue while working vs. timelapse and special effects.

[@billminckler6550]

Super clear. Super thorough. (I’ve also manually rotated my drill press to minimize the speed.). THANK YOU!

[@Jesco92]

This video was very informative and descriptive, awesome job. I broke my first tap in a wall and had to use a titanium steel bit to drill it out.. man was I sweating

[@spaceoddity2485]

Every trade guy has done this at some point. After you have been through this ordeal. You focus on getting it right for future times. 👍

[@sixfivearms8896]

Good stuff. Came here as a beginning designer for firearms parts and found this info applicable. Thanks!

[@directorgtr]

Love the straight forward teaching approach. Well done and I've subscribed.

[@rp6879]

Thank you very much for the video. It is full-blown awesome about tap and dies screws and drill bits. I'm new to this and I have some vintage stuff and that really helped me along. Keep on keeping on with the vids brother they're extremely helpful!!👍

[@PMD_Bill]

I use a center tool in the chuck and use that to line up the tap in a tap handle and hold it straight. I have never thought to put the tap directly in the chuck of the drill press, but I'm going to have to try your way. :) Also, at most hardware stores you can buy the drill and tap packaged together. "1:00 in the morning, on a Sunday" - Pure gold!

[@TravisHenderson-tj2zq]

Huge help for me, thanks for the great descriptions and small details to keep in mind

[@alfredoalequin]

Soooo good! Complete course and well explained. This is what I was looking for. Thank you!!!

[@crabbee88]

If you don't wanna lug around a full sized drill press they make portable ones you hook your coordless drill to that way you get the straight holes for $30-50 it's an extremely useful tool for delicate field work

[@giancarlopbranco]

Your classes are fantastic. Thanks, teacher! 😄👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@paulperlmutter5371]

Very good presentation. Lots of details and a careful and thorough demo of how to tap. Well done!

[@SpatialDragon]

I had forgotten about the lettered series of drill bits. Been a long time since I saw them. Great job giving a basic class Davin.

[@konixtwenty8275]

absolutely fantastic video. Cool, informative and showed me how to do the whole process. Thank you so much. I’m just working with simple hand tools at home. Envy your machine shop!

[@Beverlys-Hillbilly]

Back to basics. I learned all of this for myself, never gave much thought to having to having to explain it all.

[@jamesupton143]

On the drill press you can also just turn the chuck by hand. Great video by the way.

[@mv4ago]

That's exactly how I do it. Start the tap in the drill press turning the chuck by hand, this keeps the tap perpendicular to the workpiece, then finish off with a hand-held tap wrench either T bar or chuck type. I started tapping holes 47 years ago and I've probably broken about 10 taps in all that time.

[@flnthrn2]

And, remove the belt on the drill press to make life easy.

[@jamesupton143]

@@flnthrn2 yes. On my drill press all I have to do is back off the belt a little.

[@pratikbabhulkar2295]

That's what they need to teach at college , thank you for making this video.

[@jlindema]

Thanks for the information and the clarity.

[@zsozso411]

One thing I’d like to add is that the best drill bits I’ve ever come across are cobalt drill bits, they cut through metal with ease and rarely break. I use German made HSS Cobalt drill bits but you can buy Irwin ones on line as well or whatever as long as it’s cobalt.

[@ronfox5519]

True. And get them- at least the smaller diameters -in screw machine length split point. Another great option is sheetmetal bits, particularly as pilot drills or hole starters. The double enders are a better value.

[@eventfulnonsense]

Full in depth lecture. Thank you for this video.

[@markbrinton6790]

I'm floored you're drilling into metal without safety glasses. Damn Davin, you're the last person I thought I'd see do that.

[@Primal-Dude]

Very informative video for a young machinist like myself! thank you!

[@integralsun]

Very nicely explained. Thank you.

[@pernormark1814]

Excellent what a teacher and easy and clearly explained masterclass 🙂👍

[@kw2519]

Pro tip...guide block made of aluminum or Delrin with approximately the hole diameter of your tap or drill. This will ensure your hole and threads are perpendicular to your plane.

[@kw2519]

@Derek Young it’s so helpful with a hand drill. It can also double as a stop. So you can control the depth more easily too

[@TheJacksonofAllTrades]

So much great value in this video! Thanks for sharing!

[@barryhallsted]

Great instructional video. Thanks!

[@chrisprimavera7607]

Pro tip: Drill a hole the OD of your tap in a piece of plastic or aluminum about 1" thick. Hold the block over the hole you want to tap and inset the tap. The block will keep your tap perpendicular to your hole.

[@gothicm3rcy426]

straight to the point.... love these vids

[@talktoeric]

Thanks. This was interesting. I'm building a table out of 8020 aluminum extrusion to put a CNC router on top, so that is why I'm watching this.

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

Extraordinary detail ! Super helpful !! I learned lots !!! Thanks mate . 👊🏼 🔥

[@garthhowe297]

Very good tutorial, thanks!

[@bhuvanmishra13]

Unbelievably awesome! Thanks a ton! :)

[@ickess]

I have done everything in my power to remove a stripped Allen bolt from the engine on my motorcycle. I am anticipating having to drill the head off to remove the component. Then hopefully be able to grab the rest of the bolt with pliers and slowly back it out, but anticipating also deadbolt, possibly snapping and they having to your truly and tap it very helpful.

[@myfriend57]

Thanks! Very educational.

[@greatfallsboy]

Really great video! Well done.

[@tedhewitt4299]

Great Video with the close ups.

[@Dallas76JJ]

amazing teacher!

[@sailawaybob]

Great information i don't use my tap & die kit alot but always something to learn. And i a big fan of cutting oil when drilling, took me years to discover hit over plain oil and maybe just me its like night & day difference.

[@friguy4444]

Thank you I learned some good things from this video!! A great tip to have had in this would be that if you're tapping on a cylinder head or something where you don't want the shavings to get into the engine or someplace while you're tapping to use some thick grease on the tap and around the tap to catch the shavings so they can be removed before they fall or fly into the engine or area you need to keep them out of. It works!

[@spaceoddity2485]

Yes, good tip. I have heard of that before. The grease from the suspension grease gun is good.

[@roller9158]

Excellent video, Thank You.

[@johnwilliammaxwell5044]

I wish I could have apprenticed under Davin when I was younger.

[@wayne9518]

Yeah But Davin was younger then too.

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

@tunawayFEMwashthat’s great 👍🏼 Super funny ! Needed it !! Thanks .

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

@@wayne9518 Ha ! Love it ! Thanks 👊🏼

[@40mmmikemike]

Something important to add that I've learned from is to make sure that you drill and tap as straight as possible and you make sure you get the right size drill bit or you might have uneven threads with one side of the hole with very shallow threads or none at all. This is especially important with very fine threads because the drill bit has to be so close to the size of the tap.

[@moondogdieselworks3883]

Thanks Davin

[@Cincymike1]

Dudes a expert

[@jesusprado6394]

Excellent video with a lot of knowledge in it. 👍👍

[@Artiscrafty]

Thank you for posting very informative 🙏

[@jayt825]

“....As you tap that, you will have less engagement....” Aka, friends with benefits

[@wandabyers3751]

Seriously are you some kind of a jokester or something? I didn’t know this was a comic section 🤣

[@glenespinet1207]

Very useful Sir

[@kentuckytrapper780]

Couldn't have said it better myself..

[@jessihawkins9116]

@@wandabyers3751damn wanda you fine as hell bruh 😏

[@pnv8477]

🥇

[@marioseffraimiadis745]

thank you mate - very nice presentation

[@joshuagibson2520]

14:52 this 10° angle is why you try to avoid hand tapping without a center or tapping block if at all possible.

[@nanscott3092]

Good instructor

[@ggumisme]

Wow! What a great video. Thanks.

[@nicolauscory2065]

Amazing video. I learned a ton.

[@Ayaz_Qais]

Very nicely explained.

[@GoAndStay]

Now I have learnt a lot of things! Thanks

[@luigitosti7599]

Thank you very much for sharing this information.

[@shermanjohnson9270]

Brother, your name should be " STRAIGHT TO THE POINT" BECAUSE YOU MADE EVERYTHING SOLID AND STRAIGHT TO THE POINT. 😂❤️👍

[@ireneuszerikowsiak5637]

Thank you for the video ... everything I need to know is in it!