Machinists.....Tapping a thread on a Mill or Lathe?...Don't Do This !!!

[@michaellitzkow8123]

I am an enthusiastic hobby machinist. I've never had the benefit of personal instruction in the machine shop. Everything I know about machining comes from KZbin, books, magazines and similar sources. Of course experience is the world's best (and sometimes harshest) teacher. I certainly didn't know what I didn't know on this one. Luckily, at least some of the KZbin creators are true experts, with you being a prime example. Thank you so much for this, and all your efforts to put a dent in my ignorance.

[@sistermaide]

You say how I feel also, with such style. Thanks!! I agree with you!

[@rexmyers991]

Yup! I agree. I had NO IDEA a tap T handle was not made ‘true’. Great tip.

[@mrc1539]

👍 ! Great tip , surprised that this never occurred to me before, and surprised that I haven’t broken a lot of taps over the years.

[@edwardaloftis6705]

@@michaellitzkow8123 me too

[@kensherwin4544]

I don't think I've ever had my mind forcibly changed so quickly. You succeeded at this in only 10 minutes and 39 seconds. Congratulations Joe.

[@davidmiskinis3032]

Absolutely right! However, it's not the center, it's the jaws. We (retired from GTD) machine the entire body, including the center. At this point everything is concentric. The second OP is to drill, then saw the front to create the jaws. This is where the concentricity breaks down. The next OP is to spring temper the jaws, which causes the jaws go out of whack. This is where the real issue occurs. In theory, the cap is supposed to bring everything back into alignment. However, between the burrs from the saw cuts, and the slop between the threads in the cap and body, it doesn't allow the cap to pull everything back into alignment. Some brands are better than others, but as you state, bad idea!

[@Dagonius.]

Yeah na. I'd go for lil ER 11 Collets and turn it in one go, head upside down, parting last. Almost. Dunno yet. It's late lol. But that's the inspiration I got from this.

[@paulchandler427]

Damn it Joe ! I been doing this for years > down to #4-40 > haven't seemed to have a problem. But ur demo valid > shocked to see the tap run out that bad . Ya got me thinking. BTW, you & Mr Pete > best vids here on machine work

[@Bibibosh]

Balderdash!

[@ERGMIAMI]

The wobble of the tap as shown was more a result of a bad chuck in the tap holder than the hole at the back of the handle.

[@mchamster7]

That's what it looked like to me, too. It looked like a banana, more wiggle in the middle than back at the end. If the misalignment was caused by a lack of a positive centre at the rear of the tap handle, that's where there should have been the most movement? It also seems like something that could be more easily shown by chucking the tap handle into the lathe and reading off the runout of the OD vs ID...? Disclaimer: absolutely *not* a machinist, but I reckon I can troubleshoot and interpret stuff pretty logically. The logic he's describing doesn't seem to match the results he's displaying here. Disclaimer on the disclaimer: It seems like it'd be a pretty good idea to validate your tap follower and not just assume it has a precise centre, just on principle. That's absolutely a good point he's raising.

[@wiseoldfool]

I'm glad you used non-magnetic aluminum! It doesn't look like people picked up on that!

[@4GSR]

Still puzzeled about the use of the plastic flim on the demagentizer. Never used it on mine! Lol.

[@123232ism]

I've been using those T-handles for over 40 years and never thought about the handle being off that much. Thanks for the clearly demonstrated proof.

[@torsiondell]

It just goes to show no matter how old you are we are always learning, that’s something I didn’t know thanks

[@dralexmclean]

I'm one of those guys who didn't now about reversing the pointer on the tapguide. Thanks again, I always learn something watching you stuff

[@dominic6634]

I didn't either

[@joepie221]

Great to hear!

[@lskjf02jlkdfj]

I haf no idea my spring followers were reversable until this video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@TomokosEnterprize]

Well, well teach. I have never used the lathe as a tap driver. A tap held in the tailstock held by a drill chuck, yes. I have seen the physical dammage caused by power tapping has removed and dammaged man a hand so I just don't do it. The time saved isn't enough to worry about. Starting a tap, the right long taper to start and a gentle touch for me works just fine. I am a patient fellow by nature, I have always thought machinists were all like that are we not, LOL. Over the 45+ years of machining I can count on my hands how many taps I have broken and they we ALWAYS from alighnment issues. Keep em straight and be patient and enjoy the thing we love to do best. Thanks a bunch Texas. Great post and a bit of schooling today too. Thanks eh.

[@Parents_of_Twins]

Every time I watch one of your videos I learn something new. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@upyours3457]

Outstanding video. One should never assume the precision of tooling, without testing. Been there done that. Charlie

[@stevenhintz5508]

I definitely noticed that runout, even on a Starrett tap handle. Great video, thanks

[@sharkbaitsurfer]

I like your friend' saying: "It's impossible to know what you don't know" - that keeps us learning all the time without challenging the ego.

[@RobertKarlBerta]

Joe, great video as always. I do a lot of threading with small sized taps for astronomical telescopes, mounts, and cameras so breaking one is always a risk and can be disastrous. One thing many don't realize is taps come in different types. The standard most common type has a taper to the thread cutters so it can be aligned somewhat as you start the operation. There are also bottom threading types that are designed to thread far down into a blind hole (one that doesn't go completely through the material) They have very minimal starting taper.You NEVER should start with that one. The other type has a much longer taper to help perfectly align the tap and those are the one you should start with to ensure your tap is perfectly aligned with the hole especially on small tap sizes. I buy my taps in the sets that include all three types for each thread size. I am now 77 years old but learned this from my teacher in a gunsmithing class 60 years ago. I had spent hours machining a bench rest rifle barrel and action that was blued and only thing left was to drill and tap for the scope mount. I was terrified all that work would be destroyed with a broken small tap. My instructor showed me his tricks and it was completed perfectly. The most critical thing is the start of the tapping operation... make sure the hole and tap are absolutely aligned. Also take the time to back the tap out several times to clean out all the bits of metal cuttings. It is tempting to get lazy and try to power the tap through when it gets a bit tight due to chip jamming. That is when things go south

[@joepie221]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqvLqot5ndZ4ja8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXXJc4aJqq-DbKs

[@scruffy4647]

Thanks, I always come here for those jewels of advice. Especially for this novice.

[@robinward3003]

You're right about the centers being off, but it's sometimes on cheap wrenches, the jaw faces are not square. I made my own, and used them with centers in lathes, vertical mills, radial arm drills, for more than 60 years, and produced nice, square holes, every time. A long time ago, I started hating tapping, without a lail support.

[@mickl8212]

Thanks for the advice Joe. I'll no longer do that anymore. I normally start the tap in the drill chuck and feed in into the part to get it started, then finish off with a T handle wrench, sprung loaded. I'll be careful what I'm doing from now on. I, like some of the other comments on here have tought myself how to machine parts so I'm loving your channel and the advice you give out. It is appreciated.

[@rrabbit1960]

Thanks Joe! I observed this phenomenon when tapping on my old drill press and blamed the drill press. After that I bought a hand tapping machine and never went back to using a tap guide in the drill press-even when I bought a new one. On my lathe I just used the drill chuck in the tail stock to start it then switched to a tap handle to finish.

[@JonLaughton]

The Starrett chuck type (T handle) tap holders are beautifully made and have a separate, spring-loaded jaw assembly. (Similar to the chuck in an old woodworking brace.) This gives them a large size range and a good grip in my experience. However it is the source of their run-out. The chuck type tap holders that used to be made by Eclipse (James Neill) and Moore and Wright in the UK have a cheaper construction where the body of the holder itself is split to form a collet. This limits the size range of each holder and I don't feel they grip the square on the tap quite as firmly as the Starrett type, but it does eliminate the run-out you illustrated so well. Another point is that some taps don't have a centre hole or a cone at the square end. (I guess you could modify these by hard turning or grinding your own cone on them.) Thanks for the advanced insights and tips that no-one else has seemed to come up with.

[@Cenedd]

I was going to say (before Joe kind of pointed it out) that the concentricity error is not (necessarily) in the centre at the end of the T-handle but where the chuck holds the tap. I've got some beautifully made (looks wise) chucking T-handle chucks and literally nothing is concentric with anything....so at least Starrett get more points than those!

[@sgtbrown4273]

Absolutely agree! I ruined a small valve body for a high-pressure Ingersoll Rand compressor that took me 6 hours to machine " Im just a beginner " because i used a T handle that was a mile off. The center screw threads were off angle, and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. My old machinists friend set me straight. And greatings from McMurdo Station Antarctica. Home Houston Texas 😊

[@whtkngofc]

Thanks for this video, I run a 5 axis mill that doesn't have a locating spindle, so no canned cycle, no tapping function. So often we use a spring loaded centre on the spindle to locate tapped holes on complex angles on parts, the issue is when we go below M8 we have to resort to the tapping handle with a centre, which has resulted in many poor threads and broken taps. Your method is so simple but will save us so much time and $, thanks.

[@joepie221]

Glad it helped

[@MC-wh6xk]

And my learning continues. Never even thought about it before. Thx Joe!

[@ianhand4845]

tour expertise is excellent. My practise is now changed thanks to Joe P

[@David-hm9ic]

THANK YOU! After getting away with this for many years, you have shown me the light and the error of my ways. I had no idea that there was a second end on the spring loaded tap guide.

[@giorgiocanal1659]

Things you don't learn at school... Thanks Joe.

[@davep8462]

Thanks so much for this !! those pointed tap ends WERE the bane of my existence - I had no idea that was reversible

[@Preso58]

Totally agree, but lots of my taps don't have a conical point or a conical centre. I suppose I could grind a male centre on the end though. I've always blamed the split jaws on the tee tap handles. They are rarely the same dimension as the square on the end of the tap, so they pinch just on one end or the other. Regards, Preso

[@RobertBrown-lf8yq]

Agree 100% Mark 👍 Robert

[@tubester4567]

I used to just use the drill chuck to hold the tap. Then turn the lathe chuck by hand just to get it started straight a few threads, then finish by hand or with small threads just leave the tailstock unlocked and turn the lathe chuck by hand.

[@jimf4492]

I am not a machinist - but I am a hobbyist who's been making parts for many years. I've never seen this addressed before. Thank you!

[@ChrisB257]

Nothing beats a good visual demo - point well made Joe!! :)

[@russelldold4827]

... and for the really small taps, use one of Joe's small knurled disk tap drivers between thumb and forefinger. Life savers!

[@Chris-bg8mk]

I made a lot of small stuff in my day, and used a lot of small taps. Broke quite a few and at some point noticed this same problem. It's much worse on tap handles labeled "General" than on ones from Starrett or other quality brands. I noticed another thing too. Take that tap handle apart. Look inside the part that is like a collet. Notice that it has more than four flats. Four at the tip and then four more further inside. Place the tap far enough inside that the inner four flats drive it and the outer four flats bear on the cylindrical part of the shank. Note how much more concentric it runs. This is only for taps that fit up inside like that but it definitely helps. Also, you can remake the main body of a cheap tap wrench much better if you chuck it in a four jaw and redo the "center" that it has for the tap guide to run in. Thanks Joe!

[@JSmith19858]

It has always made me smile watching certain KZbin apprentices run a tap in this way while the tap spins off centre. For small taps I made and use something like your sensitive drilling setup. It's how a manual tapping fixture works anyway.

[@ypaulbrown]

I really appreciate all you do and share, thank you so much Joe, Paul in Orlando

[@freekvanbalen4040]

It doesn't get any clearer than this! Thnx Joe for this excellent presentation. Cheers from The Netherlands, europe

[@joepie221]

Its obvious once you see it. Thanks for checking in.

[@briangpz]

I've been a maintenance machinist/mechanic for 40 years, and I have never used a T handle tap wrench in a lathe or mill. It never even occurred to me. Just put a drill chuck in the tailstock / spindle, grab the tap hand tight, and send it in at low speed. I have tapped hundreds if not thousands of holes using this method and I've NEVER broken a tap. I can hear the hate coming already. "4 flute taps are hand taps!" Yes. You can use this method to get them started, then switch to a dead center to support the tap and use a tap wrench (NOT T handle) to finish. Or if the tap is large enough, I just use an adjustable wrench. As long as the center is in the guide hole at the back of the tap, you're good. "Gun taps will fill the bottom of the hole with chips!" Also true. But you can back it out and clean out the chips if the hole isn't deep enough. I've used this method down to #4-40. Never had a problem.

[@zumbazumba1]

Only problem is taps are hard and it slowly destroys drill chuck jaws.Collets are much better for holding taps.Most of the time i just spin the spindle or lathe chuck by hand (tailstock must be free ,not locked down).Its good enough for start Not a cnc speed of taping but it gets job done.

[@COBARHORSE1]

Excellent demonstration Joe.

[@rogerrascal8632]

Joe is 100% correct(again). I always thought my Starrett tap handles were concentric when tapping a small thread, But after watching this video and doing some runout tests it seems that I was getting a 0.030" runout !!! So now I start the tap with the reversed-ended spring holder and then I use the tap handle. Thanks again Joe for saving my taps for any future potential breakage !!

[@joepie221]

My pleasure.

[@jameslezak7882]

Good stuff, Joe! Found this out the hard way years ago. Basically used the same methods you demonstrated to discover the runout of the different drivers. Thanks for your time and sharing! 👍😎✌️

[@WinkysWorkshop]

Interesting video and you made some very good points but the biggest point you made is that most tap handles are junk. Actually all tap handle to some degree are junk... just a bad design. With this being said, unless you are using a tap under a 6-32 tap the likelihood of breaking a tap is very slim and to a very large degree the tap will align itself. You can verify this by tapping with a wobbly handle, remove the wrench and turn the lathe on. The wobble will be very minimal. I have broke my fair share of taps but so far I have never broken one that is guided from the back of the handle unless the handle slip out of the guide. I made a tap wrench with a tube on the back that slips over a 3/8 countersink to eliminate this problem.

[@paulhunt598]

Thank you Joe. Sometimes a demonstration proves a point. I will stop the practice that you just condemned! I am a new believer.

[@nelsonwhite6980]

Joe Pie, never disappoints, or fails to educate!! Kudos Joe!!

[@brianwarburton4482]

Brilliant. Something new every time.

[@kimoleto5178]

Excelent tip, ur right, hours spent making a little piece and suddenly a tap snaps..... Greetings from Mexico

[@renaissanceman7145]

You are so full of it Joe. "It" being valuable information learned over a lifetime of experience. Thank you very much for taking the time and putting in the effort to share such knowledge with the rest of us. I truly appreciate it!

[@tobydulanski3000]

I'm glad others are learning this. I have tried to explain this to others, and without real time to explain in the shop atmosphere do to production it was difficult. It's amazing how some tools aren't applied correctly. Thanks to Joe Pie it's now out in the world. I learned this the hard way messing up on a part. Also a tapping block is a good thing to make to get the tap started.

[@johnspathonis1078]

Hi Joe I use only spiral flute taps and hold these in the tailstock chuck. Don't lock the tailstock and present the tap to the workpiece. Select the lowest speed. While holding the jog button, pull the tailstock into workpiece until the tap is fully engaged. The tap will pull itself into the job. After the final depth is reached just reverse the chuck. Apply a small pull-out force to the tailstock before the tap emmerges. Cheers

[@StuartsShed]

Brilliant demo. 👍

[@qzwqsy]

I would’ve never known thank you Joe

[@kimazbell460]

Excellent tip, I never knew that a T-handle would have so much runout. I also never knew that those tap followers had a concave end on them, I'll have to tear mine apart and see. Thanks, Joe.

[@ypaulbrown]

Bravo Joe PIe, always spot on information, cheers from Florida, Paul

[@vitesseguy]

Thank-you! Great information I didn't know. And you have a gift for explaining AND demonstrating the point. God bless you. Your (and all) great gifts are indeed from the Lord.

[@Philippians4vs4-8]

Hey Joe, Thanks for all your videos. I've learned a lot from you and a few other KZbinrs. Actually, I am not a machinest. My degree is in Electronics Engineering Technology. But, I used to love spending as much time in the machine shop as posible, before retirement on disability in 2007. I just turned 74 and am now working in my little shop doing busy work. I can now fix, repiar, build and design most anything that the community brings into my shop. Moreover, i dont charge for any services. You have been a blessing to me over these years and i thank you sir, for all you have done for me and others.

[@joepie221]

Thank you very much for taking the time to leave such a great comment. This type of feedback really means a lot to me. Best of luck to you and be careful. BTW...My Father was an electronic engineer. He founded Artisan Controls Corp up in NJ. The company is still going strong today. Stay well.

[@TomokosEnterprize]

Awesome bud. Disabled retired like yourself. We fix,make or repair everything. Where would mankind be without machinists.

[@Philippians4vs4-8]

@TomokosEnterprize Thank you for the comment Brother. I have many maladies, but the one that bothers me most is that I shake so badly that I can hardly hold my calipers to make a measurement, but with perseverance I somehow prevail, lol. I had a good friend years ago, who was a mechanical engineer. He and I worked together on several projects, me doing the electronics control and he doing the mechanical aspects. Joe Pie has several attributes that remind me of him.

[@TomokosEnterprize]

@@Philippians4vs4-8 Hi, I have the same old man shaky hands that for me can be a really painful situation as I have found Pouring pure silver to save me from a Mindless atack of 2200F molten Silver. I found doing this highly intense thing to do after losing my wife due to cancer 10 years ago now. Stop by my site if you like. People like us need/despratly need to make things, Repair things and make them better if we can. It is all we ever known. WE have that in us to our last breath. My biggest wory is for the new generation coming to work have the need to do this. We can train a monky to pull the trigger to weld but it can't fabricate. I can't navigate Facebook but I can build an oil rig, LOL.

[@eCitizen1]

Thank you for this video. You just might have saved me some broken tap grief.

[@joepie221]

I hope so.

[@williamchristine1384]

thanks Joe always best tips

[@KathrynLiz1]

Good advice as always Joe...... Tap wrenches vary quite a bit..... I have a little "Eclipse" one that I have owned for over 50 years and it runs true to less than .002", but the others I have are not that accurate. I must make a tap follower..... I often use a tailstock centre to start a tap, turning by hand and keeping the pressure on with the hand wheel at the same time. It works, but needs care, so a decent tap follower is on my 'to do' list... 🙂

[@jackfromthe60s]

Good demonstration. I made your small tap handle after watching your build video. It’s excellent. My pump centre only has a point. I need to make a double ended tip like yours has.

[@edwardvan5808]

That is cool. Your set up bypasses all the tolerance stack up compared to the "normal" set up. It's funny how in machining you can have process issues that you just kind of put up with for years, then someone shows you a fix and it's so simple! I think we get stuck in our ways. That is going in my bag of tricks, thanks!

[@colinrhodes643]

Thanks Joe. So clear and informative. Love your channel, so much insight and knowledge you are happy to share.

[@chiefauditor1683]

Thanks Joe. Model Engineer from Australia

[@jackpledger8118]

I always learn something useful from your videos...thanks.

[@jdsstegman]

No wonder my threads are loose. I have always gone it this way. I did notice that it was not concentric but didn't think it mattered. I'm not a professional, just do what I personally need to do. And that's why I watch this pro. I learn something every time. Thanks Joe, I will change my ways.

[@grahammorgan9635]

As always thank goodness you are there to guide us

[@raylidell3613]

Joe!! yes you DID make your point!! Thanks

[@theodoreshasta7846]

A picture is worth a thousand words. Beautifully presented. Thank you!

[@richhansen4117]

Joe ~ I've been tapping a lot of small holes in expensive stainless parts. I can't count how many taps I've been breaking off in blind holes, ruining the parts. I've been using taps a couple sizes larger than the 75% thread recommendation to get around the problem, but it's still pretty scary. The info you shared I'm betting is 100% of my problem! I'll check it out today in the shop but this was a terrific bit of information! Thanks.

[@joepie221]

Excellent. Good luck. Another gem is not to over power the tap with a giant drive handle. The smaller the tap, the smaller the handle. You'll get much better feel.

[@BillySugger1965]

Amazing! Thanks Joe, I never would have thought that.

[@DaveMcIver]

That's a great tip. I'm guilty of doing that with smaller taps and a T-handle wrench. Time to make a proper tap follower and wrench similar to your home made version. Excellent tip. Small taps are a shockingly high price here in NZ!!!

[@joepie221]

Glad it was helpful!

[@stumccabe]

Excellent info. I really had no idea about this.

[@koasaadi]

Great lesson Joe!

[@HONGKELDONGKEL1888]

okay, you have convinced me to make a tap follower and a similar style of tap holder since I regularly make M3 and M4 threads. I'll just copy what I saw here. thanks!

[@peterrhodes5663]

Just put the tap in the tail stock chuck, close the jaws so that they are not tight enough to stop the tap rotating, and use your handle. I've been doing it that way for over 50 years. I don't break taps.

[@joepie221]

Once the tap is in the tailstock chuck, the square end is inaccessible. How do you drive it?

[@peterrhodes5663]

@@joepie221 You grip the shank or the end of the thread ( at the square end ) with the same screw on handle. I use a small 2 piece tap wrench that does the same job. On taps over 6mm/1/4" I grind a flat on the shank, because the handle/wrench tends to slip on that smooth shank, because of the torque required. So you only have as much shank as necessary for accuracy in the chuck jaws. Make my own miniature tap wrenches, and they tighten with 2 Allen screws. They grip REALLY tightly.

[@rexmundi8154]

I’ve noticed this same problem but I think it’s caused by the crappy jaws in the end of the tap handle. You can see the tap is held crooked in your close up. I have a very high quality tap handle that looks like it was made by Albrecht and it doesn’t have this problem

[@damionparson247]

Thanks for this video. I could see myself going crazy if I'd scrapped my work from it.

[@joepie221]

It removes a great deal of the risk.

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

If I keep on watching, you I might turn into a sort of machinist given enough time. Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.

[@joepie221]

Hi Harold. I always appreciate when you take the time to visit my channel. Thank you sir. Stay well.

[@icbtech01]

Great tip Joe, thank you!

[@jimmyboles3409]

Good little pointer , thanks for sharing some of your well known experiences!

[@joepie221]

My pleasure!

[@garysgarage101]

We’ll shit! Every time I come back to this channel I leave what I know at the door. Thanks so much for pointing this out. I’ll be sharing this with a few friends.

[@chiefus3536]

Thank you for the lesson. I am very new to this skill of machining. I appreciate all the tips and tricks I can find. You wouldn't happen to have a video of how you made the small tee handle @ 5:37. I didn't see one on your KZbin channel. It maybe simple to the experienced, but I am certainly not one of those. Cheers. From an Aussie.

[@joepie221]

Here ya go. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ2WiZZ_r8iVopY Hit that subscribe button. :)

[@mog5858]

thanks for the public service announcement. it is so easy to overlook the small stuff, but it's all about the details. keep up the good work.

[@davidphillips7321]

Glad to See a Starrett 91A Tap Handle in the Video...Stay Safe my Friend...

[@hopelessnerd6677]

I learned something else I didn't know I needed to know. Thanks! My cheap Chinese T handle tap holders are almost unusable anyway.

[@anthonycash4609]

Good lesson tonight Joe. I'm guilty as charged in doing it the wrong way but no more .Tomorrow I make a new small T handle and a small spring loaded follower.

[@replicant357]

Much like most I’d imagine , enthusiasts who has learnt by YT and Practice. I’m shocked and yet question answered the moment you showed the “hurricane” effect….mind blown . So that is why so many of ny taps have snapped . Thank you AGAIN! For your wisdom, and I’m Gobsmacked on how many other channels show the method you have proven to not use . Aghhh . The lies !! Hahah 🤝🏽

[@joepie221]

I have a pretty good idea who you are referring to. May have even been the motivation for this video. Who knows?

[@Bestcabinetmaker]

Excellent video, excellent content. Thank you for the great lesson. I thought I knew how to tap a hole, before I saw this.

[@joepie221]

It all depends on the tap size and end use. You can get lucky sometimes.

[@angelramos-2005]

Very good info,Joe.thank you.

[@devmeistersuperprecision4155]

Great video. I made a spring loaded tap center years ago from stainless and bronze. I didn’t know you could get these with a variety of springs and two different ends. Mine is crude but it works and I have had it for many years. The T handle guides were awkward and wobbly. I used the T-Handle on small taps cuz the handle had the hole. I broke my share of taps until I figured this out the hard way.

[@Rheasound]

Thank you again for your simple and extremely useful tips!!

[@sistermaide]

I'm sure I fall into the hobbyists category, but I have enjoyed your videos, enough since I found you, that I subscribed awhile back. This one is particularly interesting to me because there have been a few times that I really wanted a special tapped hole, but strangely enough I quit trying after trying to remove the broken off tap from my piece. Thank you for explaining why that happened!!

[@erikisberg3886]

I made a couple of these tapholders inspired from Your old video - they work great! For very small taps I use a shopmade contraption with a small chuck on a 150mm handle with a precise center. Dia is 15mm with knurling, works nicely for small stuff since it is possible to feel the small torque before messing up...

[@1962clarky]

Well, I won't be doing that again. Thanks, Joe..

[@richardmorton1310]

Love the homemade tap-driving handle. Could be a good merch item

[@TrPrecisionMachining]

very good video Mr Joe Pie

[@SpruceSculptures]

Well explained and visualized. Thanks Joe

[@johndevries8759]

Made your point very nicely Joe, Thanks for the demo! J

[@muskegsmith3388]

Joe ! Thanks to you and the youtube community, I am able to rub shoulders with professionals, I had no idea that you could flip the tip on the spring loaded center. Now if you would just enlighten me as to the use of those collared balls in your spring box ! Keep up the good work !

[@joepie221]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJ-onWmBn5J5Y6c

[@takedeadaim8671]

Having noticed the wobble with T handles I switched to ER collet holders for drilling and tapping threads. Taps are of course driven with Joe Pie knock off tap handles. Don’t be afraid to keep the handles small when driving small, fine taps.

[@joepie221]

A large handle on a small tap is a recipe for disaster. Agreed...small handle or knob is the way to go.

[@takedeadaim8671]

@@joepie221 agreed, the first time I saw one of your tiny handles I knew they would be helpful. I do a lot of small tapped holes, odd sizes, and in harder material. I made a couple handles that day and now have several more, including ones for shaped reamers which must be straight and cut to a precise depth. Many of the taps have neither a cone or center hole, which led me to use the ER collet to support the rear. Another Advanced Innovation to the rescue. I’ve had enough bones repaired I’m betting on of your ideas has been in my life before, or will be soon. Arthritis can be brutal I can attest to that.

[@TomokosEnterprize]

@@takedeadaim8671 I have yet to see Joe lead anyone astray. We are lucky to have him.

[@takedeadaim8671]

@@TomokosEnterprizeAGREED

[@rok1475]

The hole at the back is not the main problem - the two jaws holding the tap and the cone squeezing the jaws together are. There is no mechanism in the design of this type of tap holder to align the jaws to the axis of the holder. The holder is designed to be held by rather flexible “clamp” (human hand) that compensates for the misalignment. Machine tools do not have that flexibility and hence the problem.

[@joepie221]

Agreed