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Tap and Die

  • July 12, 2014 6:28 AM
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    Message # 3044182
    Anonymous member

    Over the years I have read many posts about tapping holes for bolts in various parts of the boat, and I have never owned a tap and die set. I was wondering about the opinions of those who have used these tools as to which sizes and brands were most useful.
  • July 12, 2014 9:52 AM
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    Reply # 3044238 on 3044182
    Kevin Donahue

    My experience has been that the most used tap sizes on my boat are 1/4-20 and 10-24.  But I just used a metric tap on my old Volvo diesel...

    You can find sets of 12 to 16 pieces that include taps, dies and handles for 25 to 40 dollars.  Over the years I have added odd sizes as needed.  Over the past 40 years I have seen my tap and die pairs grow to about 50 pieces including both Metric and Imperial sizes.  Some I have only needed to use once.  Like most tools you get what you pay for, there is nothing more frustrating than having a tap break in a partially tapped hole... Buy good quality.

    For shallow holes and holes with bottoms to them there are "Bottom Taps" that allow you to get the threads most of the way down into the hole before the tap bottoms out.

    Make sure you also get drill bits of the correct size for the holes you intend to tap.

     

    kevin 
  • July 14, 2014 6:16 PM
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    Reply # 3045495 on 3044182
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Frank:  A tap and die set would be a good investment for the long run - I prefure the hex sided dies vs the round but the hex are harder to find over the counter.

    While quality is important it is not uncommon to break the tap if you are not careful and the broken tap can be hard to remove.  

    Search and review the many youtube video's for the basics in tapping threads.  

    Jay