Tapping head... worth it?

[Swede]

I have what I feel is a fairly complete home shop, but this is one tool I have yet to acquire. Either they've been too expensive, too beat up, or I simply haven't talked myself into one yet.

The CDCO sale on QCTP holders got me browsing their catalogue, and they have an automatic tapping head for something like $150. I realize this is a Chinese tool; you tend to get what you pay for. But let's assume for a moment that it is a brand new Tapmatic or Procunier.

Are these devices a valuable addition to a shop? I've always wondered about this. Tapping is an art, especially the smaller taps, and a broken tap (shudder) is an all too common problem if one gets impatient or hamfisted. If I'm doing a deep 4-40 tapping of a blind hole in aluminum, it is probably going to take 3 or 4 entries and exits to clear the swarf, or a broken tap is likely. How are these heads used in these cases? Do you drop the quill, let it self feed until the friction clutch mechanism trips, then back it out to clean the tap and the hole? Then repeat? How do you determine where to set the adjustment? Every situation is different: 6-32 in blind stainless vs 6-32 in a shallow, through hole in brass, etc.

I've had occasion on some projects to tap dozens if not hundreds of holes, and I must admit, it gets very tedious indeed. The thought of tapping under power has always appealed to me. If $150 will make my life a bit easier vs. tapping, it'd be money well spent.

 

[BobWarfield]

Shars has one too, although how you would decide which one you like better is a mystery.

I bought one back when Harbor Freight offered them, being the gadget junky I am. It sat unused for quite a while. Recently, I dragged it out to try to use it to tap the hub for my disc sander project. It was 4 holes, so not like I needed a head, I just needed an excuse to try something new!

My experience was mixed. I had difficulty properly setting the clutch with the right torque. This particular head operated backwards to what my directions indicated: It said to "tighten" to increase torque, but you needed to loosen. In addition, if you loosened past the maximum torque point, the clutch would disengage very easily with almost no torque at all. I'll chalk all that up to operator error and inexperience. I did get the head to work through trial and error, and it worked fine once I knew what I was doing. I also discovered that the head worked best at a little higher spindle speed. Initially I babied it, considering where I got it and all. It worked best at 300-400 rpm for me. It's got gearing inside so that's why.

For extra credit, I power tapped my last hole. In other words, I stuck a tap in a drill chuck and brought it down into the aluminum while keeping my hand on the spindle switch and let the tap draw the quill down at whatever rate it wanted. This was fast and easy. I've read many experienced machinists say they prefer power tapping and see no need for a tapping head except perhaps on a drill press.

So what am I going to do with what I've learned? Sell the tapping head?

I may list it on eBay, but I doubt it. I am such a pack rat. When I get my mill CNC'd, it won't be capable of rigid tapping, so I'll either need to use it with a tapping head or get a floating tap holder. This import head, BTW, had a nice floating action that worked well. The other thing I've wanted ever since seeing one is one of these:

Milacron over on PM used to manufacture these arms. They look simple to make. I love the idea of having one all set up with some kind of air (or possibly electric motor) and just off the side of a bench. Grab and tap a bunch of holes. You know it would be a really fast and convenient way to tap. The parallelogram linkage keeps the tap aligned vertically. It's a cool idea.

The other possibility is you see shops with a row of little benchtop drill presses. I used to wonder why, but if you had an extra, you could just leave the tapping head in it and have a handy tapping station. Maybe not qutie as nice as the tapping arm, but pretty handy.

Anyway, more than you wanted to hear I'm sure. You should buy one Swede. Misery loves company and you talked me into that Blake Coax. Still haven't used it, but I'll get round to it soon I'm sure!

Best,

BW

 

[rake60]

I use a floating tapping head in the CNC machine I operate at work daily.
Even with the computers "knowing" the hole depth and tapping depth, "IT"
gets into trouble sometimes....

We also have a tapping arm like the one Bob shows in his post.
Ours is pneumatically powered and it works very well for taps in the 1/4" range.
On anything smaller than that it tends to be a bit too aggressive, on larger taps
it is under powered.

I'm interested to see where this thread will lead.
If there is a tapping head out there with the capability of model size tap
I WANT ONE!

Rick

 

[zeusrekning]

At my last job, we had 3 tapmatic tapping heads. They worked great for us (most of the time). We used these when tapping holes offline from the machine usually lots of holes. If it is the only tool you lack from completeing the perfectly equipped shop , I would get it. We did have problems with one of our small tap-matics, not sure what was the cause but I'd be leary of the imports holding up very well (not saying it won't though). I've wanted to get one for work but can't seen to justify the cost of a new tapmatic but this would fit well for us for the price.Good luck. And let us know how it works if you get one.

 

[paulj84003]

Regarding power tapping, I have both a Tapmatic and a Procunier tapping head, they haven't been used since I used to do some production work of several hundred holes at a time. When I am working on a project, wheather it be a model engine or some other device I use my drill press, Bridgeport mill, or a battery powered drill to tap. If you use spirial point taps some times called gun taps, which on the smaller taps are two flute and three flute on larger taps they can be power driven. I use everything from 4-40 to 5/8-18. these work great on a through hole, for a blind hole I drill them double depth if possible, with these taps the swarf is driven in front of the tap so it has to have a place to go. For smaller taps or larger taps I hand tap. Also on firearms I hand tap. Jim

 

[BobWarfield]

I use a floating tapping head in the CNC machine I operate at work daily.
Even with the computers "knowing" the hole depth and tapping depth, "IT"
gets into trouble sometimes....

We also have a tapping arm like the one Bob shows in his post.
Ours is pneumatically powered and it works very well for taps in the 1/4" range.
On anything smaller than that it tends to be a bit too aggressive, on larger taps
it is under powered.

I'm interested to see where this thread will lead.
If there is a tapping head out there with the capability of model size tap
I WANT ONE!

Rick

Your comments on the tapping arm are useful to me. I've been wondering what power source would be best.

RE the non-cheap tapping heads, I guess I would be on the lookout for an eBay Tapmatic or Procunier bargain. The concern I had at the time was whether they would be in good repair and whether I'd be missing something critical like a collet or something. This import head seems reasonable to me, but a pristine "name brand" head off eBay is likely better.

Best,

BW

 

[S_J_H]

I do power tapping often but I always am a little leery of breaking a tap. Nothing pisses me off more than spending a lot of time on a part and snapping off a tap in it.
I have been thinking about making my own clutched tapping device for small taps. I was thinking of making an adjustable spring loaded ball detent type clutch.
Steve

 

[Tin Falcon]

I came across a good deal on a Tapmatic 30 X a while back and like it. I also very much like the arm type but a bit expensive and bulky for the home shop. The cordless drill driver comes in handy for 10-32 to 1/4 20 sizes.
Tin

 

[BobWarfield]

I also very much like the arm type but a bit expensive and bulky for the home shop.
Tin

I see it as a fun project. Some square tubing and a couple plates and you'd have it. They're insanely expensive to buy a commercial one. This is one of those I doubt I'll ever get to, but I think of it now and again.

BW