Tap and die holder

[Brad]

I decided that a tap and die holder for use on the lathe was a needed tool. I looked at some designs and got some advice from Smokeywolf and decided to get going.

An order was placed with Speedymetals.com for a foot of 2.125" 6061, a foot of ground and polished .500 1144, and a foot of 2.25" 12L14.

The 6061 will be the knurled body, the 1144 will be the shaft that the body rides on and it will be held in the tailstock chuck. The 12L14 will be used to make a couple of inserts that go in the front of the body. One will be recessed for a 1" round die and the other will have a 3/8-24 threaded nub that threads into a small Jacobs chuck for holding taps. The counterbore for the inserts will be .750 deep by 1.25" diameter. The inserts will have a flange .500 wide by 2.125" diameter that butts up against the front face of the body.

I got the materials Thursday and got a start today. First up was making the body. A chuck was cut off and faced on each end. The bore was drilled and reamed to .500. I then turned the entire length to smooth off the rough spots. The recess was bored into the front end and the body was knurled.

This is what I ended up with. All it needs is a hole drilled and tapped for a 10-32 set screw to hold the inserts in place. That hole will not be drilled until the inserts are turned so I can use the pilot hole for the tap to mark a spot on each insert for a small counterbore the set screw can enter to prevent any chance insert moving in use.

 

[smokeywolf]

Lookin' good Brad. Very nice finish.

I actually have two of these. One to hold smaller button dies and one for the larger button dies. On my larger one, I have a 3/8" hole drilled through from OD to ID so I can insert a short length (about 8") of 3/8 round stock for leverage, to help deal with radial forces when threading larger diameters of stainless and other tough metals.

That being said, I usually try to use a die just for finishing a thread that I've already single pointed to within a few thou of finished depth.

 

[Brad]

I have considered a hole for just that purpose. Easy to add on on the drill press.

I may use a die for cutting threads 1/4” and under. For something like a 10-32 it makes sense to not single point thread.

 

[Ian]

Getting the hang of knurling, very nice job Brad.

 

[smokeywolf]

For something like a 10-32 it makes sense to not single point thread.

Although I've done it a time or two, completely agree with you.

 

[smokeywolf]

Brad, someday you may want to get fancy and find an anodizer in your locale. Sometimes it's fun to color ("pimp out") your creations. Also, at some point you may need a hard anodize on a part for wear resistance.

 

[Brad]

I would love to have something like this anodized. Just for the cool factor. I may just search for a local place and see what it would cost.
The steel parts will probably get cold blued. Prevent rust and the constrast will look nice.

 

[smokeywolf]

The steel parts will probably get cold blued. Prevent rust and the constrast will look nice.

Exactly what I used to do.

Aluminum and titanium can be anodized.

Usually doesn't pay to have just one or two pieces anodized. Unless it's an unusually large piece or a piece for a customer, I've always waited until I have at least 4 or more pieces to do.

Always favored red, blue or black. All camera, printer and projector parts that were anywhere near a film path or light source, got bead blasted then black anodized.

 

[Gary]

VERY nice Brad. I hope to get into the shop soon and get some projects going. I'd like to fix a Milling vise setup onto the carriage to be able to Mill on the lathe since I don't have a Mill.

 

[Brad]

After dinner I got back to the garage to get the die holder insert made.
I used my poor man's band saw to cut off a hunk of 2.25" L14. No bandsaw so I use my Sawzall. Works pretty well actually.
Faced the end then cut the piece that fits into the recess in the body. It is a bit lose but not bad enough to be an issue. I then drilled and remade a .500 hole to match the hole in the body. Turn piece around, face end, then cut to diameter of body. I then bored a recess .375 deep for die. Die is labeled as a 1" die but measured more like .995. I made the recess a snug fit but I will probably need to enlarge it a bit to fit other dies. Only have one round die on hand so I can't say?

I need to drill and tap for a couple set screws but otherwise this part is done.

 

[smokeywolf]

Don't forget to drill indents wherever the tip of a set screw will come to rest.

 

[Brad]

Don't forget to drill indents wherever the tip of a set screw will come to rest.

That is why I won't drill and tap until the other insert is done. Drill hole in body for set screw with one of the inserts held in palace to create a spot for indent. Swap inserts to mark other insert.
The die has a couple indents so that is taken care of already.
Actaully I won't have other insert completely done before drilling for set screw as I want to use the die holder to cut the threads for the chuck.

 

[Ian]

Brad, most small threading dies (such as teh one you have) are diameter-adjustable via the screw across the split part. This allows some control over the thread pitch diameter.

 

[Brad]

I noticed that. Gonna mean I need to recut that hole a bit larger.

 

[KeithB]

Looking good there Brad. Following this with interest.

 

[Brad]

Got the part for the tap chuck made today. Took a bit more work due to the amount of stock to remove.
Bad news is that I ruined a good extension cord. The piece fell when I cut it off and the sharp corner landed right on the cord. I saw a flash of light so I'm sure the wire was cut. Damn it!
I got my drilling and tapping done to hold everything together. That went way better than I expected, tapping isn't always my strong suit.
I used the die holder to cut the threads in the final piece that the chuch threads on to for tapping. I got some video of the tool in action.
I wouldn't want to use this for cutting threads over 3/8" due to the torque involved. For cleaning up threads it would be fine on larger. Most of my needs will be for things like Lyman M die spuds where single point threading is a pain.

Once i get it all cleaned up I will post a few more photos. Just got done shoveling 1/4" of snow off the drive and it is now time for lunch.

 

[Brad]

If you watch the video carefully you will notice a minor issue. At one point you can hear the set screw that holds the inser into the body slip. I didn't have it as tight as I needed. At the beginning the two set screws line up, when it slips they no longer align. Good lesson there. Might make the hold the screw sits in a bit deeper and maybe a little bigger so the screw fully enters instead of just the tip.

 

[Brad]

You can see here where the set screw left a scar. The hole the screw enters was drilled a bit deeper and large enough to just let the entire screw diameter enter. Not gonna happen again.


This is the finished insert for tapping. Should work well.

I am pretty happy with how this all turned out.

 

[smokeywolf]

Nicely done Brad.

 

[Pistolero]

Very nice. You jumped ahead of me.....by just doing it instead of fiddling and thinking and
getting distracted by other stuff. (Cheater)

I have had the raw materials and reamer in stock for at least 4 months --- no real excuses, just
a shortage of round tuits.

You may have built a fire under me now.

Bill