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Broke My Tap Handle Today:-(
- Thread starter YYCHM
- Start date
Looks like a good project to make a new one out of steel. Do you know anyone with a lathe and a milling machine?You could probably reuse the handles (if you want to).
At tap handle has been on my todo list for quite some time now LOL...
These are the ones I made a few years ago.
The break is exactly where one would expect them to propagate from - those sharp internal corners on cast material. That would be a perfect place for a fillet, or better yet, John's design. Looks like the anvil corners of your green wrench are getting rounded over too torqueing against the tap shank. For bonus points you could make out of tool steel, harden & quench. If you prefer in-line handle design, you could copy the proportions of a Starrett tap wrench.
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Mine are actually a shameless copy of one that This Old Tony made.
Tom Kitta
Ultra Member
I have a big one that I made some time ago for taps over 1"
I also bought 120 or so year old tap / die set for 4 CAD recently. Made in the US. Good stuff. The taps are all dull and I am sure dies as well (through they have easy provision to resharpen) BUT the tap handle is excellent. It has very "innovative" design and after 120 or so years shows little wear on the hardened parts.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/atq-green-river-screw-plate-tap-die-1862336523
Notice the little wheel to adjust - no worries you make something loose while tapping by moving the handles.
Also my dad broke his tapping handle - the die cast AL is very weak on these and does break.
I also bought 120 or so year old tap / die set for 4 CAD recently. Made in the US. Good stuff. The taps are all dull and I am sure dies as well (through they have easy provision to resharpen) BUT the tap handle is excellent. It has very "innovative" design and after 120 or so years shows little wear on the hardened parts.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/atq-green-river-screw-plate-tap-die-1862336523
Notice the little wheel to adjust - no worries you make something loose while tapping by moving the handles.
Also my dad broke his tapping handle - the die cast AL is very weak on these and does break.
Hey Craig, you must have muscles in your poo. LOL
@John Conroy shows photos of a nice home made set however he offers no background music on material used, size of stock, and the hardened parts.
Come on John will only takes a few minutes of your time.
The handles are just cold rolled bar stock and the jaws are 4340 tool steel but not hardened. I have used the smaller one a lot and it shows no signs of wear.
Interesting set Tom. A nice oldy. I retract my statement about square corners. The difference must be the material.
The die wrench is a different retention principle than current ones with the cone tip set screws that come off radially (and rarely match the die divots anyways).
The die wrench is a different retention principle than current ones with the cone tip set screws that come off radially (and rarely match the die divots anyways).
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Don't retract your statement about square corners. Square corners are stress raisers as taught to every mechanical engineering student since the De Havilland Comet failures. In my case the failed member was made of pot metal.
Well..... after dithering over do I make or purchase I decided to give this a try...
www.kbctools.ca
I'm impressed, no pot metal here. I think the body is cast iron or maybe even forged and originates from India. Got the #9 as well.
KBC,NO.8 HEAVY DUTY TAP WRENCH,1-389-08,KBC Tools & Machinery
KBC,NO.8 HEAVY DUTY TAP WRENCH,1-389-08,KBC Tools & Machinery
I'm impressed, no pot metal here. I think the body is cast iron or maybe even forged and originates from India. Got the #9 as well.
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Well..... after dithering over do I make or purchase I decided to give this a try...
KBC,NO.8 HEAVY DUTY TAP WRENCH,1-389-08,KBC Tools & Machinery
KBC,NO.8 HEAVY DUTY TAP WRENCH,1-389-08,KBC Tools & Machinery
I'm impressed, no pot metal here. I think the body is cast iron or maybe even forged and originates from India. Got the #9 as well.
Hey Craig be a kind old gent, after you give your new tap wrenches a workout give us your honest opinion of both.
I’ve been using a KBC #11 for at least the last 30 years. Could be used to kill moose. The dings are from when I removed the fixed anvil (tap was too big to fit properly) and used it to hand tap 400 1” NPT pipe fittings. That job paid for my first milling machine.
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DPittman
Ultra Member
Good to hear I probably should order one or two of those myself and now can with confidence.Well..... after dithering over do I make or purchase I decided to give this a try...
KBC,NO.8 HEAVY DUTY TAP WRENCH,1-389-08,KBC Tools & Machinery
KBC,NO.8 HEAVY DUTY TAP WRENCH,1-389-08,KBC Tools & Machinery
I'm impressed, no pot metal here. I think the body is cast iron or maybe even forged and originates from India. Got the #9 as well.
I bought a set of BA tap and die set from India and the tap and die holders are absolutely HIDEOUSLY poor the rest of the set is only extremely poor.
That sounds like the tap and die set I got at PA 30+ years ago. You can't even chaise threads with that set, pure garbage. Don't think I would ever order tooling from India, but other things like rotary tables etc aren't too too bad.
DPittman
Ultra Member
Yes I knew it was a poor gamble right from the start but I couldn't find any other British Assoc. tap/die sets elsewhere. I've never tried them yet but I bought them for a Stuart model that needs to come off the shelf one of these fine days.