How to Become a Professional at Threading
DIY SERIES
Table of Contents
How to Become a Professional
3
at Threading
How To Salvage a Disaster Job
10
How to Become a Professional at Threading
TAP AND DIE
We all, at some time in our lives, have stripped out a bolt or nut. Okay, so now you feel you have a big problem that you cannot solve no matter how much time and effort you have put forth. You have called your closest friends and still there is no answer to your problem. Slowly but surely the realization sets in that you are going to have to call a professional in the area in which you are having a problem. As the realization becomes more evident, so does a sick feeling in your stomach because you know there has to be a simple way to fix this if
MASONRY DRILL BITS
only you knew what it was. You call the professional and he has to make room for you in his schedule. So, you wait a few days and finally he shows up to fix the problem. He fixes the problem so fast that it makes your head spin. He then charges you an
outra-
geous fee and you reluctantly pay him. Don’t you wish you could have avoided all this time, effort and money? Well, here is the good news, you can do anything you want to do and with a little help from articles like these and the right tools at your disposal, you can
TAP AND DIE
do it quite easily. Such is the case when it comes to threading. We all, at some time in our lives, have stripped out a bolt or nut. This happens when a bolt is threaded in the wrong way into a nut. This is also known as cross-threading. Or you are tightening down on a bolt and you put just a little too much torque and the head of the bolt snaps off and your left with part of the bolt in the piece with which you are working. What kind of tool can save this day? Enter the tap and die set. This is a tool
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that has a history of centuries behind it and it can rescue this project previously doomed for destruction. But just how does the tap and die set work? The tap is used to thread the female portion of a joint and the die is used to thread the male portion of the joint. To use the tap and die is very simple. First, if you have a need of threading the female portion, drill a hole just a little smaller than the diameter needed for your bolt. You then insert the tap using a specially constructed handle that comes
TAP AND DIE
with the set. Apply a little bit of synthetic lubricating oil to the threads and slowly begin to turn the handle. Be careful to make sure the handle is perfectly vertical to the piece you are threading. With a little practice you will become a pro at no time at all. The die part is used to thread the bolt or male portion of the joint. Again buy a rod that is slightly smaller than the desired diameter and use the other handle supplied with the set and slowly begin to twist the die down on the rod. As you do this, the die cuts threads into
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the rod. As you can see, a tap and die set is very easy to use and although primarily used with metal, a tap and die can be used on other materials as well. However, if you are working with concrete it is advised that you use masonry drill bits instead as they are more successful with concrete.
How To Salvage a Disaster Job
TAP AND DIE
Okay, you are working and on your car and there is this bolt that is being stubborn and will not exit no matter what you have tried. So, you get a larger ratchet and or maybe a pipe to help you create more leverage to make the bolt exit by force. Well, too much force is exerted and the bolt breaks with half of the shaft still in the part you with which you are working. Now you have a mess. This is where a lot of people will call a professional mechanic and pay a lot of money to have the mechanic fix a
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problem that could have been easily solved if you had the proper equipment. What proper equipment is that? A problem like this can be easily solved with a tap and die set. So, now you have this big problem but how does this tap and die set fix your mess? First, you get a regular twist drill bit with a dependable drill. It is recommended that if you have access to a drill press to use this machine for this job. A drill press will give you more consistency both with speed and direction.
TAP AND DIE
With a drill press you do not have to worry about drilling at a wrong angle and permanently messing up the part. So you drill the stud or shaft out of the part. It is important to use a drill bit of the exact diameter needed. Now, that you have a hole suitable for the job, it is time to go to next step. There are two parts of the tap and die set. The tap is used to thread the female potion or “nut” of the threading process and the die is used to thread the male portion or “bolt.” After a hole has been made of the proper diameter, insert the
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tap into the hole with the “T� handle attached to the shaft of the tap. Turn the tap ever so slowly and carefully. Remember you are cutting threads into the metal and if you do this wrong you will have to start the process all over again and you will have to use a larger bolt. As you turn the tap make sure the shaft of the tap is perfectly vertical to the piece of equipment in which the work is being done. It is recommended that you use a synthetic cutting oil to lubricate the tap as it cuts into the
TAP AND DIE
the metal. When you get to the desired depth slowly reverse the action and back the tap out of the hole. Really that is all there is to it. The “die� part of the process will be discussed in another article. Not only will a tap and die set get you out of a mess; if you need a brand new hole and wish to thread it for use with a bolt, you can use a metal hole saw to drill a hole in the metal and then follow up with the tap. A metal hole saw is a perfect way
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to drill a perfect hole in wood or metal.
For more information about how to use a tap and die or how they work with masonry drill bits, please check out www.hermanscentral.com