I have about 66 holes to tap for 3/8-24 in 1" thick 6061. Took me a long time to drill them and im dreading hand tapping them all. Im wondering if i can chuck my tap into my RF 30 and goto town? I dont want to experiment since i dont want to breakk my good USA tap. If it possible, any tips?
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Can I power tap on my RF30?
- Thread starter ridgeway
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2012
- Messages
- 1,216
is the class of thread required to be close ? if its not critical, i'd over size the hole a few thousands and then, using a good gun tap, start each hole with the tap in the mill, keeping it straight, then finish the hole by hand. cutting oil will be your friend.
that's a bunch of holes even at that. . . your hands will be swearing at you. . .
actually, my RF30 hardly coasts long enough to even turn it off at the same time the tap would enter the material.
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is the class of thread required to be close ? if its not critical, i'd over size the hole a few thousands and then, using a good gun tap, start each hole with the tap in the mill, keeping it straight, then finish the hole by hand. cutting oil will be your friend.
that's a bunch of holes even at that. . . your hands will be swearing at you. . .
actually, my RF30 hardly coasts long enough to even turn it off at the same time the tap would enter the material.
that's a bunch of holes even at that. . . your hands will be swearing at you. . .
actually, my RF30 hardly coasts long enough to even turn it off at the same time the tap would enter the material.
- - - Updated - - -
is the class of thread required to be close ? if its not critical, i'd over size the hole a few thousands and then, using a good gun tap, start each hole with the tap in the mill, keeping it straight, then finish the hole by hand. cutting oil will be your friend.
that's a bunch of holes even at that. . . your hands will be swearing at you. . .
actually, my RF30 hardly coasts long enough to even turn it off at the same time the tap would enter the material.
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2012
- Messages
- 793
Get yourself a cheap power tapping head. They regularly come up on ebay for a reasonable amount. I bought ones for about $20 as it was not a common brand but turned out to be an exceptional tool made in England. This sort of equipment is an investment when you consider the time and effort hand tapping takes.
Paul.
Thread fit is not overly critical. It's a simple angle table to clamp into my vise. I will slow my spindle down and figure out how to release the return spring on the quill and give it a try. Im sure the spindle will reverse on the turn of the switch...not sure if thats good practice or not?
Is there a name on the cheaper power tapping heads? I did a search on ebay, but not much is coming up.
Is there a name on the cheaper power tapping heads? I did a search on ebay, but not much is coming up.
i power tap with my rf30 all the time. the trick to it is a jog and reverse feature. you must use a starter relay in order to set up these functions but believe me its worth it . i tap up to 1/2 -13 in steel with no trouble. the rf30 has a spring loaded quill so you have to put some pressure on the down feed as if you were drilling a hole. the same holds true when you reverse to back out the tap, the quill will fly up once the tap clears the hole if you dont hang on. motor starters and or relays tend to be expensive if purchased new, i found mine at a local scrap yard on an old piece of equipment. i think i paid ten bucks. if you havnt made friends with your local scarp yard owner ,do so ,these places are gold mines for home shop machinsts.
larryr
I was able to power tap with it. I swapped the belts to slow it down as much as possible. Lined the hole up and chucked the tap in the drill chuck. Lubed the tap and lowered the quill down and the tap took hold. I kept a light downward pressure and was able to feel the tap operation as its cutting. Once cut through, turned the spindle off and reversed the tap back out. 60 more holes to go...glad I'm hand tapping them! I should make a short video...
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2012
- Messages
- 7,864
Good to hear you got it worked out but I also would highly recommend a tapping head if you tap multiple holes often. I got a really nice complete Tapmatic on ebay for $200 but they can be had for half that if you keep an eye out & don't care about condition much. I had to tap 140 blind holes not too long ago & it only took me 2 hrs. Never again will I tap without the head for multiple holes. It's just so much easier.