Mr petes mini tap wrench

[HansenJC]

Bob, I appreciate your thoughts on this topic, but can you recommend any one of the alternative AND include a link to their users manual and specifications. Are all small tools of all brands and manufacturers receiving no basic support from the manufacturers? Is everything a game of chance and we must figure it all out AFTER it gets delivered and we own it? The underlying issue is finding products that have written specifications and users manuals.
And yes I would prefer a brand name that I recognize with the hope that the instructions come in English. This is not what I call a fetish. What I am also looking for is products that have the specification on the Amazon Listing.
I guess I didn't write my first post clearly enough. For the cost of a $20 tap follower, I wanted to tap a thread not make a shop project. So sorry I messed it up. I will work harder next time at writing my posts more clearly.

 

[Bob Korves]

John, a tap follower is a simple tool, and does not need 4 decimal place accuracy or concentricity. You just want something to hold the tap in line with the spindle of the machine well enough that the tap goes into the work in line with the spindle of the machine. Doing it without a guide by hand is far more haphazard. Taps, drill chucks, tail stocks, lathe spindles, and yes, tap followers are all imperfect. Slightly. You can get an inexpensive Chinese tap follower or a more expensive B&S Chinese made tap follower. My own tap follower is a Micro tap guide, made by Fisher machine products, Hawthorne, California (now part of Carter tools.) It has a ground reversible follower plunger that has a ground 60 degree female center at one end and a 60 degree point at the other end. The shank is ground to 1/2" diameter and about 2" long. The spring loaded follower is 3/16" in diameter, protrudes about .600", and has about .250+" of travel under spring pressure. It works just fine, no issues at all. To use the tool, it is mounted in a drill chuck or other holder, and the spring loaded follower is placed on the shank end of the tap, using the appropriate end to fit taps with a male 60 degree pointed shank or a female 60 degree center hole. The tap is pushed into the drilled hole, and pressure is applied by the tailstock to preload the internal spring in the tap follower. The tap is then turned to enter the work. When it reaches the end of the spring tension, the tailstock is advanced to compress the spring again, and repeated until the tap is to final depth in the work. The tool did not come with any instructions at all, but I was somehow able to figure out how to use it properly. It is a fine tool and I am 100% happy with it. I bought it from Enco (now part of MSC) about 10 years ago.
http://www.cartertools.com/fmpdtg.html

 

[ThinWoodsman]

In this image I see what is similar to a B&S tap follower or equal. I was considering buying a Brown & Sharpe 599-792-30 Adjustable Spring Tensioned Tap Guide and I am unable to find specifications for this tool and I am also unable to find instructions for how it works. I am a very intuitive person when it comes to figureing out almost any tool once it is in my hand(s). But this concerns me that I do not know how to find stuff on the internet like owners manuals and product specifications. Any help will be appreciated.

On a lathe they're great, and pretty intuitive once you start setting everything up. You have the work in the spindle, the tap in the tap wrench, the tap guide in a chuck in the tailstock. You move the tailstock forward (headstockward) until the tap is able to cut, then lock the tailstock and start turning the tap wrench.
Of course, if you are doing this all in a lathe, you can just use a center instead of the tap guide. Does the same thing, except the tap guide has an internal spring to guide the tap as it goes in, and the center doesn't require use of a tailstock chuck.

I bought the B&S tap guide for use in a drill press, and there it proved a disappointment. The table on my drill press is mounted on a round column and will rotate when raised or lowered, so I avoid moving it whenever possible. Setting this all up while keeping one hand on the quill downfeed lever gets a bit fiddly. I gave up and just put the tap in the chuck, move the spindle by hand until the thread is started and I can move to a hand-held tap wrench.