Tap, and die handles

Nice collection of tooling mmcmdl, one of those facing and boring heads is on my short list one of these days.

I have been collecting tap and die tooling through the years, but it is getting harder to find decent tools that will last. Almost everything I have in tap and dies is vintage stock. I like the older (and new) Starrett and older General T tap handles. The General T handles, you want the older stock which NOS made in the US. The later handles are made in India and are junk, same goes for Greenfield. The older General T handles are available in both ratchet and non-ratchet. I have the ratchet ones, useful for tight spaces, but they are getting harder to find. I also have a smaller Starrett (93A) T handle which works great. I have Starrett and a few other US NOS tap wrenches. I purchased a newer Greenfield Tap wrench and it was absolute junk and got returned. I couldn't find any decent older wrenches and ended up getting a Starrett 91B. I also have a larger older USA made Greenfield #8 tap wrench which is great, but vintage tools are getting harder to find and pricey. I also have a few tap extensions which come in handy. I made my own tap and die holders for both my mill and my lathe.

I primarily run round dies because they are adjustable, which I prefer. I also have an older set of double hex dies from Snap-On which are adjustable, but replacements are getting harder to find and expensive. Holders for the round dies are nothing special, but the older vintage ones are far better. I have purchased taps/dies lots on eBay of mostly new round dies and various taps, but also like to buy the 3 set boxes for the most common taps that I commonly use. I always keep backups, because you know they are going to break when you are in the middle of a project. I discard the taps if they get a twist to them, they tend to fatigue with repeated use and will break.

I don't have the time to go tool hunting, and I do not have the room to store all the extra stuff. So I buy less and usually to pay a bit more, but get only what I need.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-GENER...S-164-166-LOT-OF-2-ORIGINAL-BOXS/113358132053
https://www.ebay.com/itm/GENERAL-16...T-T-HANDLE-NO-2-TO-2-TAP-USA-NEW/281802072994
 
mksj , it's a hard sell these days as to real tools vs. disposable . I'll take my 40 year old " not pretty " tooling over whatever , whomever sells what nowadays . Most of what is sold today is junk , throw away , expendable . cast vs forged , etc . It's called progress .
 
Aukai said:
Looking for recommendations for tap, and die handles, I saw a Gearwrench set that looked interesting. Most I've seen are Chinesieum quality, even in the sets now.
Thank you.
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I got a GearWrench set a couple of years ago. I like the handles, they're ratcheting, a little on the sloppy side, but feel good in the hand and are nice for tapping in a space where you can't get full rotation. The dies are hex and made for cutting threads, not re-threading or chasing. The kit came with taps and dies for #8 to 3/4 in course and fine , 1 to 18 metric in different pitches, BPT to 1/2 and NPT to 1/2{taps only}. The taps cut over and the dies cut under so they make a real sloppy fit, especially when used together. The 45 year old Craftsman set I inherited make a lot nicer threads, and fortunatly will work in the Gearwrench handles. I wouldn't buy the Gearwrench set again and would have sent them back if I hadn't waited several months to use them after I got them.
 
Thanks DWT I have been looking at that on Ebay.
 
mikey said:
One of the most useful tap handles I have is from Walton; called a piloted spindle tapper. They're just a high quality tap handle with a shaft sticking out the back. The shaft goes into a chuck to keep a tap straight. Drill the hole, countersink and then tap without moving the part and you're assured the tap is straight. Walton no longer makes these so you either have to find NOS or make your own.
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I have a pair of these, they are the best. I use them all the time in both lathe and mill.
 
Make sure you get the made in Germany one, there is a made in China clone. I tossed the made in China after one attempt. Those are Canadian dollars, worth about .75 USD. If you are looking on Ebay for used ones, look check the British site. they use to make ones nicer than Starretts. British post isn't too bad. But you Americans are spoiled with your air parcel post.
 
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I looked on Ebay for the spindle tapper, all made in India, and not sure wheres.....I'll be patient. Everyone has had great input, thank you.
 
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