I used to be a foreign car mechanic, so I have a wide variety of tools. However. I have found that using one of my three my drill presses to feed a thread tap assures me of it being straight. Probably not news to anyone, but thought I would offer it anyway! By the way, I have four cabinet saws, eight routers, four bandsaws, two wood lathes, and I usually keep them set up for different operations. Just bragging, I guess!

I get what you are saying.  I have multiples of some tools and find an advantage in that.  I also use the lathe for starting taps.  Works well for drilling and tapping down the center of things that can be chucked in the lathe.

Great tip Woodie!

Worked at an Injection  Molding shop for a while, before PlastiPak....They had one drill press set up to tap a part.   The handle for carry-around O2 tanks.   They used a gear box like thing, press down..tap would run in, release...tap would reverse and withdraw...there was a Brass insert we molded into the center hub.  1 drill press to drill through the plastic rim, then into the plastic and brass hub, move 2 steps to the right, and run the "tapper mill"...both were "benchtop" machines, so they could be rolled away, when not needed.   Both had jigs to hold the part in place.    We had to also trim any flash, place a brass insert in the mold before the next part was made...allow 12 parts to cool down.   Had a T bar with a bolt, to check the threads.    Air hose to blow things clean..jigs and parts....usual output in 8 hours was 700+ parts...

 

Prefer to hand tap things, better control for me...unless it is doing pipes for plumbing....they make a machine, for that...taps and dies.

Good tips.  Thanks. I was imagining turning on the motor to drive the taps.  Now I understand it is for alignment purposes.  Great ideas.  

On 6/13/2019 at 12:09 AM, FlGatorwood said:

I was imagining turning on the motor to drive the taps. 

I am sure someone has made the attempt.  Now a video would be priceless...

7 hours ago, Woodbutcherbynight said:

I am sure someone has made the attempt.  Now a video would be priceless...

I’m that guy.  When I was still working and had multiple holes to tap, I’d ratchet the speed way down and lightly tighten the tap in the chuck.  That way, the chuck would slip rather than break the tap.  If you play it right, the tap will self feed and draw itself in.  Of course, you just bump the power on.  Bridgeport mill works well also.

There's an app for that

 

Hmmm...we have ways...

From a (too small) "T" wrench..to..

A bit bigger...and then...

I use a cordless drill...

 

13 hours ago, Ron Dudelston said:

I’d ratchet the speed way down

This is the step many would ignore, and go full speed.  Then the trip to the ER and explaining what happened to the wife.

 

On a side note DO NOT EVER use the drill press as a paint stirrer.  Neighbor thought this was good idea.  Paint is still splattered all over his garage. 

 

That was 8 years ago I believe. 

On the assembly lines at Honda around here...the Team  Leaders always have a special  tap in their pocket....made to fit the air-powered drills used to drive the bolts and screws....in case there was a "bad" hole alignment....then the assembler would switch out the nut driver tip for the tap, "run the hole" replace with a nut driver again, and drive the bolt home.  And hand the tap back to the TL...until needed..

This spring-loaded guide fits into the center machined in the top of a tap wrench, follows the tap down as it cuts and keeps it straight Spring-Loaded Tap Guide - with the chuck centered over the hole and the guide clamped in the chuck, set the

tap into the hole and lower the chuck until the point is compressed. As you turn the tap, the point keeps the tap aligned with the hole.

 

Or, you could go with something like this V-Tap Guide