Need someone to tap a square bar for carbide tips

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endacoz

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Because Captain Eddie is not back on his feet yet, I was wondering if anyone else is willing to tap some bars similar to how Captian eddie does his 1/2 square bars.

I bought a combo package from him with 2 1/2" bars and 9 cutters. I am very happy with it. Yes it's not shinny and doesn't have a handle, but for the price I am not complaining.

I was going to wait until he (Good old Captain Eddie) gets back to making these but my dad is wanting to get into some bowl turning and I'd like to take the bars and turn nice handles on them for him. I need to have these much sooner than later, like in the next week or so.

Looking for 2 1/2" x 1/2" bar tapped to fit carbide cutters like captain eddies as I will probably continue to buy cutters from his as they appear to be still in stock on his website. Is his "Management" still running his business?

I tried to find a youtube video showing how to thread the bar but didn't find what I was looking for. Is this a very hard thing to do on my own?
 
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Cmiles1985

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I am honestly not trying to be a smarta--, but if you google "how to tap a hole" some good info comes up. That is how I learned so that I could mount my fence to my bandsaw.
 

alankulwicki7

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Not sure if I'll have time in the next week because I'm gearing up for a show in two weeks but I might be able to help you out. Let me know what size screws you have and I'll see if I have a tap the right size. We can go from there...
 

endacoz

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I was looking online at the big box stores and I could not find a solid square bar. I've been googled some other things and realized I am within 1 mile of this discount steel place.I know nothing about metalthere are too many options from this company do you guys suggest a certain type from this website?
http://www.discountsteel.com/items/Bar.cfm
That will be best for making handles and still not impossible to tap.
 
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wyone

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Sharon from here suggested that she went to Harbor Freight, bought their large prybar set that has screwdriver handles, and drilled and tapped them and has been using those for quite a while. I am thinking I need to get to Harbor Freight in the next day or so myself :)
 

monophoto

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Drilling and tapping the hole for mounting the cutter is relatively simple, and the tools you need can be found at Ace Hardware.

The first thing to do is verify the size of the screw. Clark mentioned #6-32 - I know that some of the cutters I bought from Capt Eddie came with those screws, but others came with a different size. So check the size first. If nothing else, you can take a screw to the hardware store to use the gauge in the small parts department to confirm the size.

If it is a #6 screw, then you will need a #36 bit to drill the hole, and a #6-32 tap to thread that hole. You will also need a tap wrench (you could make do with a set of vice grips) and some light oil.

Put some oil on the drill bit when drilling the hole. Heat from friction will cause the oil to evaporate away, so you will need to refresh the oil several times until the hole is all the way through the bar.

After drilling the hole, use a file (or coarse sandpaper) to smooth both the top and bottom face of the bar to remove any burrs around the hole, and then mount the bar in a bench vise.

With the tap held in the tap wrench (or vise grips), and with a little oil on the tap and in the hole, SLOWLY advance it into the hole. The key here is to work very SLOWLY, turning the tap no more than a quarter of a turn, backing it out, and then advancing another quarter of a turn, etc. A #6-32 tap is small and very brittle, and it's very easy to snap off the tap if you get too aggressive. And when that happens, the broken tap generally will be irretrievably trapped in the bar, so you will have to cut off the bar, drill a new hole, and then start the threading process over with a new tap. (Which means that it might make sense to buy TWO taps when you are at the hardware store so that you avoid a return trip.) DAMHIKT.
 

Cmiles1985

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Good call on the smaller bit! The last time I was doing some tooling, I was tapping several holes for both #6 and #10 screws. A #10 uses a #24 drill. That is very good advice in monophoto's post.

Lubricate, lubricate, lubricate!
 

endacoz

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bought some steel

I went to the discount steel retail store and bought!
 

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Curly

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To add to what Louie said. If you're using a drill press to make your hole, and you should if you have one, take the tap and put it in the drill press chuck and HAND TURN it into the drilled hole to start the threads perpendicular to the hole. After a couple turns release the tap and finish off using the tap handle. A small Crescent wrench is, IMHO, better than vice grips if you don't have a tap handle.
 

endacoz

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won't be able to actually try this until tomorrow probably. But when thinking about it what is the best way to clamp the round bar down so that it doesn't move on the drill press table? I will be using a Shopsmith for the drill press.

for 30 dollars there is a 60 piece tap and die set at menards that might work for me doing the threading.
 

monophoto

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IMO, the best thing to use when clamping a steel bar to a steel drill press table is a c-clamp. The main thing is to use something that won't get in your way (avoid long bar clamps), and something that will hold (avoid spring clamps). I use a drill press vise, but don't clamp it to the table - the weight is enough to keep it from moving around.

I'm not familiar with Menards, but I suspect that a 60 piece tap and die set is made from high carbon steel. That's fine for tapping wood, plastic, aluminum and copper. And it may also work for tapping mild steel bar stock if you work carefully. At least, it will give you a tap and a tap handle to start the process. If the tap breaks, you can always pick up a high-speed tap at the hardware store to replace it.
 

endacoz

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I measured the threads on the screw supplied by Capt Eddie and the are 10x24. Guy at the store said to use a #25. Sound right?
 

endacoz

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I will be trying it myself this holiday weekend, if things don't go as planned, I will find another option! I'll keep you offer open.
 

Sawdust1825

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Get a tap handle and tapping lube. A pair of vise grips or a crescent wrench on a small tap is a recipe for disaster. The suggestion to start the tap with the drill chuck is great advice. You need to back the tap up every 1/4 turn or so to break the chip. Just makes it go smoother and less likely to break the tap.
 

randyrls

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I noticed the other day that Home Depot has a package that contains the tap and matching drill bit. I thought it is a cool idea, but I have lots of taps and drill bits..
 

endacoz

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thank you all for the encouragement!

A little after midnight I decided to head to the shop to attempt to tap threads into my steel bar.

Total success. But I ended up just threading the entire thing by spinning back and forth the sanding wheel on the backside of the headstock of my Shopsmith, so that no thing moved and it kept it perfectly straight so I didn't have to use the small T handle tap wrench that I bought. I kept it lubed up really well with cutting oil like you guys advised. This weekend I will grind the rest of the steel bar to get it angled correctly and then I will turn ash handles.

I hope this turns out to be a great Christmas present for my father!



what do you guys recommend for a finish on a tool handle?
 

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