monark88
Member
Should I get "bottom" or a "plug" taps. Or does it make a difference?
Russ
Russ
taps
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Curly
Member
The reason for wanting a bottoming tap is that when you cut threads in a translucent or transparent material you can have the threads end cleanly. If you cut them with the plug tap there will be threads fading out past the point where they are needed and you see them through the material. So when you make your threads you cut a couple three turns with the plug tap and then change to the bottoming tap to cut another couple three turns to finish off.
It is entirely a preference thing of whether you are okay with the thread fade out (my description, not an official one
) or like them only be as long as needed.
It is entirely a preference thing of whether you are okay with the thread fade out (my description, not an official one
) or like them only be as long as needed.
It depends on your designs and whether you care if the extra threads show through on translucent materials. If you use a plug tap on translucent pen blanks the extra partial threads that are cut will show. With a bottoming tap you can control that. If your using metal parts with a shoulder that the threads run into a bottoming tap would be handy.
It really depends on the threaded hole requirement or spec, but for me a taper tap will always be my first choice. I believe that it is the least stressfull to the material being threaded. The tap lasts longer too.
The difference between taper, plug and bottom is purely the amount cuts per turn of the tap to produce a fully cut thread.
For example, a taper tap will typically need about 8 to 9 full rotations to fully cut each thread. It effectively takes smaller bites per revolution.
A bottom tap is used when you need the thread to extend as deeply as possible into a blind or shouldered hole. Because of the need to fully thread the hole, there is very little taper on the front of the tap.
This of course means that the threads are being cut much more aggressively and can put a lot of pressure on the material. ( easy to split a blank.
A Plug tap is somewhere in between. It's a compromise between a taper and a bottom tap.
I have yet to see a real need for either a plug or bottom tap in pen making. :biggrin:
Mmmm....I just seen the reference to the translucent blanks showing fading out threads. This of course is personal taste but to me, ANY visible threads on the inside of a blank are just butt ugly.....but thats just me:biggrin:
The difference between taper, plug and bottom is purely the amount cuts per turn of the tap to produce a fully cut thread.
For example, a taper tap will typically need about 8 to 9 full rotations to fully cut each thread. It effectively takes smaller bites per revolution.
A bottom tap is used when you need the thread to extend as deeply as possible into a blind or shouldered hole. Because of the need to fully thread the hole, there is very little taper on the front of the tap.
This of course means that the threads are being cut much more aggressively and can put a lot of pressure on the material. ( easy to split a blank.
A Plug tap is somewhere in between. It's a compromise between a taper and a bottom tap.
I have yet to see a real need for either a plug or bottom tap in pen making. :biggrin:
Mmmm....I just seen the reference to the translucent blanks showing fading out threads. This of course is personal taste but to me, ANY visible threads on the inside of a blank are just butt ugly.....but thats just me:biggrin:
Last edited:
monark88
Member
thanks gents, I now can order some taps...and dies.
much appreciated. this helps me save a lot of time.
Russ
much appreciated. this helps me save a lot of time.
Russ