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Video: How to tap screw holes
very informative thank you
Hello I always use the 2-56 tap for all my HO models, in your video you had shown a 1-72 tap what is this size used for.
Thanks
Whats the best sizes for N-Scale
well done & informative
As a machinist ,I find if Cody used a drill block , the pin vise he is holding will not wabble around as the wobbleing makes the hole out of round and could cause the tap to go in off center. When taping the hole , using the drill block again will keep the tap straight to the work piece . Better yet if one has a drill press , a tap block can be made for the various size bits one encounters modeling.
Really needed to know how to do this. I have never drilled and tapped before on this small of scale.
Great video! You may want to purchase one tap/drill set for metal and another for plastic/resins. Sets used on metals and then on plastics may damage the later.
Very helpful video
Can one forgo the tapping process and just screw in the screw? If the hole is just a bit smaller than the screw, would this work?
There must be a reason to actually tap then put in the screw – what is it?
Tx!
Nice video, although I would have drilled into a piece of wood rather than marring up the nice mat. It would have been helpful to briefly mention the types of taps (tapering, plug, and bottoming) and which one you were using and why.
Very nice video. Insightful comments about metal & plastic taps and the differing types of taps. Processes when done by experienced people seem so simple when in fact there are many nuances to the task. If you could follow up on the questions, that would be great.
Very helpful video
Very well done.
To add to my earlier comments. Unless you are standing directly above the piece, tapping something sitting down is very awkward. If possible, I find that it’s better to hold the piece in my left hand and tap the hole with my right. (Or right and left, if you are left-handed.) The important thing is that the tap be perfectly straight with the hole (and not angled) while you tap the hole. Therefore, the angle you hold both pieces at together is not important as long as the tap and hole are in alignment with one another.
I get better feedback between the tap and the hole while I’m tapping (very important!) when I can hold both at an angle that is comfortable. This will allow you to tell if the tap is binding in the hole and/or whether you need to back off a 1/4 turn to clear debris. You might liken it to a bottle and cork screw. You can place the bottle directly on top of the table to remove the cork but it’s easier to extract the cork with the bottle and cork screw comfortably in your hand - even if it’s completely off the table.
Also, with most styrene and a shallow thru-hole (vs. blind hole), you can usually rotate the T-handle/tap two to three (2-3) 1/4-turns at a time before backing off a 1/4 turn. And when you back off that 1/4-turn, it’s also a good idea to rotate the tap back 'n forth in the hole a 1/4 turn a few times (to clear out debris) before continuing to cut threads in the hole.
Lastly, yes - let the tap do the cutting. However, you will need to apply some “gentle pressure” initially with a tapered tap inside the hole in order for the tap to bite into the material and start cutting.
Grate tools to use I have never use the kadee ones before do u know where I can get about 5 of them so I finish 55 pieces of scratch built rolling stock and I have looked In my hobby shops thay don’t have them I tryed looking online still no luck can someone Help I got less than 2 months to be complete
Hey Cody,that was very helpful info but I’m stuck trying to find the centre point to start my hole,do you have any advise. Also need a hole to attach a coupler pocket.
Cody,
I just watched this video because I just bought the Kadee #246 tap and drill set. If I understood the video, the Tap Drill is used first, followed by the tap itself. What is the clearance Drill #43 included in this kit used for?
Thank you in advance! John Dionne