Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Tool question

Dear all .... I'm sure there are those on the forum who know far more about tools than me.

Just had to tap out a thread in an awkward place (no room to swing a normal tap-holder)

Why don't they make the shank of taps as a hex rather than a square?

A six-sider would still grip in a tap-holder well enough (if you're having to gorilla it down the hole you've done something very wrong) but it would give the option of using standard small sockets with the associated variety of extensions/t-bars/driver handles etc for those times you're not just tapping something neatly flat in a vice.

Seems like a no-brainer ... what am I missing.

K

Ps ... annoyingly the current choices of square shank don't even jam in a socket as a bush-fix, but always fall between two consecutive sizes.

Very good question- seems like a no-brainer to me. Maybe they need you to buy the square handles to make more profit?

I use a T style tap holder, you can even get ratchet ones

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BYZG5...TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1

Or the ultimate option...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hanson-309...d_r=7cedd973-debf-4187-a524-6eda8d1a2dc5

It's probably to do with clamping pressure on the tap by the tap holder.

What I have done is filed a square in the centre of a nut so that it fits the the shank of the tap and then used a rachet spanner to turn the tap..

Arwyn

Think its something to do with the taps fitting the auto tapping device that would fit radial arm drilling machines for mass production .just thinking aloud?.

Sounds like it might be one of those legacy things we're now stuck with due to the amount of kit out there designed for the current system .... though, with taps being quite brittle, I'm sure I could snap a six sided shank on one with a socket before the hex rounded off.

Cooperman ... never really looked beyond my current toolkit ... thanks for the lead to the ratchet tap-holders ... more tools though!! ... hex shank would let us use the full range of driving implements and extensions we already have sat there ... but then, that doesn't keep us doing our bit as good consumers!🙂 🙂

Arwyn ... that appeals to my 'make do and mend' side ... I can see me getting out my needle-files and squaring-out a suitable range of nuts ... might even thread them onto an old keyring so I still have them to hand when I need them (or, more likely, find they're all misplaced at the same time 🙂)

Thanks for the replies guys

K

Ps .... business opening there for someone to make a little set of 1/4" sockets with the relevant square business ends to fit the current tap shanks

Pps ... seems they already do ... just googled 'tap shank sockets' and there they were 🙂

I would always work with the square drive using a conventional V jaw tap wrench and improvising when not possible. These make It easier to start thread square to tapping hole. Don't forget to break swarf off tap with a quarter turn back every full cutting turn though.

It helps to have a range of tap wrenches to best suit space available. Although I have one or two I've never had much luck getting enough purchase with the adjustable jaw T bar type.

Richard ... agree completely .... though with my old and misused foundlings I seem to be quite often chasing out threads (or going a size bigger) that have been mangled by previous owners ... and they're often in odd, inaccessible places ... so flexibility counts for me.

May just bite the bullet and get a little tap shank socket set ... it will spend a lot of time on the shelf, but when I do need it then it will be worth the modest outlay in avoided struggle and annoyance! 🙂

K

The advantage with the square drive is that a simple tap wrench can then fit any tap within a given size range, metric UN or Whit. If you make a hex drive who, how and when are the standards for the hex going to be defined??? Without standards the whole point of what you are trying to achieve will be lost. Just MHO.

I have some chuck type wrenches which work well. I have made long extensions for one off jobs in the past. I have also used a small adjustable spanner to get into an awkward spot. I have seen people use a battery drill for tapping thin sheet, I have not tried this. Looks a bit dodgy!

Cooperman’s hex drive chuck types are new to me, looks a good idea.

My "tip of the day" award goes to Arwyn for his file a nut to fit, simple and easy to do.
Cheers
John.

Reading this thread just made me r4alise something - in all the years I've been working on bikes and cars, I've never needed to cut a thread on anything other than a part in the lathe, on the bench or held in a vice. I must have tapped hundreds of holes over the years, but never had any issues with access. Lucky me I suppose!