In need of tap and die set.

[RoninB4]

Taps must be form relieved ,ground thread .....el cheapo rolled thread ''gold plated'' taps take massivee force due to drag and break in the hole

-I agree with the postings from the gent "Down Under". I fully disagree with buying used unless you know how a dull tap feels and whether the cutting edges are chipped. If there's just paint in the holes this can often be cleared out with a same size/pitch fastener that's had a "flute" (small channel) cut into it that collects the debris. Less expensive than cheap taps and won't shatter like a cheap/dull tap often will. Every garage hack should have or begin a set of these.

.......a GTD tap cuts freely without drag

-OSG and Guhring are two other makers of industrial quality taps/dies.

 

[toplessHO]

I have a few sets of Crapsman Kromedge.
They do the job if you pay attention.
Caution is that the newer ones seem to get surface rust but wont bother the performance.

 

[four.cycle]

49 piece Chinese rethreader kit down to $35.99 now.

added to cart.
wonder how low it will go?
check again tomorrow.

 

[Chris F]

Nice thing about metric is the ease of determining the tap drill size, just subtract the thread pitch from the bolt diameter.

 

[whateg01]

Nice thing about metric is the ease of determining the tap drill size, just subtract the thread pitch from the bolt diameter.

Easy, sure. But it never lands on an even 1/64 size

 

[Chris F]

What better reason to spend more money on tools!

 

[MichaelP]

49 piece Chinese rethreader kit down to $35.99 now.

wonder how low it will go?

So they already offer to pay you $35.99 if you buy it, and you want less?

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I just sold a Matco tap and die set when I upgraded to Snap-on. All of my coworkers swear by the big Pittsburgh set and none of them have ever broken one. I like the old Hansen/Irwin USA made ones.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Start watching the GJ classifieds - I snagged a used but complete Snappy big set from a fellow board member here. Missing nothing. I STILL use the (deleted) out of it.

Seriously, our own backyard can be a pretty great resource.

 

[mikey03]

Easy, sure. But it never lands on an even 1/64 size

Time to buy drill bits incremented in 0.25mm I guess

honestly is there any reason they aren’t? Because for most of us in this age and day if we are drilling and it needs to be exact it prob needs to be metric for a metric tap or just a hole for a metric bolt. And if it doesn’t need to be exact like a pilot hole in dry wall or wood then it don’t matter if it’s 64ths or 0.25mm increments.

 

[four.cycle]

So they already offer to pay you $35.99 if you buy it, and you want less?

It's taken me well over a year to figure it out, but:
If you are shopping for some widget, find it on Amazon.com and put it into your "cart".
But don't buy it yet.
Wait a few hours. Or days. Go back and look again. Scroll down.
You'll find a whole mess of the same item listed for less money.
Every time.
So you pick out the cheapest of all the options shown, and put one of those in your cart.
Wait a few hours. Or a day.
Go back tomorrow and there are options for even cheaper!
Above is a textbook example.

I'll check it again tomorrow.
If it drops below $30.00 I'll buy one.
Otherwise, I have to drive across town to use the one I gave to my buddy a few weeks ago. Only need it for one thread on one widget.

 

[cgrutt]

It's taken me well over a year to figure it out, but:
If you are shopping for some widget, find it on Amazon.com and put it into your "cart".
But don't buy it yet.
Wait a few hours. Or days. Go back and look again. Scroll down.
You'll find a whole mess of the same item listed for less money.
Every time.
So you pick out the cheapest of all the options shown, and put one of those in your cart.
Wait a few hours. Or a day.
Go back tomorrow and there are options for even cheaper!
Above is a textbook example.

I'll check it again tomorrow.
If it drops below $30.00 I'll buy one.
Otherwise, I have to drive across town to use the one I gave to my buddy a few weeks ago. Only need it for one thread on one widget.

I do something similar with zoro add it to your cart but wait. They often send you a 10% coupon to encourage you to checkout. Wait a few more days and they'll send a 20% coupon. Done this at least 3 times IIRC.

 

[theoldwizard1]

On eBay, look for an old Craftsman Kromedge set. If the box looks clean, it probably has not had much use.

 

[wow1]

sent you a pm

 

[RoninB4]

Time to buy drill bits incremented in 0.25mm I guess

-Inch twist drills come in sizes other than 1/64" increments. There are "numbered" and "letter" sizes too, both fairly common and cover a range of in between sizes that can often approximate the metric tap drill sizes. Even common Inch sizes (10-32, 1/4-20, 5/16-18, etc) use number/letter drills. I've been doing this for decades and haven't come across a metric tap-drill size I couldn't find and inch equivalent for. The small difference of a couple of .001's really won't affect the function of the thread. Now if the fitment class (several) is critical then you'll know to use the correct tooling. For what most members here will come across the thread class of fitment isn't critical.

honestly is there any reason they aren’t?

-See the above post

Because for most of us in this age and day if we are drilling and it needs to be exact it prob needs to be metric for a metric tap

-Exact is a relative word that depends upon the function. For tapping, whether inch or metric the tap-drill size should be within +/- .005-.007 or so. Thread form of 65% is considered adequate (and even preferable) in many machine shops, the last 35% (thread crests and roots) of full size doesn't provide a meaningful amount of strength that affects the function of a good design. Yes it's better to hit the specs but....

or just a hole for a metric bolt.

-Standard machine tool practice for a clearance hole is up to 1/32" oversize, depending upon the function of that hole and how it was created.

And if it doesn’t need to be exact like a pilot hole in dry wall or wood then it don’t matter if it’s 64ths or 0.25mm increments.

-Pilot holes are a different application and a different discussion. Every geometric feature has rules, guidelines, and parameters. If a person doesn't know what those are, for any given geometric feature, then that person doesn't really know what/why they're doing it. Not trying to be a jerk about this I'm trying to encourage others to do some reading so they DO know what/why they're doing things or ask questions instead of the Poke-N-Hope approach used by many.

 

[MichaelP]

I do something similar with zoro add it to your cart but wait. They often send you a 10% coupon to encourage you to checkout. Wait a few more days and they'll send a 20% coupon. Done this at least 3 times IIRC.

And if you wait just a bit longer, they will owe you money.

 

[steve855]

I have 2 Craftsman sets -sae and metric-that my wife bought me as a gift years ago, probably late 1990s or early 2000s. As the more frequently used taps become worn, I replace with Hertel or similar industrial quality from Mcmaster-Carr. Some sizes I have multiple types (plug, bottoming, etc) because I've needed them. For instance, M6x1 is all over japanese motorcycles so I have multiple taps and thread chasers in that size.

The difference between a cheap or worn tap and a sharp high quality tap when cutting new threads is huge, and easy to notice. Just chasing paint out of threads, nearly anything will work. Cut a groove in appropriate size screw with a cutoff wheel and have at it.