Number Drill Sets & Ba Tap sets

[Deltic007Participant @deltic007]

[Deltic007Participant @deltic007]

Hi,

 

Loking to buy some number drills and BA Tap/Die sets,Loads out there but any pointers to a good quality reasonable price UK supplier.

 

Thanks in advance

Edited By Hirstyboy on 11/12/2011 21:11:22

[Deltic007Participant @deltic007]

Hi,

Loking to buy some number drills and BA Tap/Die sets,Loads out there but any pointers to a good quality reasonable price UK supplier.

Thanks in advance

[Mike WainwrightParticipant @mikewainwright87512]

I have just bought some BA taps and dies from RDG Tools. Good quality and reasonable price.

 

You can get 5% discount if you order on line once you have placed your first order.

[Deltic007Participant @deltic007]

Thanks Mike.

 

I saw those,Are they HSS?

[MACParticipant @mac53652]

Hi. When I started out in the hobby a couple of years ago I bought myself several “sets”, including drills and taps/dies. It was a mistake.

 

You would be better off simply buying the drill sizes and taps/dies you need – but buying better quality. I would say 80% of my drills and taps that came as part of a set have not yet been used.

 

That’s what I’d do anyway.

 

Cheers.

[Mike WainwrightParticipant @mikewainwright87512]

I agree MAC. All you get when you buy sets is bad quality die holders and tap wrenches and taps and dies you will never use. You never use all the taps and dies. It’s better to look at teh drawings and buy the sizes you need.

 

I did buy a full set of imperial, number and letter drills but that was because they were on offer at screwfix at the time.

[Deltic007Participant @deltic007]

Think you have made my mind up guys!

 

Thanks

[David LittlewoodParticipant @davidlittlewood51847]

I would put forward a slightly different view. When I was starting out in the 80s I bought sets of taps and dies from Tracy tools. These were mostly carbon steel, but also mostly from reputable manufacturers. They served me well, but when the odd one got broken or wore out I would usually replace them with top quality new ones. That way you find out what you really use, but don’t pay a fortune for a set of which many never, or hardly ever, get used. Tracy still have similar sets for £20 (taps) and £22 (dies); obviously I can’t say whether the quality is the same as the one I bought all those years ago, but they are still in business. I see they now sell HSS sets at about twice the price. The sets have 11 sizes, 0 to 10 BA; if you want the smaller ones you will have to buy them as extras.

 

As for number drills, I bought a set of those many years ago, but if I could probably count the number of times I have used them on the fingers of one hand. They are rather an abomination, with totally inconsistent gaps between the sizes. I find a metric set – or rather two sets, 1.0 – 6.0 and 6.0 – 10.0 x 0.1 mm, serves virtually every need. The same pretty well goes for the letter drill set and the imperial set I have, the only virtue of the latter being that it goes up to 1/2″ (12.7 mm) so extends the range a bit.

 

David

[Martin Walsh 1Participant @martinwalsh1]

I really reccomend the tap and die co based in North London

http://www.tap-die.com They are very good quality

and will last a long time they do any thread size you could think of

even acme and lefthand threads. their box sets are very reasonablely priced

Best Wishes Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Terry LaneParticipant @terrylane]

Don’t get too hung up on HSS either – a good quality carbon tap will beat them hollow.

[David LittlewoodParticipant @davidlittlewood51847]

Tel,

 

You make a good point. The advantage of HSS for taps is that they are produced by grinding of the hard material, and are more accurate. CS taps are produced by cutting and then hardening, and may show some distortion (though from reputable manufacturers this should not be the case). In contrast, CS taps are (1) cheaper, (2) harder, and (3) can be softened by heat if you break one in the hole.

 

David

[gerry maddenParticipant @gerrymadden53711]

Taps and dies supplied by one source (if my memory is correct) are claimed to be made in “HQS” (high quality steel?). Does anyone know what material specification is actually used ?

 

Gerry

[NJHParticipant @njh]

I agree with David

 

I assume that, as you are looking at BA sizes, your projects are on the smaller side. If this is the case I would buy a set of metric drills 1mm – 6mm x 0.1 mm in a metal case. I doubt that with these you will need number drills in that range. The price of these sets is variable ( £25 ish upwards) which should cover many requirements. When individual drills break / wear out just replace those. When you only buy one or two the higher quality items are not so painful!

For BA threading, as a starter, – 0, 2,4,6 & 8 should cover it . Carbon steel is OK – reasonably priced and can be replaced if you find heavy use for any particular size.

(I have need for 10 & 12 BA on a current project and for these I have gone for HSS – but at a price!!)

 

Regards

 

Norman

Edited By NJH on 12/12/2011 15:33:56

[Billy MillsParticipant @billymills]

Would agree with David and Norman, buy a cheap set of metric drills 1-6 by 0.1 to start then replace the blunt/broken ones with quality European drills as needed.

The far eastern sets are very cheap and convenient from almost anywhere however as you progress you will appreciate the accuracy of the more expensive products and will only need to spend just as much as needed to top up the set.

 

Numbers and letters are pretty oddball these days, might be one of those things that sit on the shelf- apart from the sub 1mm sizes – although there is no great problem in buying small metric drills. The 0.1mm steps differ by roughly 0.004″ which is good enough for most jobs, the others you ream or bore anyway.

 

I don’t bother sharpening smaller drills – just replace with a good brand drill. One point -discussed at lenth elsewhere- is to check tapping drill sizes, slightly larger than dead tight is a very good idea, it does not weaken the thread significantly but greatly reduces the risk of tap breakage.

 

Billy.

PS measuring the shanks of the cheap imports can be interesting and explains their price.

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Greenwood Tools sell individual Dormer drills and the prices are fair. I use the PS2 style because they are self centering.

 

K

[Brian Dickinson 2Participant @briandickinson2]

Try these: http://www.tracytools.com/

 

They offer carbon and high speed

[Martin Walsh 1Participant @martinwalsh1]

Posted by gerry madden on 12/12/2011 15:02:59:

Taps and dies supplied by one source (if my memory is correct) are claimed to be made in “HQS” (high quality steel?). Does anyone know what material specification is actually used ?

 

Gerry

 

 

I think the term HQS is that the tap is made out of the highest quality C45 Carbon steel

Best Wishes Martin

 

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

Posted by gerry madden on 12/12/2011 15:02:59:

Taps and dies supplied by one source (if my memory is correct) are claimed to be made in “HQS” (high quality steel?). Does anyone know what material specification is actually used ?

 

 

Sounds like a typical Far-East euphemism to me.

[DustyParticipant @dusty]

On the contrary Sid. This is a British Company who claim that the taps and dies are manufactured in the U.K. I have used their tools for more years than I care to remember and have no complaints.

[S.D.L.Participant @s-d-l]

The HQS source is here,

http://www.tapdie.com/html/taps_metric_taps_metric_fine_t.html

I have asked them what it is as i had not heard of it elsewhere.

 

Steve Larner

[DustyParticipant @dusty]

 

 

Posted by Martin Walsh 1 on 12/12/2011 17:23:20:

Posted by gerry madden on 12/12/2011 15:02:59:

Taps and dies supplied by one source (if my memory is correct) are claimed to be made in “HQS” (high quality steel?). Does anyone know what material specification is actually used ?

 

Gerry

 

 

I think the term HQS is that the tap is made out of the highest quality C45 Carbon steel

Best Wishes Martin

 

 

I think that C45 is of a similar spec to EN8

 

 

 

 

 

Edited By Dusty on 13/12/2011 10:18:44

[Robert DoddsParticipant @robertdodds43397]

Is nobody going to offer advice based on the material range that is going to drilled or tapped?

Few would expect to work Silver Steel or Stainless with even the best carbon steel tools unless it was in an emergency repair or something yet these materials often.feature in quite small models.

Bob D

[Billy MillsParticipant @billymills]

Bob, you have to read between the lines on a lot of questions.If you seek advice on drills taps and dies that suggests someone is starting out in the hobby so they need the general run-of-the-mill tooling for general work with easy to work materials- could be wrong but the questioner is an early poster and there is no other data.

 

So there is no point in talking about machining exotic materials at this level, that would ony create complexity where none were needed. That kind of answer can only follow on from specifying the particular material.

 

Sometimes however your crystal ball can get foggy, there was a question a while ago about stopping machines rusting in a workshop. All kinds of helpful comments about keeping North European workshops warm and dry were made then the initiator revealed he lived in the Tropics.

 

Billy.

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Posted by Robert Dodds on 13/12/2011 10:50:48:

Is nobody going to offer advice based on the material range that is going to drilled or tapped?

Few would expect to work Silver Steel or Stainless with even the best carbon steel tools unless it was in an emergency repair or something yet these materials often.feature in quite small models.

Bob D

 

Hi Bob,

 

I’m not sure about stainless having never really much experience using it except to know that it work hardens easily while working it, but silver steel is supplied at around 27 Rockwell while good carbon taps are supplied to cut materials up to 45 Rockwell. So decent carbon taps and dies should cope easily with silver steel. I’ve never had any problems with that combination. Having said that I’ll probably break the next carbon tap I use in Silver Steel now that I know that I shouldn’t use it.

Best regards

Terry

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