Post by shooter on Mar 1, 2015 16:23:20 GMT
I have been asked for more information on the little tapping stand I have made. It was on the edge of a photo on another thread and has generated more comments than the origional post!!!!!
The stand as was purchased at a boot sale for £2.(I believe, from Lidl when new) is for an electric drill. It is quite light and I don't think it would be very stable with a drill attached. Would need bolting down anyway.
I had seen something similar in the modeling mag and thought a good idea. I have no plans as it was made as I went along.
First remove all the plastic bits and bobs and the levers used to raise and lower the drill as they are no use to us. The nut was removed from the column clamp and a bit of bar drilled and threaded and a tommy bar fitted to save using a spanner every time the need to adjust the height.
The main lump was then inverted to give more room beneath the tap.
A piece of steel was then machined to be a close fit in the head where the drill would have fitted. This has a 1/8" lip on it to stop it from sliding right through and is drilled and reamed 1/2" to take the shaft. (The lip is not really needed but was the origional size of the bar) This is clamped in place of the drill
The chuck was salvaged from a long defunct Black & Decker and a lenght of 1/2" silver steel was screw cut 1/2"x 20 and the chuck fitted with a blob of lock tight. The other end was fitted with another bit of larger scrap box bar, having been knurled to aid grip and held in place with another tommy bar. In practice I have not needed the tommy bar as suficient purchase is obtained on the knurl for most ba taps. You will, of course, remember to slide the steel coller on before fitting the knurled bit!! I have also put a rubber O ring on the shaft as it stops the shaft dropping down when you let go and either stabbing your finger or, even worse, breaking your tap!!
Tapping stand 004 by snowy owl2, on Flickr
Tapping stand 003 by snowy owl2, on Flickr
Tapping stand 002 by snowy owl2, on Flickr
I seem to remember on the one in the mag the recess on the top of the now upturned main casting was filled with car body filler and the whole thing spray painted to match the rest of your workshop but I found it a usefull place to store the chuck key.
I hope you may find this of use and I am sure we will see some far better conversions than mine in the future.
A friend of mine has made one almost identicle using the exact same stand and has also found it a boon for tapping small threads and getting them square to the hole. I don't think either of us has broken a tap since we made them. My last job was tapping 10ba threads in bronze and it was a breese. Well worth the time to make it.
Cheers for now,
Steve.
The stand as was purchased at a boot sale for £2.(I believe, from Lidl when new) is for an electric drill. It is quite light and I don't think it would be very stable with a drill attached. Would need bolting down anyway.
I had seen something similar in the modeling mag and thought a good idea. I have no plans as it was made as I went along.
First remove all the plastic bits and bobs and the levers used to raise and lower the drill as they are no use to us. The nut was removed from the column clamp and a bit of bar drilled and threaded and a tommy bar fitted to save using a spanner every time the need to adjust the height.
The main lump was then inverted to give more room beneath the tap.
A piece of steel was then machined to be a close fit in the head where the drill would have fitted. This has a 1/8" lip on it to stop it from sliding right through and is drilled and reamed 1/2" to take the shaft. (The lip is not really needed but was the origional size of the bar) This is clamped in place of the drill
The chuck was salvaged from a long defunct Black & Decker and a lenght of 1/2" silver steel was screw cut 1/2"x 20 and the chuck fitted with a blob of lock tight. The other end was fitted with another bit of larger scrap box bar, having been knurled to aid grip and held in place with another tommy bar. In practice I have not needed the tommy bar as suficient purchase is obtained on the knurl for most ba taps. You will, of course, remember to slide the steel coller on before fitting the knurled bit!! I have also put a rubber O ring on the shaft as it stops the shaft dropping down when you let go and either stabbing your finger or, even worse, breaking your tap!!
Tapping stand 004 by snowy owl2, on FlickrTapping stand 003 by snowy owl2, on FlickrTapping stand 002 by snowy owl2, on FlickrI seem to remember on the one in the mag the recess on the top of the now upturned main casting was filled with car body filler and the whole thing spray painted to match the rest of your workshop but I found it a usefull place to store the chuck key.
I hope you may find this of use and I am sure we will see some far better conversions than mine in the future.
A friend of mine has made one almost identicle using the exact same stand and has also found it a boon for tapping small threads and getting them square to the hole. I don't think either of us has broken a tap since we made them. My last job was tapping 10ba threads in bronze and it was a breese. Well worth the time to make it.
Cheers for now,
Steve.
