Taps & Dies

Just dug out the tap & die set and was giving a quick check over. It was a cheap set that got picked up in a hurry for a single use, but thankfully it has the M10x1.5 I need. The tap seems in reasonable condition but the die has fairly cruddy burr on the sides - in fact the cutting edges seem a little rough too. At this point I'm not interested in the die as I'll be buying in the bolts, but it did make me think about building up a replacement set.

I gather the best way to get quality taps & dies on a hobby budget is to get them individually as you need them (thereby spreading out the cost). Can anyone recommend a brand to get (or avoid)? For now I'm only interested in tapping the aluminium for the frame, would the advice differ based on the material?

I'm very pleased with the YG (black band I think) spiral point taps I got from Cutwell Tools. I also got a spiral point tap from RS Components made by Dormer and that is equally great.

I didn't know until I joined this forum, but spiral point taps are for thru-holes as they push the swarf out the end, and spiral flute taps are for blind holes as they lift the swarf. Both types are much better than the normal sort you find in DIY shops, they can be put in a cordless drill and eat aluminium like cheese cake.

YG-1 Machine Taps - Cutwel Products

Eitehr of the first two on that screen will do you nicely. The 'MU' ones are general purpose, black stripe.

I've been gradually replacing taps from my generic set with serial tap sets from Arc Euro Trade, however they're used for a mix of metals, and if you're doing a lot of holes, running 3 individual taps through to get the desired thread is a PITA.

If you're doing a lot of aluminium work, then get spiral taps specific for alu. They make the job far easier.

I buy the individual ones from RDGTools, seems to be priced much the same as everyone else and they do a good range of odd sizes (like the ones for cycle pedals in both LH and RH)

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Originally Posted by Tenson

I didn't know until I joined this forum, but spiral point taps are for thru-holes as they push the swarf out the end, and spiral flute taps are for blind holes as they lift the swarf. Both types are much better than the normal sort you find in DIY shops, they can be put in a cordless drill and eat aluminium like cheese cake.

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Now that's useful to note, thank you. I guess drill-mounting would benefit from having the tap established first, it must be a pain in the backside to control otherwise.

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Originally Posted by m_c

I've been gradually replacing taps from my generic set with serial tap sets from Arc Euro Trade, however they're used for a mix of metals, and if you're doing a lot of holes, running 3 individual taps through to get the desired thread is a PITA.

If you're doing a lot of aluminium work, then get spiral taps specific for alu. They make the job far easier.

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Depending on final configuration, anywhere between 50-100 holes to drill and tap, most likely heading towards the 100 end of that range.

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Originally Posted by irving2008

I buy the individual ones from RDGTools, seems to be priced much the same as everyone else and they do a good range of odd sizes (like the ones for cycle pedals in both LH and RH)

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I would be tempted to use them simply because they are based in Mytholmroyd. That's an awesome name if ever I heard one.

Just out of interest, I'm going to M10x1.25 as the aluminium profile has an 8.5mm centre hole. In the interests of uniformity, would it also be suitable for butt joints on 20mm aluminium?