[FineLineAuto]

That auto arm tapper looks very cool though. I looked at those a while back and was tempted to check the pricing on them, but never followed up. Kinda glad I didn't now with the Torus.

We originally got it because it was the only thing that could easily tap the ends of 8020 extrusion. 72" pieces don't stand up straight on a mill or drill press. We use the horizontal adapter a lot for that.

We paid a little over $1,000 for that model and a plethora of tap holders (~$30 each).

I would definitely use rigid tapping if the torus pro supported it. When using TC holders or tapping heads it makes sense if you want to get multiple holders.


Nate
Fine Line Automation
www.finelineautomation.com

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I had considered putting a geared motor on our hand tapper.



Mine is from Enco, but they went crazy on the price. The Grizzly is virtually the same tapper.
Grizzly.com
It works very well, but of course, will wear on you if you have a lot of holes.

That auto arm tapper looks very cool though. I looked at those a while back and was tempted to check the pricing on them, but never followed up. Kinda glad I didn't now with the Torus.

I did exactly that a few years ago, using a stepper motor and belt reducer. But, it didn't have enough torque to handle even 1/4" reliably. One of the things on my ToDo list is to re-build it using the same gearmotor I use on the PDB (with a much lower ratio), which would give me both speed and torque control, entirely in software. There's also the issue of a suitable chuck to hold the taps.

Regards,
Ray L.

[LeeWay]

I took out the ball bearing clip in part of the chuck on this. I just stick the holder in until it catches and then lower it. I would design a better clip for it that holds and swings from the outside. Similar to what you might see on a jack hammer. That would be a whole lot less fiddly.

Wow, that is a lot less cost that I would have thought for that arm tapper. I probably would have jumped on it.

[Hirudin]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but wanted to show y'all what we use in the shop. We are doing tapping as a secondary operation on this tapping arm: Tapping Machine, Tap Arm, Tapping, Tapping Arm, Tap

It taps just as fast as the torus pro does and I can change taps in 5 seconds. We have broken just one tap in 5 years of use. Each tap holder has an individual clutch ring on it.

I am sure we will look at tapping with TC heads on the torus pro eventually, but for now this is a really good option for us.


Nate
Fine Line Automation
Home - Fine Line Automation

That looks very cool and it's actually around the same price as the Procunier head that I'm using. It doesn't look like it's as fast for doing many holes, but it definitely looks more flexible.

[CROSSHATCH]

Hirudin - By the way, enjoyed your video you posted up.

Nate, I like the ability for that Tapping Arm to be mounted horizontal...one can easily see why it's such a beneficial tool. (I will get back to your Pm later today)


On a side note, I'll be doing tapping on the Torus Pro, without any clutches...lets see how it holds up.

-Jason

[Hirudin]

I found a cool tap drill size calculator...

OSG
This one is actually better: http://uk.osgeurope.com/en/tap-hole.html

This one is interesting too. It seems to be better compared to the two above, except it doesn't allow you to enter a thread percentage if you select to calculate for a cutting tap.
http://tapcalculator.com/
"TapCalculator.com" is probably going to be my "go to" tap calculator until I find something wrong with it. It calculates the nearest the inch, metric, and "drill" size, which is cool. Also, I think the list approach is superior - no need to memorize or look up the dimensions of machine screws.

I'm sure there's a dozen more out there.



[edit]My apologies to anyone who saw this post before my ~10 edits! I should have done better research before posting in the first place.

I thought the following one looked better, but it turns out that it's buggy and is therefore complete ****.
Tap Drill Size
[/edit]

[LeeWay]

The chart I listed is nice, but if you want to input sizes and get something more accurate, this link may help.
Guhring, Inc. - Tap-Drill

I haven't actually done more than play a bit with it. I find the chart satisfactory for my needs.