Drill press tapping setup picture

According to Ignoramus15474 :

How are the handles retained in the chuck key holes?

Enjoy, DoN.

If I had to guess, I'd say that they thread into a ring bored to fit over the chuck, and far end of each is dog-pointed to fit the chuck key holes. (Nose of the chuck looks big to me).

How'd I do, Iggy? --Glenn Lyford

There is insulation tape around the threaded part of the handle, and it keeps handle snug in the hole.

It is not quite so, no, the threaded parts of the handles fir relatively well into the chuck already, I put some ilsulation tape over them and they are quite snug, but easy to put in and pull out.

================ It is easy to get too elaborate on these types of projects.

The easy way is to make a wrench from 2 pieces of 5/8 or 3/4 square stock that pinches the chuck. No great amount of strength is needed. One of the wrench handles should have a pin, setscrew, headless cap screws, etc. loctited that is a pretty close fit to the key holes in the chuck. In use this pin goes into one of the key holes and the two clamp screws are tightened to retain the wrench. For ease in use I suggest thumbscrews. Generally the handles should be as long as will allow the wrench to clear the column, although this makes it easier to twist off small taps.

In the larger sizes you may find there is a tendency of the tap to "spin" in the chuck after the first turn or two. This is generally no problem, as the tap is started after two turns and you can use a regular tap wrench.

Unka' George [George McDuffee]

------------------------------ Watch out w'en you'er gittin all you want. Fattenin' hogs ain't in luck.

Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908), U.S. journalist. Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, "Plantation Proverbs" (1880).

You didn't want to write: "The handles didn't fall out while I made that fake-photo".

Nick

On Fri, 23 Mar 2007 21:28:55 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, Ignoramus10399 quickly quoth:

I'll bet things liven up in there when you accidentally turn the machine on after forgetting to remove one or more of the handles.

Glenn's idea would be a good one if it didn't mean that the threads which went through the ring would be battered by the movement against the chuck each time, but a manual tapping machine has oh-so much extra room around it. The drill press method seems far too cramped to me.

------------------------------------------------------- Have you read the new book "What Would Machiavelli Do?" ----------------------------

Bench-type drill presses are fairly easily converted for tapping by fabricating a removable crank that fits the top of the spindle. I've modified a light duty benchtop Ryobi to accept a removable crank, and disengage the quill return spring when used to tap holes.

For the issue of taps slipping in a drill chuck, three flats can be ground into the shanks of a handful of taps fairly quickly. The flats don't need to be deep, but should be equal in depth and separation. By maintaining the square end, the taps can still be used with the usual tap handles. A mounted stone and a Dremel will work well, and an indexer can be used if desired. If the flats aren't somewhat accurate, the tap will have runout, and increase the chances of breakage.

Here's an example of a cheap drill press converted to a tapping fixture