09-18-2013, 07:53 AM
Steve,
I added a note in the video about starting a tap in the mill and then finishing by hand. I do that a lot with small taps in blind holes. I also find that I don't need as a deep a hole if I back the tap out a few times and clear the chips out of the hole. Allowing the tap to slip in the chuck is a must to get to the bottom of a blind hole.
Chuck wear is a common complaint regarding this technique, but it just doesn't happen. That chuck on my mill was purchased with the mill in the 80's and I power tap with it all the time. It is just as concentric today as when I bought it.
Tom
I added a note in the video about starting a tap in the mill and then finishing by hand. I do that a lot with small taps in blind holes. I also find that I don't need as a deep a hole if I back the tap out a few times and clear the chips out of the hole. Allowing the tap to slip in the chuck is a must to get to the bottom of a blind hole.
Chuck wear is a common complaint regarding this technique, but it just doesn't happen. That chuck on my mill was purchased with the mill in the 80's and I power tap with it all the time. It is just as concentric today as when I bought it.
Tom