An interesting accessory......

Re: An interesting accessory......

John C Lucas

It is quite common in metal.working but its the first time ive seen it in woodturning. Idrew up.plans to make one as a good.metal.workig projject and ive needed it several times.

Re: An interesting accessory......

Don Evans

What keeps the tap from turning with the wood block when it is turned by hand?

Don

Grab the tap flats with a wrench

I don't see any function this .......

JamieDonaldson

...tool would accomplish? Using a tap in a tailstock chuck means the tap cannot spin in order to cut the threads, only the work piece should be rotating?

This type of tool was designed for metal work

Dick Coers

A metal lathe can turn so slowly, it's no problem. On a wood lathe, turning by hand is the only option. It's incredibly easy to tap a hole at an angle. The spring loaded guide is very helpful. They also make spring loaded die holders.

Re: I don't see any function this .......

roger lance

The tap is not in the tail stock.....the spring center tap guide is "in the tail stock"

The head stock does not rotate in this procedure. The head stock spindle is secured.

The advantage that this spring center tap guide gives a person tapping threads on a wood lathe is that now you can just concentrate on turning the tap.....you do not have to simultaneously advance the tail stock as you rotate the tap. You free-up your right hand.....makes it simpler.

I'd suggest going to YouTube and looking at some videos on tapping on the wood lathe. There is a very good instructional video by JR Beall showing how to use his taps.

OK, so the tap is turned by means of....

JamieDonaldson

......a wrench and the spring provides tension.

Re: OK, so the tap is turned by means of....

roger lance

That's right.....use a wrench to turn the tap.....or, in the case of smaller taps, you might use a tap wrench to turn the tap. The tap is turned by hand.....not powered by the lathe.

BTW, if you didn't use this spring center tap guide, you would still have to use some sort of cone shaped device to help center/align the tap.....but, now you would have to also be advancing the tail stock as you were advancing the tap.

The whole idea here is that you have a better, more accurate, more controlled way of tapping various pieces by doing it on the lathe rather than doing it on a drill press. The wood blank you are going to tap is faced off flat on the lathe, then drilled to accept the tap on the lathe, and then its tapped on the lathe.....all with the same set-up.....never removed between procedures.....that way you are insuring that everything is straight and true as much as possible.

Re: Grab the tap flats with a wrench

Don Evans

Thanks Dick, I see it now. I wrongly assumed the wrench on the chuck was being used to turn the wood.

Closer look I see he has it jambed against the tool rest to kept the wood from turning.

Don

Re: OK, so the tap is turned by means of....

Pete in Holland MI

I collect steam whistles. Display bases are turned from wood. A threaded hole with pipe threads is needed in these bases. To keep the threaded hole exactly on center, after the hole is drilled, I lock the spindle, hold the square end on center with a 60 degree live center in the tail stock, and turn the tap in with a wrench, continually advancing the center to keep in contact with the tap as it advanced into the wood. I routinely tap up to 2" NPT threads this way.

This little accessory would only reduce the amount of attention needed at the tail stock.

Pete

Re: OK, so the tap is turned by means of....

roger lance

Pete....That's right.....for about $10, this task is made a little simpler.

Re: Grab the tap flats with a wrench

roger lance

Don.....yes, the black wrench in the first photo is being used to secure my spindle.

This lathe is an older Delta and doesn't have a spindle lock.

Re: Grab the tap flats with a wrench

Don Orr

I have been using this device for tapping bottle stopper blanks for many years. Never thought to post about it though. I figured every one did it.

Re: Grab the tap flats with a wrench

roger lance

Thanks Don for your comments.....it makes me feel better about having posted this.....and to know it can last for years in service is also good to know.