# Silly Grainger/amazon/et



## phaxtris (Sep 15, 2022)

I always find this kind of stuff funny, I made an order with a bunch of teny tiny taps for a pm steam engine kit (7 taps+ drill bits) ....this is how Grainger is shipping them...one at a time, in a very oversized box lol


----------



## SomeGuy (Sep 15, 2022)

Yup, lol I once ordered a pair of pants off amazon, it showed up in a box that could fit a small mitre saw...and I swear I'm not that fat lol


----------



## PeterT (Sep 15, 2022)

And in other news - light bulbs & delicate electronics arriving in 3mm thick bubble wrap envelopes LOL


----------



## DPittman (Sep 15, 2022)

phaxtris said:


> I always find this kind of stuff funny, I made an order with a bunch of teny tiny taps for a pm steam engine kit (7 taps+ drill bits) ....this is how Grainger is shipping them...one at a time, in a very oversized box lol
> 
> 
> View attachment 26564


Maybe they think their over the top packaging warrants their normally over the top price gouging.


----------



## phaxtris (Sep 15, 2022)

DPittman said:


> Maybe they think their over the top packaging warrants their normally over the top price gouging.



ha maybe, they definitely seem expensive for the size (2-56, 5-40 etc, teny tiny), around12-15$ each, i dont even know how much they should be, i have never bought any taps this small

I did find options on ali for 9-11$ each, and i do love me cheap Chinese tools, but i figured these are going to be pretty easy to break as is and figured the extra couple bucks was worth maybe giving me the best shot at not snapping these things like toothpicks (literally the 2-56 is barely thicker than a toothpick!)


----------



## DPittman (Sep 15, 2022)

phaxtris said:


> ha maybe, they definitely seem expensive for the size (2-56, 5-40 etc, teny tiny), around12-15$ each, i dont even know how much they should be, i have never bought any taps this small
> 
> I did find options on ali for 9-11$ each, and i do love me cheap Chinese tools, but i figured these are going to be pretty easy to break as is and figured the extra couple bucks was worth maybe giving me the best shot at not snapping these things like toothpicks (literally the 2-56 is barely thicker than a toothpick!)


Oh that's not too bad actually.  Like everything else even the cheap chinese stuff has gone up too.  
I often come across Grainger ads for products and the prices are almost always insane.  That's why I gave the snarky comment, no jab or judgment towards you.


----------



## phaxtris (Sep 15, 2022)

DPittman said:


> Oh that's not too bad actually.  Like everything else even the cheap chinese stuff has gone up too.
> I often come across Grainger ads for products and the prices are almost always insane.  That's why I gave the snarky comment, no jab or judgment towards you.



oh no i didnt take it as a jab or anything, no worries there, i agree with you 100%

unless you spend big bucks (like $1000's a week) at those kind of places you usually get gouged,  i bet they sell those taps for half that price to a big account holder, but what are you gonna do, unless you know someone who controls a big account you gotta pay

its a common complaint in the industry im in, hilti is a pretty big offender, its almost offensive the difference a big to a small/medium account holder pays for a bag of hit (concrete anchor adhesive)


----------



## gerritv (Sep 16, 2022)

phaxtris said:


> ha maybe, they definitely seem expensive for the size (2-56, 5-40 etc, teny tiny), around12-15$ each, i dont even know how much they should be, i have never bought any taps this small
> 
> I did find options on ali for 9-11$ each, and i do love me cheap Chinese tools, but i figured these are going to be pretty easy to break as is and figured the extra couple bucks was worth maybe giving me the best shot at not snapping these things like toothpicks (literally the 2-56 is barely thicker than a toothpick!)


The only time I snap small tap is when I don't use a tap guide or tapping mount. I have power tapped a hundred or so M5, M4 and M3 with AliExpress spiral point taps in steel and Al. Broke 1 due to slipping at an angle so my fault. I just ordered some spiral flute taps from AliExpress for blind holes. They are a bit more delicate (thinner web) but I expect they too will last.

And 2-56 isn't that small, 0-80 is getting there


----------



## phaxtris (Sep 16, 2022)

I will definitely be making a guide, and bought a taper and a plug of each size to hopefully start everything square, I have tapped a few small blind holes (m3/m4) with cheap mastercraft taps (from a set) and they went ok, but they were also in aluminum, this will be in cast iron and brass and 2-56 is more like 2mm so i think I will need to be more careful

I don't think I would want to even tempt the frustraton of an 0-80! What did you build with such a small hole?

 The other model kit I have has got 1-72 spec'd for one hole/rod.....probabaly going to upsize that to a 2-56, and even the oil cups on the first model have spec'd 2-56 threaded fittings, I was contemplating no threads and loctite (I mean it's an oil cup, it doesn't really need to be threaded)


----------



## gerritv (Sep 16, 2022)

Clock parts typically have very small diameter threads, hence the 0-80.
One key is to size the tap drill appropriately, typically 50% thread in hard materials.

I most often use a Universal Pillar Tool for drilling and tapping small holes (<M5). http://www.hemingwaykits.com/acatalog/Universal_Pillar_Tool.html But there was an ariticle series i on building one using cast iron pipe fittings. https://www.haythornthwaite.com/pillar tool.html


----------



## gerritv (Sep 16, 2022)

phaxtris said:


> I will definitely be making a guide, and bought a taper and a plug of each size to hopefully start everything square, I have tapped a few small blind holes (m3/m4) with cheap mastercraft taps (from a set) and they went ok, but they were also in aluminum, this will be in cast iron and brass and 2-56 is more like 2mm so i think I will need to be more careful


While I have a bunch of taps in the taper, bottom etc. genre, I revert to using spiral flute (blind) and spiral point (through hole) taps 90% of the time now. One direction, no back and forth to break chips, hence reducing the risk of breakage. Order some from AliExpress to try, well worth it. You also get back the space taken up with those little boxes of sets


----------



## phaxtris (Sep 16, 2022)

I saw a similar idea I was thinking of, guy had the tap mounted in a piece of round bar, and then the round bar slid into a collar that he chucked in the drill chuck, allowed it to run straight with the mill axis and just kind of free floated, and turned with a little thumb wheel


I was thinking of doing something like that


----------



## PeterT (Sep 16, 2022)

check out








						Tapping stand
					

I'm wondering about making a tapping stand.  I see lots of images on the web on my first quick search  but I thought I should ask the locals their experience.  Anyone use one? Anyone make one?




					canadianhobbymetalworkers.com


----------

