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Susquatch

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physically getting out to install jewelry on an icy hill in the middle of a blizzard

Now there is an image! Only thing missing is "with your bare hands".

Btw, I actually got a big 4wd tractor stuck in a snow drift a few years ago. Jewelry didn't help........ Had to dig it out the old fashioned way.

I had been plowing and ran out of places to push snow so I tried to punch an access through the snow bank out into the field. Snow was heavy enough to belly the tractor. That was the year before I got a big snow blower for it. Have not really needed the blower ever since...... I should sell it but then it would snow like crazy the year after that.......
 

Chicken lights

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1851BE6A-F04B-4E34-9551-E572CD02522E.jpeg E779D46E-FE35-41A6-94D7-27DDDCD74795.jpeg Watched a tubalcain (sp?) video on tapping straight. One method was a spring loaded centre in the drill chuck. I ordered in a Brown and Sharp one, it works great. It’s slow, the tap handle hits the drill press column. Plus it’s a lot of steps for each part. But checking with a small machinist square the tap is almost perfectly straight once the hole is tapped

I definitely need to buy a vise, my neighbour lent me one.
 

Susquatch

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View attachment 25160View attachment 25161Watched a tubalcain (sp?) video on tapping straight. One method was a spring loaded centre in the drill chuck. I ordered in a Brown and Sharp one, it works great. It’s slow, the tap handle hits the drill press column. Plus it’s a lot of steps for each part. But checking with a small machinist square the tap is almost perfectly straight once the hole is tapped

I definitely need to buy a vise, my neighbour lent me one.

Ya, that's a problem with big Tap Handles. Sometimes it's useful to have a smaller one.

On occasion, I have relied on the tap follower to keep me straight and used an open end wrench on the end of the tap and a firm hand on the wrench to tap connection to manage the torque reaction. It's best to keep the follower short when you do that so it can't get out of alignment very easily. But in a pinch it works.
 

Chicken lights

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Ya, that's a problem with big Tap Handles. Sometimes it's useful to have a smaller one.

On occasion, I have relied on the tap follower to keep me straight and used an open end wrench on the end of the tap and a firm hand on the wrench to tap connection to manage the torque reaction. It's best to keep the follower short when you do that so it can't get out of alignment very easily. But in a pinch it works.
69D70EE2-656B-4139-BBD6-70DCF079A962.jpeg I already had a machinist hog out the larger tap handle (to match the smaller one) so I could use the larger taps. There’s no way I’m getting that tap in the smaller handle

I did consider using a wrench, but didn’t want to gronk on it and risk it getting crooked

I’m mostly happy finally knowing what that dot at the end of a tap is there for :D
 

Susquatch

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View attachment 25162I already had a machinist hog out the larger tap handle (to match the smaller one) so I could use the larger taps. There’s no way I’m getting that tap in the smaller handle

I did consider using a wrench, but didn’t want to gronk on it and risk it getting crooked

I’m mostly happy finally knowing what that dot at the end of a tap is there for :D

I meant smaller handle, not smaller tap size. You can make one by cutting the handles shorter.

Yes, using a wrench has its problems. The trick is just as you say - keeping it straight while also managing the torque reaction. I do it often enough to have confidence in my ability to do it, but it took a while to get there.
 

Chicken lights

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I meant smaller handle, not smaller tap size. You can make one by cutting the handles shorter.

Yes, using a wrench has its problems. The trick is just as you say - keeping it straight while also managing the torque reaction. I do it often enough to have confidence in my ability to do it, but it took a while to get there.
Ah shorter arms not smaller tap handle

You could probably just use a couple bolts, now that I think on it
 

Susquatch

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Ah shorter arms not smaller tap handle

You could probably just use a couple bolts, now that I think on it
I'm not sure of that. Both those "handles" have special ends on them inside the tap handle body. But maybe something could be fabricobbled.
 
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