Hand Taps -- A General Guide -- When To Use Which One

Standard Hand Taps

High Speed Steel Hand Taps with straight flutes are designed for general purpose hand tapping or in production machines where ground thread accuracy and performance are required. They are suitable for tapping most materials in through or blind holes. Hand taps retain chips in the flutes during use and work best on materials that produce chips and the swarf breaks easily. They are also known as Straight Flute Taps.

Left Hand Standard Hand Taps

High Speed Steel Left Hand Taps are designed to cut threads with a left hand rotation and are commonly used in applications where left hand studs and fasteners are needed.

Metric Standard Hand Taps

High Speed Steel Metric Hand Taps with straight flutes are designed for general purpose hand tapping or in production machines where ground thread accuracy and performance are required. They are suitable for tapping most materials in through or blind holes. Hand taps retain chips in the flutes during use and work best on materials that produce chips and the swarf breaks easily. They are also known as Metric Straight Flute Tap

Standard Hand Taps - +.005 Oversize Taps

Oversize taps are used primarily where a piece will be plated or heat treated after tapping. Oversize Taps are also known as Pre-Plate Taps.

Standard Hand Taps - Special Thread

Special Thread Hand Taps are designed for applications where standard coarse, fine, or extra-fine thread taps are not applicable or where design considerations require non-standard pitches. Most sizes are available in taper, bottoming, or plug chamfer. When taper or bottoming chamfer taps are not available in size ordered, plug chamfer taps will be substituted to complete order.

Standard Hand Taps (Metric) - Special Thread

Special Thread Metric Hand Taps are designed for applications where standard coarse, fine, or extra-fine thread taps are not applicable or where design considerations require non-standard pitches. Most sizes are available in taper, bottoming, or plug chamfer. When taper or bottoming chamfer taps are not available in size ordered, plug chamfer taps will be substituted to complete order.

 

Standard Hand Taps (Metric) - Left Hand

Metric Left Hand Taps are designed to cut threads with a left hand rotation and are commonly used in applications where left hand studs and fasteners are needed.












Spiral Point Taps

Spiral Point Taps



Spiral Point Tap

A spiral point tap is a tap with an angled cutting face that pushes the metal chips ahead of the forming threads; resulting in less resistance to thrust. They have a shallower flute passage, giving them a more cross-sectional area. Consequently, they require less torque and can be run at higher speeds.  Spiral points prevent thread damage by forcing chips ahead of the cutting action, reducing chip loading in the flutes.

Commonly used for through holes.

Spiral Point Plug Chamfer Taps are ideally suited for tapping deep through-holes in all but the most abrasive materials.

Bottom Chamfer Spiral Pointed Taps tend to form a tightly curled broken chip that is easily removed from a blind hole, provided there is sufficient room at the bottom of the tap hole to accommodate the chip.

Spiral Point taps are not recommended for use in blind holes. This is because the accumulation of chips can tend to bind and break these taps more easily than others.

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