Same here. I only buy steel if I need a specific size or grade. Using secondhand metal is a great way to up your tool profile and use knowledge ;) Quite often tools need to be re-ground to get a decent finish on scrap steel. Usually it's a surface feathering issue. HSS is your friend in that situation. Cheers Rob
Glad you like it Sam. Best part is it cost nothing. My work ethos has always been to do the most with the least ;) That way everything stays affordable. Cheers Rob
@@Xynudu Been trying to follow your lead lately on just keeping an eye out for things that people chuck away. So far havent been lucky enough to find any whipper snippers or generators or anything, but have found about 12 printers, with plenty of linear shafts and springs and fasteners etc, that have come in handy in plenty of projects, so thanks for helping me keep my eyes open for things than can be repurposed. Cheers Sam
Nice job, Rob. All the best jobs start with a good root through the scrap bin. I have a bought one, but couldn't find it last time I wanted it so maybe there might be a Mart version soon. You might want to look at reducing the diameter of the coned end in case it needs to fit inside the jaws of the tap wrench. What I could do with more is a die holder for the tailstock. That would make a nice little project. All the best. Mart.
Hi Mart, I can easily reduce the diameter or length at the cone end if necessary. I looked at my taps that require that sort of locator and thought it would be OK. I will know for sure when I use it I suppose. I made several tailstock die holders of different sizes over the years and they are dead easy to do and super useful. Making the mounting tang hollow and using a collet chuck works best as it enables a lot more length and bigger feed though than with a drill chuck. It's also more rigid for big diameter work. I'm a huge fan of ER collets and have used 32's for decades. Cheers Rob
Hi Mart, if you're interested, I made a tailstock die holder to my own design that can also be used for taps, sensitive drilling and probably some other stuff I haven't figured out yet. I did a series of videos on the making and I have pdf's of the drawings available, just let me know over email and I will gladly send you a copy. I used it in action when I made my tap follower if you want to see it working. Cheers, Jon
It's all useful stuff Daniel, ready to hand and costs nothing. You just build your design around the sizes you have. Good brain food thinking it through ;) Cheers Rob
Nice vid Rob. One of my first projects I made when I got my first lathe, they are great for helping getting the tap straight. I ended up having to remake the point on mine, I made it out of 12L14 but it was to soft and showed wear real quick so I made another out of W1 drill rod and hardened then tempered it.
Hi Bill. You can't rush these things, have to think them through ;) It turned out OK, considering I didn't have a lot to play with. I try and do most of my threading on the lathe and that way you have plenty of options to keep things in line. I have one more threading tool I made quite a while back that is also worth a look/share. Cheers Rob
Agreed Rob. Much more satisfyng to spend a day planning and thinking before fucking it up anyway 😁 Been a while since I had to thread anything and most of my needs are not precise. Would like sth similar to what Steven Lang made a few months back, that would be the time to make a follower too. One day 🤣🍺
Gday Rob, very handy tool to have, I need to build another one soon, the first one i made is a little sloppy and could certainly be a lot better, thanks for sharing mate, Cheers
Nice design Rob. I've watched a few channels recently making these and I like your idea of having a reversible shaft to accommodate the two main holding methods when the taps are manufactured. 👍
@@Xynudu And yours has inspired me to go out to the workshop and make one for meself. So it goes... No 1 Morse taper on mine (so it'll work on the ARE, plus the Schaublin and drill press with an adapter), body at 16mm because that's the size of collet I had mounted in the lathe and it's enough for me to use one of the very nice 10mm scraps I have lying about as the follower.
Rob, I really like like this simple, 2-piece design. I'll be using some of your ideas when I eventually get around to making my own follower. You do mention several times that you used "good quality steel" for this project. While I certainly agree it's a good idea to use the best materials your have, for any project, I wonder just how much wear-and tear a device like this would see. Why not aluminum, especially for the outer tube? In my small shop, on my 7x12 lathe, I find that machining steel is a much bigger chore than machining a similar item from aluminum. Even if the plunger was aluminum, how many holes would you need to tap before the end(s) of the plunger became unacceptably worn?
Hi Walter. You could try aluminium for the plunger and easily replace it with steel if it wears. I think the concave would wear a lot more than the point as it will be subject to attack by the tap end corners (severe). The body could be aluminium provided you oil it internally. Try it and see. Cheers Rob
Ha Ha. I bought a Metric set/tooling to work on my VW's because just about everything we had in the workshop was Imperial for American, English and Australian vehicles. My motor mechanic father had zero Metric tools. Cheers Rob
Very nice job Rob 👍👍👍 You going on a bit of a tool making frenzy ??? 🙂 I have to confess, I actually bought my tap follower, I know, the shame 😂 To be honest I hardly ever use it, most of the tapping I do can be lined up on the lathe or the drill press. Guaranteed dead straight tapped hole every time 👍 Cheers, Alan.
Hi Alan, I do mostly the same. I have some shed time, the weathers bad, and I decided to kill a bit of time and cross a few things off the to do list. I think some recent show and tells from other channels spurred me on. I have one other unusual tool I made a while back that I may also show. Cheers Rob
@@Xynudu Well I'm looking forward to whatever this other tool is. I have the opposite problem at the moment, it's way too hot here to do anything in the workshop! Hopefully our mini heatwave will end on Friday. By the way I've just been reading through the latest Homemadetools.net newsletter and I think this is the first time that we are both in it at the same time 🙂 Cheers, Alan.
It's a good site Alan. I see Matty, Jon, Craig and Blondie also submit stuff from their channels. All helps spread the word and there is a mix of good and bad home builds to check out. I visit it most days to see if there's something worth considering. I don't use Forum groups any more as I just got fed up with people big noting themselves. It's a pit, but what's what happens. YT is a lot better in that regard as you have to be able to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk. He He. Have a beer for me in that hot weather Alan. Cheers Rob
Hi Paul, I used the larger Chinese CQ9325 for the body and the Schaublin for the plunger and taper. The Schaublin compound is not really suitable for knurling, so all the heavy work gets done on the bigger lathe. Plus the CQ9325 has power feed which makes using a boring bar for long jobs simple. Cheers Rob
Like the captive screw application,nice and easy to make thanks for posting,Robert
My pleasure. Cheers Rob
Hi Rob, very nicely done and excellent use of scrap, well thought out mate. Thanks for the shout out, very much appreciated. Cheers, Jon
My pleasure Jon. Keep up the good work. Cheers Rob
Great tool Rob. I should make one but I bought one for pretty cheap. I use it all the time. Thanks for sharing.
Joe
Good looking tool rob, old scrap is were I get most of my material.
Same here. I only buy steel if I need a specific size or grade. Using secondhand metal is a great way to up your tool profile and use knowledge ;) Quite often tools need to be re-ground to get a decent finish on scrap steel. Usually it's a surface feathering issue. HSS is your friend in that situation. Cheers Rob
very cool Rob ! ENJOYED..
Great video. Thanks for sharing !
Thanks for sharing!!!
spring loaded TAP pusher unit. Better than a follower, you built a leader, yay! Thanks
Yes they really are a pusher, but everyone calls them followers. Cheers Rob
Very Nice, love the fact you made it out of a crankshaft
Way to go Rob.
This is one nice, robust looking tap follower Rob, very well executed, and using stuff that might otherwise end up in the tip, nice mate!
Glad you like it Sam. Best part is it cost nothing. My work ethos has always been to do the most with the least ;) That way everything stays affordable. Cheers Rob
@@Xynudu Been trying to follow your lead lately on just keeping an eye out for things that people chuck away. So far havent been lucky enough to find any whipper snippers or generators or anything, but have found about 12 printers, with plenty of linear shafts and springs and fasteners etc, that have come in handy in plenty of projects, so thanks for helping me keep my eyes open for things than can be repurposed. Cheers Sam
Thanks for sharing your workshop stuff. I really enjoy your videos.viewing from Sydney NSW
Glad you like them! It's good to share ideas and knowledge. We all have to start at the beginning. Cheers Rob
Nice job, Rob. All the best jobs start with a good root through the scrap bin. I have a bought one, but couldn't find it last time I wanted it so maybe there might be a Mart version soon. You might want to look at reducing the diameter of the coned end in case it needs to fit inside the jaws of the tap wrench. What I could do with more is a die holder for the tailstock. That would make a nice little project. All the best. Mart.
Hi Mart, I can easily reduce the diameter or length at the cone end if necessary. I looked at my taps that require that sort of locator and thought it would be OK. I will know for sure when I use it I suppose.
I made several tailstock die holders of different sizes over the years and they are dead easy to do and super useful. Making the mounting tang hollow and using a collet chuck works best as it enables a lot more length and bigger feed though than with a drill chuck. It's also more rigid for big diameter work.
I'm a huge fan of ER collets and have used 32's for decades.
Cheers Rob
Hi Mart, if you're interested, I made a tailstock die holder to my own design that can also be used for taps, sensitive drilling and probably some other stuff I haven't figured out yet. I did a series of videos on the making and I have pdf's of the drawings available, just let me know over email and I will gladly send you a copy. I used it in action when I made my tap follower if you want to see it working. Cheers, Jon
Nice simple design, Rob. Yeah, I often save springs and good quality steel scrap for the same reason - future projects!
It's all useful stuff Daniel, ready to hand and costs nothing. You just build your design around the sizes you have. Good brain food thinking it through ;) Cheers Rob
Top job mate.
Nice job, good repurposing.Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Nice one Rob, I use mine all the time mate 👍
Nice vid Rob.
One of my first projects I made when I got my first lathe, they are great for helping getting the tap straight. I ended up having to remake the point on mine, I made it out of 12L14 but it was to soft and showed wear real quick so I made another out of W1 drill rod and hardened then tempered it.
Drill rod sounds good. Easy project. Cheers Rob
I meant tempered then annealed it some. Oops.
👍 Nice one Rob, I've only been wanting to make one, and some other tapping related things , for 10 yrs. One of these days mate🍺
Hi Bill. You can't rush these things, have to think them through ;) It turned out OK, considering I didn't have a lot to play with.
I try and do most of my threading on the lathe and that way you have plenty of options to keep things in line. I have one more threading tool I made quite a while back that is also worth a look/share. Cheers Rob
Agreed Rob. Much more satisfyng to spend a day planning and thinking before fucking it up anyway 😁
Been a while since I had to thread anything and most of my needs are not precise. Would like sth similar to what Steven Lang made a few months back, that would be the time to make a follower too.
One day 🤣🍺
Gday Rob, very handy tool to have, I need to build another one soon, the first one i made is a little sloppy and could certainly be a lot better, thanks for sharing mate, Cheers
Nice design Rob. I've watched a few channels recently making these and I like your idea of having a reversible shaft to accommodate the two main holding methods when the taps are manufactured. 👍
I like to keep things simple as possible Laz. Saves time and effort. Cheers Rob
That's very nice, Rob, keep meaning to make one myself.
Jon's video inspired me to make it. Should be useful. Cheers Rob
@@Xynudu And yours has inspired me to go out to the workshop and make one for meself. So it goes... No 1 Morse taper on mine (so it'll work on the ARE, plus the Schaublin and drill press with an adapter), body at 16mm because that's the size of collet I had mounted in the lathe and it's enough for me to use one of the very nice 10mm scraps I have lying about as the follower.
Rob, I really like like this simple, 2-piece design. I'll be using some of your ideas when I eventually get around to making my own follower. You do mention several times that you used "good quality steel" for this project. While I certainly agree it's a good idea to use the best materials your have, for any project, I wonder just how much wear-and tear a device like this would see. Why not aluminum, especially for the outer tube? In my small shop, on my 7x12 lathe, I find that machining steel is a much bigger chore than machining a similar item from aluminum. Even if the plunger was aluminum, how many holes would you need to tap before the end(s) of the plunger became unacceptably worn?
Hi Walter. You could try aluminium for the plunger and easily replace it with steel if it wears. I think the concave would wear a lot more than the point as it will be subject to attack by the tap end corners (severe). The body could be aluminium provided you oil it internally. Try it and see. Cheers Rob
Nice job sir 👍🏻
Thanks 👍
Thanks for sharing!
An alternative is to just use modify an automatic punch.
Interesting idea. Cheers Rob
Rob, when you were a teenager Metric wasn't even invented!!!
Stavros
Ha Ha. I bought a Metric set/tooling to work on my VW's because just about everything we had in the workshop was Imperial for American, English and Australian vehicles. My motor mechanic father had zero Metric tools. Cheers Rob
Very nice job Rob 👍👍👍 You going on a bit of a tool making frenzy ??? 🙂 I have to confess, I actually bought my tap follower, I know, the shame 😂 To be honest I hardly ever use it, most of the tapping I do can be lined up on the lathe or the drill press. Guaranteed dead straight tapped hole every time 👍 Cheers, Alan.
Hi Alan, I do mostly the same. I have some shed time, the weathers bad, and I decided to kill a bit of time and cross a few things off the to do list. I think some recent show and tells from other channels spurred me on. I have one other unusual tool I made a while back that I may also show. Cheers Rob
@@Xynudu Well I'm looking forward to whatever this other tool is. I have the opposite problem at the moment, it's way too hot here to do anything in the workshop! Hopefully our mini heatwave will end on Friday. By the way I've just been reading through the latest Homemadetools.net newsletter and I think this is the first time that we are both in it at the same time 🙂 Cheers, Alan.
It's a good site Alan. I see Matty, Jon, Craig and Blondie also submit stuff from their channels. All helps spread the word and there is a mix of good and bad home builds to check out. I visit it most days to see if there's something worth considering.
I don't use Forum groups any more as I just got fed up with people big noting themselves. It's a pit, but what's what happens. YT is a lot better in that regard as you have to be able to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk. He He.
Have a beer for me in that hot weather Alan.
Cheers Rob
Hello Rob,
A nice take on Jon's tap follower... what lathe(s) did you use to make it...
Cheers.
Paul,,
Hi Paul, I used the larger Chinese CQ9325 for the body and the Schaublin for the plunger and taper. The Schaublin compound is not really suitable for knurling, so all the heavy work gets done on the bigger lathe. Plus the CQ9325 has power feed which makes using a boring bar for long jobs simple. Cheers Rob