For example, American National and Unified thread specifications provide for a maximum of 83 1/3% thread. But is it okay to have less than 100% threads? In fact, many standards bodies insist on it. Now we all know what happens when we break a tap, right? Sailors would go running out of the shop if they heard the language we use in that case. Getting 95% of the strength with 1/3 the force on the tap means you’re dramatically less likely to break the tap off in the hole. But here is the real kicker: That 100% thread requires 3 times the power to tap! Why do you care? because it is the power to tap that breaks taps, for one thing. Kennametal says a 100% thread is only 5% stronger than 75% thread. In fact, they contribute surprisingly little strength. They’re pretty delicate anyway and will wear off quickly. Now suppose you ran a twist drill down the hole and shaved off some of the peaks. Imagine the fully formed internal thread. To know which drill bit size is right for your particular tapping application, you need to consider what thread percentage you want when you’re done tapping. How can that be? Well, it’s actually pretty simple. Anytime you see just one size being recommended, you know you can do better–one size does not fit all when it comes to tapping. The same is true of the size recommended on the tap and even the recommended size from the tap manufacturer. Moreover, the size recommended in most drill bit size charts is very often not the best size to use. Let’s start with an important fact–there isn’t just one drill bit size to use for a given tap size. Newsflash: There Isn’t Just One Drill Bit Size for a Tap But in this age of computers and the Internet, you can do better. If it has information on which twist drill size to use for tapping, so much the better. Make no mistake: having a good drill bit size chart (sometimes called a “drill index”) is a very handy thing indeed to have around. What’s better than a drill bit size chart? Let us help, and BTW, it’s completely free too! If you’re simply after a basic tap drill chart in Metric and Imperial measurements, or a printable pdf to hang in your workshop, continue scrolling down.īut, before you do, wouldn’t you like to hear about something that’s much better in every way? Something that’ll make it much less likely you’ll break a tap? Something a little more modern than a simple chart? This reduces friction on the screw as it goes into the wood.Tap Drill Chart: Metric & Imperial Size You can use paraffin wax that is used for canning, or you can rub a candle onto the screw, which is also paraffin wax. The fibers of a dense wood species are more resistant to crushing by the threads of the screw, so it is good to go up by one size on your drill bits, as long as the bore of the hole is still smaller than the threads of the screw.Īnother thing that can help a lot when working with very dense wood species is to apply wax to the screw threads. These species include but are not limited to: hard maple, ash, wenge, ironwood, ipe, white oak, etc. This applies whether you are using the eyeballing method or going by numbers.Įxtremely dense wood species require a slightly larger hole. Having a slightly smaller hole will give a more secure hold in a softwood. Because softwood is less dense, you should should drill a slightly smaller hole (one size down), because the fibers can be crushed more easily. You’ll notice on the table above that the drill bit size is different depending on whether you are drilling into hardwood or softwood.
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