The biggest problem with simple hand-tapping is accurately aligning the tap with the hole so that they are coaxial—in other words, going in straight instead of on an angle. The operator must get this alignment close to ideal to produce good threads and not break the tap. The deeper the thread depth, the more pronounced the effect of the angular error. With a depth of 1 or 2 diameters, it matters little. With depths beyond 2 diameters, the error becomes too pronounced to ignore. Another fact about alignment is that the first thread cut or two establishes the direction that the rest of the threads will follow. You can't correct the angle after the first thread or two.

A taper tap is rarely the final tap used before completing a project however, as the taper leaves incomplete threads cut at the bottom of a blind hole.

So what are the types of taps? There are 3 main taps you should be familiar with and they are: Taper, Plug, and Bottoming tap.

Types and Uses - Continued - 14256_231". www.tpub.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2009 . Retrieved 7 May 2018.With soft or average hardness materials, such as plastic, aluminum or mild steel, common practice is to use an intermediate (plug) tap to cut the threads. If the threads must extend to the bottom of a blind hole, the machinist uses an intermediate (plug) tap to cut threads until the point of the tap reaches bottom, and then switches to a bottoming tap to finish. The machinist must frequently eject chips to avoid jamming or breaking the tap. With hard materials, the machinist may start with a taper tap, whose less severe diameter transition reduces the torque required to cut threads. To threads to the bottom of a blind hole, the machinist follows the taper tap with an intermediate (plug) tap, and then a bottoming tap to finish. High Carbon Steel 38 Piece Do-it-yourselfer Tap & Die Set". Vermont American . Retrieved 2022-07-02. Sherwood Tap dimensions conform to ISO529 apart from NPT Forms which conform to ANSI 94.9. Straight Flute and Fluteless Taps are manufactured with a standard Bright Finish.

Plug taps are great when used with through-holes, as they are almost as easy as taper taps to start, but also offer a more complete set of threads. US Tap and Drill Bit Size Table". BoltDepot.com. Archived from the original on 2006-12-01 . Retrieved 2006-12-03.Tapping case studies with typical examples of tapping operations in various environments are shown on source machinetoolaid.com [1] Tapping stations [ edit ] a b "Taps: Technical information". Archived from the original on 2009-01-13 . Retrieved 2009-01-04. Second Tap The second tap, sometimes known as the intermediate or plug tap, is used after the taper tap to deepen and continue cutting the threads more aggressively.

Taper Tap The first tap in the set is called the taper tap. It has a more gradual cutting edge and is used to start the threading process. Its longer length helps guide the tap into the hole and gradually cut the threads.

Hand Tap Sets - They are designed to provide the necessary taps for different stages of the threading process, ensuring that you have the right tools to create accurate and clean threads. A typical tap set includes a Taper, Second and Plug. Tap in a wrench for creating female threads (left), and die in a wrench for creating male threads (right). Choosing the right tap always depends on the type of hole you are trying to cut or clean, as well as the type of material you are tapping. If you are using a guide plate and guide bushing like that of a ProMAXX ProKit, we recommend using the aggressive and complete cutting action of the bottoming tap. If you are tapping freehand, you will want to start with a taper tap then work your way up to the complete cutting action of the bottoming tap.