Tapmatic power tapper for 10 bucks. Not quite but close.

[jjr2001]

In a hobby shop like mine I am always looking for a quicker or better way to make my parts.
I have seen the Tapmatic tapping head and others similar in nature for sale on the net.
They are quite expensive for hobby use so in looking around I found this Supreme Reversable Screw Driver and
gear reduction from the way back time. (Some say old timey).
Anyhow I bought one on the bay for $10.00 including shipping! Had to try that! It has a 1/2-20 nose thread
so I put on an old Jacobs chuck. The whole thing seems a bit unwieldy but worth a try.

Disappointed with it when I first checked it out. Sloppy, very sloppy, so sloppy that if spun up in the drill press
it would scribe a circle with the tip of a tap of about 5/8" in diameter.

The gear reduction was nice, smooth and the unit would reverse. After taking it apart I decided to take up some of the slop
by simply adding a small copper washer under all three of the screws holding it together. The washers are #16 solid copper wire
that I hammer formed to be flat. They are still a bit thick but I was able to just keep the fixing screws snug. This allowed the unit
to operate in the proper fashion and get rid of that 5/8" circle. Trick is to not get it too tight, if you do it will not work properly.

The Chuck gripped that 1/4-20 better than it was suppose to. Never slipped once in tapping 72 holes 1/4-20 by 5/8 deep in aluminum.
Requires a bit of effort to run that tap all the way to 5/8 but it works. Reverses and then pull the quill up and on to the next.

One other key to getting this to work is to clamp the work to the drill press with at least two clamps. I do not want that plate
spinning around or that tap to snap. Here is a post for the clamps seen in the picture:
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/d...9987#post71653

Now, you do need to turn off the DP motor prior to reversing but that is not all that much trouble considering how much labor
I saved by not having to hand tap 72 holes.

Cheers, JR

[Moldyjim]

"Now, you do need to turn off the DP motor prior to reversing but that is not all that much trouble considering how much labor
I saved by not having to hand tap 72 holes."

Cheers, JR[/QUOTE]

???

The one I have, you hold either the top or bottom half of the housing to drive or reverse the rotation.
Just leave the drill press running forward.
5/8 of slop seems excessive, but you want some float in the spindle to self align the tap to the hole.
Jim

[jjr2001]

Thanks Jim, mine is the 4100 model and to get it into reverse you need to push/pull and rotate the chuck end.
I think they made this in 4 or 5 varieties over the years. Mine is supposedly just for screw driver use on an
old portable drill motor that was not reversible. It is not a big issue considering how much labor it saves over
manually tapping a bunch of holes. I have one more on order and it should be here by Friday. It is different
and marketed by Buck so I am really interested in how that one works.

Cheers, JR

[Moldyjim]

Went and grabbed mine from my tool box.
It's a #4000T
When feeding down you grab the lower housing, let go and it quits spinning the tap.
Pull up a little and hold the top housing and it reverses.
No on/off needed.
It came in a (homemade?) wooden box with 3 different collets and adaptors for attachment.

[jjr2001]

Jim, I believe you have the PushPull tapper. Made by Supreme and works in a similar fashion to my Supreme Versamatic Reversible Screw Driver. Many similar functions but the PushPull is the preferred model for use on a drill press. I have seen some on line and they run about $120. The one I have requires the motor to be stopped and the spindle rotated and pushed up to reverse it. So it is a bit more work using it than if you had the PushPull one. You have the good one for the drill press,mine is ok but requires more work to use. I may still buy one of the PushPull type since it is Superior.

Cheers, JR

[olderdan]

Great little budget device, I have looked on line but all available are in the US and postage rules that out for me.

[jjr2001]

I know what you mean about the shipping charges. Even getting expensive for US to US.
I paid $15.00 for another unit I bought and another $10.00 for shipping. It was very similar to
my original purchase but was a Buck Supreme Versamatic. The nose is different (33JT instead of 1/2-20) and the driving
end is different with a 1/2-20 thread for an arbor for the DP instead of a little 1/4" shaft to drive it.
I believe it was almost never used and quite tight so it was worth the little extra shipping I had to pay.

Keep checking though, someone may have one for sale in the UK and I think they are well worth the cost
if shipping is not too much. Watch for the models also as these were made in different varieties.
The PUSH PULL Tapper is the one for the drill press. The Versamatic like I have is ok on the DP but
not as convenient to operate. Push Pull is perfect for the DP.

Cheers, JR

[Toolmaker51]

Dynamite background on handheld tappers jjr2001; press mounted or not. Many were used in assembly of various commercial products and barely operative now. But compared to dedicated press only units [ETTCO, Tapmatic, Pyramid, etc] all IIRC require a tommy to function. Handheld units were sold by dozens of outlets; Western Auto, Sears-Craftsman, Ace Hardware, Chicago Specialty, Ridgid, Millers Falls etc, but all retained the distinctive looking ribbed body of Supreme or Superior.

I'm into these at the moment with 240 1/4-20's in 4 10' strips of 3/8" hot rolled. I haven't got a suitable alternative, that weight won't center up easily to draw a tap on a drill press.

I'm mounting E-track to my tiltbed [lol] machinery trailer. I anticipate clamping on three saw horses and having at it 1-2-3-4 in a row. Drilling is a different story; found well priced headed #7 drill bushings at both Victor Machinery and paybay. The jig should be done by Thursday, clamping, location and all. 12 bushings, 10 'active', 2 with #7 drill blanks overlapping previous holes, preserve the 2" distance between centers.
https://www.victornet.com/department...hings/270.html
Choice went to paybay this time with a seller offering slip renewable versions I find more universal. In this jig they'll be light press fit but an individual can't wear them out in a lifetime.

[Paul Jones]

Toolmaker51,

Thank you for your reference to the Victor Machinery Exchange, Inc. website. I have bought many products from Victor and have never been disappointed for the their value and quality.

Regards,
Paul

[jjr2001]

Here are a couple of pics from my new (used) Versamatic.
This one is in a Buck box with a model number of 7111.
Better than my first copy this one has a 1/2-20 female thread for an arbor.
I made up a quick one from a 1/2-20 bolt so I could put it in my DP.
The output end has a 33JT stub that fits my new chuck perfectly.
The knurled aluminum knob has a 33JT socket for use with the screwdrivers. (Yankee type).

In the 4th picture you can see the output shaft extension, picture 3 shows it retracted.
Extended is CCW and Retracted is CW rotation.


The front of the Buck box lists :
Versatapper (Best one for machine tapping and quite like a Tapmatic)

Versamatic 4000-P and 4100 Like mine I believe.

Push_Pull Tapper No 9000 This one would be nice for a home shop drill press use.
The 9000 has specific chucks for taps.

Versamate Speed reducer only.

These are just the ones listed on this box!

Cheers, JR