Bilz tapping collets - how to?

[Timleech]

I picked up a Bilz tapping head & a few clutched collets several years ago, but they've been in the drawer unused until now. Are the clutches adjustable, or are they preset to be right (safe?) for their size of tap? The ones I have are marked WES 1B.
Any advice on their use will be welcomed.

Thanks
Tim

[oldtiffie]

Tim,

I don't know how your tapping head works.

Here is a modern selection of reversible tapping heads:

http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Machine-Tapping-Chucks-Reversible

I have these two:

http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/T002

http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/T004

The clutch settings as supplied are a guide only and will vary with the tap size and pitch, depth of tapping, material being tapped, type of tap and tapping fluid.

Different taps will have quite a difference:

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa294/oldtiffie/Black_book/Black_book2_P20-21_1.jpg

See Machinery's Hand Book as well.

Needless to say having taps athat are not sharp is taking a risk.

Mill spindle speed and HP are linked and important too. My HF-45 and Sieg SX3 mills do very well.

But despite all this - not much really - those tapping heads are worth it if you have a sizable tapping job to do.

[Timleech]

Tiffie, the Bilz type has the clutch within a quick-change collet, each one made for a particular size of tap. The tapping head I have to go with them is a Tapmatic-style with no clutch.

http://www.bilz.de/en/applications-products/tapping/

Collets are the last item on the page

Tim

[John Stevenson]

Tim.
Look identical to the ones on my tapping arm and yes they are adjustable.



These have a wire circlip in the groove that locks the adjusting ring.
remove that and adjust the adjusting nut with a pin spanner [ or bent circlip pliers ] and refait the wire circlip so it locks the nut.



One collet stripped down.

[Timleech]

Tim.
Look identical to the ones on my tapping arm and yes they are adjustable.

Thanks John.
So, how do you determine the correct setting?

Tim

[Ian B]

Tim,

You keep tightening it until the tap snaps in an otherwise finished piece of work, then you back it off half a turn

Ian

[Jaakko Fagerlund]

Thanks John.
So, how do you determine the correct setting?

Tim

Can't say how you would adjust the type pictured, but the usual tapping heads that have the adjusting ring on the outside, you just tighten it until it starts cutting with a new tap.

[Timleech]

Tim,

You keep tightening it until the tap snaps in an otherwise finished piece of work, then you back it off half a turn

Ian

That's what I was afraid of!

I actually stripped one down, then put it together with a fairly modest pressure, & upped the pressure a couple of times until it would do the job (M10 blind holes in cast iron)

Tim

[John Stevenson]

Tim,
One of my to do jobs [ think it's number 37.487 on the list ] is to make a MT4 arbor with two driving lugs to take these collets so I can tap on the lathe and not have to worry about hitting the bottom of a hole.

They are brilliant, been doing some deep M3 blind holes today into alloy, just keep going until it slips then reverse. 48 holes in about 10 minutes and not a worry.

[Timleech]

Tim,
One of my to do jobs [ think it's number 37.487 on the list ] is to make a MT4 arbor with two driving lugs to take these collets so I can tap on the lathe and not have to worry about hitting the bottom of a hole.

They are brilliant, been doing some deep M3 blind holes today into alloy, just keep going until it slips then reverse. 48 holes in about 10 minutes and not a worry.

That's given me an idea, thanks.

Just checking through the collets that I have, there are two at M10. I'd be happy to swap one of those for another size, similar style, with someone in the UK. I have M5 to M12 and 1/4", M4 or M3 would be handy. I've just seen the price of new ones!!

Tim

[John Stevenson]

Tim,
How much ?

I had to buy an extra one for my set as there are two standards for shank diameter and if I remember right it's the 10mm one that gave the problem.
Can't remember what I paid £35, seems to ring a bell ? but I got them from the Machine DRO lads

Sorry got no spares, just enough for the range I do M3 to M12

[macona]

If you dont mind shipping, Tools-n-gizmos has a pretty good selection of Bilz collets at good prices:

http://www.tools-n-gizmos.com/store/agora.cgi?user2=yes&user4=CollQCTap,Bilz&titttle=Bilz-Type_Quick-Change_Tap_Adapters_for_sale&ppinc=MT

-Jerry

[Timleech]

Tim,
How much ?

I had to buy an extra one for my set as there are two standards for shank diameter and if I remember right it's the 10mm one that gave the problem.
Can't remember what I paid £35, seems to ring a bell ? but I got them from the Machine DRO lads

Sorry got no spares, just enough for the range I do M3 to M12

Oops, sorry John. Just spotted one of the M10 is for the skinny taps with 7mm shank, so no duplicate.
Gloster Tooling have (Chinese?) ones on ebay for 29 quid, they're 40 quid from Allendale (is that Machine-dro?) name brand seem to be that sort of money secondhand. I know I didn't pay anywhere near that for mine, but it was a few years ago when there were still bargains to be found on fleabay.

Tim

[John Stevenson]

Jerry,
thanks for that link, some good spec sheets on there.
Looks like mine are the #1 series chucks.

[John Stevenson]

Yes Tim, Allendale.
I bought the air tapping head and a full set of chucks, M3 to M12 for £320 a while ago and made my own frame.
Knowing what I know now I should have bougt one years ago but until these Chinese ones came on the market they were very expensive here.
even second hand they were fetching £1200 to £1500 at auction.

I have made on 'chuck' which is just a dogged drive to fit the motor with a JT6 taper and 13mm keyless chuck. handy for holding a countersink to remove the burrs from tapping. Wobbles about a bit for accurate drilling and is a slow speed but fine for the odd hole or countersink / counterbore.