Pipe Taps & Die Box

[steven c newman]

Ok...main Tap & Die Box is completed....stowed away. Which leaves a set of T&Ds for threading Pipe...
442226
From 1/8" (3) up to that huge 1" monster. Sorted through the extra taps....retired 2 of the 1/8" taps, and a 1/4". Tried to work out a way to store all of the "good" ones..
442227
Came up with this "rack"....strips of pine glued to a Poplar base. One piece of Pine needed to be cut at an angle...to match the "stair-stepped" line up...
442228
This seemed to have enough reach.....bandsaw to make a bunch of cuts.
442229
After this came out of the clamps, this morning.....then some more fitting was done. Chisels to adjust the fit as some spot were a tad tight....pads were added, to raise the smaller taps up a bit. 442230
But not full length.....so when I push down on the end of a tap...
442231
The other end will pop up enough that I can then grab it.

More crosscuts and rip cuts...
442232
4 blanks for the sides of a box. Intend to groove for a plywood bottom the rack will sit on....and a raised Poplar panel for a lid....will saw the lid free of the box, line it with a black, rust-resistant foam( drawer liner for a tool box)so the foam will just touch the taps. Usual small bits of hardware. There is enough room that I can add any other dies to the box....besides the 1/8" one I do have. Wrenches are in the other Tap & Die Box.

Need to head to the shop tomorrow, and start the dovetail routine, again.
Stay tuned:D

[steven c newman]

Going to be a "Lay-out Day", today......need to figure out how wide/high to make the four sides of the box....and allow for a saw kerf or two....a couple 1/4" x 1/4" grooves.....a foam pad under the lid....and a raised panel for the lid.....THEN start on through dovetails, once the sides are cut to height needed...Do I split the lid off before...or after the dovetails are done.....

May take more than one Diet Mountain Dew (sugar free !) to solve all these "problems" , today...

Stay tuned.....cussing may be involved.....ear plugs may be needed.:D

[steven c newman]

Hmmm, may have to lower that huge tap a bit..
442304
And maybe the 3/4" tap beside it.....we'll see....
442306
Pins are done first..
442307
Easier for me to lay out, cut and chop the tails....
442308
Dry fit...need 3 more just like this...
442309
Stopped to make sure the rack still fits in there
442310
Yep, still fits. The get the Stanley 45 set up....
442311
As I have a bunch of grooves to mill...tomorrow.

3 hours in the shop, today. I think that will just have to do....always tomorrow, right?
Stay tuned...

[steven c newman]

Stanley #45 was put to good use..once I set it up...depth stop was a tad too deep...swapped the #18 cutter for the #12 cutter, reset the fence, and the sliding stock..
442339
Run all the grooves.and then see how they match up...
442340
One set for the plywood bottom panel to sit in, the other for a raised panel....which I had to mill, this morning..
442341
Set up a jig to hold the Poplar panel still for a bit, and round up couple tools..
442342
Idea is to have a stop line to show where to stop a bevel at..
442343
Going at a diagonal to the grain, a bevel appears....keep going until the grooved part will fit all the way in..
442344
Do both end grain ends first, so that any edge tear out will be removed by the time the long grain bevels are done..
442345
And you get a nice, sharp corner detail....once all the bevels are milled, and they all fit the grooves...try a dry fit..
442346
This is the second try....first was a little too long...trimmed the excess off, re-did that bevel. Once I go back to the shop (Lunch Break!) I can fine tune the bevels, cut the plywood panel to size, then a few other items..before any glue up is done.....have to mark where to split off the lid.
Stay tuned..

[steven c newman]

Lets see, while watching the Furnace Repair Tech work on my furnace....I managed to get the 1/4" Plywood cut to size, and test fitted. Hole drilled to hold the single die ( plenty of room left for the next ones that may show up) and use that 1" Forstner bit to lower the two larger taps down a bit....bit excavating a trough for them to sit in. Sorry, left the camera upstairs...:rolleyes:

Oh, and found out where to make the cut, to split off the lid...once the box is glued up....Might get the glue bottle out, later?

I also back beveled the raised panel's edges....better fit that way. Not much of a bevel, maybe an 1/8" wide, or so....

Stay tuned

[steven c newman]

Larger taps are now sitting a bit lower...
442414
Die has it's own spot to call home..
442415

So...I wound up getting out the glue bottle, and a few clamps..
442416
I think 8 clamps should do the trick...
442417
Find out tomorrow. Then cut the lid off the box...maybe add a pair of hinges...and a latch...

[steven c newman]

Well, this will be a two-parter post....clamps came off about 1400hrs this afternoon....
442462
Looking a bit rough around the edges.....planes were on hand to do the clean up thing...
442463
Tried the square plug trick again....wasn't working out the way I wanted it to, so..
442464
3/8" forstner bit to make the holes round, then a round plug was glued in, and planed flush....makes the corners look like they were "pinned" together...

Next, was time to split the lid off of the box. Lay out line was 3/4" down from the top edge of the box....checked the bandsaw...had to raise the guide all the way up. Checked if the blade and the table were squared to each other, and lined up with the cut lines on the box....fixed that...then it was all on the Operator to saw the line...
442465
At least they will match up when the lid is closed.
442466
Will work better when I install some hinges, right?
442467
And, maybe a latch to keep it closed?
442468
Ok...part 2 coming up..

[steven c newman]

Unlatch the lid, we have work to do..
442469
Spread some glue onto the tap holder, slide it into place, and press down
442470
Lid needs a padded lining...knife to trim it to size, then glue it in place...
442471
Finish sanding and block planed the sharp corners a bit....open the can of Gunstock stain....stain the bottom of the box, first..
442472
Turn back over, do the ends, then the back of the case..
442473
Open the lid...and stain the insides, except for the padding..
442474
Close the lid, do the front..
442475
And then the top..
442476
Then use a rag to wipe it all down...and let it sit overnight....

Stay tuned....may try to add a top coat, tomorrow...we'll see...

Trying to decided on a label holder...the only area bi enough is the lid's raised panel.....have decided against any handles, this time..

[steven c newman]

Going to try later today, to brush on a coat of clear gloss poly...after I install a card holder on the lid...we'll see.

Still haven't got the parts to fix the furnace, to be able to have heat in the house....a little nippy in here, this morning....had frost outside...currently in the 40s, outside...

[steven c newman]

Had a bit of trouble, getting the lid to open, today....spot of varnish..
442591
Added a card holder to the lid ( only place large enough...)
442592
IF you look at the back of the box....
442593
hard to see where the line is....had a fine tooth blade on the bandsaw..
442594
That a little better?

This is part of a set..
442595
Mainly small tools and such....keeps them from getting lost down in the shop...
442596
Thanks for looking in...:D