tap set needed to build?

[jimbo]

The RV9 wing tie down brackets call to tap the 3/8" hole for the tie down ring. Wondering if I should buy just the one tap or should I buy a tap/die set if other sizes are needed down the road?

Thanks for your comments.

Jim
RV9A wings

[yakdriver]

You only need the 3/8 tap for two holes. Its nice to have 6-32, 8-32, 10-32 and 1/4-28. You will use the 6-32 and 8-32 the most but even then not all that much. Don

[RyanM]

Just get a cheap set from harbor freight if there is one near by. It's handy to have them, since they are not that big of an investment.

[thallock]

Absolutely do not get a cheap set from Harbor Freight. You will just end up throwing it away. I am a big fan of Harbor Freight, but their tap and die sets are totally worthless. I used the HF set for the wing tie-downs, and managed to finish the job. I had to do something else a while back, and the HF tap was garbage. Absolutely would not cut the metal. I ended up buying a medium price Craftsman set, and it was like night and day.

I cannot say enough bad things about HF taps and dies. You will ruin parts with their junk. Ok, maybe they have another set than what I bought, and maybe it will do a reasonable job, but that was my experience. YMMV.

Cheers,
Tracy.

[gkimbrough]

My HF set lasted part of one job. Threw it away and bought a set from Sears (Made in USA). Finished the airplane with that.

Regards,

Geoff Kimbrough
N6978C
RV-8 flying
Katy, Texas

[Dave Cole]

You won't need more than a few taps during construction, so don't compromise on a "cheap" tap set to save money when you don't need a full set in the first place.

Buy only first quality taps, but only in the sizes you need. In the big scheme of things, they won't cost enough to matter, and the quality of your work will benefit significantly.

[Mel]

This is one area where you can get really burned. The major problem with cheap taps & dies is that they have bad burrs on the cutting teeth. These burrs can destroy the hole you are trying to tap. They cut too much metal away leaving too little metal to salvage.

[terrykohler]

Buy high quality taps in the sizes listed by Yakdriver. You may wish to tap out the nut plates holding the seat bottoms in place as well as a few other locations. IIRC, the fasteners for the wingtips are #4, and I tapped these out as well. No problems in 400 hours of flying. In many applications where I have used stainless machine screws, the nutplates have been tapped.
Terry, CFI
RV9A, N323TP

[frankh]

Just buy the ones you need from your local automotive shop...Seem pretty high quality.

Frank

[yakdriver]

I will also agree,just buy high quality taps that you need and they will last a lifetime. My 6-32, 8-32 and 1/4-28 are over 30 years old and I have used them countless times. Also use some good aluminum tap fluid, another thing that will give you good clean holes. Don