Fig. 339.
Fig. 340.
Fig. 341.
[Fig. 336] represents a form of flute recommended by Brown and Sharp. The teeth are short, thus avoiding friction, and the flutes are shallow, which leaves the tap strong. The inclination of the cutting edges, as a b (the cutting direction of rotation being denoted by the arrow), is shown by the dotted lines, being in a direction to curve the chip or cutting somewhat upward and not throw them down upon the bottom of the flute. A more common form, and one that perhaps represents average American practice, is shown in [Fig. 337], the cutting edges forming a radial line as denoted by the dotted line. The flute is deeper, giving more room for the chips, which is an advantage when the tap is required to cut a thread continuously without being moved back at all, but the tap is weaker on account of the increased flute depth, the teeth are longer and produce more friction, and the flutes are deeper than necessary for a tap having a long taper or that requires to be removed to clear out the cuttings. [Fig. 338] shows the form of flute in the Pratt and Whitney Company’s hand taps, the cutting edges forming radial lines and the bottoms of the flutes being more rounded than is usual. It may here be remarked that if the flutes have comparatively sharp corners, as at c in [Fig. 339], the tap will be liable to crack in the hardening process. The form of flute employed in the Whitworth tap is shown in [Fig. 340]; here there being but three flutes the teeth are comparatively long, and on this account there is increased friction. But, on the other hand, such a tap produces, when used by hand, more accurate work, the threaded hole being more parallel and of a diameter more nearly equal to that of the tap, it being observed that even though a hand tap have no clearance it will usually tap a hole somewhat larger than itself so that it will unwind easily. If a hand tap is given clearance not only will it cut a hole widest at the mouth, but it will cut a thread larger than itself in an increased degree, and, furthermore, when the tap requires to be wound back to extract it the fine cuttings will become locked in the threads and the points of the tap teeth are liable to become broken off. To ease the friction of long teeth, therefore, it is preferable to do so either as in [Fig. 325] at a, b, c, or as in [Fig. 341]. In [Fig. 325] the tops of the teeth are shown filed away, leaving each end full, so that the cuttings cannot get in, no matter in which direction the tap is rotated; but the clearance is not so complete as in [Fig. 341], in which the teeth are supposed to be eased away within the area enclosed by dotted lines, which gives clearance to the bottom as well as to the tops and sides of the thread and leaves the ends of each tooth a full thread.
Concerning the number of flutes in taps, it is to be observed that the duty the tap is to be put to, has much influence in this respect. In hand tapping the object is to tap as parallel and straight as possible with the least expenditure of power. Now, the greater the number of flutes the less the tap is guided, because more of the circumferential guiding surface is cut away. But on the other hand, the less the number of flutes, and therefore the less the number of cutting edges, the more power it takes to operate the tap on account of the greater amount of friction between the tap and the walls of the hole. In hand tapping on what may be termed frame work (as distinguished from such loose work as nuts, &c.), the object is to tap the holes as parallel as possible with the least expenditure of power while avoiding having to remove the tap from the hole to clear it of the cuttings. Obviously the more flutes and cutting edges there are the more room there is for the cuttings and the less frequent the tap requires to be cleaned. If the tapping hole is round and straight the tapping may be made true and parallel if due care is taken, whatever the number of flutes, but less care will be required in proportion as there are less flutes, while, as before noted, more power and more frequent tap removals will be necessary. But if the hole is not round, other considerations intervene.