Big Gator Tools MTG500NP V-Tap Guide

The item arrived exactly as I expected. It's a relatively simple product, but the fine craftsmanship is readily apparent. It came applied with a light coating of oil and packed inside a nice industrial style tool holder with a hanging hook. The hole size is not an issue, but I can only test the fit of the M4 & M5 holes because they're the only sizes I own right now. The fit and finish are great yet not perfect. After opening, I washed the tool with dish soap and water. The soap turned black so I knew it could use a thorough cleaning. Using cotton swabs to dry the holes resulted in fibers being snagged by small burrs left on the V-Groove side of the holes. I want to be able to clean my tools without making another 'mess' so I carefully filed the edges of the holes until smooth. This is a minor annoyance and isn't enough of a problem to deduct a star, but I hope the manufacturer considers improving their processes a bit. The smell of the factory's choice of grease is also fairly unpleasant and still lingers after washing and oiling with a scented mineral oil like Ballistol. I suggest a change to an unscented & nontoxic lubricant, like silicone, be used as an alternative rust preventative. The block's thickness is adequate for the tap threads to fully engage the workpiece. Some tools create new problems, but this block should never become a distraction or obstruction. It's so simple it should just work. The fact that it's much narrower than a rectangular block means it can/should be clamped down. A smaller block makes clamping difficult or impossible. Being Made in the USA matters to me because it supports American labor and a continued commitment to producing this level of quality goods. I couldn't find a competing product in this price range anyways, regardless of where it's made. The V-Groove feature is an excellent innovation to the homemade tapping guide blocks machinists tend to make for themselves. That versatility for tapping corners or rounded material is a nice bonus, especially since I don't have a tap & drill set required to make my own block, nor do I have a mill to make the V-Groove on the bottom. The price is fair and the quality is impressive.

These are great for starting a tap perpendicular to the work.

I bought one of everything they sell. Absolutely excellent stuff.

I have been using this for 4,5,6mm taps. When I am using this on the side of 1/2" aluminum I turn it upside down. Works great! I did have to tap some unusual size holes (7 mm) and wish this guide would have helped but I knew that was not one of the standard sizes.

This is a great tool for M5 and up, but the M3 and M4 holes have too much clearance and you can tell when you're using them. At first I thought I had picked up the wrong tap, but after measuring the holes, I see that they're just oversized. Here are the hole sizes I measured vs nominal tap diameter: Thread Hole Size M3 3.68 mm M4 4.39 mm M5 5.18 mm M6 6.20 mm M8 8.23 mm M10 10.29 mm M12 12.29 mm M14 14.35 mm M16 16.30 mm M5-M8 are around 0.20 mm over their respective taps. M10-M16 are about 0.30 over. Why do the M3 and M4 have such ridiculous clearance. M3 has 0.70 mm, that's more clearance than even the biggest sizes??

In lieu of a dedicated tapping machine, lathe or mill, or simply for those hard-to-access sports - this tool is a must. In fact, I am finding that I prefer to use it more often (at least for smaller sizes) because there is practically zero setup: clamp the guide to your work and use your favorite tap wrench. The thread will be straight and true. Just by preventing the stuck or broken bits alone the guide will likely save you more money than it cost. Speaking of which, this is a precision, high quality tool and is a pleasure to handle. It even comes with a handy plastic case.

If you want to drill and tap straight holes these tools work. This company makes several products and different kits. I was adding to my collection with this purchase.

This is a well designed tool that can be used either with round stock (provided with a "V" on the bottom) or flat stock. It is a heavy piece, though allowing for better stability while using it as a drill guide, which with smaller sized drills is it's prime use and desire to keep drills from wondering. Remember, this is a METRIC drill guide designed for use with metric drill bits, but don't be discouraged. The manufacturer also makes it in standard ANSi (Imperial) drill sizes. Mine goes up to 10 millimeter in size and the Imperial I believe has a maximum drill size of 1/4 inch. They are well worth the money spent in keeping the drill from wondering or snapping, while trying to keep the bit 90 degrees to the piece being worked.

Très satisfait de cet accessoire. Les calibres sont parfaits, on peut faire des trous à 45° et il prend très peu de place. En utilisation à plat, les trous sont bien perpendiculaires. Livré dans une petite boite de rangement bien pratique. Si cet avis vous a été utile merci de cliquer sur "OUI"

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Drill holes in pipes

Zeer makkelijk, vasthouden of vastklemmen en perfect verticaal boren met de accuboor. Is eigenlijk de tap versie en zonder centreeraanduiding op de zijkant. Maar deze gaat tot 16mm. Onverwoestbaar. Wel aan de dure kant, in de VS 1/3 goedkoper

In metallo massiccio