RE: General Tool Life Question

I am not an expert, but in general High Carbon Steel taps should preferably
be used for hand tapping. They are harder than HSS taps, but they can lose
their hardness more easily when overheated. HSS taps are designed for high
speed machining where greater heat is generated. For hand tapping, High
Carbon Steel taps should actually last longer than HSS taps. The opposite is
true for machine tapping, although High Carbon Steel taps can also give you
a lot of mileage on machines if you keep the heat under control.

Hope this makes sense.

Deon Styger.

> Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 05:27:48 -0000
> From: "gm4t" <gm4ta@...>
> Subject:
>
> How long do high carbon steel taps (USA) last in general?
>
> -GM4T
>