Useful aids for drilling and tapping

Continuing the Meanderer trike project, previous post:

• Meanderer front suspension plates assembled — April 07, 2025

In this post, I am showing some aids for the project, in fact, the first two are required.

1: Hole-reamer

A core part of the tilting mechanism is a 10mm diameter rod. This has to slide through holes that I have drilled in aluminium. The problem is that a 10mm drill-bit is actually slightly under 10mm, and usually the resultant hole is less than 10mm. Hence, the rod won't fit.

Just needs a tiny amount shaved off the hole; enter the reamer. I bought this set from eBay:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/196502934905

I bought a set, as will be needing other sizes, such as 14mm and 6mm.

These are operated by hand, not with a drill, and the lever from a tap-and-die set is required to turn the reamer. It is recommended to apply some oil. These are cheap, fine for aluminium, but I don't know how long they will last if reaming steel.

2: 3-piece tap-set

On the topic of a tap-and-die set, yes, I have one, so does the Men's Shed. However, the taps are just one of each size and pitch. A 3-piece set is one size and pitch, but three different taps; one for getting-started, then a normal one, then one for tapping the thread as far down a dead-end hole as possible. I bought 5mm, 6mm and 8mm sets from eBay:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/192442744976

Very handy, especially the getting-started one. Again, a lever from the tap-and-die set is required, and it is operated by hand. The tap-bit has to be held exactly vertical to the work-piece, and that is tricky when getting started, so the getting-started one is very helpful.

3: Drill-tap combination bit

This is not essential, just nice to have. You don't have to find the correct-size drill bit, prior to tapping the thread, as this combines both in one drill bit. I bought from AliExpress (both the B-short and A-long):

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005955702010.html

Probably a good idea to watch a couple of YouTube videos on how to use these correctly. For example, the work-piece must be no thicker than the "drill" part of the drill-bit. Recommend to apply oil. These can be used with an electric hand-drill or a drill-press. These cheap ones OK for aluminium, not so good for steel. If use an electric hand-drill, putting it into reverse to extract the drill-bit might not be a good idea, as there is a risk of a cross-thread -- instead, remove the drill-bit and reverse-thread by hand -- which would be a bit tedious.

Here are some YouTube videos of these combination bits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYtKzLjT5Lg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ia5P3u8uBQ

These three are very useful aids to have in any home workshop!   

Tags: light