Thread: Timber type for Tap and Die case insert

In the good old days tap and die sets were supplied in a wooden case.
I have a set supplied in a metal case and a crappy blowmould cellophane plastic material.

The insert has aged and is cracking.

I wish to replace the plastic insert with timber.

The question is what sort of timber would be the most suitable. Understand the tannins in some timbers might corrode the taps and dies-they are an Alloy set, not HSS or Carbon.

What timber type was used for tap and die cases in the good old days? any ideas?

thanks
Grahame

Plywood?

I have a really old est that looks like Oak, with years of oil soaked into it

I think I've seen Euro Beech used before. Black HDPE would probably look pretty smart as well.

Hi Grahame,

I have been told, but not yet tried, that Camphor Laurel has a sufficiently high oil content as to help prevent rust on tools stored in boxes made from it. Can't say whether the tannins will mark your dies or not. I have been intending to try this for awhile now. Perhaps next year, seeing as I now know a bloke who recently cut several tonnes of it.

Cheers

The Beryl Bloke

Found this on Google; https://www.tap-die.com/contents/en-...s_holders.html

This box British-made exclusively our design, contains NO slots or cut-outs. It has specially been left 'blank' to enable anyone with wood-working tools to router-cut slots into the base and/or lid and place tools in this product. This product has a lid and base, hinged at the back, with one front-closing clip. It is unvarnished. It is a 'ready to cut-out' MDF-wood product.

It would appear that the box itself could be any nice looking wood, with the storage part being MDF.
Hope this helps.
Kryn

Hi Guys,

My take on this, is use any wood that suits you ! A good washing in a light oil and letting it soak in will keep your tools nice for years to come ! Half the secret is keeping the damp air out. My personal preference is white oak with teak coming second.

In one of my 'other' hobbies, it's pretty well established that zinc plating and oak do not co-exist, especially with moisture.

This was unfortunate as the larger meccano sets were packed in an oak chest.


I gather it is the tannic acid that does the damage.



Russ

Thanks to all who replied.
You have given me lots of information to think about.
Thank you one and all.
Grahame

I had a vac formed tray under a socket set and when it started to crack, I taped up the holes and then poured a 2 part urethane mix in the back.
No problems now...

Michael

Michael, I like the poly urethane idea

What I should have mentioned first up when I posted, is that the steel case the tap & die set is contained in, has a double layer of taps and dies and does not have spare vertical height.

I will have to make a wooden case and that's all there is to it. Nothing too fancy but it will better organise, store and protect the tap & die set. The wooden tap & die case will be heavier for sure and will have to be set up as a drawer sytem under a bench as its steel case size is 485 x 320 x 58.

Otherwise, this takes up the valuable bench top real estate and I shall have less area to store unused crap on that I am too lazy to either dump or store away in a proper fashion.

Due to the coal dust and salt air here in rust city, the outer case is corroding as is lots of other equipment in my shop.
Anywhere this corrosive mix of coal dust and sea air moisture settles, corrosion begins.

My plier type tools are stored on a wall bracket. To keep them and many other tools corrosion free. I have to regularly spray them with a fish oil and CRC/wd/40 mix.

This seems to work for about 12 months of so, It makes tools tacky to hold but it is economical as the fish oil is the Super Cheap house brand.

Grahame

I had the same problem as Michael on my old Oz made Sidchrome socket set. I applied fibreglass and resin to the back side of the tray which stiffened it up nicely. Will outlive me know.

Grahame,
if the tray is blow-moulded, surely there must be some room on the underside to apply a filler/stiffener?

This is one of the sets I did. The stuff is clear because it was was a potting compound at work that was past shelf life so had to go. As you can see from the tape, there were a few cracks. However, it did not add anything to the height or overall size of the tray
P1040385.JPG
Michael