The average do-it-yourselfer hates to drill metal, especially steel. We don’t know how many questions readers have submitted and we’ve answered on that topic over the years. Even the most enthusiastic ...

A cheap and effective ratcheting tap. Need to cut threads into a hole? A tool called a tap is what you need, and a hand-operated one like the one shown here to the side is both economical and ...

Twist drills do not make accurately sized or good finish holes; a reamer of some type is often used to cut the final size and finish. A reamer will not make the original hole; it will only enlarge a ...

Taps and dies are great for cutting new threads or repairing old threads on metals, plastics and other hard materials. Taps cut threads on the inside of holes and dies cut threads on the outside of ...

Self-tapping screws are usually drilled into pre-made holes (pilot holes) in metals, such as zinc, aluminum, and bronze and its alloys, as well as plastics and resin-impregnated plywood. They create ...

The strength of some internal threads is more sensitive to tap diameter than previously thought. • Cold-formed threads are no stronger than cut threads when holes are correctly sized. • Cut threads ...

Ever been curious on how to fasten 3D printed parts together? There are lots of ways to do it — but what’s the best way? [Chris Lopez] works in a machine shop and decided to do some testing of how ...