UNC or UCF

[Steppenwulf]

All good info, cheers.
I'll print it off and give to my mate Dougie so he'll know what to look for and so no excuses for getting it wrong. What are the chances he's going to tell me to sling my hook!

[grbrown]

For the record, they are Unified National Fine and Unified National Coarse.

It is interesting that Harley are at long last going (slightly) metric. In 1975 President Ford signed a Law introducing metrication to the USA. While their northern neighbours got on with it, the US law didn't include a date for introduction! So they didn't do anything about it.

A decade earlier BSA/Triumph started converting from British threads to National, producing mixed thread bikes until they closed. Which is where the AF tools I still use on my Harleys have their origins!

[kevscrivener]

One is inclined to wonder if the metrification of future H-D's will lead to even more major components being outsourced to the far east, diluting the "all-American" bike even further?

I await the day (and it's probably not that far off) when H-D bikes have as much American content as H-D T-shirts.

[grbrown]

Originally Posted by kevscrivener

One is inclined to wonder if the metrification of future H-D's will lead to even more major components being outsourced to the far east, diluting the "all-American" bike even further?

I await the day (and it's probably not that far off) when H-D bikes have as much American content as H-D T-shirts.

I suspect their metrication is due to much of a Harley already being oriental! But they are also International: the alloy Buell frames are Italian, some at least of the disc alloy wheels are Australian, suspension Japanese, all of whom are metric.

As for T-shirts etc, we shipped our bike to the States in 2003, for the Centenary, and visited many dealers. Some of them had up to 100 traders on site, from around the USA, creating vast shopping malls. My wife took a shine to a leather waistcoat (sorry, vest) early on, but refused to buy 'foreign'. After visits to several dealers, she triumphantly found an American one, which also fitted. It was the only one we found and we are convinced was probably several years old - we never saw another similar anywhere else.

One does have to chuckle at our trans-Atlantic cousins for their jingoistic approach to their 'industry', when they are happy to buy so much foreign stuff. I recently bought an S&S 50th anniversary shirt - made in Honduras.

[Steppenwulf]

All good stuff, keep it coming,
A mine of info. Nice one.

[robbiemac]

Howdy, i picked up a tap and die set a couple or three years ago from Machine Mart, it was a Clarke set for about £19.
Should not be much more i suspect. It has most of the sizes for HD's that you are likely to be needing.

Have a look at this one , it's UNF though:-

CHT301 19-Pce Tap & Die Set - Machine Mart

This may be better for your needs :-
CHT302 24-Pce Tap & Die Set - Machine Mart

cheers

[chopper]

got my set of UNC and UNF mixed from machine mart, clarke ones had them for years and use them regularly, werent overly expensive either, the cheap metric set i have on the other hand are rubbish, as my old grandad used to say "Buy cheap buy twice"

i have the second set as show above in the blue case

[grbrown]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Just a thought, when buying taps and dies. Always get good quality sets. You stand a good chance of buggering up your job if the tap or die is made of softer steel than the part you're trying to cut a thread on. Stay away from Chinese ones. You pays your money and you get what you pay for.

Brian.

Great advice, but just a comment on Chinese things. They are a pretty shrewd lot, capable of making both good quality stuff, as well as crap, it all depends on their customer! So if you have had a bad experience, it is the brand who commissioned the stuff from the Chinese who is at fault.

One of my interests is astronomy and hence binoculars. In other forums (the plural for which really should be fora!) it is possible to identify different Western brands selling a similar model of binocular, but at very different prices. This is essentially because they each specify different grades of optics, the finest of which the Chinese are able to supply, yielding class-leading bins. But only if the brand specifies the highest spec!

So don't be completely put off by Chinese stuff, just be shrewd when choosing it. You might just be surprised when you come across their good stuff.

[Limey_Dave]

Originally Posted by robbiemac

Howdy, i picked up a tap and die set a couple or three years ago from Machine Mart, it was a Clarke set for about £19.
Should not be much more i suspect. It has most of the sizes for HD's that you are likely to be needing.

Have a look at this one , it's UNF though:-

CHT301 19-Pce Tap & Die Set - Machine Mart

This may be better for your needs :-
CHT302 24-Pce Tap & Die Set - Machine Mart

cheers

Jon
Something to think about,some budget sets only have one tap per size which will be a 2nd or intermediate tap.
This is ok for starting a thread and cutting a thread on a through hole,but you can't tap blind holes with it.That requires a 3rd/finish/plug tap.
Set CHT301 has both,CHT302 doesn't.

If you look here

UNI-THREAD

and click on UNC, it will give you an idea of prices for cheaper known brands of HSS taps.
At the other end of the scale my supplier quoted me a discounted (for trade account holders) price for one Dormer 7/16" x 14 tap @ £21.

There will be tool dealers at Stafford selling single taps but don't know if they would beat Uni Thread prices.
Another option would be to get the CHT301 set and buy single UNC taps from Uni Thread as required.
Confused,you will be.

[Steppenwulf]

Originally Posted by Limey_Dave

Confused,you will be.

My head hurts!