Holy Crap!!!

Cheez Dawg

Cheez Dawg

Flawed Perfectionist
Silver Member
Last week I received a mid-size cue smith lathe from Chris Hightower. What a fantastic piece of engineering!

I am currently working on getting set up with tooling.
So, Monday when I was at work (I work in a factory that has a full machine shop in it) I decided just for fun to see if I could get a couple of taps. I was looking into getting a 5/16X14, and a 3/8X10.
I got a quote today from BDI here in town.
For a 6" 5/16X14 they quoted me $199.40!!
For the 6" 3/8X10 they quoted me $204.36!!

I nearly fell off the floor. I know I can get a decent SET of taps online for under $100.
Just unbeleivable how companies like to gouge you.
Just thought I'd share.
 
Cheez Dawg said:
Last week I received a mid-size cue smith lathe from Chris Hightower. What a fantastic piece of engineering!

I am currently working on getting set up with tooling.
So, Monday when I was at work (I work in a factory that has a full machine shop in it) I decided just for fun to see if I could get a couple of taps. I was looking into getting a 5/16X14, and a 3/8X10.
I got a quote today from BDI here in town.
For a 6" 5/16X14 they quoted me $199.40!!
For the 6" 3/8X10 they quoted me $204.36!!

I nearly fell off the floor. I know I can get a decent SET of taps online for under $100.
Just unbeleivable how companies like to gouge you.
Just thought I'd share.
Click to expand...

I don't think that is gouging. Those are not standard taps that you are looking for. It is expensive to have a tap specially ground. I had a Southwest tap ground 15 years ago and it cost 150.00 then. Atlas and prather's and a couple other places sell these taps, but 4" instead of 6, much cheaper as they have a bunch of them made up at once.
Dick
 
What you have to do in order to compare Atlas prices to your shops prices is ask for 4 inch taps and get a price on 100 of them. You might be surprised how much lower the cost per tap is if you are making 100. That is why you are usually better to just buy from those that are having quatities of something made instead of trying to get one amde at a time. You might only be paying $50 for the tap and $150 for set up time. I have been shopping for thread mill grinders and was quoted 5 times as much per thread mill in quantities of 50 in Los Angelas than I was quoted in Oklahoma. So Los Angelas won't be making my thread mills.
Glad the machine is working out for you.
 
I don't need 6" taps, but the guy in charge of tool and die could only get prices on that particular length.
 
The extensive cost in getting a tap made is because of the heat treating. If it was cold formed you would have a screw with flutes.Cold formed taps will get you out of a bind but not something you would want to use everyday. The last special tap I got done was 115$ for making qr inserts.
 
John,
Actually, the cost for heat-treating is very minimal. The exaggerated cost is due to the quantity of the run, as stated earlier. One-sies and two-sies cost more because of the set-up time. The set-up time is the same whether you're running 5 or 500 pcs. That cost gets spread out over the number of pcs. run.

Cheex Dawg,
Atlas has about the best price you're likely to get. If you need something that they don't have or something really odd-ball, you can always make it yourself. It ain't rocket surgery.
 
KJ Cues said:
John,
Actually, the cost for heat-treating is very minimal. The exaggerated cost is due to the quantity of the run, as stated earlier. One-sies and two-sies cost more because of the set-up time. The set-up time is the same whether you're running 5 or 500 pcs. That cost gets spread out over the number of pcs. run.

Cheex Dawg,
Atlas has about the best price you're likely to get. If you need something that they don't have or something really odd-ball, you can always make it yourself. It ain't rocket surgery.
Click to expand...
Rocket surgery....is that like rocket science only different....:D
 
KJ Cues said:
John,
Actually, the cost for heat-treating is very minimal. The exaggerated cost is due to the quantity of the run, as stated earlier. One-sies and two-sies cost more because of the set-up time. The set-up time is the same whether you're running 5 or 500 pcs. That cost gets spread out over the number of pcs. run.

Cheex Dawg,
Atlas has about the best price you're likely to get. If you need something that they don't have or something really odd-ball, you can always make it yourself. It ain't rocket surgery.
Click to expand...
The point I was trying poorly to make about heat treating is it costs the same to heat treat one piece as it does 100. Same amount of electric or whatever type of heat they are using. But yes you have machine set up treatment and just plain ole PIA to do just one for a big shop.
 
RocketQ said:
The point I was trying poorly to make about heat treating is it costs the same to heat treat one piece as it does 100. Same amount of electric or whatever type of heat they are using. But yes you have machine set up treatment and just plain ole PIA to do just one for a big shop.
Click to expand...
Your point is valid. Anodizers and heat treaters and such all have a minimum $$ order and often 50 can be done for the price of one. I would think Tap grinders would do that in house, but still there set up time for just for grinding one tap is probably 3/4 of the price of the tap.
 
KJ Cues said:
John,
.

Cheex Dawg,
Atlas has about the best price you're likely to get. If you need something that they don't have or something really odd-ball, you can always make it yourself. It ain't rocket surgery.
Click to expand...

yes... atlas is your best bet. www.cuestik.com you can buy a set for that price

rocket surgery... u stole my saying!!! i been saying that for year
i always get a laugh

i also say i have to race like a piss horse.
it never lets me down...:D
 
I had no idea I was plagiarizing. I thought that I was merely exercising literary license. I'll tell you what, I'll let you have 'posilutely'. On me.
 
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