How To Tap Sheet Metal

To use self tapping screws place the screw directly on the aluminum sheet.

How to tap sheet metal.

Very soon you will feel the teeth of the tap start to cut into the metal. Keeping the tap as perpendicular to the face of the metal as possible and exerting some downward pressure start turning the tap slowly clockwise. A self drilling screw has a chisel tip similar to a drill bit. If you re working with a thick sheet of metal apply heat from a blowtorch along the bend line to soften it.

Locate the size of the fastener you need to install in the metal. Self drilling or self tapping metal screws increase productivity by reducing the number of steps required to screw together pieces of metal. Stabilize the screw so it doesn t tilt as it goes in and twist the screw into the metal. For a short while the turning will be wobbly but as the tap progresses downward into the hole it will stabilize.

Keep in mind that a properly secured work piece is a safe work piece. Let it turn until it goes all the way through as the threads and the sharp point make their own hole. Identify the thread size and pitch on the drill and tap chart.