Taps & Dies

Taps and dies are cutting tools used to make screw threads, which is called threading. - A tap is used to cut the female portion of the mating pair (e.g. a nut). - A die is used to cut the male portion of the mating pair (e.g. a bolt). The process of cutting threads using a tap is called tapping, whereas the process using a die is called threading. Both tools can be used to clean up a thread, which is called chasing.