Description
Product Overview
The Kato Auto Tapping Chuck with an MT2 shank is a synchronised tapping head designed to take the guesswork, and the broken taps, out of machine tapping operations. By automatically reversing at the bottom of the hole and compensating for minor feed rate discrepancies, it protects tooling, maintains thread quality, and dramatically reduces scrap. If you’re tapping repetitive holes on a drill press, knee mill, or machining centre without rigid tapping capability, this is the unit that earns its place on the bench.
- Automatic Forward/Reverse Clutch Mechanism — The internal clutch engages drive in the cutting direction and automatically reverses for tap extraction, eliminating the need for manual spindle reversal. This is what prevents tap breakage in blind holes and keeps thread form consistent across a batch run.
- MT2 Morse Taper Shank — Mounts directly into any MT2 quill or tailstock without an intermediate adaptor. A self-holding taper means the chuck seats firmly under axial load, and the tang provides positive drive, no arbour, no drawbar required for standard drilling operations.
- 3.5 mm – 7.5 mm Collet Range — Covers the most common tapping range for M4 through to approximately M8 metric taps (depending on tap shank diameter), which accounts for the bulk of production tapping work in general engineering. Quick collet change keeps cycle times down.
- Knurled Adjustment Ring — The external knurled collar allows torque or depth adjustment at the spindle without tools, so you can dial in clutch slip for different tap sizes and materials without pulling the chuck off the machine.
- Ideal For — Production tapping on drill presses and knee mills without rigid tapping; batch tapping of M4–M8 threads in steel, aluminium, and brass; toolroom setups where a dedicated tapping head is more economical than programming rigid tapping cycles; and hobby shop operators running a mill-drill who want tap protection without CNC investment.
Condition
Used (Fair Condition / Well Used, Mechanically Functional)
This Kato tapping chuck shows honest workshop wear consistent with a tool that has seen genuine production use. The external surfaces carry a patina, tooling marks, and surface scuffing typical of a bench-used tapping head, this is a worker, not a shelf queen. The knurled collar and body show wear to the finish, and there may be minor surface corrosion or staining on non-precision external surfaces. That said, the critical functional elements, the clutch mechanism, the MT2 taper, and the collet closing action, should be assessed before putting it straight onto a machine. The MT2 taper should be inspected for dings or raised burrs on the seating surface; any high spots can be carefully dressed with a fine stone before mounting. The internal clutch should engage and reverse smoothly when the body is rotated by hand. If there is any roughness or drag in the clutch, a strip and light re-lube with a quality grease is straightforward on this style of head. Buyers should verify collet grip concentricity against a ground test pin before committing to production work. At fair condition and the corresponding price point, this is a practical acquisition for a shop that wants a quality Japanese tapping head and is comfortable with a quick inspection and service before use.
Included
- 1 x Kato Auto Tapping Chuck, MT2 Shank, 3.5 mm – 7.5 mm Collet Range
Not Included
- Case or storage box
- Additional collets (only the collet fitted/present at time of listing)
- Tang drift / removal wedge
- Documentation or manufacturer literature
Brand Information
Kato is a Japanese manufacturer with a long-standing reputation in the machine tool accessories market, particularly for tapping heads, tap holders, and synchronised tapping chucks. Japanese-made tooling of this category sits in the same tier as well-regarded names such as Tapmatic (USA) and Emuge (Germany) — engineered to consistent tolerances with quality internal components, and built to outlast cheaper import alternatives by a considerable margin. The “well used but quality Japanese” provenance of this unit is a meaningful distinction: a worn Kato tapping head typically has more serviceable life left than a comparable unit of unknown origin in new condition.
Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Brand | Kato |
| Type | Auto (Synchronised) Tapping Chuck / Tapping Head |
| Shank / Mount | MT2 (Morse Taper No. 2) |
| Collet Capacity (Tap Shank) | 3.5 mm – 7.5 mm |
| Approximate Tap Size Range | M4 – M7 (metric; subject to individual tap shank diameter) |
| Operation | Forward/Reverse clutch; automatic reversal at depth |
| Adjustment | External knurled collar (torque / depth) |
| Construction | Steel body, knurled collar, precision ground internal components |
| Country of Origin | Japan |
| Condition | Used (Fair Condition / Well Used) |
| Included Items | Tapping chuck with collet as described, Stationary arm |
| Not Included | Case, additional collets, tang drift, documentation |
Keywords
Kato auto tapping chuck, Kato MT2 tapping head, auto tapping chuck MT2, synchronised tapping chuck, tapping head drill press, machine tapping chuck Australia, MT2 tapping attachment, Japanese tapping head, tapping chuck collet 3.5mm 7.5mm, production tapping toolroom, knee mill tapping head, tap holder MT2
