I picked this set up a while ago and wanted to share it. It's a number 5452, 40-piece SAE tap and adjustable die set that appears in the Craftsman Tool Catalog from 1953 to 1957. This is before the "Kromedge" taps and dies. As far as I can tell, it's the first set offered in a plastic case. The taps are unique in that the smaller taps have the Craftsman logo and size information stamped vertically on the shank but they differ from the older sets in the wooden boxes that have the logo vertical but the size info is horizontal.  These also have two stamped lines going around the shank at either end of the info stamp. The taps do not have the drill size stamped on them like the Kromedge taps.  The plastic case is also unusual. The upper tray lifts out as usual but the lower tray is not removable. It is a molded part of the case itself. This set appears to be 100% original with the exception of the screwdriver (of course).  Another unique feature of this set, and the early versions of the 5209 set, is the smallest tap and die are size 4-36 instead of the 4-40 in all of the following sets.  Catalog photo is from 1957. 

I have a second one of these sets that is incomplete with a broken case. I can part it out of anyone needs to fill in a set.

Todd F

Nice tap and die sets. I love old Craftsman stuff, I don't have any of their taps or dies though.

Hello, Jim. I thought that set configuration looked familiar!! Could that have been made for Sears/Craftsman by  Hanson??

Looks like it. Craftsman never made anything themselves.
Todd F

Hey Todd,

Good to hear from you!  Nice looking set of vintage Cman taps and dies!  Great find!  Thanks for posting a few photos and a little bit of history too.

Jim C.

Nice sets.

I just got this one in the mail yesterday. It popped up on eBay and I had to grab it. Sorry if I bid against any of you. I paid more than I should have but I haven't seen this set before.  It's a 40-piece set that goes all the way up to 3/4- inch but does not have the machine screw sizes. The part number is 9-5212 and doesn't show up in any of the catalogs I have (and that's a lot).  There is a 9-5212C that shows up in 1969 but it is a 59-piece set that includes the machine screw sizes and easy-outs. I think this set is older than that. Here is my logic. Inside the lid of every Craftsman tap and/or die set, they have all the Craftsman tap and die sizes listed on a chart with the tap drill sizes. Even for the sizes that are not included in the set. The set I just got has that chart inside the lid as usual. The machine screw sizes are listed even though this set doesn't include them. The smallest size listed is #4-36. Craftsman stopped using the 4-36 in 1962 and all tap and die sets from 1963 and after, came with a #4-40.  The die stocks have the sliding "fingers" on the guide instead of the pivoting "fingers" that were also introduced in 1963. My best guess is that this was sold in stores, or by some other professional channel, somewhere between 1959 and 1962. This set is in excellent condition. The only evidence of use is circular scratch on the large die stock. The tap wrenches were still gunked up with cosmoline and took some effort to get them moving again. If anyone has any information on this 5212 set, please let me know.

Todd F

Beautiful set! 

That's a great looking set, Todd!  I suspect that it didn't come cheap.  A very nice find for sure.

Jim C.

Here on the west coast there aren't as many tool shows as the east coast or mid-west, and then there is covid, so I'm stuck with what I can find on eBay. These "Hollow Handle" sets were sold by Craftsman from 1962 to 1966 according to the Craftsman catalogs. I found the tap set about 2 years ago and I have been searching for the die set ever since. One finally popped up so here they are. There is also a machine screw set that remains elusive. As you can see from the pictures, the handles are hollow and hold the taps or dies inside. Then tap set is stamped "Made In Norway". They are fairly heavy and appear to be cast then chrome plated. They come with the same standard Kromedge taps and dies that come in all the other Craftsman sets at that time. The catalog lists the five dies in the die set but there is room inside for one more, you'd think they could have sprung for 10-24 just to fill it up. Of course, back then the catalog price for a 10-24 die was 99¢.  Guess it was up to you to fill that empty space. The catalog picture is from 1964 hand tool catalog.
Thanks for reading.
Todd F

Useful and gizmotic.  I like them!

Hey Jim or anyone else.
I have what is probably a dumb question. Almost all of my Craftsman taps and dies have the letters "VM" stamped on them. I am assuming this is some kind of forge marking. Does anyone know what this means?
Thanks
Todd F.

Hey Todd,

I'm gonna guess Danaher made the taps and dies.  Also, I sent you a couple PMs.

Jim C.

I have finally found the holy grail of Craftsman tap and die sets. That's right, The Craftsman Whitworth Set. Unfortunately, the person selling it also knew it was the holy grail and I paid dearly for it.  In my defense, it is complete, all original and in excellent condition.
In 1959, Craftsman introduced the "Kromedge" type of taps and dies with the 5209 SAE set, 5500 Metric set and the 5501 Whitworth set in the now familiar plastic case with the two red trays to safely cradle them.  There were also some sets with cuts up to 3/4inch that came in wooden boxes like the 5210 and 5211C.  The SAE set was in a grey case, the Metric was in a black case and the Whitworth was in green.  I believe the wrench sets sold at that time used the same color scheme.  The silk-screened labels on the Whitworth and Metric sets pictured some taps and dies arranged to look like a little car. I guess they were suggesting that only a foreign auto mechanic would be interested in purchasing these sets.  Both the Whitworth and Metric sets share identical plastic trays and share the same thread pitch gauge that has metric and inch pitch in the same gauge. All of the taps and dies in the Whitworth set are marked "WHIT" even though half them are the same diameter and pitch as SAE taps and dies. For a moment I wondered why they didn't just throw in some SAE pieces then remembered that SAE uses a 60 degree thread profile and Whitworth uses 55 degrees. So a 1/4-20 SAE and a 1/4-20 WHIT are not created equal.
While the 5209 SAE set lived on until 1984 in various configurations, the 5501 Whitworth and 5500 Metric sets disappeared from the Craftsman catalog in 1963. There were no metric tap and die sets listed in the Craftsman catalog for ten years and the Whitworth set never returned at all.
Thanks for reading
Todd F.

Very nice!  As an owner of four motorcycles, three of which have use for whitworth tools, I can really appreciate the value of that set.  My friend Hunter spotted at our swap meet, a set of four (which  I think is complete) Craftsman Whitworth offest box end wrenches. I think he paid $2 each!
Al