Patent ID: 8220301

Claim:
A tool adapted to form a tapped hole within a workpiece in a single pass, wherein the workpiece presents a first hardness, thickness, and exterior surface, said tool comprising: an elongated member presenting a distal end and a longitudinal length greater than the thickness, said member further presenting: a piercing section adjacent the distal end, defining a cutting edge presenting an edge hardness greater than the first, and configured to cut a slug from a remainder of the workpiece during the pass, so as to produce a pilot hole within the workpiece, wherein said hole presents an initial diameter and defines a periphery; a tapping section spaced from the distal end, presenting a tapping hardness greater than the first, and having tapping threads configured to form a thread along the periphery during the pass; and a burnishing section longitudinally intermediate the piercing and tapping sections, and configured to engage, expand, and polish the periphery during the pass, the burnishing section haying burnishing threads immediately adjacent to the tapping threads with no unthreaded portion therebetween.