Ebay Boring bar - Good deal or waste of money?

[precisionworks]

even if Barry's recommendations end up costing us money

Actually, the boring bars from Mesa Tool are inexpensive enough that you can buy quite a few & abrasive saw them to a shorter length when needed - which I've done. Low prices on the inserts also.

I make all my tools right here in So. Oregon!.....JIM

😳

You should advertise that fact ... or maybe you do & I missed it 😀

 

[StrikerDown]

Jim,

Thanks for joining.
I decided to try a couple of your products, a boring bar and inside/outside threading tool. I will be posting here how I like them,

Thanks Again.

 

[saltytri]

Jim is just a couple of towns over and we had a chance to get together yesterday. He's the only internet store guy I've ever known who makes personal deliveries. :twothumbs

The inserts are very nice - precision ground - and you can't beat the price. So far, I've used his threading and grooving inserts in the 1/2" threading/grooving tool that he makes in his shop. This size tool holder is just about right for a lot of the stuff I've been doing on lights.

USA-made tools aren't the general rule anymore so it's nice to find someone who actually makes quality stuff here.

David

 

[Mesa Tool]

Jim is just a couple of towns over and we had a chance to get together yesterday. He's the only internet store guy I've ever known who makes personal deliveries. :twothumbs

The inserts are very nice - precision ground - and you can't beat the price. So far, I've used his threading and grooving inserts in the 1/2" threading/grooving tool that he makes in his shop. This size tool holder is just about right for a lot of the stuff I've been doing on lights.

USA-made tools aren't the general rule anymore so it's nice to find someone who actually makes quality stuff here.

David

Ah shucks guys, I just like meeting local customers to see what they are up to and maybe learn more about thier needs.

If I had not gone to visit saltytri (David), I would have never known about the new generation of lights out there....You have my attention!

I teach shop practices part time at the local JC and I think I have convinced my boss to include a flashlight as a possible project for students. Something they can actually use and show off!

Of course we will be using this site to learn about the guts! We also have the equipment to let the students run with some really bizzar ideas, so look out world...

Thanks to all.....JIM

 

[precisionworks]

Using the 2" high shear face mill to reduce piston height:

Not a bad finish, right off the tool:

Anybody need some aluminum confetti?

 

[wquiles]

Nice finish indeed. I certainly love my 45 deg cutter as well 😀

 

[Davo J]

Those ER40 BB collet nuts are available on ebay all the time as well for 12 pound they also have the ER32 ones
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ER40-collet-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item56372c7791
Dave

 

[KowShak]

Using the 2" high shear face mill to reduce piston height:

I like that photo, you can see the chips as they fly through the air.....

 

[precisionworks]

I like that photo, you can see the chips as they fly through the air.....

Thank you. It took half a dozen tries to get one that showed what I wanted, as the self timer tripped while I cranked the feed wheel.

FWIW, the Mitu Digimatic indicator was fixed upside down so the downfeed could be controlled to +/- .0005". The op sequence was to remove .100", .100", and a light finish cut of .057". After all six pistons were cut, each weighed within half a gram of all the others.

 

[wquiles]

The Lyndex BB nut came from Vic at Rani Tool. $40 (I think 🙄 )

Just talk to Vic at Rani Tool and ordered the Lyndex BB nut. As much as I use my R8-ER40 tooling might as well make make it easier on me and the tooling.

Thanks Barry,
Will
(now about $40 poorer ...)

 

[wquiles]

Thank you. It took half a dozen tries to get one that showed what I wanted, as the self timer tripped while I cranked the feed wheel.

FWIW, the Mitu Digimatic indicator was fixed upside down so the downfeed could be controlled to +/- .0005". The op sequence was to remove .100", .100", and a light finish cut of .057". After all six pistons were cut, each weighed within half a gram of all the others.

Barry,

Would you ever need any sort of lubrication/mister on a job like that to get an even nicer finish? Or would lubrication only help reduce BUE and allow you to run even faster speeds?

Will

 

[precisionworks]

Would you ever need any sort of lubrication/mister on a job like that

It surely wouldn't hurt. The biggest problem with that job is my sfpm is way too low, just over 500. It should be around 1500-2000. Wrong inserts as well, as they need to be the high positive shape with polished rake face.

If I ever get a VFD on that machine, the higher sfpm should be attainable ... somewhere near 4000 rpm would be nice for the 2" face mill in aluminum. At that point, the vortex air cooler would be blowing away the hot chips 😀

I sometimes rub a thin film of Tapmagic or Accu-Lube on aluminum before the final cut. The surface has a much nicer cosmetic look when using the lubricant. No one will ever again see the tops of these pistons

 

[wquiles]

Back on topic, this is my Ebay solid carbide bar (7/8" dia) that uses CNMG 43* inserts that I use to do inside boring on "D" Mag flashlights. I have been holding this bar in an Aloris 5C Collet BXA holder, but as you know the amount of bar that is "gripped" by the collet is not that much, so on some jobs I get a little bit of chatter specially when the overhang is much more than the recommended.

I recently picked up this heavy Duty Dorian used BXA 1" boring bar holder, so I decided to make a custom fitted sleeve so that I can firmly grip the 7/8" bar in this holder and thus have a more solid/firmer setup. I had a piece of scrap water hardening dril rod os exactly 1" dia that fits the holder like a glove, so it became my new sleeve:

Drill rod is a lot harder to work with than Al, so I tried a few of the CNMG inserts I had in hand:

I made some nice strings:

but the tip was damaged in the process:

So I slowed down the spindle speed and tried some other inserts that I had, and after facing the other side, not even a hint of damage:

Drilling the initial hole took a LOT of work!. Cool photo through the back of the spindle, looking at the Bison 6-jaw chuck holding the sleeve:

Used magnets to help me clean up faster later (they DID help!):

Sliding fit on the 7/8" bar:

Slit it by hand:

The sleeve expanded upon being slit, so I used oil and gentle persuasion from my rubber mallet to slide it home (not the greatest finish due to the over hang on the boring bar, but the grip is tenacious):

And now I have a much firmer setup for holding my 7/8" bar for those jobs that require a long over hang:

Will

 

[cmacclel]

I need to get me one of them holders they look nice. Tool steel is hard 🙂

Mac

 

[65535]

I think what you really should have done is bought the proper 1" boring bar. 😛

BTW what happened to the leading edge, if it did heat up that hot, you may have experience some hardening at the cutting edge, which in turn may have been the cause of your drilling hardship. The work piece should not discolor, the chips yes, but definitely not the workpiece.

 

[wquiles]

I need to get me one of them holders they look nice. Tool steel is hard 🙂

Mac

Yes, those holders are "very" nice 😀

I think what you really should have done is bought the proper 1" boring bar. 😛

I already have a 1" bar, but for these Mag boring jobs the 7/8" fits better and also fits in the "C" body, where the 1" bar does not 😉

BTW what happened to the leading edge, if it did heat up that hot, you may have experience some hardening at the cutting edge, which in turn may have been the cause of your drilling hardship. The work piece should not discolor, the chips yes, but definitely not the workpiece.

Yes, totally mia culpa. The discoloring happened at the end of the drilling operation (far inside the chuck) where I did not have as much/any coolant to help things cool. Next time I will go slower and do more peck drilling which should also help - still learning 😱

 

[precisionworks]

Drill rod is a lot harder to work with

Of all the tool steels, W1 is the easiest to machine. It carries a machinability rating of 100 when compared to other tool steels:

Here are some starting SFPM numbers for different tool steels:

To drill at 85 sfpm in 1" stock, the spindle speed calculates to 325 rpm.

 

[wquiles]

To drill at 85 sfpm in 1" stock, the spindle speed calculates to 325 rpm.

That was probably where I messed up - if I recall correctly I was drilling at about 700-800 RPM's :shakehead

 

[cmacclel]

Drilling the initial hole took a LOT of work!. :shakehead

Now you know how my shoulder feels when drilling Titanium body's all day 🙂 I drill Titanium by starting with a 1/4 cobalt drill at 250rpm then a 1/2 drill at 150rpm. Fun..Fun..Fun!

I think I would have used softer material for the sleeve myself. Brass comes to mind 🙂 or like 303 SS.

Mac

 

[65535]

Hell most people would have just rolled some .0625" shim stock into a round and used that. 😛