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Reamer alignment mounted on tool post.

Do you gentlemen who run CNC and mount your reamer rigid on the tool post have a consistent way of alignment to the rifled bore.I would guess Dave does it on his TL 1.
 
I don’t chamber with CNC but a friend does some parts that are basically the same operation. When setting up this job he first trues up the chuck soft jaws. A blank piece of stock prepped with the same diameter of the part is loaded in the chuck. A programmed routine drills, bores then finish reams a hole to size. He mounts his toolholder/reamer fixture loosely with a precision ground rod that fits the hole in the prepared stock very precisely. The toolholder is adjusted and tightened in place in perfect alignment and if it’s not it’s slightly adjusted until it will slide in and out of the prepared hole. Once everything is aligned he removes the ground rod and installs his form reamer.
 
Do you gentlemen who run CNC and mount your reamer rigid on the tool post have a consistent way of alignment to the rifled bore.I would guess Dave does it on his TL 1.
Certainly could be wrong (and probably am because I know Jack about CNC) but I don't think a tool post is needed at all- likely a tooling block in lieu of a tool post, precise repeatability if removed/reinstalled. Mount the block on the cross-slide, bore it in place using the headstock.
No need to align anything...
 
I setup, programmed, and ran a cnc lathe for 20 some years. Each tool holder is indicated in. There is no boring with the headstock. There is no feel with cnc machines. If things are not right, things make bad expensive sounds. I tried rigid reaming and found too many things move on an engine lathe to get consistent results.
 
I setup, programmed, and ran a cnc lathe for 20 some years. Each tool holder is indicated in. There is no boring with the headstock. There is no feel with cnc machines. If things are not right, things make bad expensive sounds. I tried rigid reaming and found too many things move on an engine lathe to get consistent results.
Yes I totally agree.if your not on the money the chamber is going to be out of true.a little wear here and there and the tolerances stack up quickly.
 
Here's my setup. I want to feel everything. The tactile feedback is absolutely essential to doing consistent top shelf work.
Tailstock off a 6" Emco lathe cut down to fit in a toolholder. MT adapter as the pusher. Indicated in. Reamer floats. Programed to go to X axis alignment after rough drilling the chamber. Easy Peezy
Under the barrel is my first settling pond with magnets below the catch pan.. That alone gets 99% of the debris.
I'll add that if you start with a concentric hole, roughed in chamber, in the barrel it's hard to screw it up. Probably the only way would be to hold a reamer in a rigid setup. Everything will be oversize. I always had concerns about alignment. Radial we can dial them in. Axial alignment is another thing. I have two toolholders that have drill chucks on them. I can get the tool post very close for axial alignment but not perfect going from one to the other. The one I use to rough chambers with is the closest.

reaming.JPG
 
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Here's my setup. I want to feel everything. The tactile feedback is absolutely essential to doing consistent top shelf work.
Tailstock off a 6" Emco lathe cut down to fit in a toolholder. MT adapter as the pusher. Indicated in. Reamer floats. Programed to go to X axis alignment after rough drilling the chamber. Easy Peezy
Under the barrel is my first settling pond with magnets below the catch pan.. That alone gets 99% of the debris.
I'll add that if you start with a concentric hole, roughed in chamber, in the barrel it's hard to screw it up. Probably the only way would be to hold a reamer in a rigid setup. Everything will be oversize. I always had concerns about alignment. Radial we can dial them in. Axial alignment is another thing. I have two toolholders that have drill chucks on them. I can get the tool post very close for axial alignment but not perfect going from one to the other. The one I use to rough chambers with is the closest.

View attachment 1362683
Dave i thought you may have had something set up rigid on the TL1 and may be ran it on auto for higher volume work.it always intrigued me about getting everything perfect and consistent,especially if one as a little movement in thing's..wear in the ways,a chip or swarf just upsetting something and the chamber staying within spec with a rigid set up.i get real uptight if i get in my head
that there's a possibility of something not being perfect before I start to ream.
 
Before I bought my Haas I visited another shop to put eyes on one. They did everything rigid. Rigid was a bit of a stretch. They used floating reamer holders. It took forever peck drilling to rough in a chamber. I seem to remember it took them over an hour to thread and chamber a barrel. Closer to 1 1/2 hours. Doing multiple barrels I do it in less time. In hindsight the only problem I saw there was setting up the barrel and getting a concentric hole for the finisher to follow. I learned doing BR rifles. I still do it the same way so I don't introduce any misalignment. I did a caliber called the 30 BooBoo. I made the dies for it. The FL die was made to minimally size the brass. Brass changed less than a thou on the base and 2 thou on the shoulder. I have brass that has been in three different barrels with no major problems cycling. I spot check my work by looking at the concentricity of the freebore. It takes a matter of seconds to inspect a chamber with a loupe. It's easy to see even a few tenths misalignment.
I have confidence in the way I chamber. After I rough out a chamber and insert the finisher I get essentially zero movement from the reamer shank. I can't think of a way to improve the final product.
 
Here's the cycle time for a 300 WM chamber. Under 6 minutes. Turn, chamfer, thread relief groove, thread, rough in chamber, counterbore, radius on CB. I could shorten it some but I don't want a machine working me that hard.
 

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Here's the cycle time for a 300 WM chamber. Under 6 minutes. Turn, chamfer, thread relief groove, thread, rough in chamber, counterbore, radius on CB. I could shorten it some but I don't want a machine working me that hard.

If we told you we don't believe you, would you post a video? :)
 
That's machine run time. A factory probably does it
If we told you we don't believe you, would you post a video? :)
No one to hold my phone while I work. The file would be too big to post here. That's machine run time then you have me changing tools, measuring HS etc. and setting up the barrel. I'll bet a factory does it in less than in less than 4 minutes.
 
That's machine run time. A factory probably does it

No one to hold my phone while I work. The file would be too big to post here. That's machine run time then you have me changing tools, measuring HS etc. and setting up the barrel. I'll bet a factory does it in less than in less than 4 minutes.
Hes just wanting to see a video of it running!
 
Before I bought my Haas I visited another shop to put eyes on one. They did everything rigid. Rigid was a bit of a stretch. They used floating reamer holders. It took forever peck drilling to rough in a chamber. I seem to remember it took them over an hour to thread and chamber a barrel. Closer to 1 1/2 hours. Doing multiple barrels I do it in less time. In hindsight the only problem I saw there was setting up the barrel and getting a concentric hole for the finisher to follow. I learned doing BR rifles. I still do it the same way so I don't introduce any misalignment. I did a caliber called the 30 BooBoo. I made the dies for it. The FL die was made to minimally size the brass. Brass changed less than a thou on the base and 2 thou on the shoulder. I have brass that has been in three different barrels with no major problems cycling. I spot check my work by looking at the concentricity of the freebore. It takes a matter of seconds to inspect a chamber with a loupe. It's easy to see even a few tenths misalignment.
I have confidence in the way I chamber. After I rough out a chamber and insert the finisher I get essentially zero movement from the reamer shank. I can't think of a way to improve the final product.
That's interesting Dave.ive tried different ways.indicator rods,range rods,I've cylindricaly ground precision pins.set up Gordys way.chambered between centers every way possible and had excellent results.the most consistent way that works for me is through the headstock.dial in the throat and muzzle perfect, drill,prebore and ream with the tail stock.the chambers come out BR quality and consistent a check with the interapid and borescope and it's as good as it gets,so that's how I do them.The 30 Boo Boo Dave.I remember that also the 7mm Boo Boo,Steve Dunn shot some great groups with his at 1000yds.338 Yogie was pretty wicked to.David Ryan shot some great groups with his.i always fancied the 7mm Boo Boo for those long shots on Red Deer in Scotland.
 
That's machine run time. A factory probably does it

No one to hold my phone while I work. The file would be too big to post here. That's machine run time then you have me changing tools, measuring HS etc. and setting up the barrel. I'll bet a factory does it in less than in less than 4 minutes.
Yeah, the joys of cnc machining. Hours of programming, building fixtures, setting up tools and getting speeds & feeds dialed in for a few minutes of run time for the part.
 
Did we ever meet at Diggle?
Yes Dave I have seen you at Diggle on the odd occasion,had a chat with you,along with a few others who had questions for you.i also had a interesting conversation with you about (barrel break in procedures) at a shooting show in Stoneleigh.you was on a stand there with David Ryan it was the year 2000..yes along time ago,ahah.you've fitted a few barrels since then.ive done an odd one.i can remember it as if it was yesterday.its a small world.
 

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