update: rigid reamer holder

[DShortt]

I made a MT -2 taper for my tailstock for the floating reamer holder I made. I like it because it's not hand-held and allows for any alignment issues in all 3 axis.
Cuts concentric, on size chambers when I check them so that's everything I need.

 

[LVLAaron]

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[boltfluter]

I made a MT -2 taper for my tailstock for the floating reamer holder I made. I like it because it's not hand-held and allows for any alignment issues in all 3 axis.
Cuts concentric, on size chambers when I check them so that's everything I need.

Pics please. Sounds like a great tool.
Paul

 

[Taylorbok]

Does everyone using solid reamer set up use a TBAS system or can this work with a 4 Jaw and an outboard spider with some wire around the barrel?

Also do you guys pre bore your chambers or just run the reamer in?

I'm gonna start with a floating set up but the solid has me intrigued.

 

[WSnyder]

Also do you guys pre bore your chambers or just run the reamer in?

You should do a search. There’s been many discussions over the years.

And yeah I and many pre bore and yeah some just run the reamer in.

 

[DShortt]

Pics please. Sounds like a great tool.
Paul

As I recall, I sent you pics. I'm not going to put them on the Forum because those who don't understand there are 3 axis are gonna 'loose their stuff'.

 

[Taylorbok]

You should do a search. There’s been many discussions over the years.

And yeah I and many pre bore and yeah some just run the reamer in.

I searched a bit, that's what led me to this old thread.

It's hard to find much info on rigid reamer set ups. I know there's more than one way to skin the cat, I was curious if there was a common preference among people running rigid reamer set up. I'm guessing it's gonna be just try it a few ways and see what you like but I'd also rather not blindly shove a rigid reamer into a barrel.

I found this 130 page document on chambering so I've got some reading to do.

Also apologies to everyone who's getting "Like" notifications from super old threads.

 

[DShortt]

I searched a bit, that's what led me to this old thread.

It's hard to find much info on rigid reamer set ups. I know there's more than one way to skin the cat, I was curious if there was a common preference among people running rigid reamer set up. I'm guessing it's gonna be just try it a few ways and see what you like but I'd also rather not blindly shove a rigid reamer into a barrel.

I found this 130 page document on chambering so I've got some reading to do.

Also apologies to everyone who's getting "Like" notifications from super old threads.

No worries.

 

[WSnyder]

It's hard to find much info on rigid reamer set ups. I know there's more than one way to skin the cat, I was curious if there was a common preference among people running rigid reamer set up.

I'm guessing you're not going to find much on rigid setups because most use some sort of floater. There is someone on here with I think a HAAS that posted his setup and some video in the recent ish past. I can't recall his name at the moment.

Found the guy and thread I was thinking of.

Thread 'Added Micro Vertical adjustment to my Rigid Reamer holder.'

Nov 23, 2023

So after doing another barrel yesterday. I got frustrated with the nut on the QCTP for my height adjustment.
I took an import boring head I had in the shop and turned it into a vertical height micro adjuster.
This rigid reaming gizmo is really coming together.
I also made an extension arm for holding my indicator. This allowed me to check the front and the back of the reamer for alignment.
To speed up the alignment process even more I am ordering another 1/10 indicator. One will ride on the pilot the other on the shank infront of the collet. This will prevent all the sweeping back and...

• dustin_drews
• Replies: 43
• Forum: Gun Project Questions & Gunsmithing

• 
• 

 

[DShortt]

I would submit that there are situations where ridgity is desired.

And situations where a method for correcting imperfections is necessary.

Find a solution that corrects for alignment issues in all 3 axis and you'll have no trouble providing your set-up isn't a cordless drill and a vice.

 

[Sniperhandle]

I'm guessing you're not going to find much on rigid setups because most use some sort of floater. There is someone on here with I think a HAAS that posted his setup and some video in the recent ish past. I can't recall his name at the moment.

Found the guy and thread I was thinking of.

Thread 'Added Micro Vertical adjustment to my Rigid Reamer holder.'

Nov 23, 2023

So after doing another barrel yesterday. I got frustrated with the nut on the QCTP for my height adjustment.
I took an import boring head I had in the shop and turned it into a vertical height micro adjuster.
This rigid reaming gizmo is really coming together.
I also made an extension arm for holding my indicator. This allowed me to check the front and the back of the reamer for alignment.
To speed up the alignment process even more I am ordering another 1/10 indicator. One will ride on the pilot the other on the shank infront of the collet. This will prevent all the sweeping back and...

• dustin_drews
• Replies: 43
• Forum: Gun Project Questions & Gunsmithing

• 
• 

Dustin Drews is his name, Pretty fart smeller, He made a rigid reamer holder for his Haas using a criterion knockoff boring head so he could use it to dial in the reamer straight.

 

[DShortt]

Dustin Drews is his name, Pretty fart smeller, He made a rigid reamer holder for his Haas using a criterion knockoff boring head so he could use it to dial in the reamer straight.

Heck. Why didn't he just chuck a reamer into the tailstock and have at it?

Sarcasm, folks. Sarcasm.

 

[ORjeff]

That works for me. Seriously. If the lathe is straight, which mine is, there's no reason to use a floating reamer holder unless you're not willing to take the time to dial in the barrel perfectly. I use an ER collet chuck in the tail stock and yes I spent a long time to convince myself it was holding the reamer on center and I take however long it takes to dial in the barrel. A floating holder compensates for slop in the setup. It achieves this by being sloppy. Float = slop. If I had a lathe that wasn't true or I was trying to bang out lots of barrels and needed to speed up the process I might be tempted to go with a floating reamer holder but that's not where I'm at. Not saying you can't giterdun with a floating holder, just saying that a rigid holder works too if the lathe is true and the operator is skilled.

 

[Sniperhandle]

That works for me. Seriously. If the lathe is straight, which mine is, there's no reason to use a floating reamer holder unless you're not willing to take the time to dial in the barrel perfectly. I use an ER collet chuck in the tail stock and yes I spent a long time to convince myself it was holding the reamer on center and I take however long it takes to dial in the barrel. A floating holder compensates for slop in the setup. It achieves this by being sloppy. Float = slop. If I had a lathe that wasn't true or I was trying to bang out lots of barrels and needed to speed up the process I might be tempted to go with a floating reamer holder but that's not where I'm at. Not saying you can't giterdun with a floating holder, just saying that a rigid holder works too if the lathe is true and the operator is skilled.

There's not many lathes that are perfect enough to not make the reamer a boring bar. Bruce Thom completely rebuilt his Japanese lathes, Re-grinding and scraping, Shimming everything to get them dialed in to perfection, Lathe ways are induction hardened, I've never seen a tailstock that says induction hardened, Tails tocks wear a miniscule amount every time you slide them.

 

[JFrank]

Center is center.

 

[tobnpr]

There's not many lathes that are perfect enough to not make the reamer a boring bar. Bruce Thom completely rebuilt his Japanese lathes, Re-grinding and scraping, Shimming everything to get them dialed in to perfection, Lathe ways are induction hardened, I've never seen a tailstock that says induction hardened, Tails tocks wear a miniscule amount every time you slide them.

Gospel.
NEW machines typically leave the factory with the ts a couple of thou high by design to allow for inevitable wear.
And the bases don't wear evenly- front wears faster resulting in a downward pitch to the ts barrel. Not enough to matter unless you're attempting "this".

 

[LVLAaron]

Put a DTI on your tailstock ram and push the ram up and down.

 

[LVLAaron]

This is the kit that Drews came up with. He has a bunch of videos on it. Its pretty clever.

Dustin Drews

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[Taylorbok]

I saw another guys set up, He had bolted and keyed a solid block to his cross slide. He used an allen key to bottom the cross slide against the hand wheel and locked it down. Then used the chuck to drill and bore a hole into that block to hold the reamer and then some set screws.

If a person was worried about differences on the reamer shanks you could put an MT in the block and then shrink fit your reamers into MT blanks,

 

[LVLAaron]

I believe there are lots of "clever" ways to hold a rigid reamer on a manual machine, because there inherently isn't a good way to do it.

Your lathe probably isn't as straight as you think it is. Is your bed flat to a tenth? Does your tailstock ram track perfectly straight, to the tenth? Is your spindle perfect? Does the machine vibrate when you run it? Etc. A tenth here and a tenth there adds up quick.

I firmly believe if your barrel is set up and dialed correctly and pre-bored, a GOOD floating holder will get you the best result. I'll lump a pusher into that same statement.

I'm not saying you can't get a rigid set up on your machine, but I think it's a lot more work, measuring, and validating than you need. I want to spend my time cutting steel, not setting up a bunch of dial indicators and verifying everything every time.