Henderson Case Trimmer

[Hoser]

Then there is the collet which by nature produces uneven chamfers .

Please explain. I am not seeing it.

 

[searcher]

I bought the Henderson a few months ago and have trimmed a few thousand cases on it in various calibers. I have had no issues with it, including galling the necks. Any of the powered neck trimmers (AND hand trimmers) with a pilot are capable of doing so. One should always check the fit of the pilot with their neck. I have all the aforementioned trimmers - and I like the Henderson the best. I'm going to retrofit mine to accept a micrometer for depth adjustment.

 

[Ackley Kid]

If your necks are fairly tight , you can order custom pilots from forester in whatever dimension you desire .
I used pin gauges to figure out what the ID of my neck measured and ordered accordingly from forester .
Very happy with the Henderson !

 

[KSPony]

I bought the Henderson a few months ago and have trimmed a few thousand cases on it in various calibers. I have had no issues with it, including galling the necks. Any of the powered neck trimmers (AND hand trimmers) with a pilot are capable of doing so. One should always check the fit of the pilot with their neck. I have all the aforementioned trimmers - and I like the Henderson the best. I'm going to retrofit mine to accept a micrometer for depth adjustment.

Would love to see how you did that micrometer retrofit once you get around to it.

 

[gqhoon]

I had the same scuffing problems when I first got my Henderson also. Had some very helpful discussions with Todd Henderson (can’t fault the Company’s customer service and wanting to get things right!). In the end Henderson shipped me a new 6mm cutter and pilot and it has largely fixed the issue I was having. Couple points of note though:

• Henderson have an updated pilot shape with improved lead-in and radius
• Pilots now have a New DLC coating. I too polished my original pilots to reduce galling and if anything it made it worse.
• The grub screw holding the pilot in place can induce pilot runout if the hole the pilot sits in is too generous.
• Having a few firings on the brass and some carbon in the necks helps lubricate and reduces scuffing
• Henderson recommended 0.002-0.003” clearance on the pilot

 

[muleystalker]

I bought the Henderson a few months ago and have trimmed a few thousand cases on it in various calibers. I have had no issues with it, including galling the necks. Any of the powered neck trimmers (AND hand trimmers) with a pilot are capable of doing so. One should always check the fit of the pilot with their neck. I have all the aforementioned trimmers - and I like the Henderson the best. I'm going to retrofit mine to accept a micrometer for depth adjustment.

Standing by to see how you do it, sounds like a good project.

 

[michaeljp65]

Would love to see how you did that micrometer retrofit once you get around to it.

I bought the Henderson a few months ago and have trimmed a few thousand cases on it in various calibers. I have had no issues with it, including galling the necks. Any of the powered neck trimmers (AND hand trimmers) with a pilot are capable of doing so. One should always check the fit of the pilot with their neck. I have all the aforementioned trimmers - and I like the Henderson the best. I'm going to retrofit mine to accept a micrometer for depth adjustment.

Ive thought about this as well, for a good machinist it should be easy to replace the bump stop with a micrometer. I think the existing case depth gauge although a very simple design, is a bit fiddly to get the exact measurement you want. Sadly im no machinist.

 

[searcher]

Ive thought about this as well, for a good machinist it should be easy to replace the bump stop with a micrometer. I think the existing case depth gauge although a very simple design, is a bit fiddly to get the exact measurement you want. Sadly im no machinist.

I'm going to add two aluminum blocks, front and back, to the bottom of the unit. bore hole in the front block to accept large micrometer body from Amazon. Will see how well it works out.

 

[searcher]

I was looking around for a good micrometer - and found I had what I think will work pretty well for me - an old RCBS 7/8" micrometer seating die - so I changed my design to accommodate it and to give a better view of the actual micrometer. I'm going to source some aluminum stock and will post a pic once completed.

 

[coford]

I have used both and I much prefer the Henderson. I fit my pilots to the inside neck diameter minus .002 and have had no issues with galling or affecting accuracy in both my F-Class rifles and my short range BR guns. My Henderson leaves a better finish on the chamfer than the Giraud and the OL measurement is better with the Henderson.

 

[searcher]

Standing by to see how you do it, sounds like a good project.

Here is a crude sketch of what I have in mind for the micrometer addition. The top image shows the portion of the machine which holds the chuck. The shaped aluminum addition screws to the bottom of the "sled" which holds the chuck. These holes to be drilled and tapped are the only changes to the machine - and are not seen, should the addition be removed in the future. The "die hole" accepts a standard 7/8" micrometer top seating die, which can be screwed in and out to give more travel than the micrometer allows for, just as the die does while in a press.

The second image shows the addition of the new travel stop block and screw which is mounted to the left side of the main machine body plate, attaching through the existing screw holes in the body plate. The new stop screw hole will be drilled and tapped to accept an appropriate diameter screw that will extend into the chosen seating die when the carriage is moved forward towards the cutter.

I found appropriate aluminum stock on EBAY (search "aluminum stock") and various sizes of scrap will appear that will do the job, though I'm seeing a cost of about $50.00 including shipping to get pieces to do the job - which may be large enough to do more than one. That, some screws and a seating die are all that is needed. I have a woodworking shop - but very limited metal tooling - so this design only requires a hacksaw, file, drill and maybe two taps and dies for attachment of the stop screw and attachment to bottom of carriage. For those of you who have metal tooling - this would be a quick job. I actually think this can also be made of a hard, dense wood like ironwood or ebony (etc.), and epoxying a threaded nut into the hole where the die will screw into. Would look kind of cheap on this beautiful machine - but it would function just as well.

I'm going to attach (two) 1 1/2" square tubing (15" long) to the left and right sides on the bottom of the machine to act as the base, providing stability to the machine as a rest, and to provide the elevation needed so the added "die hole plate" can move freely. Omitted in the top image is the height of the "die hole plate" where it attaches to the carriage. That is 1". Screws will run (from the top of machine) through the new stop block, through machine body plate, and into the square tubing (which will be threaded to accept the screws).

I thought I'd forward this on. This design might give you ideas as to how you might want to do your own machine. It would be real easy for this type of setup to be added as an accessory by the manufacturer - and if they designed it to where it didn't have to have those two screw holes drilled in the bottom of the machine - it would be a simple "bolt-on" accessory.

 

[Hays25]

The Henderson Trimmer arrive a couple of weeks and I’ve used it on my 6ppc and 30br; both of which pilots’ are two big for sized cases with the neck tension I have. So, I’ve trimmed them prior to sizing and cutting them .005” shorter and then after sizing, they’re right on. The measurements’s range has been .0015 so I’m quite happy with it.

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

I got mine and wow what a machine.

Motor is way quieter than giraud.

I found adjusting the stop to be much easier than i expected but a micrometer adjustment would be sweet.

What a pleasure to use.

Anyone off hand have the adjustment per revolution on the bolt used for stop?

 

[drop_point]

Motor is way quieter than giraud.

Rapidly losing hearing in one ear, this has been a factor that has me considering one.

 

[Ccrider]

Here is a crude sketch of what I have in mind for the micrometer addition. The top image shows the portion of the machine which holds the chuck. The shaped aluminum addition screws to the bottom of the "sled" which holds the chuck. These holes to be drilled and tapped are the only changes to the machine - and are not seen, should the addition be removed in the future. The "die hole" accepts a standard 7/8" micrometer top seating die, which can be screwed in and out to give more travel than the micrometer allows for, just as the die does while in a press.

The second image shows the addition of the new travel stop block and screw which is mounted to the left side of the main machine body plate, attaching through the existing screw holes in the body plate. The new stop screw hole will be drilled and tapped to accept an appropriate diameter screw that will extend into the chosen seating die when the carriage is moved forward towards the cutter.

I found appropriate aluminum stock on EBAY (search "aluminum stock") and various sizes of scrap will appear that will do the job, though I'm seeing a cost of about $50.00 including shipping to get pieces to do the job - which may be large enough to do more than one. That, some screws and a seating die are all that is needed. I have a woodworking shop - but very limited metal tooling - so this design only requires a hacksaw, file, drill and maybe two taps and dies for attachment of the stop screw and attachment to bottom of carriage. For those of you who have metal tooling - this would be a quick job. I actually think this can also be made of a hard, dense wood like ironwood or ebony (etc.), and epoxying a threaded nut into the hole where the die will screw into. Would look kind of cheap on this beautiful machine - but it would function just as well.

I'm going to attach (two) 1 1/2" square tubing (15" long) to the left and right sides on the bottom of the machine to act as the base, providing stability to the machine as a rest, and to provide the elevation needed so the added "die hole plate" can move freely. Omitted in the top image is the height of the "die hole plate" where it attaches to the carriage. That is 1". Screws will run (from the top of machine) through the new stop block, through machine body plate, and into the square tubing (which will be threaded to accept the screws).

I thought I'd forward this on. This design might give you ideas as to how you might want to do your own machine. It would be real easy for this type of setup to be added as an accessory by the manufacturer - and if they designed it to where it didn't have to have those two screw holes drilled in the bottom of the machine - it would be a simple "bolt-on" accessory.

So, did you make the micrometer stop?

 

[searcher]

So, did you make the micrometer stop?

Yes. I went over my idea with a friend and fellow varmint hunter on this forum. He has more metal working tools than I, so we swapped work that we each needed to be done. It is complete, but I have been out of State since completion and I'll likely get it from him within the next three or four weeks after returning from trip through Idaho and Montana. I'll ask him if he wants to post a picture of the completed setup. If he doesn't, I will upon return. We agreed on a few tweaks on the design.

 

[OmegaRed]

SUB

 

[TTE]

I love mine

mine too

 

[Ccrider]

Yes. I went over my idea with a friend and fellow varmint hunter on this forum. He has more metal working tools than I, so we swapped work that we each needed to be done. It is complete, but I have been out of State since completion and I'll likely get it from him within the next three or four weeks after returning from trip through Idaho and Montana. I'll ask him if he wants to post a picture of the completed setup. If he doesn't, I will upon return. We agreed on a few tweaks on the design.

Looking forward to it. One of my major concerns with the Henderson so far.

 

[Dave M.]

The WFT works fine and is very repeatable to +/-.0005” in length. The trick to using it is that cases must be sized first or they will get stuck in the trimmer. Also, I suggest to wear some work gloves on the brass holding hand because it makes holding the brass easier on the hands, thumb and fingers. Finally, make sure the trimmer is spinning when you touch the brass to it and the cutting will start without issue, if you push the brass into the cutter before starting the trimmer spinning, it often results in the brass catching and spinning with the cutter.
Dave