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update: rigid reamer holder

all great points @LVLAaron, for now I'm gonna stick with the floating reamer holder but it is something I would like to try at some point, even if it's just for knowledge sake.

Might learn something useful from the process even if a person chooses not to continue doing it that way.
 
This is the kit that Drews came up with. He has a bunch of videos on it. Its pretty clever.

$800??? I think I’ll stick to my nearly free pusher. I’ve got what? 20 minutes of labor into making it?
 
$800??? I think I’ll stick to my nearly free pusher. I’ve got what? 20 minutes of labor into making it?
I wouldn't want it for free...really.
I have a lot of Manson tooling, but this is a solution in search of a problem IMO.
Why would I want to double the workload (dialing the barrel, AND the reamer) when I'm already getting zero chamber TIR?

Besides, nowhere to mount it on my saddle. The entire cross-slide beyond my compound is a cover all the way to the taper attachment, far from rigid enough to mount a tooling block.
 
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I’m not a fan of rigid reamer holders. I think too many variables have to be perfect. Then having to dial in the reamer with some rigid setups to make sure it’s right is a whole other extra issue. Yes there’s flex in the reamer and movement in the tailstock quill so there’s some “give” when rigid reaming off a tailstock. If using the tailstock I see no reason not to use a pusher though.

On a CNC, I’m liking the Soma floating holder I’m using on the tool post. Kennametal and others make something similar. The Soma is very well built and fully adjustable for the amount of allowable movement and independently adjustable for the amount of angular movement. I set mine up so it’s repeatedly within .001 on center and height. So all its correcting for is that minor amount. It also returns to center within .0005 so it doesn’t “drag” when power feeding in and out of the chamber.

I personally think guys are seeing chatter and other issues when CNC chambering because of their setup, speeds and feeds, pre-drill/pre-bore methods, etc.
 
I’m not a fan of rigid reamer holders. I think too many variables have to be perfect. Then having to dial in the reamer with some rigid setups to make sure it’s right is a whole other extra issue. Yes there’s flex in the reamer and movement in the tailstock quill so there’s some “give” when rigid reaming off a tailstock. If using the tailstock I see no reason not to use a pusher though.

On a CNC, I’m liking the Soma floating holder I’m using on the tool post. Kennametal and others make something similar. The Soma is very well built and fully adjustable for the amount of allowable movement and independently adjustable for the amount of angular movement. I set mine up so it’s repeatedly within .001 on center and height. So all its correcting for is that minor amount. It also returns to center within .0005 so it doesn’t “drag” when power feeding in and out of the chamber.

I personally think guys are seeing chatter and other issues when CNC chambering because of their setup, speeds and feeds, pre-drill/pre-bore methods, etc.

Got a part number for that soma?
 
Buy one of these MT3 blanks and bore it 3/4” straight 1.82” deep (length of the Somma shank plus a little). Then mill down the top and drill it tap it for a couple set screws so you can lock the reamer holder into the Morse taper blank. That’s not much of an undertaking.

The boss on the MT3 blank is 32mm long (1.260”) so you’d only have about .550” of bore past the straight shank section and into the taper section. On an MT3 the large end of the taper is around 1” so the 3/4” bore being .550” deep wouldn’t be an issue.

 
1770174166616.png
We used something like this in the CNC world
you guys hip to these?
I forget what brand we used but it was for tiny little taps like down to 2-80
so they would not break or get bound in any stress
floating in and out under spring tension
as well as up and down and all around
 
I bored one after talking with Gavin about it. It held for a couple months. Once winter came my floors moved and I had to re level my machines and I couldn’t ever get the reamer co axial like it had been. It was close but not perfect. I did cut a few 22lr chambers with the set up and I had the best finishes to date while using it. I think the idea is good if your situation is sound.
 

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