Subject: Any opinions on a quality small boring head?

From: [email-masked] (Grant Erwin)
Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 05:29:56 GMT

I got a flyer from NSC today (that is not a typo and not MSC)
which has what looks like a really first-rate little boring
head, Swiss made, with 2MT shank that would plug right into
my tailstock, and fifty percent off. Off of what, you may
ask. Right. The list on this thing is almost a thousand dollars.

Now I don't mind spending a little more to get quality. But
I always thought a decent boring head ought to run a little
cheaper than that. I see the cheapos going all the time for
around $95. But on investigating, it seems that there is a
significant jump that happens, in price anyway, just above
that.

I have never done a lot of boring, and what I have done I've
just done with my old 10-way SB toolpost and a boring bar.
But I have this project, and now there's this deal, so maybe
it's time. 

Anyone who has been to this point and beyond and wants to
add anything, feel free. I simply don't have the skill to
make a good one, and I don't really know if a cheap one will
work. I have learned that really inexpensive tools sometimes
make things enough harder to do that for all intents and 
purposes they become impractical. And I don't know if a
boring head would be stable enough mounted in a tailstock 
taper.

Regards,

Grant Erwin                     | Senior Member, Technical Staff
Cascade Design Automation Corp. | Internet:  [email-masked]
3650 131st Ave SE, Suite 650    | TEL:       (206)-649-7613
Bellevue, WA  98006             | FAX:       (206)-649-7600

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From: Bob Bickers <[email-masked]>
Date: 14 May 1996 23:11:24 GMT

[email-masked] wrote:
>>   [email-masked] (Grant Erwin) writes:
>What you are probably looking at is an automatic boring head.  These
>will advance the tool automagically to to also do facing.  If you don't need
>that feature, buy one of the $100 variety.  The autofacing heads are
>really neat.  Interestingly, Metal Lathe Accessories sells a kit to build
>a really good one pretty cheap.  They advertise in HSM and also are
>listed in the FAQ.
>
>
>John Lovallo
>
MSC also has a 2" boring head for $33 this month, I bought one, not Swiss made but worth it. 
Cheers Bob

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From: [email-masked] (Richard W. Klopp)
Date: 14 May 1996 21:17:04 GMT

I bought a Taiwanese 2" boring head at J&L in San Jose for $49. The shank
was about another $10 as I recall. The thing is flawless as far as I can
tell. My boring bars pull out with a resounding "pop!", the fit is that
good. I don't know why you'd want to pay an order of magnitude more, nor
why you'd want to stick one in the tailstock. The whole idea of a boring
head is the turn the head and keep the work stationary. Otherwise, why not
use a boring bar in a toolpost and take advantage of the lathe carriage's
much better feeding mechanisms?

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Grant

> significant jump that happens, in price anyway, just above
.........
> ...purposes they become impractical. And I don't know if a

-- 
Rich Klopp                      Do your parents know you're in here?
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 14 May 1996 17:44:18 GMT

John Lovallo

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From: [email-masked] (Jonathan M. Elson)
Date: 16 May 1996 05:25:18 GMT

Grant Erwin ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I got a flyer from NSC today (that is not a typo and not MSC)
: which has what looks like a really first-rate little boring
: head, Swiss made, with 2MT shank that would plug right into
: my tailstock, and fifty percent off. Off of what, you may
: ask. Right. The list on this thing is almost a thousand dollars.

I got the $59 Enco 2" boring head some years ago.  Since I have an M-head
bridgeport with the B&S #7 spindle taper, I couldn't get a direct taper
arbor for the boring head.  So I got the 1/2" straight shank arbor, the
biggest you can get for B&S #7 collets.  I have never been able to get
smooth boring with this unit.  I use a set of 9 1/2" boring bars with
brazed carbide tips that is often sold with the head.  After some tinkering,
I have decided that the problem is the 1/2" straight shank is too flexible!
So, I thought that I might warn you that the #2 Morse Taper is not likely to
be much stiffer.  A project for a rainy weekend is to make a B&S #7 arbor
to fit the back of the boring head, and see if it does better.

Of course, I could be shooting up the wrong tree, and it is really the 
stiffness of the dovetail in the boring head that is the problem, but I
don't think so.

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From: [email-masked] (Jon Anderson)
Date: 15 May 1996 13:34:59 GMT

Grant,

I bought a cheapo boring head some years back. It felt rough, so I 
tried to take it apart to see if I could clean it up a bit. The screw
seized before I could even get it apart. When I called to complain,
they didn't seem the least bit surprised. I ended up with a small
Criterion, which I am quite happy with.

 Jon

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From: Steve Wellcome <[email-masked]>
Date: 16 May 1996 12:40:48 GMT

I've got one of the $100 variety I bought from Travers Tool Co.
several years ago. I assume the MSC offering is the same.
It works fine.  It may not be quite as good as the equivalent 
Criterion boring head, which is about $150 or so, but I'd be 
hard pressed to find much difference.

No way could I ever justify a $1000, or even a $500, boring
head.  If you want to be absolutely sure of the quality and/or
feel better if you buy made-in-USA, get a Criterion.  But
I think the $100 import from Travers or MSC would serve you 
just as well.

One thing about boring heads in general: I found that holding
a boring head by a straight shank in a collet does not work
very well.  It deflects too much. Get a taper shank to fit
your spindle.

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From: [email-masked] (Orest I Koroluk)
Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 12:04:35 -0400

Erwin) wrote:

> Grant Erwin                     

Grant

Are the more expensive ones boring and FACING heads. This can add
considerably to the cost. 

Boring heads are meant to be used in a milling machine. You already own a
great one that will face and power feed (your lathe with a boring bar).
Are you sure you need to spend the money?

Orest

-- 
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           Orest I. Koroluk
                   Technical Officer~Agent technique
     Royal Military College of Canada~College militaire royal du Canada      
     Department of Mechanical Engineering~Departement de genie mecanique 
                   Kingston  Ontario  Canada  K7K 5L0
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From: Steve Wellcome <[email-masked]>
Date: 20 May 1996 13:47:09 GMT

>stiffness of the dovetail in the boring head that is the problem, but I

No, you're right, or almost right, about the source of the problem...but the 
#2 Morse shank does in fact work considerably better than a 1/2" straight shank.  
A friend of mine went from a 1/2" shank to a #2 Morse shank and things improved, 
a lot.  I had similar problems with a 5/8" straight shank in an R8 collet, and
solved my flexing problems by going to an R8 shank.

I think the problem is the combination of straight shank + collet.  I think if
you make a B&S #7 shank for your boring head you'll be pleased by the results.