I have a cheapo Enco mill with an import boring head that has been nothing
but wonderful to use.
"Dennis van Dam" wrote in message
...
Is there an appreciable difference in quality between the 2" import boring
head typically available on eBay $60 "Buy It Now" auctions and the 2"
import boring head set available from MSC for $160?

I'm guessing it depends where the head is imported from. The "buy it
now" is Chinese the MSC import is unknown.

My applications are home hobby general purpose infrequent use.

Also what are the considerations in choosing between M-35 cobalt and C-6
carbide boring bar sets?

Thanks to anybody who knows and cares to respond,

Dennis van Dam

In article , "Paul Thompson"
wrote:

I have a cheapo Enco mill with an import boring head that has been nothing
but wonderful to use.

Paul,

Thanks for the reply, I was beginning to think nobody here would have
anything to do with one who espoused the use of "import" machine
tools/accesories, I know it can be a hot button issue sometimes.

I'm a rookie machinist with an older Burke Millrite machine. I've had
occassion to use a 2" import (taiwan manufacture) boring head on this
machine and, as you say, it worked just fine. The only problem I
encountered occured when I took too big of a bite on the material perhaps
combined with feeding the spindle down to aggresively, resulting in a bent
boring bar like it was just so much taffee. That the bar got bent was
mostly my mistake but I'm not discounting the fact that an import boring
bar set may be softer (a lot softer?) than higher quality domestic boring
bars.

I no longer have access to this particular import head, but the action and
accuracy on it seemed just fine to me, certainly for my purposes. In the
meantime the need to replace this head has come to the fore front and I
can't help but notice the considerable range in selection of boring head
brands, sizes and types, both import and domestic. Attendant to the
range of selection is a pretty considerable range in price. I can score
a 2" import boring head set compete with boring bars and R8 mandrel on
eBay for as little as $50 -$60 or I can go in to the catalogues and go as
much as $600 for essentially the same set up.

Too many choices on the menu and I go hungry for lack of knowing what to
order. (-8

So looking in the MSC catalogue I see APT, Accupro, and Criterion as
domestic brands and then the import options. (Not 100% that Accupro
isn't an import.)

One option is to get an import head then spend some extra money on
domestic boring bars, but even with boring bars types/prices it's a
multiple choice dilema. At least on this I can buy the boring bars one
at a time as I need them and, by the time I buy them all, not really spend
anymore than a complete set costs.

And as long as I'm wasting all this time on detail considerations, I'm
wondering if the two inch head will do me or if I might not be better off
with a 3 inch head for heavier jobs that might come up. APT has a 2-1/2
inch head for either 1/2" bars or 5/8" bars that looks like it might split
the difference in capacity and price nicely.

Concurrent to researching the catalogue I'm tracking a dozen or so eBay
auctions on various boring heads.

Long story short (too late for that) I was getting tired of trying to
figure all the variables and when I came across a "Buy It Now" for a 3
inch Criterion complete with boring bar set and other accessories I
decided the higher price was worth it to be done with this quest.

I hit the button.

Looking forward to the boring head arriving today.


Dennis




"Dennis van Dam" wrote in message
...
Is there an appreciable difference in quality between the 2" import boring
head typically available on eBay $60 "Buy It Now" auctions and the 2"
import boring head set available from MSC for $160?

I'm guessing it depends where the head is imported from. The "buy it
now" is Chinese the MSC import is unknown.

My applications are home hobby general purpose infrequent use.

Also what are the considerations in choosing between M-35 cobalt and C-6
carbide boring bar sets?

Thanks to anybody who knows and cares to respond,

Dennis van Dam

And as long as I'm wasting all this time on detail considerations, I'm
wondering if the two inch head will do me or if I might not be better off
with a 3 inch head for heavier jobs that might come up. APT has a 2-1/2

I bought a 2 inch criterion and I use it a fair amount and I really like
it. Its very smooth and pretty easy to hit the target diameter.
Based on that I decided that I HAD to have a 3 inch one. I don't think
I have ever used it.

Remember that 2 inch heads use 1/2 inch bars and that 3 inch heads use
3/4 inch bars. I think that fact alone prevents you from using a 3 inch
head for small holes because the 3/4 inch boring bar have big heads that
will not fit inside a small hole.

chuck

In article ,
(Charles A. Sherwood) wrote:

And as long as I'm wasting all this time on detail considerations, I'm
wondering if the two inch head will do me or if I might not be better off
with a 3 inch head for heavier jobs that might come up. APT has a 2-1/2

I bought a 2 inch criterion and I use it a fair amount and I really like
it. Its very smooth and pretty easy to hit the target diameter.
Based on that I decided that I HAD to have a 3 inch one. I don't think
I have ever used it.

Remember that 2 inch heads use 1/2 inch bars and that 3 inch heads use
3/4 inch bars. I think that fact alone prevents you from using a 3 inch
head for small holes because the 3/4 inch boring bar have big heads that
will not fit inside a small hole.

chuck


Chuck,

Good point. It occured to me there could be a compromise in that a 3
inch head can do larger/heavier than a 2 inch trading the ability to do as
small as a 2 inch. However, the particular Criterion I picked up on eBay
came with all kinds of extra goodies including an adapter sleeve that
steps the 3/4" tool holder bores down to 1/2" so that I can mount the
smaller 1/2" boring bars (also included).

That and several other extras got the better of my impulse purchase
inclinations so I went for this 3 inch head as much because this
particular deal came up just when it did as for the added heavy duty
capacity that I may or may not have a true need for.

It arrived this morning and looks like it will work out for me. That
said I'm sure I would have done just fine with a 2 inch head. In the
long run I can always put this 3 inch back up on eBay if it works out a 2
inch would better serve my needs.

Dennis

On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 17:36:35 GMT, (Dennis van
Dam) wrote:


Long story short (too late for that) I was getting tired of trying to
figure all the variables and when I came across a "Buy It Now" for a 3
inch Criterion complete with boring bar set and other accessories I
decided the higher price was worth it to be done with this quest.

I hit the button.

Good job. I have an Enco and a Criterion. They look identical but
they sure don't work indentically. The Enco is OK if accuracy
doesn't matter. It is easy to adjust the Criterion to make a hole
..001" larger. Not so with the Enco! After loosening just enough to
adjust, it can move as much as .001 or .002 when tightening to make
the cut. No problem with the Criterion.

I just went through a process of boring out 7 pulleys for a line shaft.
The original diameter of the bores was 1 7/16" and they had to be
bored out to 1 11/16". The depth of the holes varied from about 2 1/2"
to 4 1/4". I found that 1/2" diameter boring bars just aren't stiff
enough when sticking out much over 2 1/2". The tools seem to vibrate and
cause a rough finish (using Bridgeports at a night school). I have an
old vertical mill that has a B&S #9 spindle, so I can't easily get a
3/4" head, but I sure would if I could!
On the subject of imported boring BARS: I bought a set of those 9
cheapies from Enco. They must be some sort of soft carbide becuase they
dull very quickly. I can even sharpen them on an aluminum oxide wheel.

Pete Stanaitis
------------------------------------------------------


Dennis van Dam wrote:

In article , "Paul Thompson"
wrote:


I have a cheapo Enco mill with an import boring head that has been nothing
but wonderful to use.


Paul,

Thanks for the reply, I was beginning to think nobody here would have
anything to do with one who espoused the use of "import" machine
tools/accesories, I know it can be a hot button issue sometimes.

I'm a rookie machinist with an older Burke Millrite machine. I've had
occassion to use a 2" import (taiwan manufacture) boring head on this
machine and, as you say, it worked just fine. The only problem I
encountered occured when I took too big of a bite on the material perhaps
combined with feeding the spindle down to aggresively, resulting in a bent
boring bar like it was just so much taffee. That the bar got bent was
mostly my mistake but I'm not discounting the fact that an import boring
bar set may be softer (a lot softer?) than higher quality domestic boring
bars.

I no longer have access to this particular import head, but the action and
accuracy on it seemed just fine to me, certainly for my purposes. In the
meantime the need to replace this head has come to the fore front and I
can't help but notice the considerable range in selection of boring head
brands, sizes and types, both import and domestic. Attendant to the
range of selection is a pretty considerable range in price. I can score
a 2" import boring head set compete with boring bars and R8 mandrel on
eBay for as little as $50 -$60 or I can go in to the catalogues and go as
much as $600 for essentially the same set up.

Too many choices on the menu and I go hungry for lack of knowing what to
order. (-8

So looking in the MSC catalogue I see APT, Accupro, and Criterion as
domestic brands and then the import options. (Not 100% that Accupro
isn't an import.)

One option is to get an import head then spend some extra money on
domestic boring bars, but even with boring bars types/prices it's a
multiple choice dilema. At least on this I can buy the boring bars one
at a time as I need them and, by the time I buy them all, not really spend
anymore than a complete set costs.

And as long as I'm wasting all this time on detail considerations, I'm
wondering if the two inch head will do me or if I might not be better off
with a 3 inch head for heavier jobs that might come up. APT has a 2-1/2
inch head for either 1/2" bars or 5/8" bars that looks like it might split
the difference in capacity and price nicely.

Concurrent to researching the catalogue I'm tracking a dozen or so eBay
auctions on various boring heads.

Long story short (too late for that) I was getting tired of trying to
figure all the variables and when I came across a "Buy It Now" for a 3
inch Criterion complete with boring bar set and other accessories I
decided the higher price was worth it to be done with this quest.

I hit the button.

Looking forward to the boring head arriving today.


Dennis





"Dennis van Dam" wrote in message
...

Is there an appreciable difference in quality between the 2" import boring
head typically available on eBay $60 "Buy It Now" auctions and the 2"
import boring head set available from MSC for $160?

I'm guessing it depends where the head is imported from. The "buy it
now" is Chinese the MSC import is unknown.

My applications are home hobby general purpose infrequent use.

Also what are the considerations in choosing between M-35 cobalt and C-6
carbide boring bar sets?

Thanks to anybody who knows and cares to respond,

Dennis van Dam

In article ,
Pete & sheri wrote:
I just went through a process of boring out 7 pulleys for a line shaft.
The original diameter of the bores was 1 7/16" and they had to be
bored out to 1 11/16". The depth of the holes varied from about 2 1/2"
to 4 1/4". I found that 1/2" diameter boring bars just aren't stiff
enough when sticking out much over 2 1/2".

Note that there are some boring bars (for lathes) which have a
solid carbide shank and accept carbide inserts. I use one on my lathe
(a little over 1/2" diameter, with flats to make it 1/2" for the
toolholder and to hold proper orientation), and those will extend an
amazing distance before chatter becomes a problem. I think that I've
run mine with a 6" extension. Solid carbide has a lot less flex than
steel of equal diameter. (They are also *quite* expensive. I lucked
onto mine on eBay a few years ago at a rather more reasonable price.)

The tools seem to vibrate and
cause a rough finish (using Bridgeports at a night school). I have an
old vertical mill that has a B&S #9 spindle, so I can't easily get a
3/4" head, but I sure would if I could!

Perhaps check whether a solid carbide boring bar (with insert)
could be fit to the boring head.

Or -- you could set up your lathe for "line boring" (where the
boring bar is supported between centers on a lathe, and the workpiece is
mounted to the carriage (a bit tricky with those pulleys, I suspect).

Or -- you could mount the pulleys in a 4-jaw chuck and bore on
the lathe, which is what I probably would do.

And the lathe (assuming one of reasonable size) could also use
larger diameter boring bars, such as perhaps a 1" diameter one, which
would be quite sufficient for the holes which you were starting with.

On the subject of imported boring BARS: I bought a set of those 9
cheapies from Enco. They must be some sort of soft carbide becuase they
dull very quickly. I can even sharpen them on an aluminum oxide wheel.

It sounds as though you wound up with brazed HSS instead.

Good Luck,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

What I did was take my solid carbide boring bar and stiffen the bar a bit.
I had a T bar in long bar format just from the mill - 4-5 inches long.
I was boring out a deep cylinder of iron and the scale within gave me
to much chatter. I used super glue on the bar and T bar.
It was placed just behind the head and on the back side
(the side of the hole not cut). This stopped the vibration.

I got the idea from my hand. I could hold the bar and dampen the vibration.
I knew not much was needed.

The depth was very long (deep) - more than it should have been with that
size of bar.

I have longer bars and larger bars but they are HHS type so experimentation
of a one of a kind wasn't for me.

Martin

--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Pete & sheri wrote:

I just went through a process of boring out 7 pulleys for a line shaft.
The original diameter of the bores was 1 7/16" and they had to be bored
out to 1 11/16". The depth of the holes varied from about 2 1/2" to 4
1/4". I found that 1/2" diameter boring bars just aren't stiff enough
when sticking out much over 2 1/2". The tools seem to vibrate and cause
a rough finish (using Bridgeports at a night school). I have an old
vertical mill that has a B&S #9 spindle, so I can't easily get a 3/4"
head, but I sure would if I could!
On the subject of imported boring BARS: I bought a set of those 9
cheapies from Enco. They must be some sort of soft carbide becuase they
dull very quickly. I can even sharpen them on an aluminum oxide wheel.

Pete Stanaitis
------------------------------------------------------


Dennis van Dam wrote:

In article , "Paul Thompson"
wrote:


I have a cheapo Enco mill with an import boring head that has been
nothing
but wonderful to use.


Paul,

Thanks for the reply, I was beginning to think nobody here would have
anything to do with one who espoused the use of "import" machine
tools/accesories, I know it can be a hot button issue sometimes.

I'm a rookie machinist with an older Burke Millrite machine. I've had
occassion to use a 2" import (taiwan manufacture) boring head on this
machine and, as you say, it worked just fine. The only problem I
encountered occured when I took too big of a bite on the material perhaps
combined with feeding the spindle down to aggresively, resulting in a
bent
boring bar like it was just so much taffee. That the bar got bent was
mostly my mistake but I'm not discounting the fact that an import boring
bar set may be softer (a lot softer?) than higher quality domestic boring
bars.

I no longer have access to this particular import head, but the action
and
accuracy on it seemed just fine to me, certainly for my purposes. In
the
meantime the need to replace this head has come to the fore front and I
can't help but notice the considerable range in selection of boring head
brands, sizes and types, both import and domestic. Attendant to the
range of selection is a pretty considerable range in price. I can
score
a 2" import boring head set compete with boring bars and R8 mandrel on
eBay for as little as $50 -$60 or I can go in to the catalogues and go as
much as $600 for essentially the same set up.

Too many choices on the menu and I go hungry for lack of knowing what to
order. (-8

So looking in the MSC catalogue I see APT, Accupro, and Criterion as
domestic brands and then the import options. (Not 100% that Accupro
isn't an import.)

One option is to get an import head then spend some extra money on
domestic boring bars, but even with boring bars types/prices it's a
multiple choice dilema. At least on this I can buy the boring bars one
at a time as I need them and, by the time I buy them all, not really
spend
anymore than a complete set costs.

And as long as I'm wasting all this time on detail considerations, I'm
wondering if the two inch head will do me or if I might not be better off
with a 3 inch head for heavier jobs that might come up. APT has a 2-1/2
inch head for either 1/2" bars or 5/8" bars that looks like it might
split
the difference in capacity and price nicely.

Concurrent to researching the catalogue I'm tracking a dozen or so eBay
auctions on various boring heads.

Long story short (too late for that) I was getting tired of trying to
figure all the variables and when I came across a "Buy It Now" for a 3
inch Criterion complete with boring bar set and other accessories I
decided the higher price was worth it to be done with this quest.

I hit the button.

Looking forward to the boring head arriving today.


Dennis





"Dennis van Dam" wrote in message
...

Is there an appreciable difference in quality between the 2" import
boring
head typically available on eBay $60 "Buy It Now" auctions and the 2"
import boring head set available from MSC for $160?

I'm guessing it depends where the head is imported from. The "buy it
now" is Chinese the MSC import is unknown.

My applications are home hobby general purpose infrequent use.

Also what are the considerations in choosing between M-35 cobalt and
C-6
carbide boring bar sets?

Thanks to anybody who knows and cares to respond,

Dennis van Dam