Dumb deed and a valuable lesson :-)

[Buckshot]

............ I was in the proccess of making a 2 die set to produce paper patch slugs in 38-55 for the new Uberti Hi-Wall. I had the core forming die, base punch and ejector done. I also had the boolit die complete with it's ejector assembly. It's base punch had been parted off and this is where the big time oppsie comes in.

http://www.fototime.com/C3EE3AD183E490A/standard.jpg

These are not they :-), as I STILL haven't figured out Donna's new digital camera yet. These are previous ones but they all basicly look the same, so pretend okay? On the left is the ejector assembly and the die (in the middle) sits down over the ejector pin. The base punch on the far right is stationary in the top of the press and the die moves up to, and over it. In the case of the one in 38-55 it isn't for a HB (the picture is one for a Minie) but a FB.

When making the punch for the core forming die, I had faced off the little nub left in the center of the punch face, which was left after parting it off. All done before hardening. Now comes the base punch for the boolit form die and as you have probably guessed I hardened it before facing and polishing the face. Hey, I got carbide, ya know:-) But I didn't really think it out.

The sides of the punch and where the face meets is a 90* edge. Certainly the carbide made short work of the nub in facing off the punch. However the steel was HAAAAAAAAAAAARRRD and that 90* edge all the way around the circumfrence had tiny fractured pieces out in several places. Not good. I had spent considerable time polishing the end of the punch to bring it down for a VERY close fit to the die. If you close the ejector hole in the die with a finger and set the punch in, it would VERY slowly slide down. If oiled it would just sit there and not move.

I REALLY wasn't interested in doing it over again. Time for the Dremel and a grinding stone. No bueno por ca-ca as I didn't have any way to dress the stone on it's mandrel and it had over a thou runnout which I could not hand hold and overcome. However the spindle of the Dremel runs out less then .0005". So I got to make a Mini toolpost grinder, Ha!

There is a section on the body of the Dremel that is about an inch long and 1.855" in OD. I had a hunk of 1-1/4" thick steel plate but REALLY didn't want to deal with that so instead used a piece of 4" wide 1/2" thick plate. I cut off a piece, setup a faceplate and bored a hole 1.860" in ID. Then took a piece of 5/8" keystock, since that's what my tool blocks will accept, and welded it to the piece of 1/2" steel. Then I D&T'd 1/4-20 for a pinch bolt after slitting through into the hole.

I set it up in the toolpost and secured the Dremel. Everything looked good, but that don't mean crap. I had it setup to traverse across the face of the punch. After watching with a 10X loupe so as to 'just' let it touch, I dialed in a half thousandth and used the crossfeed to run it across the punch. It did a super job except at the edge ................again. It seemed as if it too was chipping out tiny pieces. I used a marks a lot to paint the edge and ran it back across. Sure enough it was causing a few tiny pieces to chip out.

Yup, I thought maybe I could anneal it, but decided to try and make this work as I had it all setup. So far as the stone was concerned, the only thing I can figure is that even though the stone was out of round a very small amount, this must have been sufficient to pound on the punch and cause the bits to fracture out of the edge. Across the solid face it was beautimus. Not having a diamond to true it up I had to figure something else.

I have quite an assortment of Cratex abrasives that I use to polish the pins I use in moulds for HP's. I don't know what grit it is, but the brown wheels are comparatively aggressive. New ones appear to be punched out of sheets and my normal practice to true them up (enough for my normal usage) is to run them against the fine stone in the bench grinder, so I did so again this time.

Worked like a champ :-)!!!! I could dial it in and let it run a few minutes while I did other stuff, then advance it further across the face of the punch and let it run again. A couple times across the face doing this had it all cleaned up, and running it back and forth several times without letting it dwell, smoothed out a few shallow ripples.

I just love success, but I wish it didn't take so long sometimes to put in an appearance [smilie=b: But I also learned what NOT to do if certain parts have to be hardened. The other benefit out of the deal is I have this nifty simple little toolpost grinder that seems to be quite usefull.

................Buckshot

[creekwalker]

Well Buckshot, all I can say is you pulled it off and made things work. Seems to me that meansyou wer succesfull. I only hope that I can learn to do as well as you and others who've learned to do your own tool & die work. Great job.

Creekwalker

[crossfireoops]

Man, this is just about spooky......Did you do this yesterday,Sunday 9 December?
If so,what TIME of day?

See Yesterday afternoon, I had to cut some #35 drill rod ( trigger and knockoff pins for a Low wall Win. )

It was WAY to cold and windy / rainy to even think about the service truck / welding deck, or welding coop ( the wind blows all the TIG shielding gas away.........

Great minds think alike it would appear........Although I took a more simplistic approach.
The old "Stretchy Red Boot Lace" trick.........with a tool holder for the alignment / height control block. ............worked SLICK.......beautiful clean cuts with the workpiece rotating against the Dremel cutoff, slow infeed on crossfeed.

If we were both doing this yesterday afternoon, at this point Rod Serling should wander out and light his smoke, and theme from Twilight Zone starts in backround.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b115/robbinmyers/TPG1.jpg

GTC

[garandsrus]

Great ideas!

Would the Dremel grinder trick work for grinding/polishing the inside of boolit sizing dies??? It seems like it would as long as you could get the Dremel indexed properly... There should be a way to true the grinding wheel also.

John

[crossfireoops]

Great ideas!

Would the Dremel grinder trick work for grinding/polishing the inside of boolit sizing dies??? It seems like it would as long as you could get the Dremel indexed properly... There should be a way to true the grinding wheel also.

John

I kinda' doubt it......the Dremel, or Foredom system is pretty much limited to really short "Stick out " tooling......and reaching out as far as what you need, and trying to hold sizer die tolerancing (+- .0002)....I'd be a bit shy.

I HAVE had wonderful results in I.D. work with "expandable Brass bore laps"

Once a guy learns that Medium clover(water based) is about as fine as you need to go, ....you can get Suprb finishes..........on a practical budget.

Would be happy to post a pic or 2 of the setup I've used, ....with some sucess.

Semper Coonazz,

GTC

[garandsrus]

CTG,

Where did you get your expandable Brass bore laps from? I believe that's the same tool Buckshot uses to finish a die.

Thanks,
John

[crossfireoops]

Go to

http://www.kbctools.com/usa/main.cfm

Type in: KBC # 1-644B-200 Page #608

Good honest tooling, and your sure to get results, ......if you "Sneak up" on final Dims.

I just love the damn things....and they're not "Bore Laps".....my bad

They call 'em "Barrel Laps"

Best Regards,

GTC

[Buckshot]

..............crossfireoops, I was at it later in the evening then you. Your brain waves must transmorgified themselves into my noggin :-)

.............Garandsrus, a barrel lap 'For through holes' in position but not loaded with paste.

http://www.fototime.com/8B4152A248977B0/standard.jpg

.................Buckshot

[gregg]

Buckshot I don't know how your brain works atall on these graveyard shifts.

[Nueces]

Buckshot and/or crossfireoops, would you please share a few words (lots, actually, as many as you can stand :-D) on speeds and feeds for your barrel lap setups. Or, do you feed by hand to avoid an unwanted taper? I have a hand-lever feed attachment for my Myford tailstock, so a fairly quick and smooth hand feed could be applied.

Now that I think about how that barrel lap appears to be set up, it does not look like much taper is likely to be introduced, as the diameter of the lap is fixed by the end adjusting screw, no? In other words, there is little to no spring to the diameter to cause taper from dwelling too long in one area.

Any tips?

Mark

[crossfireoops]

Nueces, I envy you that Myford tailstock......

I'll go with what I learned in Hydraulics and hot rod Hog ( OK, some aircraft engine work too) about basic lapping

Straight symetrical bores = GOOD ( and a paychecK, steady employment)
"Swamped / Trombone bores" = ( Fired, go study 'yer work)

I think the operative word in Buckshot's post is "Through Hole". The tool makes a complete clean exit....each cycle / pass.

When you start laping blind bores (frowned on in engineering, but sometimes you just gotta' do it.....the lap , or hone must be travelling at twice the speed at the end of each pass, as what it does in the middle. This is why quality barrel makers freak out if you don't bob an inch offa' their blanks......."Swamp"

The Brass barrel laps are a wonderfull tool, and I'm not kidding, you'll be tickled at your results. If you intend to use a finer and finer Grit # ...........you've got to have a Brass lap for each grade,( and the replacement laps are cheap) .....But I cheat, on that detail....and Bead blast the things, if a finer grade is to be used. You won't believe the screechy harmonics that a Lyman die can set up in a 3 jaw Cushman chuck, ....when carving with Clover medium.
You'll also be amazed at how fine a finish ( WAY exceeds Factory) you'll get with that common off the Automotive shelf product......when you go to finer compounds (Symichrome, .....one good example)....be sure to reduce and "Wet" the lap, as you sneak up on final. In the smaller ( 1/4" minus) range you can "Dry up / Twist Off" pronto.

I've had great luck fine tuning factory neck sizing dies to oddball, and frapped chamber dims.,.....as well the shnks can be fitted to extension rods and you can bore lap barrels, If your lathe bed's long enough.

No, I don't own stock in the company that makes them.

Once you own a set, and play with 'em a bit.....you'll be drooling over 40 TPI taps, taper reamers, and Brass billet......assuming you've got a mill, and slitting saws........these things are not rocket science to build......I "GauorantY"

I'm going to cover up my Dining room table, and break one down, ....photo and post.

Semper Coonazz,

GTC

[lathesmith]

Hmmm, those barrel laps are interesting tools. If I understand this correctly, for sizing dies a guy would only need 3/16, 1/4, 5/16. 3/8, and 7/16. I was actually thinking of the toolpost grinder route for die polishing, but this looks like a better alternative to me. If I am looking at the right tools those look reasonably priced too.
lathesmith

[crossfireoops]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b115/robbinmyers/Barrellaps1.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b115/robbinmyers/Barrellaps2.jpg

...as you can see, ....fairly simple.

Threads 5/16 - 28 TPI.....for this 3/8" lap.........close look reveals that the tail of the shank's been "Bobbed", and IIRC, ....used to bore lap a .40 cal barrel , fitted to an extension,( they do range over a broad span).

The bronze lap is an easy enough thing to build in a home shop, A billet of your Dia. choice, Bored symetrical to a taper on the central minor dia.......and tapped on both ends major dia. A 50 /50 deal. Than slit saw the 6, or 8, or however many " Flex " cuts in on your divider.........for rough work, keep the slit # low.

The 40 TPI was a bad call....but a better setup for finer, patient , "Splitting hair" work......with "Polish" grade compounds.......and a ton of slits, in the "Barrel".

If you haven't tried these.......DO!

Next agitation, .....any youze' ever use "Hairpin" laps ?

Merry Christmas all,

GTC

[crossfireoops]

Lathesmith,....what kinda' macihne is that,....your avatar?

Wish mine had any paint left on it.

GTC

[Nueces]

Thanks, crossfire, and Merry Christmas to you, too.

A hairpin lap is sorta like the eye of a needle, right? You expand the slot with a tapered tool, I think. Before I got my wings, I went through the Air Force machinists school in '69. Fine course, and we did some grinding, but stopped short of toolmaking techniques like the use of these laps.

I've owned the Myford since '82 and have mostly been just fawning over it while I larked about in the air. Retired now, and time to get back to making chips.

Thanks for sharing, Mark

[crossfireoops]

For whatever it's worth, .....I've had the best luck in using these barrel laps just slathering clean ways with the way oil appropriate ( or available) ....and hand tramming the Tailstock.

REALLY nice to shoot breeze with other old crank turners!

GTC

[crossfireoops]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b115/robbinmyers/valdez6.jpg

The "Uphole Flood " , setup on this old hard run dog has been replaced........a Jabsco bilge pump......

This old "Super 10" is the current love of my life......

Wouldn't make a pimple on a Myford's ***.

That said, it's not the machine, ....it's the man runnin' it,.....No?


GTC

[crossfireoops]

Thanks, crossfire, and Merry Christmas to you, too.

A hairpin lap is sorta like the eye of a needle, right? You expand the slot with a tapered tool, I think. Before I got my wings, I went through the Air Force machinists school in '69. Fine course, and we did some grinding, but stopped short of toolmaking techniques like the use of these laps.

I've owned the Myford since '82 and have mostly been just fawning over it while I larked about in the air. Retired now, and time to get back to making chips.

Thanks for sharing, Mark

Yup, and so simple to make one up and get a really clean hole,.....when all's you had was a drill bit, to start.

GTC

[lathesmith]

CFO, that machine in my avatar is one of those little 8x12/14 lathes from good 'ol Harbor Freight. I had some machine shop classes when I was in High school--we used a bunch of old Southbends--and I have loved working on both metal and wood cutting machines since. A Southbend that little lathe ain't, but a mighty lot of fun it IS. I recently converted it to DC variable speed, and have had fun doing several gunsmithing and reloading projects with it.n I have also recently beefed up my tooling arsenal, adding a nice 5" Bison 3-jaw, a little ER 32 collet chuck,and some other cool stuff. My latest project is "fixing" my trusty ol' S&W model 25-5. I fitted it with a new barrel and cylinder, in part to correct the .460 throats and because I fell in love with one of those 5" underlug barrels. I plan on posting a few more details on this project in the "Revolvers" forum in the next few days, but here is a sneak peek at the beast:

[crossfireoops]

I'll get a picture of my Dniosaur "Millwright" milling machine up somewhen, an acceptable R8 rig......promptly converted to ER32......

......now deadly, just from that simple shift.

JUst traded into a Clausing 2050, with an esoteric MT2 spindle......can that be shifted to any ER conversions?

Mill in Harmony, watch your feed rates.

GTC

[lathesmith]

I've seen MT3 ER32 collet chucks, but I dunno about MT2...would need to do some checking on that. I really like these collet chucks, they really have the gripping power, are very accurate, and are generally non-marring. I found a seller on ebay that had 13/16 ER 32's, I had never seen one of these. I know it don't sound like much, but having a 13/16 allows me to do some things that I could not do with just a 3/4. Keep on turnin'...
lathesmith

[crossfireoops]

LatheSmith.....the upper end of any of these ER sets is pretty much dictated by the parent spindle size......No?

My R8 X ER32 Bison set runs all the way to I.oo"

Maybe I'm just screwed up, reading this / interpretting ?

GTC

[lathesmith]

GTC, if you can find some larger ER32 collet chucks, please let us know! I have never seen any larger than 13/16, even though the thru hole on my lathe ER32 is around .920 or so.
lathesmith

[crossfireoops]

What SPINDLE TAPER.....?

repeat,

What SPINDLE TAPER.....?

GTC

[Nueces]

I have a MT-2 collet chuck for the ER-25 size, for use in the Myford head and tail stocks, and the Clausing mill spindle. Also fits the center bore in the small rotary table. I like the cross-tool adaptability.

Here's a link to one in the MSC catalog: http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=1806793&PMT4NO=34424022

Mark

[lathesmith]

GTC, the ER-32 collet chuck on my lathe is bored through, it is NOT an arbor-mounted type. If you are still looking for an ER-32 for MT 2, I have looked a bit but have not found one yet.
lathesmith

[crossfireoops]

I screwed up, ....the Larger Er32 collets ( over 3/4") are NOT Bison.......they look like a costom ground #s.

Really short grab. and the ' is razor thin on the tail.

Hope I haven't caused to much confusion.....this weather's been really trying.

GTC

[crossfireoops]

I'm embarrassed, ....shouldn't be beaking off and writing when as tired as what that storm left one............Ferget 1" ER 32, .......that's a coobbled up custom,......maybe of some value as scrap, or a paperweight.

I guess that ER40 and C-5 is not much of an option for the smaller machines.........?

GTC

[Woodtroll]

A question about the barrel laps, guys...

How much metal can I remove with one of these (practically)? I'd like to hone out a 0.429" Lee sizing die to 0.441" to size down paper patch bullets. The Lees don't have a long sizing ring, so do you think this would work okay? Any tips on lapping one out this much, as in how often to tighten/ expand the lap, etc.?

Thanks, folks! Regan

[lathesmith]

My guess is you could hone a sizing die from .429 to .441 with one of these...eventually. Even soft metal would take a long time to hone this much. This sounds like a job for in inside toolpost grinder, if the metal is hard; if it is not hardened, a boring bar would do. Then finish the final few thou with the barrel lap.
lathesmith

[crossfireoops]

Go for it ! Medium Clover compound will move that .006 per side quicker than you might figure.......this is exactly the sort of application for which these shine.

You'll know when you need to advance the expander screw, as drag decreases.

That industrial diamond paste that comes in little hypos ( and costs more than rare old Scotch) will really get this set up singing, .....but is anything but nesacary.

In the absence of pin gages, .......turn a go - no go up outta' stock, prior to starting.

The water based clover "Wets" pretty good with Windex........it WILL dry up, and you'll be surprised at how much heat the process can generate.

Best luck,

GTC

[Buckshot]

...............There was a guy on E-bay selling diamond paste in plastic syringes for a very reasonable (comparatively) price. His bag was lapidary so his diamond paste migt not be a certified type, but it works well. He had a deal where you could buy 6 grits for like $32 or some such thing. The grits started at 220 and went to a bit over 2000. I bought 220, 320, 400, 600, 800 and 1200.

I would not use my laps to take out anything over a thousandth. Too durn slow and it's wastefull of both the lap and medium. At least IMHO :-). I want to be a thousandth or less away from the target ID before I hone. Not having the $3000 necessary to buy a toolpost grinder and accessories for it, nor wanting to pay close to a grand for a used one, I instead went with cabide boring bars.

The bars themself are carbide and they take carbide inserts. While carbide is much more rigid then steel, whether hardened carbon, HSS or cobalt the carbide bars WILL still flex if pushed. While steel bars are not much recommended for more then 4x stickout, the makers of the carbide bars suggest a 10x stickout max and supply DOC's and feed for each bar OD.

My method is to be .010" short of desired OD, and to use the carbide bars to bring it down to the last thou or partial thousandth before honing. If I do not have a reamer to use to get me close, after drilling I'll leave .025" after the last drill bit, and THEN go to the boring bars. If you have a set of fractional, letter and metric bits, you can easily get that for most sizers or whatnot.

Using pin gages to determine where you are is like using a mike in that 'feel' will tell you lots. If a pin slides in easily but with no sideways movement, you're very close to the next larger, and it may start a fraction of an inch in the hole. If the pin goes in and at halfway it has even a tiny bit of lateral movement, you're looking at the next size up. If a pin goes in smoothly but requires a bit of pressure, your about halfway or a tenth less then that of being at the next size up.

You can also double check with a ball gage and mike just to ease your mind about where you are :-). Best and final way is to slug it. Remember that before honing, slugging a machined finish is fine if you're going to leave it that way. Honestly, a lube-size die does not have to have a reflectively smooth finish, but it looks nice! If your slug shows you to be within a tenth of the ideal size, I'd use 1200 or finer for a fast single pass and then slug it again. Your previous slug is produced off the high spots (miniscule though they be) and when honing they're removed pretty fast.

I'm not saying anyone else's way is wrong, or the way I do it is better. This is just the system I use and have found it to be a workable means for me.

.................Buckshot

[crossfireoops]

Buckshot,

I need an unabashed plug for a good indexable carbide boring bar Mfg. Can you recomend ?

Obviously we're talking "Small bore".

Yoo're dead right about the time factor using laps for hogging.

GTC

[JIMinPHX]

JUst traded into a Clausing 2050, with an esoteric MT2 spindle......can that be shifted to any ER conversions?


GTC

Is that a MT2 with a female thread where the tang usually goes? if so, I've seen a few small Clausings with that setup. The collets for that rig are available, but they aint cheap. Also, they have a nasty little tendency to tighten themselves up when the tool slips inside them. They need to be run a little gently. I haven't seen any conversion kits for them.

[Buckshot]

Buckshot,

I need an unabashed plug for a good indexable carbide boring bar Mfg. Can you recomend ?

Obviously we're talking "Small bore".

Yoo're dead right about the time factor using laps for hogging.

GTC

............First up let me say I have used only one maker's carbide bars so I can't say X is better then Y and this is because ................ . Solid carbide bars are usually quite expensive. I do have a set of steel bars which take carbide inserts and they're fine, but they're larger in OD then 90% of any dies a regular shooter might need :-).

The solid carbide bars I have are made by Circle C Corp. These were offered by MSC for a period of a few months, and were listed as 'Promotional".

http://www.fototime.com/5021F858C13FB93/standard.jpg

This is the only photo I have of one of them. MSC offered 3/16" x 4", 1/4" x 4", 3/8" x 6", and 1/2" x 6" . Each came with between 6 & 10 TiN coated carbide inserts and 2 retaining screws and Torx wrench in a fitted foam plastic case. The bars all have cooland delivery holes through them and a list of suggested DOC's and feeds for the max 10X stickout for various materials.

I ended up buying all 4 sizes after checking around for prices on solid carbide bars, and got these 4 for what one of another maker's larger bars went for. So far as quality goes I don't know how they could be any better then they are. Usually "Promotional" means something is left out, or somehow cheapened in order to offer a deal.

If this was the case with these I'm at a loss as to what it could be. To be sure, when stuck out as in the above photo you will remove material on the way back out (spring cut), and very possibly going back in too, depending on material and your intitial DOC and feed. The smaller bars take inserts with tip radius's of just a couple thousandths, so your feed will be slow regardless the stickout in order to keep from simply cutting threads, ha!

The 3/16" bar is a Godsend as it's good for bores from .205" ID. Regardless of the bar size I use my lathe's slowest feed (.0018" IPR) for the final pass, which as you'd suspect I also have a light DOC. In leaded steel like 12L14 the finish is brightly smooth. In a high carbon steel like W-1 you'll get a smooth dull gray result. For a Lee push through it's really all you need, but I polish to size expecting people to look expecting to see a bright ring. Which you usually DON'T see in a Lee die. Even gummy inexpensive 1018/1020 type steel nets a darn good finish.

You might call Circle C Tool to see wassup with these sets as I haven't seen them since. They have 2 numbers listed on the info sheet with the bars. 626-357-7046 and 800-247-2533. The product number for the 3/16"bar is listed as: C series carbide bar, promotional Kit. CCBI-180-5R PROMO. MSC's number was 57143133.

Particulars for this bar is listed as:
Min bore: .205"
Max depth: 1.875"
Shank die: .187"
OAL: 4"
Insert: CDCT-505-CG5, PVD coated.

DOC, Feed @ 10X stickout, mild steel:
SPM: 150-350
DOC: .003"-.010"
Feed (IPR): .009"-.002"

This bar was $107 with each larger bar a little more expensive. Checking MSC now they show:

Description: CCBI-180/187-4-5R CIRCLE C SERIES BORINGBAR
Minimum Bore Diameter (Decimal Inch): .2080"
Maximum Bore Depth (Inch): 1-7/8
Shank Diameter (Inch): 3/16
Overall Length (Inch): 4
Material: Carbide
Big Book Page #: 852

The price is $247 ..............Eeeeeeek!

...............Buckshot

[crossfireoops]

"Is that a MT2 with a female thread where the tang usually goes? "

Jim , I'll check that out, when it warms up a bit.....you could hang meat out in the "Coop" right now.....20* here, at dawn today. I haven't powered it up yet, traded into it with a hockey-sock fulla' tooling accompanying it. Here's a pic

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b115/robbinmyers/Clausing1.jpg

Buckshot,

"The price is $247 ..............Eeeeeeek"

Thanks for the head's up, I 'd say in today's marketplace, that's a real decent price, .....I mean look at the capabilities one adds with that aquisition.

The micro stuff ain't cheap, and that's a FACT.

My "Hot buy of the week"........Enco flyers showing # RP317-1016

Buck Chuck 4 jaw AT+ self centering with 2 pc jaws

" adjusting screws allow for dead true positioning"

Center hole is 2.36

Wish list stuff, for certain......I had a 12" Buck adjust-tru on my big ole' Summit 20 X 80 once, Man, they make nice gear.

Best regards, all......this is a NEAT forum, on a NEAT site !

GTC

[JIMinPHX]

I concur with Buckshot that Circle carbide bars are first class stuff. They are among the best that I have ever used. Their solid one-piece bars are also my first pick for really small boring, like down below 3/16". I even prefer them to Kenemetal, Iscar, Valanite & APT. MSC is also my front line supplier for that type of stuff. Their service & value are good across the board. I’ve had poor experiences with anything but name brand stuff from places like Enco.

[JIMinPHX]

That's a cute little mill you found there. That little indexer under the spindle is worth a few bucks too. if you got that thrown in with the deal, then you did real well.

[JIMinPHX]

The only thing that you need to watch with those adjust-tru chucks is that your spindle bearings need to be in good condition. If not, then the extra mass & stick out that they add can lead to added chatter & bad finish problems. Don’t ask me how I know this. It was an expensive lesson on a cheap second-hand lathe.

[crossfireoops]

Yup, ....that little S.B. is no candidate for a adj'ust tru....even with fine Bushes. to much mass to sling around on a little machine.....and that 8" Buck's gotta be a lunker.

Who knows what the future might hold, though.

GTC

[Buckshot]

I'll get a picture of my Dniosaur "Millwright" milling machine up somewhen, an acceptable R8 rig......promptly converted to ER32......

......now deadly, just from that simple shift.

JUst traded into a Clausing 2050, with an esoteric MT2 spindle......can that be shifted to any ER conversions?

Mill in Harmony, watch your feed rates.

GTC

.............The guy I bought my lathe from has a 8x36 Burke Millright.

I have a ER32 collet on a 2MT shank. I bought it thinking I might have the need to use a endmill in the tailstock for a flat bottomed hole :-). It is actually theaded for a drawbar so it can be safely spun in a spindle without flying out under a sideload.

................Buckshot

[crossfireoops]

I checked out the one in the "coop".....the collets, and adaptors all lack tangs, and are bored / Tapped for a 3/8 " drawbar.

One could grow to loathe these to the same degree as that old Browne and Sharp taper, now finally available again.......but a bit late, as all the spindles taht take the damn thing have been worn / spun out.

Work Safe,

GTC