Boring head

[Chuck in E. TN]

I need some advice. I'm about to order a boring head, probably a 2" Criterion. I want to use it on my R8 Mill and on my MT2 lathe tailstock. Is this practical? How hard is it to change the arbors? Will changing from one arbor to the other affect accuracy?

Chuck in E. TN

[Troutsqueezer]

What kind of mill do you have, Chuck? I change mine all the time, easy as pie, no effect on accuracy for me.

BTW, the boring head is one the best purchases I have made for my shop. Didn't realize at the time how handy it would be.

Trout

[Bogstandard]

Chuck,

There are no accuracy issues at all when changing mandrels, purely because the boring head is not a fixed bit of tooling. As long as the dovetails are correctly set, the whole issue concerning accuracy is dependent on yourself, how well you set the cutting tool into it's socket and how accurately you can adjust the head to cut for depth.

BTW, why do you want to use it in your lathe tailstock? Not the usual thing to do.



Bogs

[Chuck in E. TN]

Thanks for the replies. I have a HF X2 mill, and Micromark 7x14 lathe. I want to be able to bore on the mill, and use the boring head with a dead center to turn tapers.

Chuck in E. TN

[Bogstandard]

Actually Chuck, you could be in for a hiding if you try to use a boring head for turning tapers. Purely because the tailstock is too unstable once you try to move the centre away from the tailstock centre line, and the critical bit, the centre height.

There are ways to overcome it, but it justs makes everything so complicated, it just isn't worth the bother.

But of course, the decision is all your if you want to try that route.


Bogs

[Troutsqueezer]

BTW, be careful not to leave the locking pin inserted into the spindle when changing out the arbor. If you do, when the mill is powered on, you'll break the plastic gears in the head. Installing the belt drive upgrade fixes this problem, among others.  Some folks install a spring assy on the locking pin so it will fall out if not held in by hand.

[Chuck in E. TN]

Troutsqueezer, I have both the belt conversion, and a home made spring loaded spindle lock on the mill.
Bogs, I have made several MT2 tapers with your method of turning between centers, and angleing the compound. I have seen others turn tapers with a boring head and want to try it.

Chuck in E. TN

[Chazz]

Would it be possible to adapt the 1962 Popular Mechanics TA for a 9" x 20" to a 7" x 14"?

Curious,
Chazz