Another handy tool I’ve always wanted is a small boring head for the lathe or mill. Handy to have, but maybe not worth the investment of purchasing one outright. The plan for this boring head came from the internet somewhere, I don’t remember where I found it. Joe Worthy drew the plan in Feb 2004. It appears to be a community college or trade school student project. If any one recognizes this plan, please help give proper recognition to the designer.
Here’s the plan:
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/xo18thfa/Boring_Head.pdfHere’s my finished boring head.
The dovetail blocks are from cast iron. Everything else is steel. The leadscrew is 1/4" x 40 TPI.
The only deviation from the plan is the method to engage the lead screw. Worthy’s plan calls for a threaded block screwed to the front of the shanks to drive the leadscrew. If the block is not machined perfectly, it may cause the leadscrew to bind. Instead I used a piece of 1/4" steel bar “floating” in a slot. Here’s the parts
The driving tab slips in the block during assembly. It floats left/right, up/down to engage the leadscrew.
The method works very well. The leadscrew does not bind at all.
The only “boo-boo” was cutting the dovetail slot a “TT” wide. A strip of .002” brass shim stock appears to fix that. The dovetail gib now tightens without effort.
Time to find a project requiring a bored hole.
2011 appears to be the year of metalshop upgrades. Next on the list is George Thomas’ Universal Pillar Tool.
