Boring head Ball/Radius turner

Gallery, Projects and General > Project Logs

<< < (2/4) > >>

John Stevenson:
Used one of these ball turners made from a boring head for years.
Advantages are not limited to fitting one lathe, quick to use, just like swapping a tool and calibrated to boot.

It's always amazed me that so many of the Bedair type have been made given the pain of setting them up and how many balls do you actually do ? At least with this setup you still have a boring tool.

And if you really want to push the boat out fit the same boring head to the tailstock, fit a hollow centre like the tap centre above to the tailstock end and chuck. Then using two ball bearings as 'centres' you have a very cheap taper turning attachment that will fit any lathe whether they made a genuine one or not that can do longer or steeper tapers than a dedicated one.

Beats off setting a tailstock you spent 8 years getting to turn true.

DaveH:

--- Quote from: John Stevenson on April 28, 2014, 08:27:22 AM ---

Beats off setting a tailstock you spent 8 years getting to turn true.
--- End quote ---

That is so true :thumbup:
:beer:
DaveH

awemawson:
I made a ball turner using a boring head quite a while ago - just dug it out, 2004 according to my stamp on it, so ten years ago :bugeye:

Mounted on a Dixon T2 quick change holder with a custom made 90 degree worm & wheel. I seem to remember the holder started life as a N0 2 Morse socket, which I softened, and parallel bored to take the boring head spindle. Can't remember if I re-hardened it :scratch:

RodW:
Guys, thanks for the feedback.

John, I know about the offset application of a boring head, just I have not needed to do that yet. My lathe and mill both take a MT3 taper, I must get a couple of set screws so I can set the taper engagement depth when I move stuff to the lathe.

Awemawson, you have given me an idea, I should date stamp my accessories. I also have a logo stamp I got made to brand a particular part I make but when I polish stuff like the balls shown, I just can't bring myself to use it! I put quite a long handle on this tool (12" or so) to give me some control of it, I think I could have made it shorter but so far, I don't see the need to add a gear train to a simple tool.

Rod

awemawson:
Rod,

The idea of the 90 degree gearing was to allow reasonably accurate 'partial arcs' to be turned, both concave and convex. The handle variant will do the same if you add stops to it.

Navigation

 Message Index

Go to full version