AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Shop Made Tools => Topic started by: James Wilson Everett on December 08, 2016, 11:08:17 PM
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Guys,
Yes, boring a barrel can be a bit boring - Ha! Here is a new made barrel boring bench. The tool is made to disassemble and fit into the back of a Dodge Caravan, so it is 7" 1" long. I have started boring and re-rifling old wrought iron barrels. The one on the bench is the same one from the Antique Gun Topic on loaded originals. I will be able to take this tool to show-n-tells along with my rifling machine.
Jim
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0001c_zpswva4kdfl.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0001c_zpswva4kdfl.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0004b_zpsp1ipk5rn.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0004b_zpsp1ipk5rn.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0002d_zpslvipg3qc.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0002d_zpslvipg3qc.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0003b_zpsvowmu926.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0003b_zpsvowmu926.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0007e_zpsr6gfefy2.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0007e_zpsr6gfefy2.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0015d_zps5zsjiwqs.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0015d_zps5zsjiwqs.jpg.html)
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1137.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn514%2FJamesEverett%2FTools%2FBoring%2520Bench%2FSANY0015d_zps5zsjiwqs.jpg&hash=05ed1ffc0fd52869e4e577a022a3a6f9267fb76d) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0015d_zps5zsjiwqs.jpg.html)
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Cool.
dp
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Cool.
dp
That looks like a REAMING operation to me. Boring is another thing entirely based on my experience
with Bill Large.
Bob Roller
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Speaking of boring not reaming, how do you make your boring bits? Enquiring minds would like to know?
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Guys,
Even though today we would call such a process "reaming", in the period this was referred to as "boring". This was done with either this type of tool that cut or bored on the push, or the armory process tool that cut on the pull using what was called a "boring nut". Apology to all modern machinists - I guess I was born in the wrong century!
The boring cutters are made from a short section of square W1 tool steel, similar to 1095 steel. The steel is cut to length and filed square to obtain really sharp & square corners. The sizes in the photo are square 0.312, 0.295, 0.270, 0.250. Held upright in a stout post vise the squares are cold twisted using a large tap wrench for one full revolution. Even though the photos seem to show a lot more twist, there is only one - or slightly more than - one full turn. The twist is left hand! The steel section is straightened and a short section filed round to mate with the long rod, cold rolled steel 0.312 dia. Also the very end of each steel cutter has a taper to feed the tool into the bore. These four cutters will give a theoretical round bore respectively of 0.433, 0.412, 0.373, 0.358. They actually cut a bit larger as they are not perfectly straight.
I harden, 1550F - brine quench vertically without swirling the cooling part, just stick it straight vertically down into the brine. The round section that will be welded to the long rod is heated to a dull red & allowed to cool while the cutting edge is immersed in water up to the round section. Temper at 450F. I had the cutter to rod weld done by a professional welder using the TIG process. I know how to weld, but I do not know how to weld well. The TIG process has a much lower heat input than my gas welding process.
The other end of the rod is held in the chuck by a simple set screw. The rod can be adjusted in or out of the chuck to match the barrel length. You can see the chuck in the second photo.
I hope that this makes some sense.
Jim
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0032b_zpsbuiiu0sp.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0032b_zpsbuiiu0sp.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0018b_zps0fwfgpd7.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0018b_zps0fwfgpd7.jpg.html)
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Guys,
(From a PM communication)
Thanks for your interest in the gun barrel boring tool. The 0.312 type dimension given is the size "across the square" of the bit before it is twisted. Understand that this is hand filing, so the 0.312 measurement does have a bit of +/- tolerance if measured at several points along the length of the square. But the tolerance was within 0.005. When you buy a piece of square stock - there is a bit of radius to the corners, the corners are not really sharp. So at least the square must be filed to bring the corners to a sharp & square edge. The larger dimension will be the "across the corners" dimension of the twisted cutter. The actual bore resulting from the cutter will be a bit larger than this dimension. I hope this makes sense.
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Jim
Is your head by the crank poured in Babbit or is that a brass sleeve?
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Guys,
Good question, thanks a lot for the interest. I used a 1" brass pipe nipple for the sleeve and a cored bronze round for the axle, both from McMaster Carr. The rough positioning of the axle was by cutting the groove in the wood head block, the fine positioning by adding some leather shims or spacers to bring the axle into good alignment with the barrel carrier rings. Here is a series of photos showing disassembly of the wood head block. The last leather I glued to the brass pipe, so it does not shift.
Jim
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0021c_zpsgeywyj4w.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0021c_zpsgeywyj4w.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0023c_zpscyt1qewa.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0023c_zpscyt1qewa.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0024a_zpsx9bnrzpb.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0024a_zpsx9bnrzpb.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0025a_zps5hzxcoos.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0025a_zps5hzxcoos.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0026a_zpsqsgnrvdy.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0026a_zpsqsgnrvdy.jpg.html)
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James,
Thanks for taking time to post this.
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I have to build one. Have a new welded blank needing bored.
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David,
This is not too difficult to build. If you wish, come up to W.Pa. and inspect this tool, perhaps it will give you some ideas for yours. Actually, I will be out of the country from 14 January to the end of April. So, the tool will not be used until sometime in May, if you want to try the tool with the barrel blank you have forged you can borrow the tool and give it a try during that time. Let me know if I can help.
Jim
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Guys,
From some P.M. questions, here is what the barrel carrier slide looks like. The left carrier ring can be re-positioned much closer to the right carrier ring if a pistol barrel is to be bored. The rings are match marked as they only assemble one way - not reversible or interchangeable. They are copied from the rifling machine rings used by Charles Knupp of Somerset County, Pa. The barrel carrier slide is a simple T cross section, nothing fancy or difficult.
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0016c_zps8tolqenk.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0016c_zps8tolqenk.jpg.html)
Here is a view of the barrel carrier slide from the rear of the tool. You can see the T slot for the carrier. There is no need to have a very close fit here, probably a loose fit will work better.
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0010b_zpsiopfbzer.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Boring%20Bench/SANY0010b_zpsiopfbzer.jpg.html)
As can be seen in a photo above, the carrier can be pulled toward the boring bar by a chain & weight mechanism. Or, you can push the carrier along by hand.
Jim
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Neat machine, I've always liked the early hand op machinery.
??'s,,
What speed or approx revolutions per min would you say you put to the wheel/reamer,,or is it a case of finding the sweet spot for the particular bbl that you are working on.
What do you do, if anything,, for lubrication of the cutting tool while it's working. Do you ever back it out to clear the cutting edges? or just continue to feed and let the swarf fall behind the cutting head.
How smooth is the resulting bore from the use of this style reamer. Would it need extra work to clean up before rifling or use as a smooth bore.
Thanks in advance..
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Kutter,
What great questions, thanks.
Turning the tool by hand is about at 2 rev per second or about 120 rpm. This does depend on the person turning the wheel as I tend to allow visitors to try this tool at show-n-tells. There really doesn't appear to be a sweet spot or particular speed that works better. However, when starting to bore an old rifled barrel as in the photos, there seems to be a "clickety-click" sound to the cutter as it works through the rifle grooves. I only tend to bore the old barrels just to the bore diameter where the old rifle grooves disappear, so the clicking sound always is there.
I use regular motor oil as the lube. I have tried things like olive oil with my rifling machine, but stuff like that tends to attract yellow jackets, bad for a show-n-tell. I back out often to clear chips. I disconnect the pull chain, remove the barrel slide/carrier and run a patch through the bore.
The chips tend to be pushed ahead of the cutter as with a modern reamer, they are not pulled behind the cutter. The chips are very fine, you can barely see individual chips, not like modern tools at all. I have found that it takes about 100 revolutions to bore about 1/16 inch, so this process is rather slow, but I am not in a hurry. Bear in mind that I often must use two or more cutter sizes to remove all the old rifling grooves.
The resulting bore surface is certainly a lot smoother than that resulting from a modern twist drill, but not as smooth as that resulting from a modern reamer. I follow up the boring process with several passes using an armory reamer to give the bore a better finish.
Thanks again for the interest,
Jim
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This is a wonderful project, wonderfully photographed and explained. Please add photos of your arsenal reamer too.
Thanks again.
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Guys,
Here are some photos of an armory reamer. The reamer is square & straight with two corners sharp and two corners rounded.
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Reamer/100_5116a.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Reamer/100_5116a.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Reamer/100_5117a.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Reamer/100_5117a.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Reamer/100_5118a.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Reamer/100_5118a.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Reamer/100_5119a.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Reamer/100_5119a.jpg.html)
(https://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/JamesEverett/Tools/Reamer/100_5120a.jpg) (http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/JamesEverett/media/Tools/Reamer/100_5120a.jpg.html)
You can turn an armory reamer through a bore using a hand brace, or a variable speed drill on slow speed. The reamer passes from breech end to the muzzle and gives a very slight taper to the bore. Typically the muzzle will be 2 or 3 thousanths of an inch smaller than the breech.
Jim
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James, thanks for the offer. How close are you to Morgantown, WV? I still have one in college there and get up that way occasionally.I have not had time for much gun work lately. Earning a living is getting in the way. Been trying to get my blacksmith shop built. Still have a way to go to get it up and running, but do have it under roof.
On the reamer pictures, is the brass piece just like a lantern stock connector? Do you back the reamer with shims to keep it engaged?
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David,
Thanks for the reply. I am in New Stanton, PA Just up Rte 79 from Morgantown, only about an hour away.
The brass piece is a double sided lantern stock connector. I often use a little dab of epoxy in the joint, too. The lantern stock provides a shoulder that acts to keep the wood shim and paper shim in place, the shim pack just buts against the lantern stock shoulder and stays in place. The wood shim starts as a popcicle stick that is rounded to fit the bore curve. The shims are regular notebook paper. The used wood shim is dark color due to all the oil used during reaming. At the end of a reaming operation there will be several thicknesses of paper shims used in smoothing the bore.
Jim
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Guys,
I just finished using the boring bench at several show-n-tell colonial fairs. At each I let the visitors turn the tool handle and bore the barrel. During a school field trip day for about 600 4th graders they actually bored completely through one barrel. They were turning the tool handle so vigorously that the barrel got rather hot! A great education for them - free work for me!
Another item, all the old barrels re-bored so far have been typical 7-groove barrels where the bores are quite corroded. recently I tried re-boring an 8-groove barrel, it is a lot more challenging as the 4-corner cutters tend to engage with the old rifling grooves. With an old 7-groove barrel you get a bit of a clicking sound as the cutter works through the grooves. With an old 8-groove barrel this becomes a major problem, often causing the cutter to bind up and jam.
Jim
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Nice work.
I have used square bit reamers to make bullet swages. They cut much smoother than modern reamers in my experience. I made mine with a tapered nose and then a straight section. The taper is all that is used for the swage if making a tapered bullet.
Dan
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Very nice to see, Jim!
You have some good ideas sorted out there. :-)
I have fine bored with the square fine -boring bits (homemade) but hadn't seen how to make the twisted bits before.
I also hadn't seen the use of the lantern stock connector. With mine, the fine -boring cutter was just welded to the end of the rod, but for some reason, the slipper of wood stays in place, as do the paper shims. This looks a lot better deal though!
Have only done barrels between .44 and up to musket, and get lots of creaks and cracks with big old rusty bores!
Yes, I like this set -up and should have a bash!
Made my holding rings out of square tubing set "point up", as it matches well for octagons, but have a set-screw tapped into the top that must be tightened down to the barrel, and this has a slight point on the end, so a pop mark has to be put in barrel, (where sight went or something is best!) Your idea wouldn't mark a barrel so a better set-up again.
Thanks for showing this in detail Jim! Very good of you.
Richard.
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That is awesome.
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Guys,
Recently had a great time at the Schoenbrunn Village Colonial Trades Fair. ALR member BuckyB spent some time there with the barrel boring machine re-boring two original barrels. He did such a good job that I has to caution him to slow down - I only brought the two original barrels and if he finished both the show-n-tell would also be finished - yikes! SLOW DOWN BUCKY!
Jim
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Wondering if a cast iron flywheel would make the job easier with its mass and stored energy. Maybe a flywheel off a old corn sheller or the old wall mounted drill press wheel?
kw
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Guys,
Perhaps a cast iron flywheel would be more efficient. However, it is most certainly not of the period.
Jim
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This has been a very interesting topic to follow and thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.
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James good post. I can't get the pictures to come up. You are good on a computer, am doing something wrong. Would love to see the pictures. Have brought about eight wrought barrels back to life over the years with tools I made. Twisted and square and drills to bore bar stock, The last barrel I made was a 42 inch deeply swamped 60 cal. for a match lock smooth bore. It was swamped with large files and draw filed with 10 inch files. Hope you read this post and can help me get pictures Thanks Dick
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Guys,
I have re-installed the photos. I don't know what happened to the original photos - gone to internet heaven?
Jim
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Perhaps a cast iron flywheel would be more efficient. However, it is most certainly not of the period.
Jim:
I just re watched The gunsmith of Williamsburg movie and see that their boring machine has a iron flywheel.
Been a few years since I have been back to the shop, wondering if they been convinced it is not period correct?
best
kw
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Guys,
As you have noted, that old movie from Colonial Williamsburg does show an early 20th century cast iron valve wheel on the boring machine. However, the current boring machine uses a much larger wagon wheel complete with wood spokes and an iron rim. It appears to me that the current one may result in too high a level of momentum which may result in damage or breakage of the boring bit when the cutter gets jammed. The current tool looks really nice, a work of art by itself. They were correct in replacing the cast iron valve wheel machine with a more period correct machine.
Jim