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#2 MT Reamer.

Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Messages
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Location
Allen, TX
I am making pencil boxes for my Grand Kids teachers. I need to drill a 1" hole, 7.5" deep. My protocol is a modification of the technique written up a year or so ago in the AAW American Woodturner magazine.

When using a 1" forstner bit with an extension the bit wanders a bit so I bought a long 1" wood auger bit. I chucked this bit up in a Jacobs chuck and with the lathe at about 50 rpm tried to bore a hole in my spindle for the body of the pencil holder. DASTER! The screw on the end of the auger sucked the bit into the wood and spun the chuck out of my hand and the tail stock MT taper. The tail stock quill now needs to be reamed smooth again.

I Googled #2 MT reamers and they are priced all over the map. You can find them for anywhere between $15 to over $100. I hope to only have to use this reamer once. (my PM 3520b is about 10 years old and until now I have not needed one. With any luck it will be another 10 years and my Oncologist in his wildest projections won't give me that long).

What do you machinists out there recommend for a one time job that will produce quality commensurate with PM specs? Also appreciated would be helpful tips about how to do this job. I admit to knowing next to nothing about using reamers and learned long ago that when you don't know what you are doing, you consult someone who does.

On another tack, do you-all think that griping the Jacobs chuck with a large vice grip pliers while my Grand Sun feeds the tail stock quill would work? Would filing the threads off of the screw on the end of the auger work, or would it just wander worse than the Forstner bit? Maybe speeding up the lathe so the screw just tears out would work? Suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
 
Joined
Jan 31, 2020
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I've got a 5/8" auger bit that I chuck up in my heavy duty drill for running wiring. The screw tip on it is self feeding. That thing can grab and snatch the drill right out of your hands. No way would I try using it on a lathe. Your much better off using the forstner bits. Probably get a much cleaner hole too. You could then remount it like Gary suggested to make sure the hole is in the middle.
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2018
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I did research the use of MT reamers and it takes more than just a reamer to get an accurate job done. The cheapest and best solution would be to buy a replacement ram.
The problem of wondering is caused by misalignment between the headstock and tailstock that is also aggravated by bit extensions held by set screws or poor quality chucks. The problems can be minimized by starting the the hole without any extension and then adding the extension to finish to depth. The problem of the chuck arbor spinning can be eliminated by placing the long end of the chuck key handle into one of the 3 holes on the chuck, set a tool rest parallel to the lathe ways and have the chuck key ride along the tool rest.
 

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
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Apr 26, 2004
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Just turn a.wooden taper and glue sandpaper to it. If you only have a burr inside that will.take care.of it. I bought a relatively inexpensive taper reamer and it's easy to use. You only want to remove.high spots not completely reshape the taper. Ream.it by hand with a wrench and just push lightly. If it needs to be completely reshaped take it to a machine shop or buy a new spindle.
Something with a hole that long that needs to be accurate must be bored instead of drilled. Not really feasible on anwood lathe. Drill the hole first and the make a mandrel to hold the work and then turn the outside.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2006
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Hampton Roads Virginia
Paul, I have a #2 Morse taper reamer I bought from MSC years ago. A bit pricy but I've used it, not just for a few of my lathes, but to help recondition some school lathes. A few of my friends have lathes that have needed a bit of attention and I've found a few lathes in my travels that needed a bit of work. The key is... "Judicious Use", as in, you are not making a new morse taper socket, just taking down any of the high spots. A 12 gauge bore cleaning brush with some solvent makes a good first step. So, the judicious part, you are not going to be turning the reamer round and round, but more like 5 to 10°, as stated, just taking off the high spots. The actual reaming part of the operation should probably take less then 15 to 20 seconds maybe less. More is not better. Some groves might remain, but these won't interfere with the seating of your tapers. If you ink a morse taper with a marker, insert it, give it a wiggle, you can see the high spots so you know where you stand. What you don't want to do is shift the axis of the morse taper socket, which is why you only want to remove the high spots, not cut a "new" socket.
Key words... Tricky phrases...
Judicious use
Just taking off the high spots
Less then 15 to 20 seconds
Maybe less
More is not better
Ok, I'll stop, but you get the idea...:D

I'm sure there are others, but here's one
https://www.wttool.com/index/page/p...roduct_name/RDX+Finishing+Morse+Taper+Reamers
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
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Nebraska
You can also bring the tailstock up to the reaming tool which should have a small divot in the center of reamer shank that will keep the tool aligned on the axis of the spindle, I have a spring loaded live center that I use on my metal lathe that works good for this process. As Clifton mentions above you are only knocking the high points down inside the taper., if you are wanting to drill and ream a new taper bore you would need to use a precision aligned tool system to guarantee a perfect alignment.
 

Bill Boehme

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I am making pencil boxes for my Grand Kids teachers. I need to drill a 1" hole, 7.5" deep. My protocol is a modification of the technique written up a year or so ago in the AAW American Woodturner magazine.

When using a 1" forstner bit with an extension the bit wanders a bit so I bought a long 1" wood auger bit. I chucked this bit up in a Jacobs chuck and with the lathe at about 50 rpm tried to bore a hole in my spindle for the body of the pencil holder. DASTER! The screw on the end of the auger sucked the bit into the wood and spun the chuck out of my hand and the tail stock MT taper. The tail stock quill now needs to be reamed smooth again.

I Googled #2 MT reamers and they are priced all over the map. You can find them for anywhere between $15 to over $100. I hope to only have to use this reamer once. (my PM 3520b is about 10 years old and until now I have not needed one. With any luck it will be another 10 years and my Oncologist in his wildest projections won't give me that long).

What do you machinists out there recommend for a one time job that will produce quality commensurate with PM specs? Also appreciated would be helpful tips about how to do this job. I admit to knowing next to nothing about using reamers and learned long ago that when you don't know what you are doing, you consult someone who does.

On another tack, do you-all think that griping the Jacobs chuck with a large vice grip pliers while my Grand Sun feeds the tail stock quill would work? Would filing the threads off of the screw on the end of the auger work, or would it just wander worse than the Forstner bit? Maybe speeding up the lathe so the screw just tears out would work? Suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

I have used Morse taper hand reamers for a long time (15 years or more). Cleaning up a damaged Morse taper socket is pretty easy for a situation like yours. I would avoid the cheap reamers ... there aren't any bargains ... cheap is just cheap. There are two types of Morse taper hand reamers for either heavy or light reaming. More than likely light reaming is all that you need unless the damage is really bad. When you ream the Morse taper socket the goal is to remove the the high spots only ... the ridges created by the spinning shank. Don't worry about the low spots ... the valleys between the ridges. They might not be pretty, but they don't hurt anything. A good place to get a MT hand reamer is McMaster-Carr. The cost is probably around $50 to $75. I haven't checked in several years.

When you are hand reaming a Morse taper socket use light hand pressure. This isn't the place to be heavy handed. Start by putting a light coat of 3-in-1 oil or equivalent on the reamer, insert it in the socket gently and turn the reamer two or three turns clockwise and then remove the reamer. Wipe off any swarf and oil from the reamer and also use a paper towel to clean out the socket. Repeat as many times as necessary (usually two or three times) until the reamer turns smoothly and the bore looks clean when you examine it with a flashlight. Clean all of the oil from the socket using a solvent such as naphtha and then insert a good undamaged MT shank into the socket to make sure that it makes solid contact. Toss the damaged shank into the trash. If you stick the damaged shank back into the socket it won't seat properly and you will be back at square one needing to ream the socket again.

I hope that you were joking about the Vise Grip thing. Please don't do it.
 

john lucas

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Hard to say what grit to start with because it depends on the damage. I would try 180. You dont want to scar the hole just knock off any burrs that are the lips of deeper scratches.
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2019
Messages
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Location
Evergreen Park, IlL
Paul,

My suggestion for "How to drill a deep straight hole?" is to use a gun drill. I have seen other turners use a gun drill, also hooked up to compressed air to clear the chips, to mark the depth of a bowl they are about to turn the inside of. I checked on ebay and a used 1 1/8" x 13.5" OAL (includes the "handle") was $55 plus shipping. My understanding is that a gun drill is self centering and will obviously drill a straight hole. I am sure that the machinists out there can provide additional insight. Good luck and please be safe.
 
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Messages
83
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18
Location
Allen, TX
I'm sort of a belts + suspenders sort of guy. I just ordered a reamer from Master Car and an new Quiln both of which came in around $80. Now I am going to have to address the galled Jacobs chuck. I spent a lot of time on google and decided that the price difference between a new arbor and a new chuk is really not that great. Can you-all recommend a good keyless jacobs style #2 MT with draw bar chuck?
 

Bill Boehme

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
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Location
Dalworthington Gardens, TX
Website
pbase.com
I'm sort of a belts + suspenders sort of guy. I just ordered a reamer from Master Car and an new Quiln both of which came in around $80. Now I am going to have to address the galled Jacobs chuck. I spent a lot of time on google and decided that the price difference between a new arbor and a new chuk is really not that great. Can you-all recommend a good keyless jacobs style #2 MT with draw bar chuck?

Are the internal jaws of the Jacobs chuck damaged or is the Morse taper arbor damaged? If it is the arbor then the solution is very simple ... just replace the arbor and keep the chuck. The arbor is most commonly JT6 to MT2, but sometimes JT33 to MT2. The body of the Jacobs chuck should be marked to say which Jacobs taper. The replacement arbor can usually be found in the $15 to $20 price range ... at least that was the price range the last time that I bought one about eight years ago. :D
 
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