What's new
What's new

Kwik-Way machine (was Did my first bores tonight.)

Holicori

Plastic
Joined
May 4, 2017
Got to practice with my new Kwik way FN tonight. Used a scrap aluminum block to practice on. Pretty cool and I'm pretty excited. Turns out I won't be leaving the scrap block for a bit ha! I'll be posting pics tomorrow as well.

I definitely need some help.

Firstly, the biggest issue. I ended up hitting a crank web and bound up the bar/motor whatever it was. It was enough to kill the breaker. In the process the handcrank wheel is not rather stiff to turn now. I can do it with one hand, but if I want to continuously crank it smooth, I need two hands. It definitely isn't as smooth as it was before; pretty tight. Everything else still seems to run really smooth. The actual boring bar turns just as easy as it ever did, the center finger wheel turns nice and smooth. Literally the only thing difficult now is the hand crank. I'm assuming I buggered a bearing somewhere. Can somebody point me in the right direction of what was damaged and where I could buy the parts? This is my biggest concern. I would be willing to rebuilt the entire thing (I am firstly a mechanic so shouldn't be an issue)...I just need help finding the knowledge...and possibly the parts (Im guessing there's no where to buy the parts and will have to get lucky finding the right size, or having custom bearings made).

Secondly. I need some help with cutters. I bought this bar and tool kit used obviously. The cutters weren't labeled, and I really have no idea what does what. I was thinking about just buying a carbide bit holder with inserts. I know what I have then. I really just need one to cut aluminum bores, and then the chamfer at the very top. Right? Any good resourced you guys have to learn about different cutters and how to recognize what I've got?


Thirdly, I'm not sure if I'm actually getting true center with the boring bar. I clearly see why boring tables are so important now having to lug this thing perfectly in place. I did use a cherry picker to help a bit, but its a pain. Anyways, I started off taking 3 thou off the cylinder. I noticed that it cut about 75% of the circle, but left about 25% of the bore untouched at all. I'm assuming the factory block (never bored) was pretty square and true. So, why wouldn't my boring bar hit the entire cylinder if it was centered? I'm guessing it just simply wasn't centered? I took it up to 5 thou and it was pretty damn straight with only 1/4 thou OOR variance max. And then took it to 10Thou with the same OOR variance. Is 3thou just too small sometimes for it to hit all the edges or did I do something wrong? Is it possible I have now moved the cylinder in some direction...even though the OOR is pretty good? Will this little different have a detrimental impact worth noting?


Overall not too bad for a first try. Other than hitting the bottom (cutter didn't hit, just base of the bar), I'm pretty happy with the experience gained. I did 3 cylinders total. I did one of each of the 4 speeds. As I expected, I think the faster rpm with the slowest travel time provided the best quality. I only used 1 cutting tool. I don't know if it was a rough or finish tool. I just kept it the same. I tried to use a chamfer tool at the top...but not so sure that was a chamfer or cutting tool; it seemed to take a bit more than what I think would be good for a chamfer. I definitely made some mistakes. As in, I thought I clamped the bar down tight enough once...but then realized it wasn't and it had been walking on me the entire time it was boring...and it showed in the cylinder. I learned my bar can keep things in a circle within about .00025" I think that's pretty good. I'm not sure if that how its supposed to be from factory or not...but its good for me either way. Anyways...I'd appreciate any and all feedback or advice. I'm very willing to learn, I just need to find the information to learn.
 
Hi. You need to get the Kwik Way manual for your bar. It is an astounding piece of equipment so there is setup to all the clamping arrangements and then the parts. The base has to be absolutely flat and square before running the fingers out to center it. Really.
 
Hi. You need to get the Kwik Way manual for your bar. It is an astounding piece of equipment so there is setup to all the clamping arrangements and then the parts. The base has to be absolutely flat and square before running the fingers out to center it. Really.
I have printed the manual and have read it twice and use it step by step during use.


My block wasn't cleaned before use so I'll give that a go as well.

Any ideas on what the handwheel is stiff now?

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk
 
Didnt look back ,but I think you got a pretty big machine.....very hard to centre a heavy machine ,you might try to rig up an air float under the base somewhere if possible......boring tables generally use an air float to make centraing easy.......but if the cylinder looks like its been "ridge cut" then its likely the top isnt concentric.....thers lots of little ins and outs you just have to learn.....like estimating the wear in a bore and boring ,say 020 ,so as to get the whole block in one pass......you dont want to be redoing five bores cause one or two wont clean up.......Other thing is ,if you are doing the whole motor job,a slight witness mark in a couple of bores can be let go.........customers can be anal about that ,if they see it.....same as if you just whack out all the bores 040 from std.....Expect a whinge.
 
Didnt look back ,but I think you got a pretty big machine.....very hard to centre a heavy machine ,you might try to rig up an air float under the base somewhere if possible......boring tables generally use an air float to make centraing easy.......but if the cylinder looks like its been "ridge cut" then its likely the top isnt concentric.....thers lots of little ins and outs you just have to learn.....like estimating the wear in a bore and boring ,say 020 ,so as to get the whole block in one pass......you dont want to be redoing five bores cause one or two wont clean up.......Other thing is ,if you are doing the whole motor job,a slight witness mark in a couple of bores can be let go.........customers can be anal about that ,if they see it.....same as if you just whack out all the bores 040 from std.....Expect a whinge.
I have the FN model.


I was looking at finding an 054 table. Don't think that's air float or not. And dies the boring bar have to be able to use air float, of is it just the table?

How would you go about rigging one up without getting it factory?


For now, no customers. I'm doing all the machining, building, then selling entire running outboards. But yes, j know what you are saying in that regard.

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk
 
Try and find someone who actually worked in an automotive machine shop to tutor you. There are lots of little tricks to properly set a boring bar up to get a perfect bored hole. Tips on cutter sharpening, finish cutters, roughing cutters, setting the Mike, centering the bar in a worn bore, etc. Experience is helpful here. Some old bars don't bore straight if the base is worn? Kwik Way is out of business so new parts are harder to find, the old kwikways were a good seller and still lots of them in use. You learned the first valuable lesson, set the stop to disengage the feed as soon as the cutter is at the bottom of the bore!
 
Try and find someone who actually worked in an automotive machine shop to tutor you. There are lots of little tricks to properly set a boring bar up to get a perfect bored hole. Tips on cutter sharpening, finish cutters, roughing cutters, setting the Mike, centering the bar in a worn bore, etc. Experience is helpful here. Some old bars don't bore straight if the base is worn? Kwik Way is out of business so new parts are harder to find, the old kwikways were a good seller and still lots of them in use. You learned the first valuable lesson, set the stop to disengage the feed as soon as the cutter is at the bottom of the bore!
Well, I thought I had the stop set...I'm not positive what happened but it never actually stopped. It pushed it some, enough to flip the lever...but didn't stop. Maybe it just was a hair too early? Anyways...

I took the handwheel off and inspected, and yup...there's a crack in the shaft. Going to get a replacement hopefully.

My goal is to certainly bribe somebody for help. I know most the shops around town. Only one I feel comfortable enough asking. Not sure how he will take it considering it would mean I stop giving him my business ya know.

I was pretty excited I got one bore down to .25-.5 thou! Repeatability is obviously bthe key though. And the others were whack! Ha.
e3631ce715d53db523b1a8520412f546.jpg
4e04ce69cc9c726d518775108900e63e.jpg
821d54d3700da5d8da7b5b676089170a.jpg
0b505cf2befa369479ff6249cf3f51e6.jpg


Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk
 
Oh, and I talked to a guy yesterday. Going to buy a a set of different cutters, and an offset to reach the bottom.

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk
 
Nor does the title.....
Sorry man....I really tried my best to just wake up one day, touch a machine, and make it perform flawlessly on the first ever attempt just like you did!

Unfortunately I'm one of the only people in this world that failed at their first attempt of trying to learn and do something. I will be forced to hard labor practicing and practicing hours and hours. Nobody else can possibly imagine the trauma I'm facing...I think maybe I'll start a gofundme. Maybe the elites like you, who never had the dirty word "practice" smudge their reputation, will contribute!

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk
 
That gear doesn't look too good either.
It's just a weird angle/light making it look off.

I've looked at all the gears and they look pretty good and function well. With just the hand crank in it moves extremely smooth again....but the shaft is clearly bent and has a wobble from hell. Hence why when the other cap is on, it's stiff.

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk
 
Those pictures of the cylinders look like what you get when you have a really worn bore and a light cut doesn't clean it up, or your bar isn't boring straight. This can also happen if the cylinder was bored crooked before? I always set the cutter to the existing bore size and run the cutter down the bore while turning the cutterhead by hand lightly. You learn with experience to tell if you are square with the bore. If the cutter touches on one side and not the other or opposite sides from top to bottom the bore is crooked to the bar. This is important if you are trying to bore a cylinder .010 over the existing size! Sometimes I cheat and put a thin feeler gauge (.001 or .002) under one of the centering fingers to offset the bar towards the side of the cylinder opposite where the cutter touches? Remember that you are only taking half the metal from the cylinder on each side when you bore! .010 is .005 from each side over a length of the cylinder. Its important to center in the middle of the cylinder! These boring bars are an amazingly accurate machine. There is a learning curve to get really good with using one of these. In some cases it's just easier to hone to the next oversize if you have trouble getting centered in the cylinder? If you routinely bore .020 or .030 oversize then centering is not such a big deal? Hope this helps?
 
Sorry man....I really tried my best to just wake up one day, touch a machine, and make it perform flawlessly on the first ever attempt just like you did!

Unfortunately I'm one of the only people in this world that failed at their first attempt of trying to learn and do something. I will be forced to hard labor practicing and practicing hours and hours. Nobody else can possibly imagine the trauma I'm facing...I think maybe I'll start a gofundme. Maybe the elites like you, who never had the dirty word "practice" smudge their reputation, will contribute!

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

Sorry Dude, you've proven that you can read...:
Topic titles need to inform what your topic is actually about

"First cuts with portable boring bar, need some help, pix enclosed"

Might be a leetle bit better eh ?...:nutter:
 
Those pictures of the cylinders look like what you get when you have a really worn bore and a light cut doesn't clean it up, or your bar isn't boring straight. This can also happen if the cylinder was bored crooked before? I always set the cutter to the existing bore size and run the cutter down the bore while turning the cutterhead by hand lightly. You learn with experience to tell if you are square with the bore. If the cutter touches on one side and not the other or opposite sides from top to bottom the bore is crooked to the bar. This is important if you are trying to bore a cylinder .010 over the existing size! Sometimes I cheat and put a thin feeler gauge (.001 or .002) under one of the centering fingers to offset the bar towards the side of the cylinder opposite where the cutter touches? Remember that you are only taking half the metal from the cylinder on each side when you bore! .010 is .005 from each side over a length of the cylinder. Its important to center in the middle of the cylinder! These boring bars are an amazingly accurate machine. There is a learning curve to get really good with using one of these. In some cases it's just easier to hone to the next oversize if you have trouble getting centered in the cylinder? If you routinely bore .020 or .030 oversize then centering is not such a big deal? Hope this helps?
Really do appreciate the advice! Thank you!

That would make sense about it being worn out and not taking enough off.

I started with .005 off and those were the pictures after. Then I took 5 more off so I was at 10 total. It looked a bit better. Good thing to remember about the cylinder only taking half the size off at each side.

For this particular block it wasn't bored prior, it measured stock. Oddly though, it was pretty straight when measuring at 90*. Overall I think it was an average of .0015" over stock bore from being worn, and about .00075-.001" OoR. I'm guessing that area in picture is where it was OOR.


I hear folks talk about boring crooked, is there much I need to pay attention to to prevent that with these machines?

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk
 
Sorry Dude, you've proven that you can read...:
Topic titles need to inform what your topic is actually about

"First cuts with portable boring bar, need some help, pix enclosed"

Might be a leetle bit better eh ?...:nutter:
Sir, I am genuinely happy for you. If your life is going so great that this simple title upsets you this much, then you are having a wonderful life! Good for you!

I'm only here to learn, I'm not here to have pissy fights with grumpy old guys. I promise my next thread will have the best, most descriptive, and award winning title ever!!! Just for you.

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk
 
To avoid boring crooked the deck must be spotless. Absolutely no trace of old gasket, glues, etc. If you are going .010 over and leaving .003 each side to hone then you are taking .002 from each side. Just hone it. With the right stones you could take almost .0005 with each stroke, then switch to the proper stones to finish.
 
Sir, I am genuinely happy for you. If your life is going so great that this simple title upsets you this much, then you are having a wonderful life! Good for you!

I'm only here to learn, I'm not here to have pissy fights with grumpy old guys. I promise my next thread will have the best, most descriptive, and award winning title ever!!! Just for you.

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

You are right, he's being a dick...but he's also right, the mods and admins will lock a thread here for a bad title...weird right?
 
If the bar's platform and the deck is straight, the centering fingers start below the piston wear. It is a reach into the original bore. There is a lot of ovality and wear bias above, which influence centering.
 
speaking as moderator of the antique machinery forum;

As per stated policy the recommendation is to make thread titles useful. I will sometimes edit titles when I see examples such as this thread. Some forum members take it upon themselves to let me know about them. Typically I only lock threads if discussion diverges especially far off the topic or becomes acrimonious. If a thread is not too far off topic and is not otherwise afoul of the guidelines my preference is to let it stop on its own. When I lock a thread I leave a final post saying why. Likewise if I edit/remove posts.
 








 
Back
Top