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.
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.