Kwikway boring bar Mic Calibration

Hey guys!

I could really use some help on calibrating my kwik-way FN bar.

As a reference, this is the website's instructions for calibrating the mic and have followed it to a tee. Micrometer Calibration for all Kwik-Way Model Boring Bars

I am STILL have problems, actually worse than before.

I tried to reset mine as I was getting a usual .003" reading. However, when I switched from a straight cut tool, to a 45* blind hold cutter/tool holder...it became a lot worse, and often not even repeatable, as in not a consistent .005" bigger/smaller. Sometimes 5thou big, sometimes 2 though, sometimes 10. All over the place.

I've tried to calibrate it but it just simply doesn't read right at all. I'm using a scrap 4 cylinder and have tried so much I've taken 2 of the cylinders past the sleeve lol.

Anybody have a better explanation or video to help a guy out?

Wouldn't mind a call either.

Thanks
Corey
850-368-1786

PS. Does anybody know of anyone who will professionally calibrate the mic and possibly recondition it? My mic face has one or two decent scratches on it (I just keep using the clean surface for now).

1st question would be does it repeat a setting well? You should not be seeing a bore difference when changing tools from one style to another. Is your tool sharp? How deep a finish cut are you taking? These all affect the size of a bore. Personally I've never worried much about the accuracy of the mic setting- take a cut, measure, adjust mic accordingly, reset tool and go.

The problem with a kwikway has always been the angle of the cutter to the centerline of the tool holder. When you lap the cutting edge the centerline changes. Most guys use one cutter for finishing and set the mike to that. If you sharpen a cutter without resetting the mike the cutter will overbore. If you buy the cutters from Lacey Williams that use the triangular inserts , those have a more repeatable cut because you are not changing the relation of the holder centerline to the cutting edge. I think most of your problem is the blind hole cutter as those can be harder to set than the normal cutters? Are you needing to bore blind cylinders?

Servicar rider said:

The problem with a kwikway has always been the angle of the cutter to the centerline of the tool holder. When you lap the cutting edge the centerline changes. Most guys use one cutter for finishing and set the mike to that. If you sharpen a cutter without resetting the mike the cutter will overbore. If you buy the cutters from Lacey Williams that use the triangular inserts , those have a more repeatable cut because you are not changing the relation of the holder centerline to the cutting edge. I think most of your problem is the blind hole cutter as those can be harder to set than the normal cutters? Are you needing to bore blind cylinders?

Click to expand...

Actually, the blind hole cutter is the one I am struggling with. Yesterday I actually spent time trying to set the mic again, but this time I used a regular straight cutter/holder to set the mic. I was able to get it to repeat within half a thou whether I was taking a 5 thou cut or 15 thou cut.

I specifically remember the blind hold/45* cutter was always off when I used it before. It would be nice to buy another mic to have it set to the 45*, but they are like $800-1,000 for the mic.

Like Dan mentioned above, I don't worry about the mike matching the size of the hole being bored? I use the mike solely for changing the hole size. For example, I make a small cut through the cylinder, measure the bore and say I'm .005 under my finished size. I then use the mike to set the tool .005 bigger and make a cut. I trust my boregauge to get me to my final size.not the mike. I have one Van Norman bar that bores undersized (according to the mike) on small bores, and bores oversize on large bores. It would drive me crazy if I was using the mike to bore to a set size. Trusting the bore gauge takes mike errors out of the equation. I ignore the numbers on the mike and just use the lines. Alot of guys that use a kwikway will use a .003 feeler gauge between the cutter and the mike when setting the tool to make rough cuts and only use the cutter set to the mike for the finish cut. That keeps you from making an accidental overbore.Hope this makes sense and helps you?

is this what your looking for Kwik-Way TOOLING FOR #FN Boring Bar - tools - by owner - sale