Long time follower, first time poster. I'm in the market for a 2" horizontal boring mill, but having trouble finding any that are less than 2.48" spindle. Closer to 2" spindle the better, I will even go less than 2" spindle. Any leads would be appreciated. TIA
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WTB 2" HBM Horizontal Boring Mill or Boring Jig
- Thread starter jekeys1
- Start date
- Replies 31
- Views 3,474
sfriedberg
Diamond
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2010
- Location
- Oregon, USA
That's sort of teeny tiny antique size. What sort of quill travel or spindle stickout are you looking for? Spindle rigidity increases with the cube of the spindle diameter, which means 2" spindles are relatively floppy noodles compared to those even a little bigger.
Any chance you could use a more normally sized HBM, but use a narrow toolholder or extension bar to suit your 2" diameter constraint?
Any chance you could use a more normally sized HBM, but use a narrow toolholder or extension bar to suit your 2" diameter constraint?
johnoder
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2004
- Location
- Houston, TX USA
Just so you know - tooling for sale circa 1942 for them only went down to 2 1/2" in such as Scully Jones Catalog 500 - a massive hard bound affair
Here is a smaller hor. mill playing like a HBM
* Set Up To Bore Apron
have fun
Here is a smaller hor. mill playing like a HBM
* Set Up To Bore Apron
have fun
Last edited:
Phil in Montana
Stainless
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2007
- Location
- Missoula Mt
Just buy a BIG horz mill...Phil
The smallest I have ever seen was about a 2" spindle. It was at a sewing machine manufacturer north of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. IIRC it was an Italian machine.
If overall size is your problem, check out a 2B36 DeVlieg. It does not have line boring capabilities but is a 36" x 24" machine with a much smaller footprint.
If overall size is your problem, check out a 2B36 DeVlieg. It does not have line boring capabilities but is a 36" x 24" machine with a much smaller footprint.
+1
Lots of boring has been done on (non-boring) horizontal mills.
IMO, "small HBM" doesn't make any sense at all. The "big" part of them is what makes them so useful. If they didn't have 40k lbs of iron they couldn't do much of anything they can get away with in that kind of configuration.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I would be machining a fresh aluminum casting of a crankcase for a car that is over 100 years old. The pictures below show another crankcase getting machined by a Dixi 60. The person behind this machine has been a big help in relation to machining these components. I'm only 33, and currently outfitting my restoration shop with proper machining equipment, to do jobs like these. Check out Keysor Automobile Works – Classic Era Car Restoration to see the kind of cars we restore.
johnoder
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2004
- Location
- Houston, TX USA
Matt_Maguire
Stainless
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2011
- Location
- West-Central Illinois, USA
I bid on a small supermill (Italian W/table on right, G&L style) back near 2000 & won the Ebay auction, the seller disappeared.
Looked to be close to 2" spindle with 2'x2' table and smaller footprint than the little DeVlieg. There is another supermill brand (European W/table on left, Lucas/Tos style) with IIRC a 2 1/2" spindle but larger table.I think we need more info from the OP to help. I could line bore on my 2B using a small automotive line boring bar with a back bearing on a knee (but why?). I've also spent some time operating horizontal millers from the backside controls doing operations (milling, drilling, boring & slotting).
Good luck,
Matt
Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I will be machining newly casted aluminum crankcases for antique cars over 100 years old. The machine being used in these pictures is a Dixi 60, and the machinist has been very helpful for me. I'm only 33 and currently building up my machines for my restoration business.
I don't think a Devlieg will work because it would be very nice to have a tail stock. I'm told to look for travels at least X-40" Y-24" Z-30". I do have an opportunity to buy a Supermill Model J from the same guy I mentioned before. He will sell it to me for scrap price, but it needs the ways scraped, and it is located 2500 miles away from here. He upgraded to the Dixi 60 and loves it, now the Supermill just sits.
Mebfab
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2003
- Location
- Mebane North Carolina USA
Lookup UMA boring mill. Pretty rare though
IMO, you don't want a 2" spindle machine for engine case machining. For 40" of horizontal travel you would need a 3" bar DeVlieg. If I was back in that business, I'd be using a DeVlieg with a rotary table (actually, as a business, I'd be using a CNC), and finish the crank and cam bores on a dedicated line bore machine.
marka12161
Stainless
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2016
- Location
- Oswego, NY USA
Just curious, where in NY state are you? I just got this home yesterday.
Need help dating a Universal Horizontal Boring Machine
Dan from Oakland
Titanium
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2005
- Location
- Oakland, CA
A G&L 25RT would be perfect for what you are looking for travel wise. Spindle speed max is kinda low-400-500 RPM but for what you want it would work and you can line bore with them as they have an outboard support. Several threads in PM about them. You will still need a center support for smaller main saddles or cam tunnels in the center of a crankcase. But you could adapt a Qwik-Way or Universal line bore support for that. There are other smallish HBMs, but many are European origin.
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