Yet another captive boring system...

[Thom Sturgill]

the captive system is 3/4" tube steel with 1/4" rod attached to the top of the bottom bar with JB WELD. The upper portion mates into a 1" tubesteel receiver/base plate and is adjustable from 8" to almost 12" height (16 to over 20" swing). The d-ring is 3/4 steel rod and steel bar. I brazed one bar the I drilled a 3/4" hole in and bolted the others. I will probably have to go back and braze or weld them also. The connector is a block of hard aluminum 1 1/2" square and 3 1/2" long and the removable bar is angled on the other end. The tool sticking out of the end needs to be drilled and tapped for a carbide cutter. I am off to the Florida Symposium this afternoon, so I will not finish it until I get back. I have metal on order to build an articulating arm which will mount to the same base. Can any of you that see this and have a 'Monster' provide me with the arm lengths of your rig? I figure on a similar design. I will probably buy Don Pencil's scorpion handle and adapters to complete the system.181072

[Richard Madden]

Looks good, Thom. Let us know how it works and keep us posted on the articulated arm build.

[bob svoboda]

Really nice Thom. I admire your ability to do that type of work-I wouldn't know where to start which pleases the heck out of companies who sell tools.

[dan carter]

Good looking unit. Am sure it will work fine.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really nice looking unit Thom. Looks like it will work nicely.

[Thom Sturgill]

I originally thought I would buy too. When I decided to build, I was going to try bending the 3/4 rod used for the d-handle and gave that up as a bad idea. I like the one that was recently shown and wish that I had seen it first as I would probably have duplicated his even though it would have meant going to someone else's shop to do it. I used the pin jaws on my chuck and the steady rest I bought from Jeff (with a wood wheel with a 3/4" hole in the center) to turn the steel rods while drilling from the end - same technique I would use for threading a wooden dowel! The only tools I used were my wood lathe, drill press, bandsaw, grinder, files, taps, AND an old 8" compound miter saw that I put a metal cutting blade in, and a small gas torch to braze. In other words, other than the torch (I had a friend do the welding) normal wood working tools that most of us have.

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice job! Neat way to drill a hole in the end of the rod. I had considered building one but couldn't figure out how to drill that hole with any degree of accuracy!