New hollowing system gloat

[Steve Campbell]

It sure pays to have friends that weld. This is a hollowing system my friend and I came up with last week. It works far better than I figured it would. We used 5/8" rod for the boring bar. It seem to be heavy enough. I just got done making a laser set up for it that also seems to work all right.
Hope I have the picture thing worked out so you can see this.

Thanks for looking. Steve

[Brian Libby]

Nice Gloat - great looking rig. Looks like it should get the job done!

[Tim Thiebaut]

Very nice! That certainly looks sturdy enough to do the job alright...nice shop you got there to by the way.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really a nice looking unit. Looks like it works well.

[Terry Quiram]

Very professional looking.

[Bill Bolen]

Outstanding rig! And being home made it will make hollowing that much more enjoyable...Bill..

[Steve Schlumpf]

Cool looking system Steve! Have fun hollowing!

[Phil St.Germain]

Great system. what did you use at the pivot points? Bushings? I have planning to make one of these for a while.

[bob svoboda]

Looks like a great setup, Steve.

[Randy Privett]

Looks like it will do the job.

[Dan Forman]

Looking good - hope it works well for you.

Dan

[Baxter Smith]

Looks like it works well. Enjoy!

[Sid Matheny]

Very nice looking rig! Congrads to you and your friend for a job well done.

Sid

[Jon Prouty]

Great job! I made one similar - paint is still drying. What did you use for the laser and battery box? I just placed an order from DigiKey for ones that were referecend in another thread (VLM-650-03-LPT-ND and SBH-321ASND). Can you post some additional pictures of the tool ends and your laser mount? I am looking for ideas on how to make mien easily adjustable.

Thanks!
Jon

[John Hart]

Sheesh...you're gonna give "homemade" a bad name!!! That thing looks like it was built by NASA. Beautiful job!!

[Steve Campbell]

Thanks for the comments. It has worked out better than I had thought it would. As far as the joints I must admit that we cheated. We didn't use anything. Just drilled 1/4" holes and put nylon washers top and bottom and lock nuts on the bolts so they don't work loose. As far as the looks Irv would never let anything leave his shop if it didn't look good. He is a perfectionist.
I'm afraid the laser is all my doing. I used a 5/8 rod up from the main bar and a 1/2" rod for the laser to mount to. I used Hard maple for the connectors. Just drill the holes. I used carriage bolts for the set screws. The laser is just a Walmart cheapy. This whole thing was just going to be a prototype, but now that it is done I don't think I will do it over. It works very well the way it is. The laser is going to be redone when I find a better setup, but then again who knows.
My old way of hollowing was with handmade handheld turning tools so this is just great.
I will post a couple of pictures of the tool holders tomorrow.
Sorry for rambling on.

Steve

[Gene Hintze]

I think you guys could go into business selling those. Very professional looking setup.

[Steve Vaughan]

Steve, thanks for what you've done here and the explanation. Now that I've seen what you've done, I have to go make another tool!:D I've wondered if you can't just get by without the precision of having bearings, but I understand how smooth they would be.

If/when I can get rolling on one for myself, I'm thinking to use bolts and rather than nylon washers use brass washers, and then graphite to make the moving around smooth. I thought maybe the nylon washer would smash a bit thinner after a while from all the torque. What are your thoughts, or anyone else's, on that? Sound like a plan or would the nylon really be the way to go?

[Steve Campbell]

Well here are some more pictures for those interested. The boring bars are some 5/8" stainless steel rods Irv had laying around. I used 3/16" hss bits for this. I drilled the end so the bit would just fit and drilled and tapped for the set screws. The adjustable one was a little harder. I started with a chunk of 1/4" steel and sat and filled the groove for the cutter. Then cut and rounded it out.
The laser mount is nothing more than a hard maple block that I drilled and tapped. Hard maple will hold threads for quite a while before they strip out. I am planning to redo the laser at some point but who knows.

Hope this helps

Steve

[Bill Bolen]

If movement seems stiff or jerky it is not to late to add inexpensive bearings. Sandwich a set of $3 thrust bearings between the attaching part of the arms and away you go. Adding bearings to my homemade rig sure made a difference for me. Again, what a great looking rig.

[Steve Campbell]

Bill could I ask where you got your thrust bearings?

Steve

[Bill Bolen]

Here you go Steve. When I bought 2 or 3 years ago they were $3 ea. Seem to have gone up a bit. Poke around a little and you will find your 1/4" size.
http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/Inch-Thrust-Bearing/Kit8753

[Steve Campbell]

Thanks Bill I've got it book marked.
Steve

[John Altberg]

You and Jon Prouty have BOTH made good looking rigs, recently. I will be borrowing elements from you both when I make my own!