How to Set Up and Use a Boring Head

CNC Instructor Matt Schmelzer from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College talks about boring heads and how to use them correctly.
4:35 The procedure of boring a hole.
5:33 Tools used in this video to bore a hole.
8:35 Determining the style of your boring head, direct vs indirect readings.
10:39 Setting up the milling machine for a boring operation.
12:07 Establishing reference in the bore.
16:50 Taking the first cut!
17:47 Using a telescopic gauge to ensure repeatability.
18:49 Taking the finishing pass.
Here is a list of the types of tools used in today's video:
Offset boring head set in a Weldon style holder
Short boring cutting tool
Hex Keys (amzn.to/2WXeM1D)
Micrometer (amzn.to/2VyAyZ5)
Telescopic gauge (amzn.to/3jszHRY)
Dykem (amzn.to/3Cx6kGX)
Straight edge (amzn.to/3jKMzTJ)
Drop any comments or questions down below in the comments section and don't forget to subscribe!
Stay tuned for more videos!
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[@cnmg_432]

Matt was my instructor. He is very passionate about teaching and continues to answer any questions I have. Looking back I am very grateful to have had that crew of instructors that I had.

[@hasletjoe5984]

Thank you! I am a home machinist and just enjoy these hands on type videos. Will go search your channel for more available knowledge. Happy Thanksgiving 2023

[@danielstewart3507]

This was a great video. I recently bought a boring head for my mill and have never used one. I'm a Fitter by trade but have never been trained as a machinist. Machining is my passion and I really like the way you presented this.

[@rodneykiemele4721]

Always love your videos ,Matt.

[@ronmurphy9819]

I think I love you. With all the u tube videos I’ve watched, I’ve got the most from yours. Thank you. I’ve definitely been educated.

[@Bigpete7790]

thank you for your free lesson, greatly appreciated

[@JohnBlaze505]

Wish my school was teaching stuff like this

[@flyingjeep911]

It’s all on the internet free of charge. Learn away. I make a living machining from what I’ve learned on the internet

[@porkerthepig]

Great video, exactly the same teaching style as mr Jackson my old machine shop practices lecturer :)

[@FAMOUSLEGENDS]

Great video you just added so much value

[@gonzalovandamme5846]

Really useful, thanks!

[@RustyInventions-wz6ir]

Very good video. Thanks. I have never used a boring head and this video is very informative.

[@frankalden6093]

Wish you showed measuring the bore. Do you move the workpiece to gain access and can you get it back to where it was to make another cut. What to do if the bore is tapered, or out of round, or poor finish. What to expect for bore result accuracy and surface finish. Many questions unanswered but a very good basic primer. Thank you for the presentation.

[@your_belief_vs_everything]

Moving the piece of material/part from the work station is always a gamble. It's nearly impossible to replace it in the exact position. In my experience boring bars are more trouble than they're worth. If you can interpolate or ream a hole it's probably a better idea. Unless your shop is full of very knowledgeable machinists there is always a chance some button pusher will come along and screw up the part, the tool, the set up and maybe the spindle (I've seen it happen).

[@copperlemon1]

@@your_belief_vs_everything Drill bore ream process works pretty well. Open the hole rough with a drill, bore to establish position and cylindricity, then ream for final size. You retain the key benefits of boring without having to mess around worrying about tenths. It's an additional operation compared to just drill+bore, but when you factor in how long it can take people to dial in a boring head it can be a huge time saver. Not always viable for short runs if the target size is non-standard and a reamer needs to be custom ordered. I'll typically mill any holes with a reasonable tolerance (if they can't be done with a carbide drill) but with large, deep holes calling for a good finish, tight diameter tolerance, or excellent circularity, boring is the only practical option.

[@your_belief_vs_everything]

@tom that's what I've always done, drill, ream, or sometimes interpolate then bore. Even then faulty tools or inexperienced operators can ruin a part in no time flat.

[@cadsonbd]

Love this video

[@mrmatt2525able]

Awesome video

[@gaildimick1831]

Thank you

[@paulmorrey4298]

Thanks

[@natedawg003]

Would you suggest setting up an indicator so that when you adjust the boring head you can read the dial. I find the scale on boring heads to not be very accurate.

[@charleshirst6220]

A QUESTION: When using a boring bar, the tip is angled upwards to give a top rake of a few degrees and some of my boring bars have a flat machined on them to provide what the manufacturer believes to be the correct rake. Similarly we grind lathe tools with a top rake. I took particular note of the fact that you aligned the 'top' surface of the boring cutter with the edge of the boring head thus providing a zero degree of 'top' rake. Why isn't the tool tip rotated a few degrees to provide some top rake thus enabling a better finish?

[@raider1628]

COULD YOU GUYS DO A VIDEO ON HOW TO PROPERLY USE THE MACHINIST HANDBOOK FOR CUTTING PIPE THREADS? ALSO STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO MACHINIG THEM AS WELL. THESE VIDEOS ARE SO HELP FULL LOVE THEM!!!

[@SupraBdub]

Ahhh, cutting threads, the old machinists favorite task!

[@elmeradams8781]

If your cutting pipe threads use a tap or dye.

[@fryer05maverick31]

Leaving .06 to bore is a lot of material. Maybe for teaching how to use a head , adjusting and getting familiar with it. Couldn't do that at work.

[@radiusnorth1675]

Would some lubricant (WD-40?) improve the surface finish of the bore?

[@44Celt]

Yep, Alu is gonna gum that tool tip up straight away

[@gallegos276]

Hello I tried to put my boring bar sideways not up and down to bore Small Engine. I found myself running the machine in reverse and I messed up the bore. Any chance you can help with side mounted tool

[@ryansavage-brooks158]

How do you measure the bore without moving the bed?

[@neoasura]

I had a great Journeyman that showed me how to use one the other day. I had several other younger Journeymen come up to me wondering what it was, and they never used one or heard of it. It was pretty sad that a lot of these skills are getting lost to people who just dont want to teach anymore.

[@tomnassar5884]

How do you keep everything so clean?

[@geraldf.1222]

Boring operations are used for when ACCURACY is required. I used to polish rust and corrosion off boring bars and use WD-40 inside and out to prevent rust after use.

[@thanos_vgenis]

The 1M dollar boring head: "if you turn the dial counterclockwise, it will decrease the bore size". 🤣🤣🤣

[@JeffChoppah]

What is the main reason why one would chose to use this method over normal endmill

[@bjondersson]

I guess you get a more accurate result this way, since you can fine tune and sneak up to the exact diameter. A normal end mill may not give the exact measurement, since it would have to be very accurately manufactured and the wear of the end mill may affect the result.

[@elmeradams8781]

End mill for making a round hole?

[@suspectdown5133]

Maybe you should find a machine shop to mill some flats on the boring bar tools so you do not need to do the eyeball gymnastics ?

[@Icutmetal]

None of those shanks shown were Weldon style.

[@elmeradams8781]

It's not what I'd call weldon either.

[@geraldf.1222]

I took three cuts and it's still too big!

[@markstripes8237]

At what point do you instruct your students that their tools need to be repaired, replaced, or maintained? Using a multi thousand dollar mill, several hundred dollar boring head and a hex key set with a loose screw just doesn't fit. Otherwise a well done video with more information than expected.

[@chrisduffy2737]

In 40 years of machining I never encountered high- speed steel boring bars in lathe, Bridgeport, or CNC applications. High -peed steel cutters went the way of the Dodo before the 1970s; they're too slow, too inefficient, and require knowledge and practice to produce a correct cutting angle. C'mon man, this is 2024!

[@christianpatton142]

Well that certainly was a very 'boring' video. Thanks.

[@your_belief_vs_everything]

Boring bars are usually unnecessary. In my experience they're more trouble than they're worth. It's a fancy toy that everyone is excited about for about a month then no one wants to mess with afterwards. If you can interpolate it, it's a better solution. Even on holes with a .0005 tolerance.

[@elmeradams8781]

What are some better ways?

[@dainazinas]

good instructional video, but not including actual machining part in this was very very evil ;]

[@waynec369]

My new policy. When a video gets interrupted for an advert and I must wait more than 10 seconds for the advert to load, I leave a dislike for the video. Furthermore, when I am recommended a video more than twice that I have alread seen, it gets a thumbs down. My recommendations are simply a treadmill anymore. YT isn't listening to me, so maybe the content providers can get their attention. It's nothing personal.

[@GameBacardi]

If you mean appearing ads by YT, I suggest to change web browser to Firefox and inside Firefox install addon(s) which remove ads.