Make a Horizontal Boring Machine?

[devils4ever]

Hi all,

I keep finding myself in the need to drill holes in the end of long (10"-24") pieces of stock. My mini-mill isn't up to the task with its limited Z-axis.

So, what does everyone else do in this situation? I use my drill press with a large right angle block clamped to my non-rotating table and the workpiece clamped to it. Then, I have to juggle the thing around to align the holes. It's tedious and not precise unless I make a guide to align the holes and keep the drill bit in position.

I'm thinking I could make a horizontal boring machine fairly easily to do this task. Anyone make one of these?

Thanks!

 

[rwm]

Take the tailstock off your lathe and use the cross slide. You can shim to get the correct height.



I built a special platform for the cross slide for this purpose.

 

[Joe in Oz]

Sounds like an interesting way to go about it.
Boring machines usually have a substantial vertical slide for the "headstock" or boring spindle, and the work fixed to a large fixed or rotatable T-slot base moving like your saddle. You are contemplating a fixed boring spindle and a variable height base. The tricky bit will be the rigidity of any setup you come up with.
Will be interesting to see how you progress!

 

[rwm]

I used this setup to bore through fairly wide MIC6 plate as shown in the image. It worked great and was within a couple of thou on both sides of the work. This process assumes that your lathe is properly aligned and the saddle/cross slide are fairly rigid.

 

[Jim F]

Milling attachment for the lathe?

 

[devils4ever]

Sounds interesting. Of course, I have a mini-lathe to go with my mini-mill.

Getting everything aligned especially vertically could be challenging.

 

[Jim F]

All it is , is a vise attched verticall to the compoud or crossslide.

 

[C-Bag]

I'm thinking I could make a horizontal boring machine fairly easily to do this task.

Hmmm, really? Kudos. Love to see what you come up with. Horizontal boring mills are really cool machines but all the ones I’ve seen are gigantic.

I remember somewhere here on H-M seeing where some inventive soul used a floor standing drill press and mounted it horizontal and either made it into a lathe or boring setup. If it had a cranked style table you’d be halfway there, just need some kind of keyway or guide to keep the table registered. The thing I don’t remember was how to punch the original hole all the way through so you could go to the boring bar to complete the hole. That first hole then getting it big enough for a boring bar is where I’d be challenged.

 

[rwm]

Sounds interesting. Of course, I have a mini-lathe to go with my mini-mill.

Getting everything aligned especially vertically could be challenging.

Not at all. Just measure the height from your cross slide to the center of the spindle. Then stack up some plate or machine a plate to get where you need. If your work is short enough to fit in the lathe, you can use a scribe or center held in the tailstock chuck to line up the long axis of the work. You can even use the tail stock to feed the work, eliminating the need for clamping to the table.
I drilled a small center at the far end of the work and used a dead center to feed the work for one operation.