Boring head counterweight?

[radfordc]

When boring on my mini-mill with a 2" boring head the vibration quickly becomes excessive as the hole gets bigger. Is there an easy way to counterweight a boring head to eliminate the shakes? I can sort of visualize some sort of arm mounted in the head with a weight securely attached to the end.

Anyone done this?

Charlie

 

[kcmillin]

Charlie, I cant comment on the balancing of the boring head. However, some boring heads have more than one hole in the bottom. If you move the boring bar to the "furthest from center" hole, this will keep the boring head more centered to itself.

Of course this only works in the middle of the boring bars range.

I have seen some balanced boring heads but they run in the thousands of dollars.

Kel

 

[tel]

Sounds like a case of too many revs to me Charlie - cut the speed back a bit.

 

[pete]

BG Kaiser boring heads, Some of these have a built in automatic self adjusting counter weight system. Don't even ask the price. (I don't know either)

Pete

 

[radfordc]

Well, that turned out to be easier than I thought! A 1/2" bolt, 1/2" lock nut, and a chunk of steel bar did the trick. I can bore a 1 1/2" hole with very little vibration.

Charlie

 

[Diy89]

I have seen a couple of import knockoffs that had a balance or counter weight. I can seem to find them now...of course...and i think they were bigger than 2"
An old man once told me to wrap electrical tape around the boring bar to ack as a vibration dampner. I have yet to try it, but as most old man tricks it might just work for you.

 

[radfordc]

Sounds like a case of too many revs to me Charlie - cut the speed back a bit.

The trouble with my little mill is that if I cut the rev's back slow enough to not vibrate there isn't enough torque to cut the hole.

 

[Tin Falcon]

sounds like you solved the problem.
But here is a good site for the care and use of boring heads.
http://www.criterionmachineworks.com/about_us.htm
Tin

 

[upand_at_them]

Great idea, Charlie. Thanks for posting it. I'll remember this the next time I bore on the X2.

Mike