Making the carbide bar useful?

[graham-xrf]

From way back when, I acquired a YL10.2 solid carbide bar 16mm (0.63") diameter, about 30cm long. It's the sort of thing nobody would toss into the junk box, yet also, one knows that it take diamonds to do do anything to it, (except for Stefan, who uses fancy boron nitride goodies). The suggestions at the time were not to waste it, but to to use to make up some nice tooling - like a good rigid boring bar.

One suggestion was to braze a carbide cutter insert onto it, but I prefer something more replaceable. Would one make (or modify) some kind of tool holder, and attach it? The main question is - how?

 

[mmcmdl]

Silver solder a nice insert boring tool holder to the end . I just came upon some Kennemetal heads that mount to the end of bars such as this . Never seen them in all my years . I'll post a pic and maybe you could do a search on them .

 

[mmcmdl]

I've never seen these before , but they must make them . They bolt onto whatever shafts .

 

[graham-xrf]

I've never seen these before , but they must make them . They bolt onto whatever shafts .

Those look like quality stuff!

It's making me think there might be scope to modify or adapt (butcher??) some cheap(ish) tool bit holder. It would be OK, I think, to use silver solder permanent conversion of the business end to become an insert holder. Perhaps put a different arrangement on the other end of the bar to hold HSS tool steel creations.

There comes the question of how does one hold the bar on the tool post, but that part, I think, seems more straightforward. A strong block to go into the tool post in the usual way, with a 16mm diameter hole bored through it, and a thin slot cut along its length. The clamp length might be about 100mm (4") long, or perhaps about 10mm or so sticking out beyond the each end of the tool post. Then some some clamping set screws to have it close onto the carbide rod pretty solid. I think if the hole is a snug fit, one would not have to clamp it very hard to have it go rigid.

OK - so I am having a little "imagining" moment.

 

[rabler]

It's making me think there might be scope to modify or adapt (butcher??) some cheap(ish) tool bit holder. It would be OK, I think, to use silver solder permanent conversion of the business end to become an insert holder. Perhaps put a different arrangement on the other end of the bar to hold HSS tool steel creations.

That's what came to mind when I saw the first post. Trick is to implement it such that you are as close as possible to a 16mm starting bore size. Too big and the improved L/D on carbide is lost to what a larger diameter common steel boring bar with better fit could do.

 

[Liljoebrshooter]

Robin Renzetti did a video about making a bar with a carbide shank. He machined some ends for inserts and soldered them on.
No reason you couldn't chop off a steel one and attach it.
I don't remember exactly how he fashioned the ends, I think he did an angle on it for more surface area.
Joe

 

[ChazzC]

From way back when, I acquired a YL10.2 solid carbide bar 16mm (0.63") diameter, about 30cm long. It's the sort of thing nobody would toss into the junk box, yet also, one knows that it take diamonds to do do anything to it, (except for Stefan, who uses fancy boron nitride goodies). The suggestions at the time were not to waste it, but to to use to make up some nice tooling - like a good rigid boring bar.

One suggestion was to braze a carbide cutter insert onto it, but I prefer something more replaceable. Would one make (or modify) some kind of tool holder, and attach it? The main question is - how?

View attachment 479924

Stefan actually has a video of adding the business end of an inexpensive steel boring bar to a Carbide shank:

Shrum Solutions sells (when they are in stock) solid Carbide boring bars that use a Vee-notch for the joint to give more strength.

 

[ddickey]

Buy a cheap(er) steel bar the same diameter and cut of the insert holder end and drill with a ball end mill. Round the end of the carbide bar and silver solder.
Make a cool ass jig

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[mmcmdl]

I have Kennemetal threading/grooving bars which are solid carbide shanks . Used these on the big rounds threading the bore riders for Howitzer DU rounds . Whatever they're called , they have a specific name . They are sturdy bars , but no more than tungsten bars . My feelings , the tungsten bars chattered less , maybe due to weight ? I have bars bored out and loaded with lead shot also that worked excellent .

 

[pontiac428]

Sabots?