Reamers

Jonathans

Professional Fish Killer
H-M Supporter Gold Member
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Sep 24, 2014
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I have never bothered with using a reamer after drilling. I'm starting to get tired of wonky holes and decided I needed a fractional chucking reamer set. I am finding that these can be rather expensive. I'm only a hobbiest so these would not see a lot of use, so durability isn't a big issue, I think.
What is suggested other than springing for a set of Clevelands? Used? Import? Other?
I'm all ears.
 
I would look at Ebay and maybe buy just the reamers you need one at a time or a few. There are so many choices and buying a whole fractional set
may not be wise since you may not use them all. I use letter, fractional, O/u, metric and number sizes and buy what I need for any specific job.
I don't bother with very small reamers; they burn up quickly.
Amazon, Msc and Zoro Tools also has good prices for quality USA Alvord Polk Hss reamers., take advantage of sales.
I have a small lot of Alvord Polk and Yankee reamers. They are worth the extra money. Cheap imports don't stay sharp long
and are not as accurate. I've gotten great deals on Ebay for new APT, Chicago Latrobe and Yankee reamers. IMHO, these are the 3 top reamer makers.
 
Another issue is that the fractional sized sets don't always do what you want them to. Let's say the shaft is nominally 1/2". The basic fractional set would include .5000" for that size. Great, but what if you want a snug fit, a sliding fit, a light press fit, or a heavy press fit? Each of those will require a different reamer size, or a different shaft size. Sometimes it is not trivial to change the shaft size. Undersized and oversize reamer sets are available, but triple the cost and still do not let you always get the fit you want. I have at least 150 reamers, from tiny up to 1.5", all imperial, nearly all bought used, and I stand a small chance of having on hand the desired one I want for the next job where I need a reamer. So, I improvise as best as I can with what I have, or buy a reamer, or go a different direction entirely. Imperial reamers come in .0001" increments, and in different styles. Nobody has them all. So, I agree with Tom. Check eBay, or buy the one you need new, or go in a different direction.
 
To the excellent advice above, I would add that you should get comfortable boring a good hole. Quite often, you will need a fit that you don't have a reamer for, as Bob says. Or it might be a special piece that is thick enough that the hole needs to be both straight and of the right size. In that case, you need to bore the pre-reamer hole straight anyway before you ream it so ... get good at boring.
 
To the excellent advice above, I would add that you should get comfortable boring a good hole. Quite often, you will need a fit that you don't have a reamer for, as Bob says. Or it might be a special piece that is thick enough that the hole needs to be both straight and of the right size. In that case, you need to bore the pre-reamer hole straight anyway before you ream it so ... get good at boring.
Very good advice, Mike. Don't plan to bore an on size hole on your first attempt, or to be able to hit it regularly even after practicing a while. Boring bars are inherently not rigid, and so they have a lot of spring in them. If you just keep dialing in more cut until you hit your number, you are almost guaranteed to fail by making the hole over size. I get my best results by starting to sneak up on it early, and then taking spring passes until they do not cut anymore with each small increment of feed. It is also important to measure the hole well as you go and after each pass as you get really close. Gage pins rock for this kind of work.
 
Thanks everyone who replied. I am just learning about under/over sized reamers, wire gage, fractional, and A-Z. Thats good advise for me to pick up what I need when I need it.
Perhaps I'll pick up a couple of index boxes to keep track of them once I get them. I passed up on two old sets of reamers at a recent local auction. They were quite dull.
Should I have picked them up and sent them out for sharpening somewhere?
 
I passed up on two old sets of reamers at a recent local auction. They were quite dull.
Should I have picked them up and sent them out for sharpening somewhere?
Probably not, but I would need to have seen them.
 
I have never bothered with using a reamer after drilling. I'm starting to get tired of wonky holes and decided I needed a fractional chucking reamer set. I am finding that these can be rather expensive. I'm only a hobbiest so these would not see a lot of use, so durability isn't a big issue, I think.
What is suggested other than springing for a set of Clevelands? Used? Import? Other?
I'm all ears.
used. I bought a set of fractional by 1/64 at a estate sale.
 
Shameless tool gloat...

Just one drawer is shown in these pics-- top layer, small and tiny reamers. In the upper right of the right box are dozens of reamers below .0625", a few are almost invisible to the naked eye.
SAM_1675.JPG

Middle layer -- miscellaneous reamers up to 1.2500"
SAM_1676.JPG

Bottom layer -- MT drills and other larger drills up to 1-3/8", Morse taper reamers, Use-em-up sleeves, a few broaches.
SAM_1677.JPG
All are in order by size, small to large. That drawer shows testimony to Evapo-rust, elbow grease, and 'sticktuitiveness'. All those tools came from tool lots and were about $100 or less total, most had light surface rust and many needed some light stoning, sharpening, and other TLC. I am still winnowing down all the ones that did not make the cut (not shown)...
 
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