Removing Slight Amounts (0.005") from Round Bar Diameters Quickly?

[Advil]

Drill rod is cheap, might work, but is not hard as you receive it.

If you need hard... linear rail shaft. Prehard, built for sliding stuff, available in 1mm increments easily everywhere. Not expensive.

 

[epanzella]

I while back I had to get a 24 inch shaft to a precise and consistent size for an alignment rod. I turned it about .001 oversize and then reamed a block of stock to the precise size I needed for a gauge. I slipped the gauge onto the shaft with the shaft mounted on centers. I ran the gauge down the shaft using emery as I went to allow a slip fit. I came out perfect along the whole length.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

The ultimate solution would be Thomson shafting, you will wear out several sets of bushings before anything happens to the shaft.
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/shafts/linear-motion-shafts-5/?s=hardened+shafts

Drill rod is probably the next best choice, providing precision size but, in the unhardened state, wear resistance is likely no better than mild steel.
It will still likely last as long as your need.

Drill rod is pretty tough in in’s natural state. How much tougher or wear resistance than mild steel I don’t know, but it definitely is in my experience.

Not sure why OP is not just measuring the reamers for size.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

For those, I did try to measure them. What I don't know is how accurate that is. I suppose I could simply do one drill and ream to find out how accurate.

Unfortunately, I over engineer everything.

Replied before seeing this.

There is an art to this as you need to measure across the tips of the flutes. Setting a mic close and rotating the reamer to “feel” the tips crossing the faces of the mic and adjusting the mic in turn is the trick.

 

[silverhawk]

Replied before seeing this.

There is an art to this as you need to measure across the tips of the flutes. Setting a mic close and rotating the reamer to “feel” the tips crossing the faces of the mic and adjusting the mic in turn is the trick.

I rotated backwards, too, in order to protect my cutting edges. While I know the anvils on the micrometers are hardened, I didn't want to damage either the reamers or the mics. I labeled them all, but as I've never really done anything like this in a defined process, I think I need to ream a few holes and use some gauge pins as well to either confirm measurements, or to confirm that my measurements were wrong.

 

[Jimsehr]

Hello.

I have an application where I am changing out round bars. The tool is an old Craftsman Port-Align that I am abusing into use as a drill and subsequent reamer tool so I can keep things lined up and get definite measurements on the reamer sizes of un-labeled reamers in my possession. It has a sled/guide on top that runs along two round bars. Those round bars are originally 0.498". I'd ordered some round bar (one of the few times I was hoping for undersized) and ended up with a stainless steel that is 0.504" in diameter.

Is the best way to reduce the diameter of the bar to go between centers on the lathe and use emery cloth? Should I set it up to take a skim pass on the lathe and do that with the lathe cutters instead?

I would prefer not to cause more permanent damage to the tool itself, so rather than boring the guide out, I'd prefer bars closer to original diameters. And, current medical conditions forces me to not be at the lathe for "long periods of time" (I might get about 20 minutes at a time - and if I have to do each bar in segments, that's what I'll do).

Joe

Here is what I use . I did not want to waste a metal piece of material so I cut a plastic pvc pipe to demo tool.
I have cut stainless down from 3/8 too 1/8 in production with a homemade tool like this.