Turning and Boring / A specialized treatise for machinists, students in the industrial and engineering schools, and apprentices, on turning and boring methods, including modern practice with engine lathes, turret lathes, vertical and horizontal boring machines

by Franklin Day Jones

Fig. 42. Rose and Fluted Reamers

Another style of tool for enlarging cored holes is shown in [Fig. 42], at A. This is a rose chucking reamer, having beveled cutting edges on the end and a cylindrical body, which fits closely in the reamed hole, thus supporting and guiding the cutting end. The reamer shown at B is a fluted type with cutting edges that extend from a to b; it is used for finishing holes and the drill or rose reamer preceding it should leave the hole very close to the required size. These reamers are held while in use in a socket inserted in the tailstock spindle, as when using a twist drill.

Fig. 43. Casting Clamped to Faceplate for Turning and Boring

Holding Work on Faceplate.—Some castings or forgings are so shaped that they cannot be held in a chuck very well, or perhaps not at all, and work of this kind is often clamped to a faceplate which is usually larger than the faceplate used for driving parts that are turned between the centers. An example of faceplate work is shown in [Fig. 43]. This is a rectangular-shaped casting having a round boss or projection, the end e of which is to be turned parallel with the back face of the casting previously finished on a planer. A rough cored hole through the center of the boss also needs to be bored true.

The best way to perform this operation in the lathe would be to clamp the finished surface of the casting directly against the faceplate by bolts and clamps a, b, c, and d, as shown; the work would then be turned just as though it were held in a chuck. By holding the casting in this way, face e will be finished parallel with the back surface because the latter is clamped directly against the true-running surface of the faceplate. If a casting of this shape were small enough it could also be held in the jaws of an independent chuck, but if the surface e needs to be exactly parallel with the back face, it is better to clamp the work to the faceplate. Most lathes have two faceplates: One of small diameter used principally for driving work turned between centers, and a large one for holding heavy or irregularly shaped pieces; either of these can be screwed onto the spindle, and the large faceplate has a number of slots through which clamping bolts can be inserted.

The proper way to clamp a piece to the faceplate depends, of course, largely on its shape and the location of the surface to be machined, but in any case it is necessary to hold it securely to prevent any shifting after a cut is started. Sometimes castings can be held by inserting bolts through previously drilled holes, but when clamps are used in connection with the bolts, their outer ends are supported by hardwood or metal blocks which should be just high enough to make the clamp bear evenly on the work. When deep roughing cuts have to be taken, especially on large diameters, it is well to bolt a piece to the faceplate and against one side of the casting, as at D, to act as a driver and prevent the work from shifting; but a driver would not be needed in this particular case. Of course a faceplate driver is always placed to the rear, as determined by the direction of rotation, because the work tends to shift backward when a cut is being taken. If the surface which is clamped against the faceplate is finished as in this case, the work will be less likely to shift if a piece of paper is placed between it and the faceplate.

Work mounted on the faceplate is generally set true by some surface before turning. As the hole in this casting should be true with the round boss, the casting is shifted on the faceplate until the rough outer surface of the boss runs true; the clamps which were previously set up lightly are then tightened. The face e is first turned by using a round-nosed tool. This tool is then replaced by a boring tool and the hole is finished to the required diameter. If the hole being bored is larger than the central hole in the faceplate, the casting should be clamped against parallel pieces, and not directly against the faceplate, to provide clearance for the tool when it reaches the inner end of the hole and prevent it from cutting the faceplate. The parallel pieces should be of the same thickness and be located near the clamps to prevent springing the casting.