Ultra-Small Boring Head

[Bill Gruby]

This one is for shaving the cam retainers without taking the crankcase apart. There are 6 of them. The last engine I built took 7 break downs to accomplish this, the one before I lost count. It takes an average of 90 minutes each breakdown. With this boring head I will be able to shave them while it is assembled. Should make life a whole lot simpler.

"Billy G"

[Mayhem]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the minimum diameter you can bore with the one you are building? I had assumed that all boring heads would bore to a very small diameter and that the limiting factor would be the maximum diameter.

[Bill Gruby]

Minimum bore on all boring heads is 0.000 Darren as long as the head itself does not enter the work. That was not the problem. I could not get a 2 inch diameter Boring head to go into the crankcase far enough to do what needed to be done. This one at 1.5 inches has .100 clearance when in position. Of course, this is on paper and has not been tried you, but I have high hopes for this one. A smaller version would be even better.

I will try to scan and post the front cam retainer so it becomes clearer for you. The real problem is that the front and rear cam retainers are 4.5 inches apart and I found it better to fit them at the same time. As stated this requires breaking the assembly down to remove the necessary material each time.

"Billy G"

[Mayhem]

Thanks Bill - you answered my question. I had imagined that all would go down to 0.000 but didn't think about the head itself entering the work envelope.

[Highpower]

(01-24-2013, 12:08 AM)Bill Gruby Wrote: ...The last engine I built took 7 break downs to accomplish this, the one before I lost count.

Ahhh... ok. I know exactly where you are coming from now. I know that type of routine all to well. The number of iterations required is what gets to you. But hey, it's a labor of love right?

[Bill Gruby]

Labor of Love is close. It takes an average of 2000 hours to build an 18 cylinder radial engine. Labor intensive most of the time. Mistakes get more expensive as you get further along. But, if we didn't enjoy the pressure we wouldn't do it would we.

"Billy G"

[Highpower]

(01-24-2013, 11:23 AM)Bill Gruby Wrote: ...Mistakes get more expensive as you get further along.

In more ways than one. When (not if) I make a mistake in the 11th hour on an extensive project, my wife wants me to move out of the house for awhile because of my mood.

[Bill Gruby]

Been there done that. Pix are of the Radial Prints. All 275 pages of them.

"Billy G"

[stevec]

Bill, how many parts (not including fasteners unless they must be made) in an 18 cyl. radial?

[Bill Gruby]

My first answer would be all of them, but I'll have to look cause I don't know A guess would be close to 400.

We are here.