hands free floating reamer holder

S

skeetlee

Active member
What are your thoughts on a hands free floating reamer holder vs a bald eagle type holder? I have a bald eagle and i have another that I made that's a little heavier/beefier, yet functions with the same principle. Both work well but I worry about side loading these types of holders with the right angle handles.
I was talking with a friend of mine about his PTG floating holder that's hands free and he loves his. He like the fact that the reamer retracts perfectly. no side loading, if that's the proper term?? I hate to spend 250$ for another holder, but if I though it was worth the money id do it!! Just looking for your fellas opinions at this point. Lee
 
skeetlee said:
What are your thoughts on a hands free floating reamer holder vs a bald eagle type holder? I have a bald eagle and i have another that I made that's a little heavier/beefier, yet functions with the same principle. Both work well but I worry about side loading these types of holders with the right angle handles.
I was talking with a friend of mine about his PTG floating holder that's hands free and he loves his. He like the fact that the reamer retracts perfectly. no side loading, if that's the proper term?? I hate to spend 250$ for another holder, but if I though it was worth the money id do it!! Just looking for your fellas opinions at this point. Lee
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Lee,

When I started chambering I made a pusher, copied Butch's, then I got tired holding it, I bought a JGS free floating reamer holder, I thought it does not pivot enough so I made my own coupled pusher type. Here are some pictures for your laughs and giggles.

The front piece pivots around the 1/2 inch ball bearing, on the other side of the ball bearing is the stem that is clamped in the collet.

I welcome to hear criticism and possible improvement for the next version. This was my first attempt in internal threading and I was making sketches on the go. I bored Butch to end as I was sending daily progress to him.
 

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Well if the bbl is dialed in, taper pre-bored and the tail stock is properly aligned,
i do not think you need much "flex".
Just my 2 cents worth.
 
floating reamer holders don't self-center, they just follow the path of least resistance.


ONLY pushers fight for center. ONLY pushers self-correct and ONLY pushers held by hand compensate for flexure.


Regarding the post re "i don't think you need too much "flex"." It's hard to even dignify this with a response as it makes no sense.

Ummmm, "EVERYTHING FLEXES!!".....???

Uhhh, "NOTHING IS RIGID!!"....??

Ummhhh, NOTHING IS ALIGNED???"

uh, "even if it IS all aligned, the reamer twists up like a pretzel and surges like a spring under a variable load"...uhhhh, BECAUSE IT IS a spring under a variable load....

dunno

Dude, you don't even understand the problem(s)


Skeet, consider building a pusher with a cylindrical handle, like a 2.5"-3" "knurled soup can" instead of a rigid right-angle bar. That way, if it hangs up just let it spin free.....
 
Borrow

Lee,
I have a PTG floating holder that you could borrow for a month or so to see for yourself if it is what you're looking for. All I'd ask is that you'd pay the shipping. I have no intention of selling it however. Let me know here or in a pm if you'd like.
Keith
 
Al...you are taking words out of context.
He built a pusher that has tons of movement/flex..not bending.
You say pushers follow least resistance, what controls his reamer
with all that built in "flex" in its design...not metal bending ?
 
Lee, sorry to hijack your thread.

I call it coupled pusher, I still treat it like a pusher, just now floating on the ball bearing. The set screw holding the reamer in place is just for show, I actually have a handle in its place, a 3 1/2 inch 1/4 x 20 with an aluminum sleeve over it, and hold on to it to feel how the reamer is cutting as I control the in feed with the TS. The only advantage I feel is when I retract, the coupled pusher goes back with the TS quill. I still have to guide the reamer when going back in.

I appreciate any input on how I can improve on it.
 
alinwa said:
floating reamer holders don't self-center, they just follow the path of least resistance.


ONLY pushers fight for center. ONLY pushers self-correct and ONLY pushers held by hand compensate for flexure.
Click to expand...

Al, I think I'm on the same page with you here. I believe only a pusher that utilizes a flat against a cylindrical flat (I'll call this a Bryant style) will attempt to self correct back to center and a ball/radius to flat (I'll call this a Bald Eagle design) will not. Also if the flat to flat is not in the same plane/parallel to each other I would think it would attempt to drive the reamer off center. Comments?

Obviously both styles work for people and their particular chambering program so I'm not convinced one is better than another. I use what works for me (Bryant style).
 
CMaier said:
Al...you are taking words out of context.
He built a pusher that has tons of movement/flex..not bending.
You say pushers follow least resistance, what controls his reamer
with all that built in "flex" in its design...not metal bending ?
Click to expand...

I've been unclear....
I'll guess that by "he" you're referring to NezRongero's pictured tool.....
The thing in the pictures is not a pusher by my definition.
I would not use the pictured tool.
al
 
WSnyder said:
Al, I think I'm on the same page with you here. I believe only a pusher that utilizes a flat against a cylindrical flat (I'll call this a Bryant style) will attempt to self correct back to center and a ball/radius to flat (I'll call this a Bald Eagle design) will not. Also if the flat to flat is not in the same plane/parallel to each other I would think it would attempt to drive the reamer off center. Comments?

Obviously both styles work for people and their particular chambering program so I'm not convinced one is better than another. I use what works for me (Bryant style).
Click to expand...

Well said.

With this I agree.

For 30yrs I didn't chamber my own barrels because "I couldn't afford good enough tools"

Now I won't let anyone else chamber my barrels because I've learned about this pusher, the "Bryant Style." This coupled with the "Gordy Style" of indicating gives me remarkable results, results I did not believe were possible until recently.

Repeatably.....

I recently did something I NEVER do, I took a barrel out of the lathe after only contouring the tenon and parting it to length. I did this because I've repeatedly been able to go back into bores and re-index, reset barrels even years later.......easily.

I don't believe in magick

I don't like mysteries

and I don't rely on luck

"Ya Cain't Argue Wit' Results"
 
The hand bone connected to the wrist bone

I made up a pusher from a drill arbor and a bearing ball. Works good. The reamer follows the plot which is following the bore. What can change that, as long as the reamer isn't chucked up fast? I've done several barrels with it and , so far, they have all turned out ok.

Pete
 
The bore rotates/snakes...if the front of the tool is moving, what is happening to the rear of the chamber ?

Pete Wass said:
I made up a pusher from a drill arbor and a bearing ball. Works good. The reamer follows the plot which is following the bore. What can change that, as long as the reamer isn't chucked up fast? I've done several barrels with it and , so far, they have all turned out ok.

Pete
Click to expand...
 
It can't possibly be that crooked

CMaier said:
The bore rotates/snakes...if the front of the tool is moving, what is happening to the rear of the chamber ?
Click to expand...

that there would be a huge error in the chamber. Holding the reamer fast, on the other hand, CAN cause all sorts of problems. If a barrel is so crooked that the reamer bushing is going to not guide the reamer straight, the barrel will be toast anyway, I believe. I think folks make way too much of this whole area. Having a great adjustable reamer stop, on the other hand, is a good place to spend money.

I watched my former Gunsmith ream one of my chambers with his reamer chucked up fast in his tailstock years ago. I was incredulous, to say the least. He never did another one for me. He is a Smith of note, who has made a lot of winning and record holding rifles; one of mine having been one of them.

I noticed in one of my chambers, after getting my borescope; the Bain of the gunsmith :), that the lead of the chamber was not symmetrical. I broached the subject to this lad and he explained what I was not seeing. The rifle shot fine anyway. So, how much does all the minutia matters, one should ask themselves perhaps? In the case of my unsymmetrical chamber, it mattered not. That rifle/barrel eventually set a record, when it got into the hands of someone capable of setting one and when it was very long in the tooth.

Pete
 
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Why use the the tail stock???

I use the cross slide. The Gree-tan reamer holder works great. Mount a indicator on the spindle and zero the dead center with no movement on the Z and the Y.
 
Richard said:
I use the cross slide. The Gree-tan reamer holder works great. Mount a indicator on the spindle and zero the dead center with no movement on the Z and the Y.
Click to expand...

Isn't the purpose of any reamer holder to not induce any binding of the reamer so as to cause it to cut oversize?
 
Most of the barrels that I have had chambered for for my Viper were chambered with a center mounted on the saddle somehow (did not watch, or get the exact details), with the center indicated in from the chuck. My reamer was used for all of them. The headspace measurements were very close, and the above the head diameters were identical. I could interchange brass without a problem. Bullet contact was very even, and the throats are very symmetrical (as viewed with a bore scope. All in all, I can find nothing to criticize about the results of using that method.
 
i cut a 300 win mag chamber thursday evening.
it has less than .0005 run out at the breech.
ptg reamer holder on my buddies lathe.
 
That might be the purpose

jackie schmidt said:
Isn't the purpose of any reamer holder to not induce any binding of the reamer so as to cause it to cut oversize?
Click to expand...
of a reamer holder, but many designs fall short in the final result. With the dead center perfectly dialed in and the reamer solid against the center, how can it cut oversize?
I guess if you don't prebore that might be possible. I check .200 above the base and they all cut to reamer specs.
 
I had the opportunity to try out the PTG Mighty Mite reamer holder a couple nights ago, and man oh man was I impressed. I truly was!!
I cut a 338 chamber on my little, new production Grizzly sold, South Bend Heavy 10 and I can honestly say I cut the very best chamber ive ever cut on that machine all while using this PTG holder. Usually with this machine my chambers will come out with .0002 to .0003 total indicated run out using a pusher. With the PTG holder I cut a perfect chamber. I didn't see any movement on the indicator when checking my work after the chamber was cut. The chamber finish was outstanding as well. The best ive seen on this machine hands down!! I also like how straight and easy the reamer retracted from the chamber after taking a cut.
I have this holder on loan for a short while, and I am going to use this holder to cut a couple more chambers this week. If the next couple of chambers come out like the 338 chamber did, I will be spending some money with PTG, and I don't do that much lately. My first impression with this holder was outstanding!!
 
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