[modeleng] Boring Bearings

  • From: "shep" <shep.28@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Modeleng" <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2005 11:13:22 +0100

As mentioned in my message to Al Messer, I am slowly making a small, heavy, 
hopefully precision, screwutting lathe from large lumps of solid cast iron.
The centre height will be about 2".    I have finished the bed, (with 
'dovetail' ways) and had this precision ground, and have almost finished the 
cross and top slides.
I am now planning the construction of the headstock, also machined from the 
solid.  The mandrel will be 20mm in diameter, supported by two opposed taper 
roller bearings of 42mm diameter.   I am perplexed how to bore the seatings for 
these bearings.    I have a 5" centre height Emco lathe and a horizontal 
milling machine.
I thought of clamping the roughed-out headstock onto the vees of the bed, and 
clamping the lathe bed onto the bed of the milling machine, checking the 
squareness with a dial gauge.   It should then be possible to drill and then 
bore the seating for the bearing, using a boring head.   Difficult, but 
possible!     My problem is how to bore the bearing seating on the other end of 
the headstock, whilst ensuring accurate alignment with the first seating?

I hope that I make myself clear.    Any practical advice would be greatly 
appreciated.

Cheers!   Hubert Elffers
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