No other videos of other machines, yet. I wanted to, but couldn't find the time, again as yet.

There maybe some info here about one machine over the other, but I don't actually remember where or when it was discussed.

You could search for boring machines and see what comes up.

Loading videos is tricky, it takes hours on our connection. Then you come back and find the battery on the lap top shut down, or someone unplugged the internet connection, or the top to the lap top was shut by accident. All three have happened in the past two days.

I have a video of the Boss as well I am working on uploading, it may be another day at this rate.

I am fond of the Boss, and I also have a few like Brad's, I don't see what all the hype is about with the Millers Falls, is there hype? I have not used on but have seen them used, durability I guess.

Tim

I'd like to get a Millers Falls someday. I tried using my Swan with a 2" bit in some old timbers and the carriage popped off the rails. Works great on fresh pine, however. I do have a Boss that needs a little work, maybe that will do work with the big bit.

Tim, my experience with using Millers Falls(in Beggs workshop) was that it was more rigid and had less play, something I would like in my own machine. I am considering making up something like the diagonal braces on the Millers Falls for my machine - bolt on mods of course, so as not to harm the originality of the antique machine. When I get around to messing with it, I'll post of course. The Millers Falls is built to be a workhorse for sure. The mechanism for switching the action is a nicer on the millers falls. On my machine you rotate the rack for moving up and down into position when needed. It's a little more crude than the Millers Falls, but it does work. I have not build a whole frame with it yet, only small projects here and there so far. I like using it. If you are not rushed, I think the boring machine is a nicer experience than the noise and flying chips of the Makita. The boring machine makes nice big chips, that won't get caught in your eye, and it's fun to methodically chew into the wood.

When I picked up my first machine and tried it, before the first hole was done, I knew I needed to rebuild the frame. I just used the head with the gears and cranks. I made an angle iron frame with bracing, the head slides up and down on the angle iron just the same as the iron skids on the wooden frame machine. It was great, very solid. I got tired of cranking a 2" bit through spruce, pine is fine, but spruce is tough. So I changed the gears, it now turns easier but is a little slower. This is all before I knew what the Boss was like. This is why I like the Boss, a sturdy frame, depth stop, nice retraction and a choice of speed to fit the need.

Tim

Howdy,

Is the Mechanical Advantage pretty much equal on all the boring machines?

Mo,

no they're not

you have 3 things that contribute to that with boring machines.
1. length of the handle arms
2. gear ratio
3. thread count of the lead screw

the trick is to find the right bit to go with your machine to maximize speed and minimize fatigue. the boss machine has 2 gearing options. the way i compare machines and bits is to count the number of cranks to go a certain depth -- say 4" and try to get it as low as possible without having to work too hard (which in addition to just plain sucking can also mean you're torquing your machine and might break something).

Speaking of breaking things... on the machine I adapted new gears to, I incorporated a shear pin into it. The Gear is held in place with a pin running through the gear and the shaft, it is a shingle nail, readily available most anywhere. It gets changed on occasion and I am glad of it. Most machines have roll pins or larger solid stock pins which is not the weak link.

Tim

Thanks for the info guys. I'd like to have one someday and trying to get a good picture of them.

Are the handle arms easy to exchange on the machines? Could you set up your gear ratio and screw so that you could substitute different handles depending on the wood? Or is that variable not big enough without hitting your knuckles on your knees? Which one of the three Gabel mentioned is the best to change? Can you find the parts (if it not the handles)? Or are they usually ready to go for a 6'4 125lb man?

Oh yeah, the Millers Falls has adjustable arms, right? Most other machines are fixed lengths. This was on Gabel's list. It does not apply to all machines. I would think if the crank length is too long it would be uncomfortable to use.

Tim