Tim,

I see from your video that your Boss machine has a little slop in it where the head rides the rails.

We have 2 Bosses and one is pretty much unusable because there is so much slop. The other seems about like yours. On the sloppy one, the difference is the head -- the rails are the same distance apart but the grooves in the head are deeper, allowing more side to side wobble. Any ideas on how to tighten it up? I thought about somehow putting some shims in there, but how would one secure them. I'd like to get it in good working condition.

Gabel, I am just finishing lunch and will take a peek at it. First suspicion is to space the two side apart with a shim/washer at the top where the round section holds it together. But I have to look to see it this is correct. Swap heads and see if it is the head or the frame.

As long as the head stays on the frame I would not be concerned with it, unless it really fouls up the mortice. If holes wonder you can control the size of the mortice when you clean up the triangles. Just like if the timber was out of square and the mortice was square to the whole, you will see bore lands on one side of the mortice.

The wobble may just allow you to locate the feed screw to the layout line easier, I see you are doing that. I do to sometimes, other times I wing it.

Tim

Gabel - How overly deep are the grooves? Could you not bush them out by epoxying in some delrin strips?

Tim I have also wondered about the possibilities of building a machine from scratch using modern parts (McMaster Carr catalog, etc). I guess I'm just curious about whether you could improve upon the old designs enough to make it worthwhile.

There are things I love about each design, and things I don't like so much. It would be fun to combine my favorite features. It will probably remain a daydream because I am only mechanically inclined enough to repair/modify old machines, not design/engineer one from scratch. But I have met a few folks in the TF world who could do it no problem.

As far as I know, no boring machines are in production today. So you are probably right about supply eventually getting thin.

Good idea, Will. I was trying to overly complicate it by adding metal of some kind. I see you can get delrin in practically any thickness. I think I need around 1/32 on each side to tighten it up.

Now I just need another ladder gear for a boss.

This is a great thread. Really enjoying it. Gabel which one is the ladder gear?



Is it the gear on the bottom that goes up and down the ladder or the ladder itself? Does a gear half to be round?

I wonder who has the old casts for the manufacturing of these machines? They must be around somewhere.

Mo, the three part gear acting as one piece, right above the 2006, serves three purposes, two gear ratios and the square/flat gear which meshes with the "ladder", visible also. Both chucks turn at the same time.

That machine has an original depth stop still in place, I had to make one.

Gabel, you can see the round pipe at the left of the picture, at the base of the machine, there are three of these. I had a dyslexic moment when I said shims. You may have to take material off these to bring the sides closer together.

Do you know if the rails are worn? Or the head? The rails don't see much wear down at the bottom, measure the difference top and bottom and compare. Is it side to side slop or front to back? Rust would contribute to the removal of metal, too. Is it rusty?

Would the Delrin go in the groves in the head or on the rails?

I wonder just how much wear would show on these machines? I can see the shafts wearing and they do. I have oil ports drilled in mine, I use various oils to lube the working parts, whatever is handy. I don't however lube the rails.

Another item deserving of attention is the two latches, one holds the head up and the other engages the ladder. I have adjusted the slotted screw just so, so that the mechanism swings freely and does not catch of the side, I had to tweak/bent one to make it work proper. I would not use lock tight to hold the screw in place, even the mild grade, but silicone would help hold the screw from working out.

Tim

I've got a Swan that is a bit shaky. I've been thinking about TIG welding up and aluminum rigid frame for the carriage. Would not be too difficult, and would eliminate the shaky adjustable wooden frame.

mo,

i was referring to the linear gear running up and down. one of our machines is missing that piece entirely.

Tim,

We've switched the head and the wear is in the head - the rails measure the same on both machines. I was thinking of putting the shims in the grooves in the head so it would work on either base.

Sorry for the rehash. I need to read more details.

How about brazing the slots and cleaning them out with a file, finding a proper file would be the issue.

Dave, the Swan has the "ladder" which swings into and meshes with the drive gear?

I see the Snell as the type with an additional gear that slides into the "ladder"?

Do I have the names correct?

Tim