Making a Bushing

[Flute Maker]

I make flutes and I bore mine. Sometimes I have wood that is a little smaller than I normally use. In my set up on the tailstock (all home made) I have a box that holds a 1 1/2" ID bearing...I usually use 1 1/2 stock turned round to fit the bearing....I hand feed a gundrill in through the bearing on down the length of the flute which is up to 30"...Works super great... Now what I want to make is a bushing to fit inside the bearing to hold 1 1/4" to1 3/8" stock. I know a friend that has done it.

I have tried once and had some runout...I am on my second try right now..I start turning a piece of oak (about 3 1/4" long) round between centers and then I put my G3 chuck on and see from the start there is some run out..just a little but my wall differences on the first one end up being 020 to .030 approx. after drilling.. . When I do the drilling I put a chuck in tailstock and feed the drill in starting with a 3/4" Afterward I want to make the inside tapered down cone shape so it will adapt or center itself...Any help on getting it to run true will be appreciated ...

 

[CrealBilly]

Sounds complicated... think I'll stick to flat stock.

 

[Mike Davis]

Most wood lathes are not much more accurate than that. A machinist lathe would hold .005 very easily.

If you are making the bushing on the wood lathe you may be increasing the inaccuracy inherent in that lathe. You can have bushings made at a machine shop that will be much better but the lathe is still the weak point.

 

[CDPeters]

1. Turn the round "base" workpiece.
2. Securely clamp a piece of 3/4" scrap stock to your drill press table.
3. Drill a hole in this piece matching the outer diameter of the workpiece - your bushing
4. WITHOUT moving the scrap piece, place the bushing workpiece into the hole you just drilled
5. Replace the drill bit with the proper one for your internal diameter and drill again.

You might need a way to keep the workpiece from spinning - maybe a saw kerf in the jig piece and a clamp. Not sure if this will produce the accuracy you need, but I often use this method when I need a hole centered in a dowel or other round stock.

GL,
C.

 

[aplpickr]

Have the drill bit exposure out of the chuck be as short as possible. Tighten the drill chuck with ALL three chuck holes. Use a tapered cone in the tailstock as much as mpossible. If possible turn a larger collar on bushing to register the bush against the bearing. Are you using a quality bearing? Check the runout of your G3. Are you fighting an impossibility of your lathe quality?

 

[Flute Maker]

This is what I have done so far. I drilled a 1" hole in the 2 1/4" square oak before turning ...I then put it on my mandrel that I use to hold my blanks when I turn the flute. I then turned it to the exterior shape I need.. This worked out very well. The mandrel helps a lot with helping things to run true...I know it isnt machine shop quality but it is good. I used these same mandrels on an old Craftsman lathe at one time and had good results with it...I now have a Jet 1442vs.I shaped the square blank to the size I want/need...So I now have the square blank turned round to how I need it with a 1" hole in it.....What I need to do now is enlarge the hole to taper from 1 3/8 down to 1 1/4" but I can't get it to run true so I can use a bowl gouge and turn that on the inside !! Any ideas?????

 

[Mike Davis]

Make a tapered hand reamer to finish the inside.

 

[Flute Maker]

Mike you need to elaborate on that a bit...Im lost !!!

 

[aplpickr]

Take a flat boring drill bit. Grind a taper to its sides. Sharpen the sides of the bir. Tapered reamer for ~$6. Grind the taper while spinning the bit in a drill against a sharpening stone.

 

[Flute Maker]

Bill, you mean take a bit like a spade bit ? If I am wanting to taper this 1" hole from 1 3/8" to 1 1/4" get a bit that I can shape close to this profile? say 1 3/8 should work???? Shape/sharpen it and use it by hand??? Thanks! I just have never done this !!!

 

[Mike Davis]

For a 20 inch long reamer you could make from wood turn it to the size you want then cut a slit down one side and insert a hacksaw blade that is ground to remove the teeth then sharpened like a card scraper.

http://www.greenwoodworking.com/SawSteelTaperedReamerPlans

 

[aplpickr]

Yes Mike, a spade bit. The trick is to keep it true and uniform while shaping the bit. Count the strokes of the file or stone. Alternate often to allow for wear or loading in the stone or file, If your bit is uniform enough, use power and start the hole from scratch, not 1". Spade bit will NOT be self-centering in a pre-drilled hole.

 

[Flute Maker]

Oh yeah I know the spade bit has to start from scratch.... I have already drilled a 1" hole and just need to enlarge and taper this one..May need to make the reamer like Mike Davis suggested...Thanks everybody. Anymore ideas please send them..

 

[aplpickr]

You could try this on for size.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAPERED-SQU...024?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4841b0fb50

 

[Flute Maker]

That will work Im sure,....Thanks !