I blew a whole day's pay on a 'universal' boring bar holder

Grabbed this 'Tormach compatible' holder from a tool sale in Toledo for 80 bucks, thinking it would fit my old Bridgeport retrofit. The taper was off by maybe two thousandths, so it chattered like crazy and ruined a 300 series stainless part. Has anyone found a decent adapter that actually works without needing a regrind?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennysullivan1mo ago

Been there with those universal holders, they're almost never a true fit. You might try a shim sleeve from a place like McMaster, the thin brass ones can take up that small amount of slack. For a permanent fix, a local shop with a jig grinder could touch that taper for probably less than the holder cost. That chatter is a killer on stainless, ruins the finish and the tool edge fast.

dylan6041mo ago

Yeah, the shim sleeve trick saved me on a batch of 316L parts last month. I had that same light ringing on the finish. A 0.001" brass sleeve from the bottom of my toolbox took up just enough space to kill the vibration. The cut went quiet and the surface cleaned right up. It's not a forever fix, but it gets the job done.

xenagarcia1mo ago

Chatter on stainless is the worst. Had a part look like it was frosted from vibration. Total scrap.