Description
04/23/21: Until further notice (IE: I can use my hand again), our boring bars will need to be cut to length by the customer. As supplied to us, they come as a 5″ bar. They will need to be cut to between 2-1/2″ and 2-5/8″ for use with our Honey Badger. Cutting can be performed via hack saw, sawzall, cut-off wheel, or customer’s choice.
Time is money when it comes to high volume brass processing, and when that press is down due to equipment failure or maintenance, money is being lost. While using a two or three flute end mill is a cheaper initial investment, over the long run, setup times and tool sharpening becomes expensive. End mills are great for the hobbyist who isn’t running millions of pieces of brass a year like a commercial producer.
Minimize your press downtime by upgrading the Honey Badger Trimmer Adapter with a tool steel boring bar and carbide insert.
This boring bars requires the Bosch 2610906287 3/8″ Collet Chuck.
What are the advantages of the boring bar and carbide insert over the end mill you ask?
When an end mill dulls, it has to be replaced and thrown in the “to be sharpened” stack. When a new end mill is installed, the depth of the end mill has to be exactly where the last end mill was removed from. If not, the die cutting depth will change, and as such, the die will have to slightly be raised or lowered in the tool head to accommodate this change.
With a boring bar, when the carbide insert dulls, all that has to be done is to remove the Bosch motor from the trimmer adapter, remove the TS6 screw, and either rotate to a new cutting edge (there are three) or replace the carbide insert. Reinstall the motor, and verify that cut length hasn’t changed.
But what about vibration?
Ah, this is where the end mill shines. The end mill rotates perfectly on center and runs smoother than you can possibly imagine. There were times we didn’t know that the Bosch was even turned on over the vacuum. From the minimum speed to the maximum, zero vibration.
The boring bar with carbide insert creates a little vibration because the carbide insert runs slightly off center. Due to this, we dont recommend running the Bosch over speed “3” on the dial (it goes up to “6”). Keeping the speed lower will increase the life of the ball bearings (which we haven’t even begun to wear out).
How about chips?
The end mill has some trade offs with chip and cut. First thing we can tell you is that an end mill with a higher helix will make a MUCH nicer cut than one with a lower helix. The enormous downside to that helix is that it funnels the shavings upwards into the trimmer adapter instead of into the vacuum tube. Even end mills with chip breakers will exhibit this issue. If you decide to try end mills, go with the lowest helix you can find and keep checking the temperature of the trimmer adapter. If swarf is whirling around in the trimmer adapter, it will become hot from friction.
The carbide insert definitely has the edge here. With the chipbreaker insert we selected after trying nearly one thousand dollars worth of inserts and end mills, our carbide insert leaves an acceptable cut and zero issues with chip breaking or clogging. A slight outward lip may be visible after cutting, which is a sign that the cutting edge is becoming dull.
What boring bar and insert is this?
Sorry friends, we’ve spent too much money and time in researching this, and we’re not about to divulge what this is. Rest assured in knowing this. We did the leg work to find out what works best so you didn’t have to.