Reaming morse taper sockets

What's 'carbide paste', never heard of that?

Tony,

I expect Ady1 is referring to 'valve grinding paste', coarse in one end of container and fine in the other end. Used for lapping engine valves before precision seat cutters and a thump was deemed sufficient!

I'v got a couple of MT reamers, a #1, and a #3, I think they are supposed to be two to a set. one for rough cuts, and one for finishing. The #3 that I have has notches on the flutes to make the rough cutting easier.

I modified a few wood lathes(home built), by making new spindles with #1 MT in them, they originally just had a driving center formed on the end of the spindle. I also built a few a bit bigger with #3 MT spindle.

To make the MT with a reamer I step drilled the spindle so that the minimum amount of metal needed to be removed, not a great amount of Omf require to ream it out.

Ian S C

Interesting. I presume they must be a combination of drill and reamer in one? The end sharpened like a drill and drills the hole to the small end of the taper size, then the edges of the flutes are ground like a reamer so they cut the taper on the hole drilled ahead of them? Certainly makes sense in a production situation. Probably not what our lad wants for cleaning up his Myford spindle though, I should think.

Hello Again,

Interesting how advice varies from poster to poster! With regard to the 2MT drill that I was referring to. It was definitely intended to drill out a Morse taper. It definitely wasn't a straight drill with a 2MT on he mounting end! I am glad that someone else has come across them, otherwise I would be doubting my sanity!

From what little has been said, it would appear to be easier to drill and then bore out the taper. Thanks for the setting up tip that was given a few replies back, nice and simple, which is what I like!

Before my muscle wasting illness, I helped refurbish a Norwegian loco boiler. New plates were welded in where corrosion had set in and a HUGE Russian radial drill was used to drill out the stay holes. I saw a friend of mine ream out a very large taper which was a to be used for a washout plug (subsequently threaded). A very large and strong man to boot. Using a taper reamer he produced a very good taper and a pile of swarf on the floor! So tapers can be hand reamed, providing you are strong enough! However I would now have trouble picking up the reamer, let alone using it!

Thanks everyone, a very useful exchange and plenty of info

Regards,

Andrew.

P.S. Don't ask me how the washout hole was threaded, I didn't see that bit! I was too busy pushing red hot rivets into the flanges and a holding them there while a pneumatic riveter did the job from inside the shell! I am still deaf from doing it!

Edited By Andrew Tinsley on 26/01/2017 11:18:07

On the web go to Cromwell tools and search taper socket cleaner.

One of these with some solvent on should clean it up so that a better inspection can be done, I have an INT30 version for my mill.

Steve

Speak to the boiler-smiths at any of the UK heritage railways. They may tell you how it's done and even show you the kit that is used.

Funnily enough I spoke to Tracy Tools on Monday about their MT Drills. These are advertised in their catalogue but not on the internet, hence the phone call. The drills are now out of stock and they have been unable to find another supplier, the drills were described to me as proper taper drills, that is helical like a drill, and not roughing reamers.

I've come across three types of MT reamer (they don't count as drills):

Straight flutes, notched - roughing reamer

Straight flutes - general purpose reamer for cheapskates like me

Single spiral flute - finishing reamer (Probably wehat some people have been calling an MT drill).

I've made new MT0 and Mt1 sockets by step drilling and finishing with a taper reamer, woudln't like to do this in tough steel or at MT2. Go very slow, plenty of cutting fluid and withdraw frequently.

Tip for step drilling - insert a drill into a matching MT socket, now wrap tape around it level with the end of the socket, now get next drill up and repeat until you have a set.

Starting with smallest drill, go in until you are 2 or 3 mm from having the tape level with the end of the blank. Repeat for all drills and the hole is ready for the reamer which will work rapidly at first but slow down as the steps are cut away. If you worked accurately you will have very little cutting to do at full depth.

Neil