Dore Westbury Boring/ Facing Head instructions?

Just acquired a Dore Westbury boring/ facing head. Before I begin to mess around with it using the 'suck it and see' principles, I wonder if anyone can point me to a copy of some instructions? Or perhaps an old construction article in one of our favourite publications?

Indeed, if anyone has pertinent experience.....?

Cheers, Colin

Hi
I guess this is what you have ,there is not too much needed in setting
up, the bracket holding the pins should be central around the star wheel.
Usually best to revolve the machine by hand to see the pins engage
cleanly with the wheel. I use mine on the Myford 7 only on the 2 lowest
back gear speeds ,if you try to go too fast the pins knock out of
engagement ,useful bit of tooling.

John

I picked one up a while ago, but without the advancing bracket; it did however come with instructions etc.
Never got round to using it yet as I've a more conventional head, but will get round to fabricating the missing bit eventually, ready for the facing jobs.

It took a while, but I think I've got a reasonable set of scans of the construction manual and blueprint (cobbled from 4 scans + Microsoft ICE)
PM me with a full email address and I'll send it over.

Bill

GHT wrote up his modifications for the Dore BFH in ME (reprinted in his Workshop Manual).

John, many thanks - this is precisely what I have, including the all-important crossed indexing bracket. I see you have taken the precaution of typing 'out' onto the bar holding the indexing pin, and I assume it says 'in' somewhere on the other end.

One particular mystery is the purpose of those two small parallel rods on the rotating pin on the lower, front corner of that bracket?

Cheers, Colin

Bill, if you could email these to me it would be great, I shall PM you.

Also, one good turn deserves another, if I can help provide photos of the indexing bracket and components to assist you in manufacture, please do let me know.

Cheers, Colin

Hi Colin ,

The two parallel bars are piano wire and provide some spring pressure to bear against the square bar that holds the driving pins,the tension is adjusted so the boring head moves and when the head reaches its limit of travel the spring is overcome and the drive knocks off.

John

Pages 255-257. Thanks for this pointer, he starts by castigating the thing then says 'it's all detail'. Introduction of a pad clamping bolt did look like a good idea.

Cheers, Colin

Firstly, thanks to everybody who offered help and sent me additional information. All greatly appreciated.

I now understand better use of the indexing bracket to advance the tool in facing operations, and the 'stop'. The square bar holds two driving pins that engage with the toothed sprocket, rotating the threaded spindle and advancing the tool held by the head. The fun bit is that at the limit of the head's advance, the spindle can no longer be turned. So the toothed sprocket, which has become the 'fixed' element, then forces the square bar to be rotated against the force of the sprung fingers held in pin below, and it is then indexed in 'neutral' by the same sprung fingers.

I have also confirmed that the tool is designed to hold a 5/8" boring bar, and have reread GWT's chapter on boring tools - which I remembered while checking the reference piece on this boring head in his Workshop Manual.

Cheers, Colin

Edited By Hillclimber on 06/10/2019 15:27:34

Thanks for the helpful photos of the advancing bracket. The GHT mods can be seen here:

and here:

He was perhaps a little hard on the Dore design and, justifiably, proud of his own precision boring head. Arnold Throp's idea was to produce a slide that could be made without milling facilities and the kit came with the bronze casting already screw-cut for the lathe spindle.

Speaking of helpful photos, thanks. Having seen these, you tantalisingly left out any image of your boring bar...? I have details in drawings, but wonder what you are actually using?

Cheers, Colin

In the earlier photos there was no cutter in place so for the purpose of the photos below I have just picked one out at random and installed it. The bar and cutter are entirely straightforward and made to GHT's words and music.

BTW, I am not sure that ETW had anything to do with this; the DW mill was, of course, a development of ETW's work and something of an ME milestone.

Ega, many thanks.

Hillclimber:

Did you get your Dore BFH done?

I had an opportunity to use mine recently in the mill/drill:

I am facing the rough casting of a pair of die stocks with a view to adding a pilot to aid square threading. All seemed to go well until I loosened the clamps and found that the die-cast body had cracked across one of the screw holes! I had originally thought to use a large, thick washer and bolt in the body but, being wary of single point clamping, had opted for the setup shown. In hindsight, I should have used the bolt and washer but with stops either side of the handles.