Boring head - metric or imperial?

Hi,

I'm going to buy a boring head for my SX3 mill. Does it matter whether it is metric or imperial? This may sound like a dumb question but what I'm really asking is if I buy a 50mm head it takes 12mm boring tools. Presumably then 1/2" ones won't fit, or will they? Most of the boring bars from the usual suppliers seem to be in imperial sizes.

Thanks

Gary

I think you will find that the only difference is the scale on the dial and the screw pitch. But I would ask the question.

I don't know your mill, but do you have enough room underneath to use a boring head. Super piece of kit if you have.

Thats right one that takes 12mm tooling won't take 1/2" but you could turn down soft 1/2" shanked tools to fit the 12mm hole if needed. The 1/2" bits are probably more common from the ME suppliers

As Al says the metric ones also have metric scales on the adjusting screw so that may sway you one way or the other depending on what units you prefer to work in.

Thanks for the replies, guys. That's what I was concerned about, that the 50mm head wouldn't take 1/2" tools. I can work quite happily in both units. My lathe and mill are metric but the S50 I'm making is all imperial, so I frequently convert between the two. I just thought that imperial tooling might become less available eventually, so it seemed logical to opt for the metric one.

Gary

I don't think you can get metric shanked tooling. The supplier will tell you, cos he will want to sell you a set.

Just had a look at my catalogue, metric have a 12 mm bar and imperial have a 1/2" bar. But then the cheap ones might be different. You just got to ask the dealer

ARC for one sell 12mm metric shanked boring bars for their metric heads

MSC sell metric bars for their expensive heads in several metrioc shank sizes

Edited By JasonB on 17/12/2013 16:47:56

RDG sell a range of boring tools in both metric and imperial sizes plus the boring heads.

Cheers

And CTC Tools in Hong Kong do metric and imperial boring heads, sets and boring tools of the carbide tipped variety, separately in various flavours. Cheap, too, even allowing for airfreight charges. Mine's been really good, although I have replaced the carbide tooling with indexable. Couldn't get on with the carbide ones, but that's more likely down to my ineptitude, rather than anything to do with the tooling.

John

Thanks for the replies. I'm more at the bottom end of the market but even so ~£70 is still significant so I didn't want to regret buying the wrong one if there was a crucial difference.

Gary

G'day. I have a boring head with an MT3 taper that I use on an X2 mill. Although you do loose a little headroom, it is quite practical, especially if you can clamp the job to the table ( with a sacrificial shim under it).

Regards from the land of the kangaroo (100° today)

* Danny M *

Hi Danny,

I don't think headroom will be a problem, there's about 400mm.

Gary

Think you will find that the draw bars are also metric for metric head and imperial for imperial head - If your SX3 is metric then you will need to make up inp. draw bars

Hi HomeUse,

It's an R8 taper, I think they all have 7/16" UNF drawbar threads.

Gary

OK - mine is M2/M3 tapers and the metric has metric thread and imperial thread (maybe UNF but I think more likely BSW - others may be different - The bars are also metric and imperial.