Line Boring a Hitachi 450 Stick

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Well guys, I don't post on here a lot but figure I should show my work, so no one thinks I'm some hack making comments. A few years ago I build a portable line boring machine. A few of my good customers kept asking about line boring but just wasn't in the budget for me at the time. Heck, I didn't even think it would turn into as much work as it has. If I would have known the amount of work this little machine would generate, I would have just bought one and got after it sooner. Hind sight right!OK, let's get to what you guys want to see, pictures.Yeah, just a little machine. The bar all set up with the drive assemble attached. Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of the bore or the welding. The bore was 3/4" out of round. Lots of welding.Almost at the finish pass. I have a video I'll try to attach.Mike
Reply:Here are some more pictures.Bushings and seals installed.Picture of my set up.Thanks for looking,Mike
Reply:Nice. I'd love to work with someone one day just to see how it's all done. Getting everything aligned to start has to be the big "trick"..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Great work , post some pic of your set up . Do you weld up the bores?
Reply:Nice repair. Thanks for posting. How long does it take to do a bore like that?
Reply:quaijilloweld,I do weld the bores myself, with out a borewelder. At first, I just stick welded the bores with 7018. Then started brainstorming on how to make a bore welder. Figured out its not really worth it. So, what i came up with was pretty simple and works great. When I bought my miller 8VS suitcase, it came with a Bernard Q300 gun. In the Bernard litature, they showed a flex neck and neck extensions. So, I bought a flex neck and two extensions. I had to get creative with the jump liners but, I made it work. Anyway i made a bushing for one of the extensions that would slip into my bearing assembly, then attach the flex neck and second extension. Adjust the neck to the bore size. Fire up and weld. I have to manually rotate the gun, but, the bearing holds it steady. At first I would oly do one pass then reposition the gun. Now, I have gotten so used to it, I rotate the gun with one hand and pull slightly with the other. With this method, I can get 4 or 5 passes before uncoiling the gun. Souds more complicated than it is.cajun welder,This bore was 130 mm (almost 5 1/8") in diameter and was about 3/4" out of round. Because it was so bad off it took a lot of welding to get back somewhat round again. I took me 3 1/2 days to get it done. That's removing the bucket, cleaning out all the gease, removing all the old bushing material, setting up, boring oversize, welding the bore and worn spots, boring to size, redrilling the grease fitting hole, honing, pressing the new bushings and seals, reinstalling the bucket and new pin. Wow, that sounds like a lot of work. But, darn it fun work!
Reply:Great job. I've done several of those myself.  I really like your line boring setup. Good thinking using the mag drill as a power source.  One of these days I'm going to work up some standard bearings like yours for my setup. My line boring setup is nice and versatile but a pain to setup compared to those. Also you don't have to weld round and round. Some of those holes are easier to weld inside to outside with wire. I've wished for a bore welder a few times myself but definitely can't justify it considering I only do these one every few years.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Very impressive. I do appreciate your post.  Clever using the bearings and mag drill motor. Keep up the good work and keep a posting.
Reply:Awesome Job machavis!! looks Great. I used to weld the bores by hand too and let me tell you the bore welder is the cats a$$. Saves a ton of time is simple to set up and its even easier to start boring the welds are so smooth.. How big of a cut can you take with that set up on that job? Do you use carbide or HHS?Thanks TTweld05Miller trailblazer302Millerxmt304millermatic 200lincoln squarwavelincoln SA250lincoln SAE400Climax BB5000
Reply:ttweld05,I have tried several different style cutters but, I have found the CCMT 32.52 inserts work the best for my machine. I use 1/2" SCLC R/L boring bars. I typically take .025 cuts. I have taken .050 cuts a few times just messing around. But, I tend to play it on the safe side, so I don't tear any thing up in the middle of a job. A bore welder would be nice but, I've had enough practice now that I can lay a pretty smooth bead with my set up.Thanks for all the comments,Mike
Reply:Mr M thanks for taking the time to show your operation  Clifton