# Reamer using



## Blouin55 (Mar 10, 2022)

Why using reamers...looking for buying imperial reamers considering i'm a beginner.
Buying cheap or ???
Where to buy them?


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## YYCHM (Mar 10, 2022)

Hand reamers?


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## Blouin55 (Mar 10, 2022)

YYCHM said:


> Hand reamers?


Chucking reamers


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## YYCHM (Mar 10, 2022)

AliExpress,  Kijiji etc


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## Blouin55 (Mar 10, 2022)

YYCHM said:


> AliExpress,  Kijiji etc


Hard to find imperial size


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## PeterT (Mar 10, 2022)

Some people like to have an over/under set so presumably could handle situations like a light press fit or a light running fit. Personally I feel its a way to burn through a lot of money without a specific purpose in mind. There are so many classes of fit, types of shafts, IMP vs Metric. I would pick a brand you like & buy them as you need them. Places like KBC sell some good USA names & also euro (house brand) both are good. Its similar to taps, don't buy junk grade or you will regret it.

In small size metric I have been experimenting with AliExpress & so far been quite impressed.








						0.01C$ 99% OFF|Bb 1mm To 20mm Carbide Machine Reamer Coated Straight Flute H7 Tolerance Chucking Hardened Steel Metal Cutter 6 Flutes Cnc Tool - Milling Cutter - AliExpress
					

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					www.aliexpress.com


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## PeterT (Mar 10, 2022)

KBC example. Travers would be similar. 




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						Results Page 1 :: KBC Tools & Machinery
					






					www.kbctools.ca


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## YYCHM (Mar 10, 2022)

I got some hand reamers from these guys that didn't break the bank...





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						KTS Tooling Supply
					






					ktstooling.com


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## Blouin55 (Mar 10, 2022)

PeterT said:


> KBC example. Travers would be similar.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I saw those metric reamers set, but i tried to find imperial set at low price, ...


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## Blouin55 (Mar 10, 2022)

YYCHM said:


> I got some hand reamers from these guys that didn't break the bank...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks what i would like...


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## PeterT (Mar 10, 2022)

Asia & Europe are predominantly metric, so you are kind of stuck with N-Am suppliers if that's what you are after.
But again depends on what you are doing. If you have a 0.250 ground shaft & want 0.0005" diametric clearance, you need a 0.2505" reamer. So it's Imperial-ish, I guess you could say decimal Imperial. But many folks think they need a 0.2500" reamer because its 1/4". My question is for what purpose? Ground pins & drill rod have +/- tolerances so it may not be good for intended purpose. Hopefully this makes sense. Trying to save you money LOL


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## YYCHM (Mar 10, 2022)

Blouin55 said:


> Looks what i would like...



Look at PROCUT for the less expensive stuff.


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## PeterT (Mar 10, 2022)

Blouin55 said:


> Looks what i would like...


Compare prices, you might find KTS is expensive. (just a spot check, I didn't look in detail)


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## Blouin55 (Mar 10, 2022)

PeterT said:


> Asia & Europe are predominantly metric, so you are kind of stuck with N-Am suppliers if that's what you are after.
> But again depends on what you are doing. If you have a 0.250 ground shaft & want 0.0005" diametric clearance, you need a 0.2505" reamer. So it's Imperial-ish, I guess you could say decimal Imperial. But many folks think they need a 0.2500" reamer because its 1/4". My question is for what purpose? Ground pins & drill rod have +/- tolerances so it may not be good for intended purpose. Hopefully this makes sense. Trying to save you money LOL


For example my next project will be to make a lathe bed stop and i want i want to have an indicator in it.
Do i need a reamer or only a drill bit will make the job?


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## PeterT (Mar 10, 2022)

Hmm, I could go either way on that. Holes are kind of considered roughing operations so surface may not be perfect for indicator stem. OTOH if its a cheapo $20 indicator and ideally clamp style retention, maybe drill is OK. Number/letter drills are pretty fine increments (and also mic your stem beforehand). You could test drill on scrap & evaluate for yourself.

This is a good way to hold indicator stems


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## DPittman (Mar 10, 2022)

Accusize has a decent set of 29 chucking reamers.  They are not very cheap anymore but I have the same set I bought 6-8 years ago and like them.  Mine are not accusize branded but the exact same set they advertise now as accusize are identical to my set.


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## Six O Two (Mar 10, 2022)

DPittman said:


> Accusize has a decent set of 29 chucking reamers.  They are not very cheap anymore but I have the same set I bought 6-8 years ago and like them.  Mine are not accusize branded but the exact same set they advertise now as accusize are identical to my set.



Is the M2 version really worth the extra $200 over the regular HSS version? I guess it depends on what you're reaming. 

I was thinking I needed reamers a few months back and after diving deep into clearances, over/under, metric v imperial, I ended up at the same place as PeterT


PeterT said:


> Some people like to have an over/under set so presumably could handle situations like a light press fit or a light running fit. Personally I feel its a way to burn through a lot of money without a specific purpose in mind.


I figure it's better to wait until I really really need them and buy exactly what I need. Having said that, I was trolling ebay round xmas time and found a semi used 7pc 1/8 - 1/2 by 1/16ths set for $20 so I snapped that up. Still haven't actually used any of them yet though, so... kinda reinforces PeterT's point...


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## Proxule (Mar 11, 2022)

Make your own D bit reamer?


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## Blouin55 (Mar 11, 2022)

Proxule said:


> Make your own D bit reamer?


Do you have ever view a video on how to do it?


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## Blouin55 (Mar 11, 2022)

Proxule said:


> Make your own D bit reamer?


Ok..I had a look on YouTube.
Thanks


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## kevin.decelles (Mar 11, 2022)

I picked up 5 or 6 imperial sizes from KBC about 6 months ago.  1/4, 5/16, 3/8 etc.  Just checked the pricing on them, they've gone up about 25% since then.  They are ok for my use.


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## Brent H (Mar 11, 2022)

So reamer usage, couple things to consider:

Bushings (like the Oilite, sintered bronze etc) will come with the OD sized to properly press fit into a precision hole. So you want to fit a 3/4” OD bushing with a 1/2” ID - bore then ream the hole to 0.750” or 3/4”.  The bushing comes with the press fit accounted for.  

Fitted bolts:  hole is drilled and reamed to exactly 1/4” or 0.250”. Bolt is then machined to exact fit. 

For slight changes of “fit” you can get adjustable reamers.  These come in various configurations- tapered cutters that adjust for a wider range.  I also have some that have a set screw adjustment to allow for finer precision adjustments - like making a 0.750 reamer a 0.751 reamer.  

Custom fits can be had depending on your project and I have some odd ball size reamers that were made specifically for some injection molding fabrication.  

Buy quality if you can and sometimes it is better just to get the ones you need rather than a set.  It is not often you would ream a precision hole under 1/4” unless it was specific for fitting an alignment pin or you were using a tapered pin - than you have a whole other bunch of tapered reamers to acquire that will be specific to the pin you are fitting 0,1,2, 3 etc or metric or Morse taper, Brown and Sharpe - UGH!


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## Blouin55 (Mar 11, 2022)

Brent H said:


> So reamer usage, couple things to consider:
> 
> Bushings (like the Oilite, sintered bronze etc) will come with the OD sized to properly press fit into a precision hole. So you want to fit a 3/4” OD bushing with a 1/2” ID - bore then ream the hole to 0.750” or 3/4”.  The bushing comes with the press fit accounted for.
> 
> ...


What is the rule for press fitting, ex pressing a half inch pin in a hole?


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## Brent H (Mar 11, 2022)

Directly from the bible we have the pin fits





From the chart you can see that a proper 1/2” dowel pin would be ground to 0.5001 to 0.5003” and the hole is going to be 0.5000 to 0.4995. This would give you a light press fit of just 0.0001” or a bit tighter at 0.0008”.  This is for assembly and location so you can actually take the thing apart.


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## Brent H (Mar 11, 2022)

If you are going for a solid fit the basic rule would be 1 to 3 thou up to 3/4” shaft - less of a press the weaker or more brittle your material.  Above 3/4” you are pretty reasonable at 0.003” depending on application. 

If you are pressing the 1/2” shaft into a permanent fixture you would be solid at 1.5 to 2 thou.


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## Blouin55 (Mar 11, 2022)

Brent H said:


> If you are going for a solid fit the basic rule would be 1 to 3 thou up to 3/4” shaft - less of a press the weaker or more brittle your material.  Above 3/4” you are pretty reasonable at 0.003” depending on application.
> 
> If you are pressing the 1/2” shaft into a permanent fixture you would be solid at 1.5 to 2 thou.


Very usefull information


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## Susquatch (Mar 11, 2022)

Blouin55 said:


> For example my next project will be to make a lathe bed stop and i want i want to have an indicator in it.
> Do i need a reamer or only a drill bit will make the job?



A Reamer is almost always better than drilling. 

HOWEVER, for something like a, screw hole or a clamping hole, I would just drill and go. 

I am planning a lathe stop someday too. I've never used one, but I can see the advantages it might offer. I am NOT PLANNING to get a Reamer for that job. In my view, the job simply doesn't require that kind of precision. 

The indicator shaft clamping force is minimal and the alignment isn't that critical either. So I won't be bothered about it.


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## Chicken lights (Mar 11, 2022)

So....what about rubber grommets? I have some that call for a 3/4” hole. Last time I used a 3/4” hole saw and they were way too sloppy. So I picked up a 47/64 drill bit in Edmonton with @Everett thinking try going under size first. If it’s too tight ream it to 3/4”. But if I did the math right it’s only 0.015” undersize?

I have a 1” tapered reamer that’s awesome for wallering in holes, when you don’t know what size the hole needs to be, you can just keep making the hole bigger until it fits the part. They are grabby to use though, I’ve had the best luck with lots of oil, high speed and light feed


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## Brent H (Mar 11, 2022)

@Chicken lights - your drill at 47/64 should be fine, unless the 3/4 rubber is a lot bigger than 3/4. 

Folks need to keep in mind that a drill bit is a “roughing out” tool and will rarely yield a hole that is to a specification.  Drill chucks are not “precise” and a drill in your hand control adds to some lack of precision.  The drill bit itself may not bore a hole that is the actual size of the bit.  Off centre sharpening will typically add a few thou as well.  

The crazy processes of making holes!


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## YotaBota (Mar 11, 2022)

Speaking from a hobby non-machinist point, I have sets of Number, Letter and Fractional drill bits and most times I can get close enough to not need a reamer (using the mill). I may get a set of Metric bit to fill in the gaps but haven't needed them "yet". There are a number of charts online that will show the decimal equivalent for the drill bits. 
Like @Brent H says, drills are a rough estimate so start a couple of bit sizes smaller and work up to the hole size needed. 
Having said that there will be times when the only way to get the tolerance required is with a reamer.


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