Adjustable reamer chatter

[Chris152]

We need to ream for king pins on our MG Midget rebuild. The dedicated reamer costs about £180 (too much for a couple of cuts), so the plan is to do the bushes with two adjustable reamers and a brass guide to ensure they are in alignment, top and bottom of the stub axle.

The lad's been reaming some wheel spacers for his bike and gets chatter with the adjustable reamers he's using, and we need to sort out why before he heads to fitting the king pins on the car. The reamers are old but good quality, and don't appear to have any damage. The dedicated reamer is spiral, our adjustables are parallel - I'm sure that makes it more difficult?

Anyway, any tips or advice on how to avoid chatter with the adjustable hand reamer?

Thanks, Chris

 

[Sideways]

Plenty of oil was a learning point for me with fixed reamers. Thinner oil helps flush away the fine shavings produced.

 

[guineafowl21]

Turn ‘em slow, feed ‘em fast, don’t turn ‘em backwards.

 

[Chris152]

Turn ‘em slow, feed ‘em fast, don’t turn ‘em backwards.

So, slow rotation with plenty of pressure?

And - is it correct to use no oil on bronze, only on steel?

 

[guineafowl21]

Yes.

Generally no lube for bronze, but as above I might use soluble oil or something light to help flush the swarf.

 

[Chris152]

Thanks both - we'll do some practising.

 

[Spectric]

Take several smaller cuts with plenty of lube like paraffin. There must be lots of these cutters somewhere as it was once such a common job on many old vehicles, now just HGV's .

 

[Chris152]

Take several smaller cuts with plenty of lube like paraffin. There must be lots of these cutters somewhere as it was once such a common job on many old vehicles, now just HGV's .

I was hoping to pick up a used one for a decent price, but we've been waiting a long time and nowt.

 

[Spectric]

Those reamers used to come in a set, some reamers a range of bushes with a threaded rod arrangment to suit a range of vehicles with kingpins. I remember doing them on Hillman Imps and a few other motors but it was a lack of greasing that caused the issues.

 

[John Brown]

Takes me back.. I redid the kingpins on my '59 Rover 105 over 50 years ago, but luckily I new a chap from the pub who worked at Mayhew and Green, a P4 specialist in Surbiton, and was able to borrow the correct reamer.