sharpen reamer cone tip from pipe threading machine?

[metalmagpie]

I have come into possession of a pair of pipe threading machines. I have been cleaning them up and doing bits of deferred maintenance. Now they work well but the reamers appear to be dull. I can remove the cone by driving out a pin.

My question is, how exactly are these cutters ground?

I can't find an exact picture. It's a steep tapering Christmas tree shape with 4 flutes designed to cut all the way along (most reamers cut on the end).

metalmagpie

 

[reggie_obe]

How is it different than setting up any taper reamer for sharpening?
Tilt the workhead until an indicator swept along the cutting edge remains stationary ( or at zero ). Index and support the cutting edge with a grinder finger. Grind primary and second bevel like any other reamer.

 

[metalmagpie]

In other words I would need a tool & cutter grinder. All I have is a surface grinder.

 

[in2glamisgirl]

Free hand the primary rake on a bench grinder, it's only purpose is to deburr the pipe end from a wheel pipe cutter.

 

[FamilyTradition]

In other words I would need a tool & cutter grinder. All I have is a surface grinder.

You can do it on a surface grinder as well. You will need your dividing head or one of those little spin indexers, and a cup wheel. Put the indexer down on your magnet chuck to match the angle of your reamer.

You can then line up the edge you want to grind by rotating the cutter in the collet prior to tightening. Once you've got your primary clearance done, you can unclamp the reamer and rotate it slightly, then grind your secondary clearance.

 

[michiganbuck]

1. A little tricky on a surface grinder, with having a V block one would/could set the to-be-sharpened blade horizontal parallel to the chuck on the go side of the wheel clamped to a solid block so to have a strong solid holding and use the arc of the wheel OD to accomplish clearance using only the cross feed to travel the length of each flute Because of not having and index each flute would be ground to just take away the wear land..Shims taken from the long travel table stop would accomplish taking more stock.

2. With having a spin index it would be done the same way. But after setting the first flute grind of each next flute would be off the index.
*For 1. and 2. one may need to use a small wheel to get the wheel height equal to the clearance by grinding on the horizontal radius arc (OD-side ) of the wheel, a cup wheel would be good. Again taking stop shims out from the long travel stop.

3. Doing the cutter on a bench grinder may be best. Carefully hold the blade outside the edge(side Not the flute face) and grind the flat of each tooth until the wear land is back to sharp, or very near sharp. I would hold the cutter blade verticle flat on the flat OD of the wheel. not on the radius (arc) of the OD of the wheel. scondary could be done the sane way by just turning a little more angle.

Good to have a loupe (magnifying glass) when taking a wear lade to sharp.

Agree one could take stock from the flute face grinding by hand-holding, but I would not do it that way.


looks like $105 new. (they last so long that buying a new one is OK. Likely take a half hour to do a one-up on the SG. (grinder hand 15 minutes)
https://www.zoro.com/ridgid-reamer-cone-for-5a191-3fe64-36277/i/G2239447/?gclid=59f983275f7d133cc7a2e1dac781172b&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=59f983275f7d133cc7a2e1dac781172b&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ml_all_na_na_ssc_Bing Smart Shopping&utm_term=4586131722563170&utm_content=All Products

 

[metalmagpie]

michiganbuck, I truly wish a new one were only that price. My machine isn't Ridgid, and my reamer cones are $255 each plus shipping.

 

[pat pounden]

michiganbuck, I truly wish a new one were only that price. My machine isn't Ridgid, and my reamer cones are $255 each plus shipping.

adapt?

 

[michiganbuck]

There are other setups and by-hand methods. Find them by holding the cutter to a parked wheel and moving the cutter or the wheel to accomplish sharpening, then when you are confident that it will be safe and sharpen the tool fire up and do the grinding. Having a Dremel one might sharpen it if it is a simple design. A spiral flute would be more difficult.
*A computer link/ address to a photo of the cutter/reamer would be an asset to a PM guy trying to give advice.

 

[Nmbmxer]

I grind cutters all the time on my surface grinder, though I would love to replace it with a T&C grinder since it gets used for sharpening 99% of the time. I setup an indexer in a large toolmakers vice on the grinder and decide if I'm going plunge the primary relief or use a cup wheel. Then I use a DTI and tap the indexer & vice around to get the relief surface as parallel to the grinder as I can, then grind it. A pipe reamer doesn't have a tight tolerance on the included angle like a machine taper would so getting it perfect isn't required.

 

[reggie_obe]

Free hand the primary rake on a bench grinder, it's only purpose is to deburr the pipe end from a wheel pipe cutter.

Reaming the cut end brings the pipe ID back to full size.

 

[DDoug]

michiganbuck, I truly wish a new one were only that price. My machine isn't Ridgid, and my reamer cones are $255 each plus shipping.

Steel Dragon Tools® 46660 E-863 Reamer Cone

Shop Now! Steel Dragon Tools® 46660 E-863 Reamer Cone SDT-46660for $54.99 - Craigs Affordable Tools

affordabletool.com

I did, and I adapted it.
I had to make the whole arm assembly anyways.

 

[gbent]

I don't think the application is worth a set up on a grinder. I'd probably put a 60 grit on my belt grinder and do it. Angle grinder or Dremel would also work. You are just trying to duplicate the existing grind to remove the wear land.

 

[michiganbuck]

Good that it was not super fancy

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/94926854

 

[ratbldr427]

That co Steel Dragon makes some very nice carbide tip annular cutters. Very cheap and very accurate.

 

[stephen thomas]

If the flutes are straight, you can do it easily for the purposes with a cheap chinese spindex, as others noted so long as you can get away with just topping it. Probably with a cup or dish wheel on the SG. If you have to touch the face of the teeth as well, the difficult part will be holding it out far enough where the grinding wheel won't ram into the spindex as you approach the heel of the tool.*

If the flutes have any curve to them, it will be necessary to find a way to attach a finger to the wheelhead, and let the spindex float (not a hard index, just an axle)

The only real problem with doing some things like that on an SG is that the wheel can't be angled to the travel, so you can't use height to adjust relief. But with a cup wheel, and how the cutter is oriented, it should work just fine for what is really a deburr tool, not a precision reamer to hold a tolerance.

smt

* actually, if the flutes are true radial and you can dress an angle as necessary on your wheel to get in the space, it could be possible to do face of flutes with the bottom of the wheel. The christmas tree shape will take let the wheel clear as it goes by. But it is rare that flutes are true radial, so you would have to tilt the spindex, or do something ingenious like Nmbmxer described.

NMbmxer: Have you watched auctions for an All-tool? They solve a lot of the problems you mention on a surface grinder. In this case i'm making a Christmas tree cutter from a solid round of HSS. It's a wood threading live tool for making cue sticks.

 

[metalmagpie]

Well, my journey is over with this pipe reamer. Not that I ground it - I didn't. I decided to sell the machine and put the cash in my plus column.

Thanks to all!

metalmagpie

 

[Nmbmxer]

If the flutes are straight, you can do it easily for the purposes with a cheap chinese spindex, as others noted so long as you can get away with just topping it. Probably with a cup or dish wheel on the SG. If you have to touch the face of the teeth as well, the difficult part will be holding it out far enough where the grinding wheel won't ram into the spindex as you approach the heel of the tool.*

If the flutes have any curve to them, it will be necessary to find a way to attach a finger to the wheelhead, and let the spindex float (not a hard index, just an axle)

The only real problem with doing some things like that on an SG is that the wheel can't be angled to the travel, so you can't use height to adjust relief. But with a cup wheel, and how the cutter is oriented, it should work just fine for what is really a deburr tool, not a precision reamer to hold a tolerance.

smt

* actually, if the flutes are true radial and you can dress an angle as necessary on your wheel to get in the space, it could be possible to do face of flutes with the bottom of the wheel. The christmas tree shape will take let the wheel clear as it goes by. But it is rare that flutes are true radial, so you would have to tilt the spindex, or do something ingenious like Nmbmxer described.

NMbmxer: Have you watched auctions for an All-tool? They solve a lot of the problems you mention on a surface grinder. In this case i'm making a Christmas tree cutter from a solid round of HSS. It's a wood threading live tool for making cue sticks.
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That thing with a motor on it would be pretty slick. Looks like a clever modification might let it act like a d-bit grinder too. I should see what a universal motorized workhead for a T&C costs on eBay….

 

[stephen thomas]

I have problem with collecting odd grinding fixtures but can quit any time.

Including a Suburban Mastergrind.
Which i don't use except for really particular stuff, just because i hate to get it dirty, and then to clean it.

So for regular average work, i use a cheap Taiwan spindex bought during the early 1980's and somewhat accurized at the time. A couple days ago i was grinding a longish hardened punch for a location pin (needed to be accurate and reasonably parallel/no taper) So for the first time in a few years i trammed the spindex to check. It is still well under .001" run-out in 2". In fact, with 20wt oil in the spindle , most of the very minor needle flicker was in the Hardinge 5ST collet. Probably lucky - it seems that the quality of the devices can vary quite a bit. It would be easy to put a consew motor on it, but in my case it gets used too much for a wide range of tasks including making D bits (with or without hollow grind) that a mounted motor would be in the way.

OTOH, there was a Hardinge Tree fixture /24 position indexer in an auction box of dividing heads i bought, with a busted casting ear and some missing parts. I modified it to mount a pulley under the collet closer, and built an attached mount for a Consew variable speed motor. It is my cue turning lathe, mounted on the planer which has a router in the toolhead. If it were mounted on a surface grinder, it could be a motorized work head. I squirt it full of spindle oil to start whenever using it. Should get around to putting a drip oiler on it. It is a plain tapered, adjustable bearing, that was never meant to rotate continuously, but so far seems unconcerned to do so.

BTW, the All-Tool comes with an overarm that takes a tiny center it in, too. So you can grip something like a tap, in the collet, but support the other end with the center. I would not motorize it. They were accurately made in the USA , plain bearing, & versatile.

smt