-
Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.
Cool Tools in your home shop that you'd not likely not see in someone else's?
- Thread starter Elektrishun
- Start date
Ooooh. I'd like to see that up close one day. Is it held in the toolpost & traversed along the work? Does it hold stones as in part of the tool set or is it more of a lapping principle with compound & soft metal substrate?
I made some drawings & crude testers of clamp style (were they called Dalapena?). Tom made a nicer version.
Downwindtracker2
Super User
I have 6"- 12"interchangeable anvil micrometer, which in itself isn't all that unusual, but a Lufkin.
eotrfish
Ultra Member
You're welcome to stop by anytime - or I could bring it to the next coffee meetup.
I don't know how it is supposed to be used - I just know how I use it. I don't hold it in the toolpost. I just traverse it along the work by hand and adjust by turning the black lever as I go.
There's not much operating info on the Sunnen website, but I did find this link - https://www.sunnen.com/userfiles/resources/brochures/5f74c694ddff.pdf
It does hold proprietory stones and anvils, although I think you could make your own stone holder. Here are some screen grabs of an anvil and a stone.
Gearhead88
Ultra Member
Here's a couple of machine's you aren't going to find in the average home workshop ..........
Once the bore is roughed in and within a couple of thou it goes to the Sunnen machine . I do cylinder bores , connecting rods - big end & small end , a variety of bushings only limited to what mandrels are on hand , rocker arms , and more , precision fit , on the Sunnen .
Once the bore is roughed in and within a couple of thou it goes to the Sunnen machine . I do cylinder bores , connecting rods - big end & small end , a variety of bushings only limited to what mandrels are on hand , rocker arms , and more , precision fit , on the Sunnen .
I've got a Sunnen hone, best way to finish bore. Amazing contraptions. I'd use it more if the mandrels weren't obscenely priced. Although, even if cheap I don't think I could order them because of the undecipherable number system lol. I must get back on the prowl in the classifies for a cupboard full of mandrels
Gearhead88
Ultra Member
I struggled , a bit , at first when I bought my machine and after a short time , had it figured out .
Prior to that I had worked in a couple of shops that had Sunnen machines , all the supplies and consumables were on hand , available to use and I didn't have to spend much time or effort on figuring out the numbering system . It is actually very clever , the way the numbers break down once you are on to it , the game changer for me was getting some catalogs to study .
There isn't a whole lot that can be done about the pricing of anything that says " Sunnen " on it , much like Snapon or Starrett . I've got a good selection now but can always use more , I watch for it on ebay as one of my saved searches to feed an unsatiable tool addiction.
Dan Dubeau
Ultra Member
Never having used a hone, or even seen one in real life, how to you set the stones accurately? I see a gauge/indicator on it, do you just zero the dial, take a test cut, measure, and then adjust accordingly? I'm curious as to how they work. Any videos to recommend I can watch and learn?
There is a slot in the mandrel that the stone sits in. the flat looking piece also sits in the slot, and stone seats on the flat piece on on angled surfaces. That fat bar can be pushed and pulled by the hook at that cause the stone move in/out pushing the stone up or down the angle surfaces it sits on. The backside of the mandrel is a shoe that rides on the bore and is precise - stone cuts on the high spot but soon wears in so you get even cutting, all done under a flood of oil. The indicator (mine doesn't have one) is tied to the motion of the flat bar.
You can get used to removal rates if trying to hit a dimension, but I don't worry about that as my stuff is one of's vs parts that have to be to a drawing. I just use the age old process of do the bore first then the mating part to suit. If you had to hit dimensions you'd probably want the fancy model with the indicator like Gearhead's
These images are from the Zhengzhou Boson Abrasive Co .... so it looks like there might be lower cost alternatives.
Fro example here's me honing a tailstock barrel. don't care about the dimension - the quill gets hard chromed and ground to suit. the graduate dial advances the bar pushing the stone up.
You can get used to removal rates if trying to hit a dimension, but I don't worry about that as my stuff is one of's vs parts that have to be to a drawing. I just use the age old process of do the bore first then the mating part to suit. If you had to hit dimensions you'd probably want the fancy model with the indicator like Gearhead's
These images are from the Zhengzhou Boson Abrasive Co .... so it looks like there might be lower cost alternatives.
Fro example here's me honing a tailstock barrel. don't care about the dimension - the quill gets hard chromed and ground to suit. the graduate dial advances the bar pushing the stone up.
Last edited:
Gearhead88
Ultra Member
How I do it ............ on the machine that I have .
Sunnen honing machines are kinda primitive and sophisticated at the same time , some clever engineering went into the creation of these machines nearly 100 years ago .
The drive , a short explanation of how it works.......
The spindle speed of the machine is changed with pulley's , the required speed is chosen according to the diameter of the bore. ( see chart on the machine ).
When you turn the machine on , the motor turns and the pump ( via it's own belt ) begins circulating honing oil. ( special oil .... expensive !! ) .
At this point the spindle is not engaged , there is a flat belt that is freewheeling , this belt begins gripping and transferring torque by way of a linkage which tensions the belt , when the operator applies down pressure on the foot pedal . The foot pedal simultaneously operates a mechanism that expands or retracts the abrasive stone(s).
In total , there are three belts , a V belt from the electric motor to the stepped pulleys for speed selection , a round belt to run the recirculating pump and a flat belt to power the spindle .
Cutting and material removal adjustments ...........
The dial handle on the face of the machine is used to set the abrasive stone(s) by retracting or expanding them , in doing so , you bring the stones out to make contact with the bore you are machining . When preparing to hone a bore , (with THE ELECTRIC MOTOR TURNED OFF ) , the operator , having selected the desired size mandrel , assembled with it's wedge , stone retainer and the appropriate abrasive , mounted correctly in the spindle , the operator will step on the foot pedal to expand the abrasive stones , then , using the handle on the dial advance the stone(s) to make contact with the bore of the work , some additional rotation of the adjusting dial will have the needle on the indicator gauge moving . The indicator gauge is used to monitor material removal . I like to bring the needle on the gauge around about a turn , there's a red line on the gauge face to use a a reference , sort of a zero , a place to begin . As material is removed during the honing operation , you can watch the needle, as it swings to display in tenth's of a thousandth of an inch as stock removal happens .
Cutting pressure Abrasive types & Materials .......
There is a second dial on the machine I have , it is used to adjust the cutting pressure of the abrasive stones . This needs to be adjustable because the stones come in a variety of grits , hardness and composition. The material being honed can be hard or soft ...... steel , cast , bronze , alloy . Cutting pressure determines speed of material removal and can greatly affect accuracy of the work . There are variables that can play into this for example a hole that is not round or straight , a good operator can compensate and correct for this to straighten out a bore that has become out of round , tapered or egg shaped . This is where experience comes into play , knowing what to do to correct a bore and keep things under control .
Getting prepared and monitoring progress.........
What I mean about getting prepared is , having a plan , using a bore gauge that is set up correctly for the intended job. All of the bore gauges I have are in tenth's (.0001")
For example ........ lets say we are fitting a shaft to a newly installed bushing & let's say that in most cases , bushings are supplied under size and need to be reamed or honed .
I use a micrometer to measure the shaft , then I lock the micrometer at this size ...... this is now zero . I then set up a bore guage to the micrometer and zero that . Measure the newly installed bushing , the bore gauge will display how much material needs to be removed , it will be displaying on the minus side of zero . Zero will be the size of the shaft , any measurement on the plus side of zero is clearance . Hone the bushing carefully and monitor progress as you go with the bore gauge , hone some more untill the desired clearance is shown on the plus side on the face of the bore gauge.
Mandrel & stone selection is a whole separate discussion
Every mandrel has a size range that it is designed to be used within , some mandrels use that number as part of the numbering system .
Abrasive types are another area where it pays to make an intelligent choice , Aluminum Oxide , Silicon Carbide are the two most common types , each having a specific purpose.
Last edited:
Dan Dubeau
Ultra Member
Thank you both for your detailed descriptions, and pictures. I appreciate the mandrel pictures to illustrate how the stones expand. I now have a better understanding of how they work. Really sounds like an accurate way to finish a bore, but one that requires skill and expertise to get the most out of. Thanks.
Someone once describe them as a contraption, which I thought perfect. but they do the job like nothing else.