Two Novel Reamers

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

IN the accompanying illustrations two types of reamers are shown which should prove very useful in the workshop. The form shown in Fig. 1 is known as a floating reamer, the cutting portion being connected to the shank by means of a knuckle joint. The writer recently had a number of gear wheels to bore to a finished size of 1% • inches. The hole was roughed out with a 1 7/64-inch drill, after which the floating reamer was used to bring the hole to size. The reamer shank is tapered to fit the tail stock, while the shank and the reamer are coupled together by means of a tapered pin indicated at A. This reamer was in constant use for ten days and gave excellent service. The expanding reamer shown in Fig. 2 is notable for its simplicity of construction. Unlike the majority of expanding reamers, this reamer permits one to ream down to the bottom of a blind hole, as there are no projections beyond the front face. It has been found that Fig. 2.—An expanding reamer. with machine reamers there is an advantage in having a slight clearance behind the cutting edges, hence the reamer illustrated herewith is provided with such clearance. The shank of the reamer is indicated by the letter O. It is provided with a taper of 30 degrees at the end. Upon this shank is a lock nut A which may be turned by means of a spanner wrench. The cutter proper is indicated at B. This also is provided with flats for a spanner wrench, and there are six saw cuts in it, so that it can be expanded. In adjusting this reamer it will be found that the front cutting edge is expanded slightly more than that at the rear, so that it is possible to obtain a clean parallel hole.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American