Portable Boring

[Steve@Advance]

Got a call this morning from a customer needing a hole bored in the side of a large machine.

Said it is 1.5" thick steel, has a 5" hole, needs the hole opened up to 6".

I'm sure something exists to do this, but I've never seen it done. He was asking about a mag base drill,I told him I didn't think a mag base would do it.

Anyone ever seen something like this done? And what would it be called?

Thanks!

 

[retired farmer]

Big mag drill and a six inch hole saw if they make them that big.

 

[RogerinIowa]

They advertise here on craigslist. Repin excavators and crawler loaders.

 

[CGID]

That's a big hole. It will be hard to enlarge the existing hole without any material to hold the center of the six inch hole saw. You will have to weld a strip of material across the hole for that. Again, that's a big hole. How about cutting it out with a torch?

 

[MSD]

Horizontal boring machine if you want it precise.

 

[Roger in Iowa]

https://desmoines.craigslist.org/hvd/d/des-moines-line-boring-loose-joints/7211467998.html

Here is link to boring machine for joints in machinery.

 

[the tractor vet]

Yep they do make a portable boring machine , they are used for repairing wallowed out pin holes on large equipment . They even have a wire welder that will build up the hole then mill it out to take a factory bushing . Some guys that work on heavy equipment have this set up . They tack weld the boring bar to the side of what ever is to be bored and set up the machine . If they are doing a loader or bucket they do both sides at once . I have seen them do the dead shaft on big cat dozers in the field . Some guys have add's in Rock and Dirt . There are guys that do axle repair on trucks on the side of the road when a wheel bearing fails and messes up and axle . I had that done back in the early seventy's when a wheel bearing failed on my 4200 Binder on the right read drive , This guy came from a 150 miles away and in three hours he had built up turned down and had it back together for 400 bucks . Lot better then installing a new 44,000 lb. axle housing . . Check around the larger citys for portable line boring someone close will be able to do this.

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

Mag drill and annular cutter. 6" cutter is expensive, line boring likely competitive price if you can get to both sides.

Other option but a bit hill billy, core drill bit will work but good chance of destroying it. Needs water cooling or the carbides will unbraze. Diamond core drill will work too but very slow, also needs water. Used to be expensive to buy them, not sure now.

 

[Cheesehead Fred]

They do make 6 inch hole saws with carbide teeth for cutting holes in concrete for inserting posts in parking lots and truck docks. Might be faster with a boring tool.

 

[Mike M]

I know there are people out there that specialize in that work. IIRC NCWAYNE who used to be on here a lot may even do that work ?

 

[John Deere D]

"Washington Iron Works" in Sherman Texas ......It's worth a telephone call.
My late good friend was a Specialized machinist with "Washington Iron Works"

Bob...

 

[Mule Meat]

Seriously daught that a mag drill with a hole saw would do a good job. Be to hard to center the bit and keep it centered.

Going from 5 to 6 inches is a huge step in 1.5" thick metal.

A portable boring bar that can handle cylinders from 5 and up to 6+ inches would be your best choice.

 

[DoubleO7]

How it can be done is going to depend on a lot of things.
What is the purpose of the hole?
Merely access?
Clearance For a shaft or bearing mount?
Does the hole have to be located and diameter and concentricity all have to be with a few thousandths?
Is the hole deep in the machine or out where it can easily be worked on?

If it does not have to be all within a few thousandths, and the processed of torching and welding is acceptable, I would weld the hole in.

Machine up a really large weld-in bung hole with or without threads. Then open the existing hole with gas torch or plasma torch.
Locate the bung where desired and weld it in.

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

Hole saws are easy to keep centred, you tack a ring slightly larger than the hole saw onto the surface. Don't start the hole until you are sure that the guide is positioned correctly. The other option is to guide from the original hole but takes some work to get a guide post mounted inside the hole drill.

 

[TimV]

Portable line boring is the usual name. As mentioned, common in heavy equipment repair to redo wallowed out pivot pin bosses on excavators, backhoes, loaders, etc. Video below is 20-ish minutes but you can skip through it to give you an idea of the basics. Also used industrially for heavy presses and similar machinery.
excavator boom repair with portable line boring

 

[shaun wallace]

Local machine shop has some Sunnen boring machines. I have seen them welded to piece they were boring out. They were doing pin holes in dozer blade.

 

[Oliver 500 Wa]

This company makes machines to do what you need. They also rent them to folks that only have a one-time need.

https://www.climaxportable.com

 

[David G]

Is that a crank out of a Clark?

 

[Steve@Advance]

Thanks everybody!

I passed on the information, we'll see what happens.

Good suggestions!

 

[NC Wayne]

As Mike said, I do portable line boring.
That said, as long as there is access to both sides of the piece, and room to mount the bearing it's no problem ...(I'd need around 2 feet on one side for the driver)

If it's a blind hole I've got a setup I made to do those. I've never tried a hole that large with it, but I've done some odd stuff in the past 20 years, so I'm pretty sure I could get it if I take it slow.

I live in Concord, so I'm about an hour and a half or so from Advance.

Shoot me an email and I'll give you my number to pass on if he still needs it done.