Enlarging a bushing hole?

wrote in message oups.com...
On Aug 27, 7:59 pm, John Ammeter
wrote:
If you have a lathe or access to one it's simple. Just chuck the
bushing in the lathe with the drill bit mounted on the right side...
can't think of the name of that part..
---------------------------------------------------------------------

That'd be the Wifferdoodle. (Although some folks call it the Tail
Stock.)

-Bob


Hmmmm, and I thought it was a tale stock

;-)

This is not an aircraft repair.

I've got a piece of 4130 tubing, about 3" long, 3/4" dia and I'm
trying to slip it over a like size tubing.
Just because I'm trying to let friction do the holding, I'd like to
remove as little metal from the external sleeve as possible.
I made a slot in the tube and expanded it slightly with a wedge.
I though maybe heating the insides would cause it to open like a clam.

I could wedge it open and apply heat, thus deforming the tube.

Other suggestions? - Mike

Go see if your local muffler shop has a tube expander this small.

Jim

--
"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."
--Henry Ford



"Michael Horowitz" wrote in message
...
This is not an aircraft repair.

I've got a piece of 4130 tubing, about 3" long, 3/4" dia and I'm
trying to slip it over a like size tubing.
Just because I'm trying to let friction do the holding, I'd like to
remove as little metal from the external sleeve as possible.
I made a slot in the tube and expanded it slightly with a wedge.
I though maybe heating the insides would cause it to open like a clam.

I could wedge it open and apply heat, thus deforming the tube.

Other suggestions? - Mike

In article ,
Michael Horowitz wrote:

This is not an aircraft repair.

I've got a piece of 4130 tubing, about 3" long, 3/4" dia and I'm
trying to slip it over a like size tubing.
Just because I'm trying to let friction do the holding, I'd like to
remove as little metal from the external sleeve as possible.
I made a slot in the tube and expanded it slightly with a wedge.
I though maybe heating the insides would cause it to open like a clam.

I could wedge it open and apply heat, thus deforming the tube.

Other suggestions? - Mike

At least for larger diameter tubes, you can buy a tubing expander from
Harbor Freight -- and they work!

For 3/4" tube--take a 3/4" ball bearing--drive it in until it's flush,
then take a short pc of 5/8" tube place on top of the ball bearing,
(ends have to be square) and push-- Jerry


Orval Fairbairn wrote:
In article ,
Michael Horowitz wrote:

This is not an aircraft repair.

I've got a piece of 4130 tubing, about 3" long, 3/4" dia and I'm
trying to slip it over a like size tubing.
Just because I'm trying to let friction do the holding, I'd like to
remove as little metal from the external sleeve as possible.
I made a slot in the tube and expanded it slightly with a wedge.
I though maybe heating the insides would cause it to open like a clam.

I could wedge it open and apply heat, thus deforming the tube.

Other suggestions? - Mike

At least for larger diameter tubes, you can buy a tubing expander from
Harbor Freight -- and they work!

On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:43:56 -0400, Michael Horowitz
wrote:


I did it; very crudely. welded a piece of bar stock to a piece of
tubing (along the tubing's axis,(looking vaguely like a hand axe, only
much smaller), inserted the bar stock into the slot, then pushed down
on the 'handle/tube" . that opened the slot enough to allow me to slip
1/8" over the tube I wanted to surround. hammered it the rest of the
way.

Now, there are aircraft repairs(I'm thinking of streamlined tube and
landing gear) which say take a like sized piece of tubing, split it
and slip it over the original tube.

Can I use the same brute-force method or is that too much scaring of
metal? - MIke

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:42:47 -0400, Michael Horowitz
wrote:

I find myself having to enlarge a bushing's ID by 1/16ths to 3/8ths.
My concern is I don't know how to insure the 3/8" bit is aligned with
the axis of the hole. Centered is good, but I'm more concerned with
the alignment.
Suggestions? - Mike

I went to the machine shop around the corner with the intent of
picking their brains. He took one look at it and said "push out the
old bushing and push this one in". The new bushing had the ID I was
looking for. Total time - :15 - Thanks for the replies - Mike

On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 09:27:23 -0400, Michael Horowitz
wrote:

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:42:47 -0400, Michael Horowitz
wrote:

I find myself having to enlarge a bushing's ID by 1/16ths to 3/8ths.
My concern is I don't know how to insure the 3/8" bit is aligned with
the axis of the hole. Centered is good, but I'm more concerned with
the alignment.
Suggestions? - Mike

I went to the machine shop around the corner with the intent of
picking their brains. He took one look at it and said "push out the
old bushing and push this one in". The new bushing had the ID I was
looking for. Total time - :15 - Thanks for the replies - Mike

your machine shop actually gave you the correct answer.