Suitable boring bar for use in sideways hole in boring head?

The vibration is more likely from tool chatter / rigidity issues than from the off balance boring head, unless your are running it excessively fast.

I recently cut some panel meter holes that way, after roughing them out with the nearest undersized hole saw. The feed outward was 0.010 per pass, more than that caused trouble. Speed was 180 RPM, the slowest pulley setting, and still somewhat too fast.

jsw

What cutter are you using? A HSS with the right grind and light cuts should do it.

Same shake when not actually cutting? I run my boring head

Using a M42 boring bar w/.5" shank bar in the outboard mounting hole.

Not sure I understand the question. Your boring head looks like the Harbor Freight model 33562-0VGA L? With two holes that are vertical and one hole that is horizontal? And you are asking if you can use the horizontal hole?

I have not read anything about how to use a boring head, but I would assume the horizontal hole is put there to use.

Have you calculated what the RPM ought to be when boring a 2.75 inch hole? I have not, but 500 rpm sounds pretty high to me.

I happen to have a calculator handy. At 500 rpm the SFM is 360. Okay for brass or aluminum.

Second, when using a boring bar you want the cutting edge slightly above center. That is so any deflection of the cutting edge reduces the cut. The same principle as having the cutting edge slightly below center when making a cut on the OD.

From a Web search that looks like a nice home shop mill. Why not start at 100 RPM in low range?

jsw

That's your problem, the machine doesn't have a back gear, does it? When you get up to larger diameters, you need to slow down.

Jon

It does have a low range. I need to re-mount the large boring head after I unmount the rotary table and mount the workpiece to the table.