Best type of reamer for opening a snowblower tire wheel from 7/8 to 1"?

[Arcane]

gellfex, do you not have a mill?

[gellfex]

Just to add closure to this thread, today I took it on today as snow season approaches. Mea Culpa, I was even wrong in my OP about the size, it was needing to open it from 3/4 to 7/8, not 7/8 to 1". I only have a stubby 7/8 S&D with just 2" of flutes, but the hub is only 4.5" wide. I put a 5" 3 jaw lathe chuck with the back resting on 3 1" blocks on my DP table and grabbed the hub of the wheel, put the belt on the slowest speed, set the VFD to around 2-300rpm, and went for it. Little rough and grabby, but worked. Flipped it over and did the other side. Slid onto the axle! Did the other and was done.

Sometimes the only thing to fear is fear itself. And being overly anal.

[Tungsten dipper]

Like golf, too much analysis create paralysis. This describes this forum to a tee.

[gellfex]

Like golf, too much analysis create paralysis. This describes this forum to a tee.

True in this case, but we all know of cases when diving in ignorant has resulted in disaster, or at least crappy work. Here's a story:

Many years ago my shop was in a Tribeca basement loft with one of those sidewalk elevators that pushes up the sidewalk flush doors with an arch over the lift. One day it suffered a catastrophic failure, falling and wedging itself. I found the problem pretty quickly. This thing was driven by a DC motor the size of a beer keg that had to have dated to when Edison wired Lower Manhattan. It had a coupling from the reducing gears to the lifting winches that was cast iron, nearly a foot in diameter and on a 2" shaft. It had cracked.

I studied the situation and found that the way the 2 shafts nearly butted there was no coupler on the market that could replace it, and there was no room to cut the shafts and install a modern coupler. The Landlord was annoyed, as I had said that if it broke I would fix it. Eventually he said he had someone to fix it. I was impressed, I couldn't wait to see how they did it. The horror. He simply arc welded the cracked cast iron coupler to the shaft! Fixed! No one would listen to me about how stupid that was, you don't repair something in a way that is not only irreversible but likely to fail. It was working! Ignorance is bliss.

[Richard P Wilson]

OK, but did the weld hold, and for how long? If its holding, sounds like a fix in the best 'git 'er done' tradition. Yes, sometimes it helps not to realise how difficult something is until after you've done it.

[RMinMN]

Just to add closure to this thread, today I took it on today as snow season approaches. Mea Culpa, I was even wrong in my OP about the size, it was needing to open it from 3/4 to 7/8, not 7/8 to 1". I only have a stubby 7/8 S&D with just 2" of flutes, but the hub is only 4.5" wide. I put a 5" 3 jaw lathe chuck with the back resting on 3 1" blocks on my DP table and grabbed the hub of the wheel, put the belt on the slowest speed, set the VFD to around 2-300rpm, and went for it. Little rough and grabby, but worked. Flipped it over and did the other side. Slid onto the axle! Did the other and was done.

Sometimes the only thing to fear is fear itself. And being overly anal.

You have the tools to work with precision and expect a precision way to make this work. The hub never was precision and has no need of being precision. In a case like this, close is good enough.

[BigMike782]

Because you are really asking a lot.
I would do the job, but charge $500.
And I would not guarantee any tolerance.
I think you should try it and report back
your results. I get the feeling you believe
it is easier than the actual effort required
to pull off what you are requesting.

-D

Speaking of being a total ass......

[BigMike782]

True in this case, but we all know of cases when diving in ignorant has resulted in disaster, or at least crappy work. Here's a story:

Many years ago my shop was in a Tribeca basement loft with one of those sidewalk elevators that pushes up the sidewalk flush doors with an arch over the lift. One day it suffered a catastrophic failure, falling and wedging itself. I found the problem pretty quickly. This thing was driven by a DC motor the size of a beer keg that had to have dated to when Edison wired Lower Manhattan. It had a coupling from the reducing gears to the lifting winches that was cast iron, nearly a foot in diameter and on a 2" shaft. It had cracked.

I studied the situation and found that the way the 2 shafts nearly butted there was no coupler on the market that could replace it, and there was no room to cut the shafts and install a modern coupler. The Landlord was annoyed, as I had said that if it broke I would fix it. Eventually he said he had someone to fix it. I was impressed, I couldn't wait to see how they did it. The horror. He simply arc welded the cracked cast iron coupler to the shaft! Fixed! No one would listen to me about how stupid that was, you don't repair something in a way that is not only irreversible but likely to fail. It was working! Ignorance is bliss.

Glad you got it fixed.
I was going to offer that you box em up and ship them to me and I would gladly swap them out. Small tires can be a real PITA to get seated SOMETIMES.
When that happens wrap some rope or a small ratchet strap around the perimeter and squeeze the tire to get it to take air just be careful of how much pressure you have in it before loosening your tightening method.

[Doozer]

Speaking of being a total ass......

Maybe you think so,
but when someone asks for an asinine machining task to be performed,
I then in turn reply with an asinine quotation for said requested work.
Tit for tat it is called.
So yes you are correct.
Glad you are keeping pace.

-Doozer

[J Tiers]

Maybe you think so,
but when someone asks for an asinine machining task to be performed,
I then in turn reply with an asinine quotation for said requested work.
Tit for tat it is called.
So yes you are correct.
Glad you are keeping pace.

-Doozer

"asinine" is in the eye of the beholder........ There are lots of folks here who may not come up to your personal standard of machining knowledge.

You might try remembering that at one time "YOU" were the one who knew nothing......

Maybe you got traumatized by someone who acted as you are doing now.

That's no reason to jump people's case for not pleasing you with their questions. Questions are asked because people want knowledge. That's actually smart.

The real problem is Bubba, who knows nothing particular, and is not bothered by that. He grabs anything that looks about right and proceeds to apply force to it to get the job done.

[gellfex]

Maybe you think so,
but when someone asks for an asinine machining task to be performed,
I then in turn reply with an asinine quotation for said requested work.
Tit for tat it is called.
So yes you are correct.
Glad you are keeping pace.

-Doozer

I don't recall asking you to do anything, I was asking advice about reamers.

[Doozer]

I don't recall asking you to do anything, I was asking advice about reamers.

To drill them out is not quite the way to go.
Reaming multiple times is also asking a lot.
The best idea mentioned is to use one of those core drill bits
with like 3 or 4 flutes. My comment was in relation to the
effort it world take to get these wheels reamed out and is it
worth the time and effort and what kind of strength in the wheel
do you have when you got done. If you can't read between the
lines, I was saying someone was quoting the job way high and
the hopes of not having to do it. You know how that trick goes.
-D

[BigMike782]

Maybe you think so,
but when someone asks for an asinine machining task to be performed,
I then in turn reply with an asinine quotation for said requested work.
Tit for tat it is called.
So yes you are correct.
Glad you are keeping pace.

-Doozer

So anytime you see a post that you judge is below you you kick the guy with an insult. You couldn’t state your superior knowledge in a constructive fashion?
You, sir are an azz!

[Doozer]

If someone comes into my shop with some ridiculous machining task that they want done,
then I give them a quote so high, either it scares them away or I make a ton of money
for my trouble. Is that not common business practice ? Maybe I am an azz then,
but I really don't care.

-D

[J Tiers]

.........................Maybe I am an azz then,
but I really don't care.

-D

We noticed.

I'd probably suggest a different way, or suggest that they re-think what they want. And explain that what they asked for may not be the best approach.

If they insist on a way that I do not think is any good, I'd just no-bid them. I've heard of folks taking the shop up on those "forget it" quotes, maybe because they got chased ot other places. If the quote is accepted, you have to do the job that you tried to get out of.