Line Boring & Cutting Tools

Line boring is the process of enlarging the bore, or inside diameter, of a piece of pipe or other type of substance that has an inside and outside diameter and that is hollow. Line boring is often used with engines, for boring out cylinders to increase the diameter during an engine rebuild or in the manufacture of all kinds of pipes and other cylindrical items. There are a number of different line boring and cutting tools available, and each one has a specific purpose as well as a best use.

Large Boring Machines

Large line boring machines are often used in stationary applications, such as in factories where equipment is produced or rebuilt. These machines are very large and are not portable, but they are very precise, able to bore and hone the interior of a metal surface to within thousandths of an inch of tolerance in order to make sure that machined parts can fit together. These machines often cost tens of thousands of dollars or more and are rarely seen by anyone outside of the machine tool industry.

Carbide cutting and boring tools are used on large and small boring machines in order to actually do the material removal required for the application in question. Carbide tools are generally harder than steel and may have removable carbide tips that can be replaced when they get dull from repeated use. Carbide cutting and boring tools come in a variety of styles, including bit-type styles that are designed to be used with a drill or drilling machines.

Honing tools are another component of the line boring and cutting industry. After a hole has been bored out or enlarged using a carbide cutting tool, the surface that has been cut must be honed, or polished, in order to ensure that no burrs or other metal problems remain. Honing tools are made of stones with very fine grit that can be inserted into the hole and spun at high velocity to create a non-directional surface that is smooth as glass and free of scratches or high spots that might damage the machinery.