Chamber reamer "chatter"

[48473]

OK I hate to admit it but while cutting a chamber in a rifle barrel today it developed a "chatter". Of course I tried several fixes but none have worked. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have cut hundreds of chambers over the years and this is a first. New clymer reamer which was slightly stoned before I started. Lathe running very slow with plenty of cutting oil. Thanks!

[trotterlg]

I've had the same experience as you.  My problems were with a 35 Wheland, I had even cut chambers with the same reamer before with good success.  There are lots of solutions people say to try, packing the reamer with grease, wrapping tissue paper around it etc.  Once it starts it is very hard to get it to stop, I never did.  Sometimes I think it may get started with an interaction of the flutes and the rfieling and then just goes on from there.   Larry

[gunnut69]

I'm a really poor one to give advise but have heard that increasing the speed and lightening the pressure will do the theory is that the chatter is a redult of a harmonic vibration and by altering the vibratory pattern of the reamer/barrel combo one should be able to erase the chatter marks. I've not tried this but have never fixed a chamber with this problem any other way, so was up to try it when(if) the need ever arose again.. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Whats the caliber..

[48473]

This is a contender carbine barrel that is chambered in 25 short Kraig. The reamer was new from clymer and it was furnished by the customer. When the chatter started I stopped and stoned the cutting edges of the reamer, thinking that might help, but it didn't. At that point I changed reamers and cut the chamber short with a 25/35 PTG reamer thinking that would eliminate all chance of the chatter starting up again. As soon as I started to finish cut the chamber the chatter started up again. Maybe it's the reamer? It was new and sealed but I'm sure it was old stock. I'll give it another round today and let you guys know what happens. I'll give the higher speed a try!
Thanks for the comments!

[Thebear_78]

I have experienced this  myself.  pack it with white grease and try wrapping some masking tape over the reamer, alternate between slow and faster speeds.  We found that the lubricant we were using just wasn't getting the job done, switched to the kind we normally used and chatter went away.  Its a real PITA.  Good luck.

[wtroger]

First I don't like the clymer reamers since they where bought /sold out. They are made to run on faster machines. With that being said either slow down or speed up. In your case is would say speed up quite a bit and feed real light. Wrapping the reamer with wax paper sometimes will get you past this condition. I assume you are using your usual coolant lubricant if you have changed that then go back to what you are using. I have an old South Bend that is not a fast machine and I have only had this problem once very early on in my chambering history. In that case it was the lubricant I was using. I went to using lard and sulfur based dark threading cutting oil as my lub / coolant. haven't had issues since.

[48473]

Thanks to everyone for their imput. I have eliminated the problem by soaking some of the paper hand towels that you find in the gas station bathrooms with cutting oil. At that point I wrapped them around the reamer as tight as possible then pushed the whole works into the chamber. I did speed the machine up slightly, the chatter went away and I was able to finish the job.