What do you do when you have a hardened steel sprocket with a ½” hole, but you need the hole to be 15/16”? Sure, you can try a drill bit, but you may end up with the bit turned into small sharp shards of metal. You may burn up one or two of those expensive cobalt bits, or you may not be successful at all. The right way to handle this is with a reamer. Specifically, the Champion Cutting Tool Reamer SA80.

In our case, we had 8 sprockets with ½” holes in the center. We needed these to be 15/16” to fit our Tiny-Clutches for a secret project we’re working on. This required two reaming steps: one, to expand the hole to ¾”, and the next to finish it to the desired 15/16”. To keep the Reamer bit cutting efficiently, we used Brute Lube wax made by Champion. Also, be prepared when you choose to do some reaming, hence the metal shavings are small, sharp and many. Keep a magnet and broom handy if you’re not already in a fab or metal shop.

[adsenseyu1]

Champion Cutting Tool Reamer SA80 Features

Using the Champion SA80M reamer was pretty simple. We chucked the SA80’s ½” shank into our DeWalt cordless drill and confirmed the bit was true (no wobble). Next up, we added the Brute Lube wax to the reamer bit to keep it cutting and cool. With our specially fabricated sprocket holder in the vice (2×6 pine with 2 screws to hold the sprocket), with sprocket attached, the reaming ensued.

As long as pressure was kept on the cutting edge, the Champion SA80 reamer continued to remove metal from the sprocket. As you can see in the video, the SA80 was able to open the hole to ¾” in less than a minute. The second reamer bit in sequence, to expand to 15/16” took less time than this.

The ½” shank of the bit transitions to an enlarged collar stop, this is a positive stop to know your reaming is complete. Unlike a typical drill bit, the Champion Cutting Tool reamer has a left hand helix, and a right hand cut. Simply put, the SA80 cutting edges twist to the left (opposite of a typical bit), but you still turn the bit to the right (clockwise). It is a little hard to get used to seeing it, but it is very effective. With the drill and bit turning to the right, and the helix twisting left, the small metal shavings exit away from the operator.

Wrapping Up

This was another instance where having the right tool for the job was priceless. The Champion SA80 reamer came through for us in great fashion, and kept us from destroying equipment and accessories. If you need to enlarge a hole in any type of metal, we recommend the Champion Cutting Tool reamer SA80. Champion has reamers in various sizes to fit your needs.

[adsenseyu2]

If you are interested in the Champion SA80 reamers, click here.