Like the rest of you, I make fun of Harbor Freight products, all the while shopping and buying them at their new store in town. Their 1-1/8 to 1-3/4 in. tailpipe expander costs under $10. The closing bolt seems small, but could this device serve as a cheap, unpatented expanding spigot chuck? Arch
Fortiter,
Arch, I know the device you're talking about. It would be able to hold a piece if expanded into a hole like used for a pin chuck. However, I don't know how stable it would be in motion, or if it would continue to hold under cutting and rotational pressures. For sure, it would probably not be a repeatable process, all cutting would have to be done in one session. I don't think you would be able to dismount it and then remount it with the accuracy of a scroll chuck. I tried one of those small expanding chucks that are designed for turning the small (1 3/8") clock movement housings. They work on the same principle as the tailpipe expander. As long as you did't have any problems , and took llight cuts, they were OK, but with very much pressure, they would come off center, and were a nigtmare to try to reset to proper alignment. Why don't you try the one you bought, mount it up, stand out of the way, turn it on and let us know how well it works. By the way, most of us have some Harbor freight tools. For people on a limited budget, they can make the tool buck go a lot further, especially in their pliers, wrenches, etc. The electrical devices may be somewhat questionable, but they stand behind them pretty well.
Ken Moon Webberville,TX
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