VIDEO: How to Center a Boring Bar in 6 Easy Steps

Don't let the name fool you because it's far from boring. But today we're going to show you how to center a boring bar. In turning applications, it's important for the tool to be centered in relation to the machine to ensure proper cutting and to do that we'll be using a digital angle finder.

First, place the angle finder flush against the angle finder seat. Then attach the seat to the X-axis of the lathe. The seat is magnetized so everything will hold in place. Turn the angle finder on and then press zero to zero out the angle finder. Now that the angle finder is calibrated to the lathe, let's attach it to the boring bar. Looking at the bolt-on head of the bar, you'll see a flat that the angle finder seat will magnetize to. With the angle finder attached to the boring bar, rotate the bar until the angle finder reads zero degrees then tighten the bar in place and now the boring bar is on center and ready to go.