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Woody, I too sometimes use a rat-tail file, I snapped it in half and chuck it into a drill motor -- you hit on the key element "until they fit". The reamer I just posted is actually about 1.5 degrees, but if you wiggle it a bit it will easily produce the angle you need -- to "make the pin fit". The part number on my taper reamer is "Haskins M3322" it is also less then three degrees. -- Bottom line in my view, no you are not missing anything.

Kevin, is this reamer have a taper of 5 deg? It looks similar to the reamer that Martin sells.
Thanks,
Darryl

klooker wrote:I bought one of these at my local hardware store.
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/Produc ... ?SKU=26306

The one I got must be old because it was stamped "Made in USA".

It worked great with the bridge pins that came with my kit from Martin which have a 5 degree angle.

Kevin Looker

Any guesses, or better yet, answers? :-)
DaveB

Got it figured I think. If you treat the reamer as a triangle, since we know the upper diameter, and the length of the sides, we can plug those values into a calculator such as: http://www.3eck.org/triangle/en/calculator_simple.php. For the stewmac 3227 bridge pin reamer, the upper diameter is .312, the sides are 3", the angle calculates out to 6 degrees, half of which gives us 3 degrees as per their catalog.

With that online calculator we should be able to figure the reamer taper. I'm not sure this would work for large figures since I used a triangle for the example whereas the true shape of a reamer - it does not come to a 'point' - is actually a trapezoid.

Maybe I'll just go make some sawdust to clear my head. :-)
DaveB

You'd have to extend the trapezoid to a full point to calculate the taper, making it a triangle. Heading to the sawdust now, also.