# Making a Spider for the lathe



## mickri (Dec 4, 2020)

Other projects are on hold waiting for materials to arrive.  Another thread was talking about lathe spiders and I always wanted one for my lathe.  Realized that I can add a spider to my lathe by replacing the collar at the end of the spindle with a spider.  Since the spider will be replacing the collar the spider will be a permanent addition to the lathe.  Looked in the scrap bin and found a suitable chunk of 1018 2" round bar.   The collar OD is 1.75". The threaded portion of the spindle where the collar fits is .500 long.  Won't know the major and minor diameters or the TPI until I take the collar off to measure everything tomorrow morning.

My gut instinct tells me that I want this spider as short as possible.  One I don't want this thing whirling around with bolts sticking out of it.  I can see myself and/or other stuff getting caught in it.  Not good. The other reason why I want it as close to the end of the spindle as possible is to be able to hold stuff that barely sticks out of the spindle.

 I am thinking no more than 1.25" long.  .500" for the threaded portion and .750" for portion with the bolts.  Using 1/4" bolts center in the .750 portion would have the bolts .250" from the end of the spindle.  Is this too close to the spindle?  I have never used a spider before so I don't know how close the bolts can be to the spindle.

Educate me on spiders.


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## mksj (Dec 4, 2020)

Spiders can be made in many variations, I use two sets of 4 holes depending on if I used set screws or allen cap screws so I had enough clearance, on may lathes when extended they can hit the cover or a cover retaining post.  I normally do not leave them in if I am not using and you always want a locking nut for each bolt so they do not loosen and fly out and hit something. They are normally out of the way that they should catch anything. Also they are good for holding stock centered through the spindle but do not expect them to hold stock sticking out past the spindle say another foot. The bar can setup a vibration, bend and whip anything around it to a pulp or worse break off and do some bad damage or kill someone. I have including some drawing done by a friend based on my original  design for the 1340GT.

Set of different bolts, the one on the right are allen screws with retainer nuts.


This is what it looks like on the lathe, note the tight clearance to the cover, and these do not show the locking jam nuts that I always use.


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## jcmullis2 (Dec 4, 2020)

mksj said:


> Spiders can be made in many variations, I use two sets of 4 holes depending on if I used set screws or allen cap screws so I had enough clearance, on may lathes when extended they can hit the cover or a cover retaining post.  I normally do not leave them in if I am not using and you always want a locking nut for each bolt so they do not loosen and fly out and hit something. They are normally out of the way that they should catch anything. Also they are good for holding stock centered through the spindle but do not expect them to hold stock sticking out past the spindle say another foot. The bar can setup a vibration, bend and whip anything around it to a pulp or worse break off and do some bad damage or kill someone. I have including some drawing done by a friend based on my original  design for the 1340GT.
> 
> Set of different bolts, the one on the right are allen screws with retainer nuts.
> View attachment 346164
> ...


Now that’s a good looking spider. I like the whole setup. Especially how you incorporated your indicator. That’s much like the spider I have envisioned. However, I was gonna make my bolts from hex brass rod but now I’m afraid they’ll be too soft after reading your reply. I don’t won’t stuff flying apart that’s for certain. What size are your bolts and did you add the brass ends or buy them like that? Really nice setup.


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## mickri (Dec 5, 2020)

The only way that I can attach a spider to my lathe is to remove a threaded collar and replace it with the spider.  I would rather that the spider be a permanent addition rather than having to do a R&R every time I wanted to use it.  I would remove the set screws/bolts when not using the spider.  I like how you added the brass tips on the set screws.


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## jcmullis2 (Dec 5, 2020)

Mine has 2 threaded collars, with the outer collar acting as a locking nut. The spider should easily replace my outer collar. I was gonna use brass bolts but I’ll probably drill and tap the bolts and thread a few pieces of brass to make the brass tips. My spider should work pretty good but I’ll be removing the bolts just in case


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## mickri (Dec 5, 2020)

Mine has only one collar.  It is held in place by a set screw that tightens a plug against the spindle.


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## jcmullis2 (Dec 5, 2020)

mickri said:


> Mine has only one collar.  It is held in place by a set screw that tightens a plug against the spindle.


From what I seen in the pic yours is a much more solid piece of equipment. Hopefully mine won’t come apart on me.

P.S. I located those brass tipped Allen head screws at grizzly for a few bucks if you’re interested.


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## addertooth (Dec 5, 2020)

Another option is to machine some tapered nylon or Delrin buttons that screw onto the Part-Contact end of your spider bolts. They will scar the surface of your items even less, which may be important if you are turning a barrel which has been blued.


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## mksj (Dec 5, 2020)

Make your own brass tips, why waste the money buying them. You center drill the screw on the lathe and can get some brass rod to fit and attached with some loctite. I also have them with ball bearings in the end and aluminum or brass fingers for barrel work. You would do an internal thread on the spider and just thread it onto the spindle instead of the lock collar. These are just examples of how it can be done.


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## jcmullis2 (Dec 5, 2020)

mksj said:


> Make your own brass tips, why waste the money buying them. You center drill the screw on the lathe and can get some brass rod to fit and attached with some loctite. I also have them with ball bearings in the end and aluminum or brass fingers for barrel work. You would do an internal thread on the spider and just thread it onto the spindle instead of the lock collar. These are just examples of how it can be done.
> View attachment 346228


I was gonna make them from hex bar until I read the post about stuff whipping and flying around. I liked the looks of his brass tipped and thought I’d make some like you said until I found a 4pack for less than $5 at Grizzly. If they are too small I’ll make some. 
Your ball bearing idea sounds interesting. How do you keep the bearing in the drilled hole? My luck they’d fall out and ruin my part.


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## mickri (Dec 5, 2020)

Spent the day making the spider.  All was going well until I got to the internal threading to fit the spider onto the end of the spindle.  Instead of doing it the way I normally do I tried the cross slide method where you pull the cutter straight in with the cross slide.  I must have been doing something wrong because I don't know what I was cutting but it definitely wasn't threads. Wasted most of the afternoon fiddling with it.  Luckily I had bored the hole to the small size of the minor diameter.  Did a couple of clean up passes and went back to my tried and true internal threading using the compound.  Even the parting went smooth with no drama to speak of.  All that is left is to drill and tap holes for the screws.  I'll have some pictures tomorrow.


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## mksj (Dec 5, 2020)

I use a ball end cutter to cut the round radius and metal epoxy to retain the ball. I picked up the ball bearings (I think they were 1/4") at Ace Hardware, but people usually  have them stashed away.


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## mickri (Dec 6, 2020)

The spider is done.  I will pick up the bolts/setscrews this week when I go to town.  I know you guys like pictures so I took a bunch as I made the spider.  Chucked up the round bar in the 3 jaw and set the carriage stop a 1.500".  After parting off the spider would be 1.375" long.  In the past when turning to a shoulder I would wiggle a piece of paper between the stop and the carriage.  When the paper grabbed I would disengage the half nuts.  This time when the carriage got almost to the stop I disengaged the half nuts and did the last bit by hand.  I think that the shoulder came out better doing it this way.  The OD of the collar is 1.750".  I used my two cut method to turn to the target 1.750".  Took roughing cuts until I was within .010 and then took two final cuts of .005.  Came out spot on 1.750."




Next was boring the hole.  I could have drilled all the way through but decided I needed the practice boring a blind hole.  The hole needed to be 1.500" deep to match the outside.   I wanted the hole to be just bigger than the hole in the spindle.  The spindle hole was .8125.  I step drilled the hole to .750 ID using the scale on the tailstock to get 1.500" deep.





Next came the boring bar.  I used the longest carbide tipped one that I had because I could bore a blind hole with it.  I prefer HSS boring bars but the ones I have won't let me bore a blind hole.  I set the carriage stop by running the bar as far into the hole that it would go.  Used the same method that I used turning the OD to bore the ID.  Run in close to the stop and do the last little bit by hand.  Next came the boring and threading to match the spindle OD.  1.250 x 20 tpi x .500 long.  The online threading calculator I use gave a minor diameter range of 1.196 to 1.207.  To set the carriage stop I put a mark on the outside .500 from the end and put the end of the boring bar on the mark.  I should have used a shorter boring bar but this one was already in the holder.  I enlarged the bore to 1.195 ID.




Next came threading.  Instead of using my usual method for internal threads I decided to try the straight in cross slide method that several forum members say they use for internal threading.  I don't know what I did wrong but I definitely wasn't cutting threads.  After fiddling with it for far too long I went back to my usual method.  It was a good thing that I had bored to the minimum minor diameter.  Took a couple of clean up passes and had the threads cut in no time.  No pictures of the thread cutting.  Parting off went well with no drama to speak of.

Next I need to drill and tap all of the holes for the screws.  Like others that I have seen online I used the jaws on the chuck to mark lines equally spaced around the spider.  I did this using a small metal ruler held against the jaws on 3 jaw and 4 jaw chucks.  I did both for 4 screws and 3 screws because I thought that it would handy at times to use one or the other.  I think that I am good to go.




Get over to the drill press and realize I need a line on the face of the spider to make sure my marks weren't off to one side and are exactly on top.  Use the center finder on my combo square and discovered that the marks I had scribed don't lined up.  Couldn't figure out why at the time and still don't know why they didn't line up.



	

		
			
		

		
	
  Sorry for the lousy picture that doesn't show the lines being off.

I scribed new lines using the center finder.  Moved on to drilling and taping holes.  The X Y vice that I got from C Bag came in handy lining things up on the drill press.  I am horrible at center punching.  So I use a very pointed center drill instead of a center punch.  Drilled and tapped the holes.






It's done.


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## Jim F (Dec 6, 2020)

Nice job !!
Did you drill and tap for the set screw at the spindle end ?


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## mickri (Dec 6, 2020)

Yes I did drill and tap for the set screw on the spindle end.  That is a 1/4 - 20 set screw and there is a small brass plug that the set screw forces into the threads on the spindle.  I will have to check the adjustment on the spindle.  The procedure to do that is in the manual for the lathe.

The rest of the holes were tapped for 5/16 - 18 screws.  I will probably use set screws because some of my tool holders use 5/16 - 18 set screws and bolts.  I keep the allen wrench and a 1/2 open end wrench handy by the lathe.


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## Jim F (Dec 6, 2020)

Must be nice having 16 speeds.......
I only have 6.


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## mickri (Dec 6, 2020)

I have only use a couple of the available speeds because so far everything I have machined has been steel.  I use 28 rpm for threading and primarily 264 rpm for general turning.


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## jcmullis2 (Dec 6, 2020)

mickri said:


> The spider is done.  I will pick up the bolts/setscrews this week when I go to town.  I know you guys like pictures so I took a bunch as I made the spider.  Chucked up the round bar in the 3 jaw and set the carriage stop a 1.500".  After parting off the spider would be 1.375" long.  In the past when turning to a shoulder I would wiggle a piece of paper between the stop and the carriage.  When the paper grabbed I would disengage the half nuts.  This time when the carriage got almost to the stop I disengaged the half nuts and did the last bit by hand.  I think that the shoulder came out better doing it this way.  The OD of the collar is 1.750".  I used my two cut method to turn to the target 1.750".  Took roughing cuts until I was within .010 and then took two final cuts of .005.  Came out spot on 1.750."
> 
> View attachment 346324
> 
> ...


That’s a darn nice spider. It worked out good and didn’t interfere with your gear cover. Really nice job


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## mickri (Dec 8, 2020)

There is an accessory that I want to make for the spider.  A dead center.  Besides being able to dial something in I would also like to have dead center that fits precisely on the bore of the spider.  Machining the dead center I can do.  I have some 1018 that I could use or some mystery steel that doesn't seem to machine very well to make it out of.

But what about heat treating the pointy end.  Do I need to do this?  And how would I do it?  If I have to get it red hot the only source of that kind of heat that I have would be to throw it into the coals on my wood stove.  The only other thing that I have is a propane torch.  Heat treat the whole thing or just the pointy end?

Suggestions


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## Jim F (Dec 8, 2020)

mickri said:


> There is an accessory that I want to make for the spider.  A dead center.  Besides being able to dial something in I would also like to have dead center that fits precisely on the bore of the spider.  Machining the dead center I can do.  I have some 1018 that I could use or some mystery steel that doesn't seem to machine very well to make it out of.
> 
> But what about heat treating the pointy end.  Do I need to do this?  And how would I do it?  If I have to get it red hot the only source of that kind of heat that I have would be to throw it into the coals on my wood stove.  The only other thing that I have is a propane torch.  Heat treat the whole thing or just the pointy end?
> 
> Suggestions


I would not worry about the heat treat.
I have 3 dead centers that came with my lathe, only 1 is hardened.
As it will be turning with the spindle, there will not be any friction to speak of.


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## Tozguy (Dec 8, 2020)

mickri said:


> would also like to have dead center that fits precisely on the bore of the spider.


Just curious about the intended use of a center on the outboard end of the spindle.


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## mickri (Dec 8, 2020)

No current intended use.  Seems like it might be handy to have if I needed to turn something between centers that was too long to fit between a dead center in the headstock and a live center in the tailstock.  Easier to do now before I permanently install the spider on the spindle.


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## jcmullis2 (Dec 8, 2020)

That’s a interesting idea. I would go with hardening it just in case. However the problem I see with that is it might get deformed in the process and then you wouldn’t get the precision you’re shooting for. What idea do you have on attaching it to your spider? Would external threads on the dead center and internal threads on the spider be okay? I would hate for it to back out and tear something up or worse. 
I want to learn how to thread and chamber my own barrels at some point and was thinking that working between centers would be a easier setup and give better results. Your dead center in the spider might come in real handy for that. Darn good idea. Let us know how it turns out.


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## mickri (Dec 8, 2020)

My lathe came with a Craftsman tool post grinder (wrong term??) that mounts on the compound.  I can always grind the pointy end if I need to.

Gunsmith Rod Henrickson who goes by Spearchucker on many forums posted on PM how he threads and chambers barrels between centers.  I have several barrel jobs on my to do list and will follow his method.   Chamber reaming between centres (practicalmachinist.com)


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## Jim F (Dec 8, 2020)

mickri said:


> My lathe came with a Craftsman tool post grinder (wrong term??) that mounts on the compound.  I can always grind the pointy end if I need to.
> 
> Gunsmith Rod Henrickson who goes by Spearchucker on many forums posted on PM how he threads and chambers barrels between centers.  I have several barrel jobs on my to do list and will follow his method.   Chamber reaming between centres (practicalmachinist.com)


Between centers is the only way to get true concentricity.
Just make sure the headstock and tailstock are aligned in both X and Y.


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## jcmullis2 (Dec 8, 2020)

I’ve seen countless videos where the gunsmith tells how important concentricity is and then he sticks a grizzly rod in the barrel and adjusts the barrel with the chuck and spider. Most mention how it can take 30-45 minutes to get it right and that their way is superior. It doesn’t make since to me for them to do all of that. The first thing I learned about concentricity was that between centers is best. I’ve never done any barrels but it seems that it would be easier and better to work between centers. I’m glad to hear that people are doing it that way. I should mention that in this day and age people shouldn’t call that fella a spear chucker. We use to say stuff like that here in the south but colored folk aren’t typically treated like that anymore. Different times


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## Jim F (Dec 8, 2020)

Spearchucker is what he named himself......


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## mickri (Dec 8, 2020)

His actual online name which he chose is spearchucker30x378.  He is up in Canada and was trained in Colorado I believe.

I totally agree.  It makes no sense to me to go through all of the trouble dialing in rods sticking out of both ends of the barrel.  My understanding of the theory is that dead and live centers may not be true to the bore where as a dialed in rod is true to the bore.  When I get to doing my barrels I will do them between centers.  I specifically got a 12x36 lathe so I could chamber barrels between centers.


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## Tozguy (Dec 9, 2020)

The discussion on chambering methods has been going on for many moons. There is more than one way to cut a chamber well on a lathe. Results depend as much on how well the operator understands and applies the procedure as on the procedure itself.
Basic assumptions about how straight the bore is and what part of the bore to dial in can vary. Some take great pains to dial in a bore simply because it suits their limited equipment and they enjoy doing it that way.


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## mickri (Dec 9, 2020)

For the people competing at the highest levels the mental aspect of believing that you have the absolute best equipment possible has a relationship to how well you will do.  Any doubt about your rifle will be reflected in how well you shoot.  If dialing in a barrel with rods gives you more confidence in your rifle's accuracy you will shoot better.  If you think chambering between centers achieves a better result than dialing in rods than that is what you should do.  For us mere mortals that want a rifle that will shoot minute of deer, coyote or whatever it probably doesn't matter what method you use to chamber a barrel along as you do a decent job.

Chambering between centers was a practical consideration for me.  Lathes with a large enough spindle bore to chamber with rods through the headstock were more than I could afford.  The lathes that I could afford invariably had a 3/4" spindle bore.  So I looked for at least 30" between centers and ended up with a Craftsman 12x36.  I first thought about a dead center in the outboard end of the spindle to provide the extra length needed to chamber between centers when all I was finding was lathes with a between centers length of around 22".  In my travels around the web I ran across people chambering barrels on mini lathes.  Even found one guy who reamed the spindle on his mini lathe out to either 13/16 or 7/8.  He was a master machinist who worked at the Lawrence Livermore Labs with all of the computer technology to do finite analysis of a bored out spindle.

This dead center project is on the back burner until I get done with my header project.


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## mickri (Jan 12, 2021)

I have been reading everything that I can find on chambering between centers.  I came across a post where the poster had made a dead center to precisely fit in the spindle bore and held by the spider.  I don't know how long it was.  He used it when the barrel was too short to extend out of the spindle and into the spider.  What was even more interesting was that with the muzzle in the dead center he then dialed in the chamber end of the barrel.  That is a variation of chambering through the headstock that I had never read about before.  Gets you to wondering about just how necessary it is to dial in both ends of the barrel.


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## jcmullis2 (Jan 13, 2021)

mickri said:


> I have been reading everything that I can find on chambering between centers.  I came across a post where the poster had made a dead center to precisely fit in the spindle bore and held by the spider.  I don't know how long it was.  He used it when the barrel was too short to extend out of the spindle and into the spider.  What was even more interesting was that with the muzzle in the dead center he then dialed in the chamber end of the barrel.  That is a variation of chambering through the headstock that I had never read about before.  Gets you to wondering about just how necessary it is to dial in both ends of the barrel.


I think it’s individual preference. There’s a series of videos by a guy who chucks the muzzle end in a 3 jaw and then uses a steady rest a couple of inches from other end, then threads, counterbores and chambers it using a floating reamer attachment with a piloted reamer. Easy peezy. Then he also shows that rifle put 5 through one ragged hole. That same guy has several other videos of him threading and chambering doing all the tweaking in a 4 jaw to dial it in to less than a ten thousandth. He’s a hell of a gunsmith and he said he did the 3 jaw and steady rest video just to show there’s different ways that produce great results. He sold me on that method over the 4 jaw method and the between centers method. I really liked the simplicity of it so I ordered a floating reamer holder from ptg and I’m waiting on it now. I can’t wait to give it a try. My lathe isn’t running right at present but the new motor and control board will be here in a week or two. I just got a SS Schneider barrel blank for my m40 and it’s gonna be the first one I try it on.


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## mickri (Jan 13, 2021)

I believe that I watched that video also.  Gunsmith Rod Henrickson puts the muzzle in an ER40 collet after turning it down to fit in the collet.  Lots of ways to do this.  All I am hoping for from the barrels that I do is 1 MOA at 100 yards and 1 MOD (minute of deer) at around 250 yards.  I have no interest in punching holes in paper at any range.  I did enough of that in high school when I was into small bore prone competitive shooting.  I doubt that I will put even 100 rounds down the barrels of the rifles I build.


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## jcmullis2 (Jan 13, 2021)

mickri said:


> I believe that I watched that video also.  Gunsmith Rod Henrickson puts the muzzle in an ER40 collet after turning it down to fit in the collet.  Lots of ways to do this.  All I am hoping for from the barrels that I do is 1 MOA at 100 yards and 1 MOD (minute of deer) at around 250 yards.  I have no interest in punching holes in paper at any range.  I did enough of that in high school when I was into small bore prone competitive shooting.  I doubt that I will put even 100 rounds down the barrels of the rifles I build.


I don’t punch paper unless I’m sighting in an eye piece or developing a load. However it has its purposes and is the best way to evaluate accuracy is why he included that in his video. It’s a different video than the one you mentioned but probably very similar. The one I’m referring to is a 3 part series titled “Chambering in a steady rest” By suar 08161991 and here’s a link 



It’s definitely worth a look. If you have the time check it out. It sounds like we think a like on this stuff. One moa is more than enough accuracy on my hunting rigs. I’ve got a few that I’ve had for nearly 40 years and they’re closer to that minute of deer you mentioned. They're light weight, reliable, and get the job done. However I need better accuracy out my varmint rifles so being able to obtain that without all the tweaking was nice to see. I might be wrong but I think the guys that are making money from rebarreling and blueprinting actions are bs’ing people about the difficulty involved. At $3-$400 per barrel they probably feel the need to justify the cost. If not the average country boy, like myself, might just buy the tooling and have a hundred bucks leftover instead of bending over for the gunsmith. My next 308 win barrel won’t cost me a cent to rebarrel.  
The pm-25mv mill I ordered in November finally arrived last evening so I’m busy with it now. I wanted one so I can make small parts and stuff like that. I’m limited on space or I’d have gotten bigger machines. Hopefully these will be good enough for my needs. 
Let me know what you think of that series of videos.


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## mickri (Jan 13, 2021)

I watched those videos within the last week and have them bookmarked for future reference.  Among other things I am currently making a micrometer reamer stop.  Should have it done in a couple of days.  Cutting 40 TPI threads was a trip.  I had to look at them with a magnifying glass.  I will do a thread on making the stop after I get it done.

From my competitive shooting days many moons ago I felt that the mental aspect was the most import thing to consistently getting good scores.  If you didn't have faith in your rifle that it was up to the task your scores suffered.  If it takes paying to have your barrels dialed in through the headstock for you to have confidence in your rifle then you best do it if you want to be competitive.

I'd say that we do seem to think alike.


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## Jim F (Jan 14, 2021)

Got this the other day, never used, still sealed.


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## jcmullis2 (Jan 15, 2021)

mickri said:


> I watched those videos within the last week and have them bookmarked for future reference.  Among other things I am currently making a micrometer reamer stop.  Should have it done in a couple of days.  Cutting 40 TPI threads was a trip.  I had to look at them with a magnifying glass.  I will do a thread on making the stop after I get it done.
> 
> From my competitive shooting days many moons ago I felt that the mental aspect was the most import thing to consistently getting good scores.  If you didn't have faith in your rifle that it was up to the task your scores suffered.  If it takes paying to have your barrels dialed in through the headstock for you to have confidence in your rifle then you best do it if you want to be competitive.
> 
> I'd say that we do seem to think alike.


I’m glad that he put those videos out there and I added them to my library for future reference too. I agree with you about competitive shooting. Every little thing matters. Trying to eliminate any variable and doing everything exactly the same each time so the bullet hits the same spot every shot. It’s enough to drive you nuts. It’ll also take the fun out of it if you aren’t careful. 
Are you making a graduated dial for your reamer micrometer? That’s a hard project and the 40 tpi sounds like the tip of the iceberg. I seen video with a older fella using a 100 tooth circular saw blade attached to his lathes spindle. He had a piece of metal clamped in place on one end the other between the teeth on the saw blade. The piece of metal clicked between the saw teeth as the chuck rotated. As he rotated the chuck each click was 1/100 and he scribed the graduations in the metal. A small line every click for 4 and the 5th click got a larger line scribed in the metal and every 10th click got a larger line still. He went back afterward and stamped 0-9 on the largest markings. The simplicity of his contraption was ingenious, it was impressive to see. I don’t think I have the patience to do anything like that. However I have a cheap eBay rotary table with 4 jaw chuck and tail stock on the way from India. I didn’t get a indexing kit but I don’t think I’ll need it. My son finished getting the cnc stuff for my mill wired, programmed, linked up or whatever it’s called, earlier this evening. All the cnc stuff is working and he’s gonna come over this weekend and put it on the machine. He’s been wanting me to buy this stuff for nearly 20 years but I didn’t have the time or money. With the children all grown and gone I now have both LoL.
Sorry about that, I’m rambling on a bit. I’m excited about my mill and I’m looking forward to seeing what it’ll do.


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## Janderso (Jan 15, 2021)

Jim F said:


> Got this the other day, never used, still sealed.


Can you show it to us??


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## mickri (Jan 15, 2021)

The video you referenced is by Mr. Pete aka Tubalcain.  I have watched it several times because I have thought about making new dials for my mill/drill.  Home Depot sells a saw blade with 100 teeth.  I made a crude rotary table out of the swivel base that came with my 4" vice.  I might be able to use that to mark dial on the stop. Each line would be 14.4 degrees apart.  The 100 tooth saw blade would be easier.  No math and no fine adjustment between the degree marks on rotary table.  With sketchup I can easily draw a circle with 25 equally spaced lines around the circle.  I might do that because it will be several days before I can get to a Home Depot.




Making the micrometer stop was not hard.  Time consuming but not hard.  All it involves is turning to OD's and ID's and threading.  Parting off too.  Except for marking the dial the stop will be done this morning.  All that is left is drilling and taping the holes for the set screws.

Since joining the ranks of the independently poor (retired)  I have lots of time while money is in short supply.


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## Jim F (Jan 15, 2021)

Janderso said:


> Can you show it to us??


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## jcmullis2 (Jan 16, 2021)

mickri said:


> The video you referenced is by Mr. Pete aka Tubalcain.  I have watched it several times because I have thought about making new dials for my mill/drill.  Home Depot sells a saw blade with 100 teeth.  I made a crude rotary table out of the swivel base that came with my 4" vice.  I might be able to use that to mark dial on the stop. Each line would be 14.4 degrees apart.  The 100 tooth saw blade would be easier.  No math and no fine adjustment between the degree marks on rotary table.  With sketchup I can easily draw a circle with 25 equally spaced lines around the circle.  I might do that because it will be several days before I can get to a Home Depot.
> 
> View attachment 351162
> 
> ...


He’s a smart ol’boy but I wonder why he’s called Tubalcain. I really like how he makes his dials but the dial you suggest with 25 graduations are probably better for this application. With 40tpi 1/100 isn’t necessary imo. The one I looked at on the PT&G’s website also has 25 divisions. You’re saving almost $200.
Good call on making a micrometer reamer stop. You have me wanting to make one too. I’ll probably try to cheat a little. I have an old busted micrometer that I’m gonna try to convert. Ptg shipped my bald eagle floating reamer holder on the 13th so it’ll be here in a day or so. Maybe then I can figure out a way to use the busted mic in my version of a micrometer reamer stop. The money one can save making little things can really add up fast. You can also end up with lots of nice tools that didn’t cost a small fortune.
I shouldn’t have said that I have lots of money because I don’t. I’m poor and scraping by on a fixed income too. However I do have more disposable income now that my children are grown and supporting themselves.

[This post has been edited by a mod]


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## mickri (Jan 17, 2021)

Tubalcain is a biblical figure known to be the first blacksmith/metal worker.  That's why he picked the internet name of tubalcain.  He talks about it in one of his videos.  He was a long time high school shop teacher.  I think that his videos are the best of the best for a newbie getting started in machining.  He is definitely getting up there age wise.  I hope he has something in place to keep his videos on the web.  Maybe you tube videos stay on the web forever.  I don't know.

I did a thread on my build of a micrometer reamer stop.  It wasn't hard to make.  Just time consuming.  If I made another one I would probably use 20 TPI.  I found the 40 TPI threads to be so fine that any little bit of grit in the threads causes the base and the rings to bind up.


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## jcmullis2 (Jan 17, 2021)

mickri said:


> Tubalcain is a biblical figure known to be the first blacksmith/metal worker.  That's why he picked the internet name of tubalcain.  He talks about it in one of his videos.  He was a long time high school shop teacher.  I think that his videos are the best of the best for a newbie getting started in machining.  He is definitely getting up there age wise.  I hope he has something in place to keep his videos on the web.  Maybe you tube videos stay on the web forever.  I don't know.
> 
> I did a thread on my build of a micrometer reamer stop.  It wasn't hard to make.  Just time consuming.  If I made another one I would probably use 20 TPI.  I found the 40 TPI threads to be so fine that any little bit of grit in the threads causes the base and the rings to bind up.


I suppose it’s as good a name as any. He’s a good guy for continuing to teach long after retirement. People like him are a dying breed. The knowledge that is lost when men like him die is immeasurable. Hopefully his videos will remain available as long as they continue to be viewed. I might try to record some of videos like his dial making video.
I looked at your build and you did a great job. I’m sure 20tpi will be fine. I watched a crappy video about the one ptg sells and yours is just as good if not better. 
My son finally made it over this evening and tore into my new little mill. It’s a precision matthews pm-25mv and is covered in cosmoline or whatever that nasty mess is. It should do everything that I need it to do. It’s good to have tools like these. There’s not much you can’t make with a lathe and a mill. Here’s a pic of it and I’ll get a couple of more along the way and when the cnc conversion is complete


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## mickri (Jan 18, 2021)

Thanks  I am pleased with how the reamer stop came out.  I am going to make two more bases.  A 1" and a 1.5".  And I will keep the remains of the shaft I turned in case I need another one.  I will keep everything together in a wooden box or tray.  On to other projects.

Have fun with your new mill.


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## jcmullis2 (Jan 18, 2021)

mickri said:


> Thanks  I am pleased with how the reamer stop came out.  I am going to make two more bases.  A 1" and a 1.5".  And I will keep the remains of the shaft I turned in case I need another one.  I will keep everything together in a wooden box or tray.  On to other projects.
> 
> Have fun with your new mill.


The conversion kit I purchased was missing a few small socket head screws so it’ll be tomorrow before the mill is reassembled with the cnc stuff. I was gonna do a post on the conversion but there’s enough of those already and it’s doubtful that I could add anything of importance.  
The mill sure looked bigger in the pictures and videos. It’s looks like a little drill press compared to a Bridgeport. However, I’ll be happy with it so long as it does the little things I dream up.


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