I had an outboard spider for my lathe that I had made but I wasn't happy with it. The body was made of 6061 and the cross bolts were not square to each other. It would work but I wasn't satisfied with the quality of the build.
I had some 2.25" 12L14 on hand so I got to work.
Using my Sawzall I hacked off a 2.75" chunk.
After facing one end I turned it down a little to clean it up and reduce weight. I left it at 2.1" OD.
I removed the part, turned it around in the chuck and faced the other end. I needed a 1 5/8-16 thread 1" long. Once I got to 1.62" OD I added some layout blue and broke out the threading tool.
He threads ended up just a little snug so I had to put it back in the chuck and pick up a thread. I had never done this encore but it worked out well. Like an idiot I somehow made a much heavier than desired cut. Threads are a little loose but that doesn't bother me near as much as how rough they ended up. Dammit Brad.
It was now time to bore the thru hole. I used a series of bits to get to a 3/4" hole so my boring bar would fit. Taking .020 cuts iI finally got to a 1.2" diameter thru hole. His is big enough for any barrel I can imagine ever needing.
Next up was drilling for cross holes and tapping them. The first holes were easy. Just center the part and drill thru both sides. I got a neat little cheering tool for Christmas and it really helps.
Keith had suggested using a pin thru the first hole and some gauge blocks to get the second holes 90° to the first. I did my best Ian impersonation and came up with a viable alternative. I used the drill as a cross pin and let it sit across my vise jaws. A level kept it square fore and aft. Worked like a charm.
Other than the coarse threads I am pretty happy. Cross bolts are as close right as I can make them without a mill. Should be plenty good for my needs. This is far superior to what I made the first time.
I had some 2.25" 12L14 on hand so I got to work.
Using my Sawzall I hacked off a 2.75" chunk.
After facing one end I turned it down a little to clean it up and reduce weight. I left it at 2.1" OD.
I removed the part, turned it around in the chuck and faced the other end. I needed a 1 5/8-16 thread 1" long. Once I got to 1.62" OD I added some layout blue and broke out the threading tool.
He threads ended up just a little snug so I had to put it back in the chuck and pick up a thread. I had never done this encore but it worked out well. Like an idiot I somehow made a much heavier than desired cut. Threads are a little loose but that doesn't bother me near as much as how rough they ended up. Dammit Brad.
It was now time to bore the thru hole. I used a series of bits to get to a 3/4" hole so my boring bar would fit. Taking .020 cuts iI finally got to a 1.2" diameter thru hole. His is big enough for any barrel I can imagine ever needing.
Next up was drilling for cross holes and tapping them. The first holes were easy. Just center the part and drill thru both sides. I got a neat little cheering tool for Christmas and it really helps.
Keith had suggested using a pin thru the first hole and some gauge blocks to get the second holes 90° to the first. I did my best Ian impersonation and came up with a viable alternative. I used the drill as a cross pin and let it sit across my vise jaws. A level kept it square fore and aft. Worked like a charm.
Other than the coarse threads I am pretty happy. Cross bolts are as close right as I can make them without a mill. Should be plenty good for my needs. This is far superior to what I made the first time.