Lathe spindle spider build

[Toptom]

I am looking for some advice on setup for attempting my first barrel being a newbie in gun work it will be awhile until it gets started but trying to get my ducks in a row early my father has a grizzly lathe in garage but it was never equipped with a spider on the back so I was thinking of making one to slip over the spindle I have seen pictures of would stainless be the best tubing material and what minimum size wall thickness has everyone used once I slip for it I believed a few set screws could hold it on during the process while a few bolts out farther give me adjustment

 

[Terry]

You have it.

Try to keep the fit on the spindle tight. Make the interior as big as your spindle or a little bigger.
You can buy brass tipped screws from Grizzly.

Have fun with it!

 

[Toptom]

You have it.

Try to keep the fit on the spindle tight. Make the interior as big as your spindle or a little bigger.
You can buy brass tipped screws from Grizzly.

Have fun with it!

Thanks for the reply if I could match the spider wall thickness to the thickness of the spindle itself would that be my best theroy and give me enough strength out of stainless and probably 3 set screws to hold it tight to it maybe to make me feel better even with the tight fit

 

[shortgrass]

Make the walls of the spider thick enough so you have good threads, ya' know,,,,, more then 1 1/2...............

 

[Paul Hilgedick]

When I built mine I used mild steel tubing with 1/2" wall thickness. I was able to buy 3" OD by 2" ID steel tubing at my local metal dealer. I bored the tubing .001 over spindle size and used 2 3/8-16 set screws to hold it in place.

 

[INTJ]

I am a low time lathe amateur and the spider was my first project. I used 4140 though many kinds of steel would work. Here is what mine looks like. Works great.

 

[Cloudrepair]

Mine use radiused 3/8-24 screws and same radius in pad.
The pads dont even need to have v slots in them to work just as good.
This method works so much better then the brass tip screws you just cant go wrong with this type of setup.
Just make sure the radius on the screws matches the radius cup in pad.

 

[Mudcat]

one of my first projects as well. Bought one of these, then made an adapter that screwed into my spindle. Works great. https://www.grizzly.com/products/Bald-Eagle-Aluminum-Spider-Plate-5-Diameter/BE1125

 

[butchlambert]

I much prefer copper tips over brass. Pick up copper ground rod at Home Depot or an electrical supply. Very easy to make.

 

[Shrek]

I’d skip the Stainless steel. It has a tendency to thread gall.

 

[butchlambert]

I’d skip the Stainless steel. It has a tendency to thread gall.

Gall? In this case I see no issue. But all of mine have CM spider screws.

 

[jdh47]

Most any steel will work fine for the spider. Hot roll or cold roll work fine. It's the fit that matters. Whether using pads or tipped screws again it's mostly a matter of how well the barrel is dialed in.

 

[carlsbad]

I made mine out of stainless steel 4" in diameter and it looks like a medical instrument. I like it.

But my old lathe was a chinese lathe like yours and the outside of the spindle was pretty rough and partly threaded. I had good luck threading a spider to screw onto the 50mm threads. Now you'll need a thread gauge and a lock nut. Locknuts are available on ebay and amazon for less than $10. But a lock nut. Then make a male thread to fit the locknut and that is your thread gauge for your spider. use the locknut to keep it from spinning off in reverse.

--Jerry

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Mine have always been made from aluminum bar, bored to spindle size and left thick. I use the fine thread brass tip bolts from grizzly and once they get flat i use actual solid copper wire. I have never seen an actual copper ground rod- they are steel with copper clad. I work for the power utility and we’ve never seen solid copper ones. Brass works very well and a rod bought off ebay will last for years

 

[carlsbad]

Solid copper wouldn't drive into the ground well. I bought some copper barstock for making tips...not sure whether I like copper or brass better.

 

[xr650rRider]

I bought 1' of 2-1/2" OD x 1-1/2" ID 4140 from McMaster-Carr. Grizzly sells some 3/8"-24 thread brass tipped set screws. I made some brass jam nuts.
Built just like this one. https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/a-spider-for-the-pm1340gt-lathe.63222/#post-678479

 

[Toptom]

I went and took some measurements today was in a hurry work shift starts soon so there not dead nuts but spindle is a around 2.050 inch od I found on internet 1020 drawn over mandrell steel at 3 inch od with half inch walls that I would be able to thrown in lathe and bore the one thou over then put screws in I believe should work

 

[butchlambert]

Mine have always been made from aluminum bar, bored to spindle size and left thick. I use the fine thread brass tip bolts from grizzly and once they get flat i use actual solid copper wire. I have never seen an actual copper ground rod- they are steel with copper clad. I work for the power utility and we’ve never seen solid copper ones. Brass works very well and a rod bought off ebay will last for years

Dusty, You can get it here or other types or alloys.
https://www.mcmaster.com/copper-ground-rod/multipurpose-110-copper/

 

[Gappmast]

I much prefer copper tips over brass. Pick up copper ground rod at Home Depot or an electrical supply. Very easy to make.

Good Idea but be careful a lot of ground rods now days are copper plated steel

 

[Gappmast]

For the adjusting screws use as fine a thread as you can. Fine threads make it easier to make small adjustments