Barrel length vs spindle length?

adamsgt

adamsgt

Jerry Adams
Was all set to buy some used BR barrels to play with on my lathe when I had a DUH moment. The seller said that the barrels are around 21 inches long. When I measure from the left end of the spindle to just outside the chuck jaws on my lathe the length is 21 inches. So how do we chamber through the headstock when the barrels are this short? I don't think my lathe is unusual in this respect or is it? I must be missing something basic here. Butch, Jerry, Jackie help! :confused:

I just went out to my reloading shed and measured the extra barrel that came with the used gun I bought and it is 21 7/8 inches from the muzzle to the end of the tenon. No way I can do anything with that through the headstock. :(
 
Short barrel problem

I am not Butch, Jerry, or Jackie, but I will tell you how I solve the problem.
If you have an outboard spider on your lathe you can turn an extension tube from aluminum, brass etc. Make it a snug fit on the end of the barrel and long enough to extend through the spider. Then use the Gordy Gritters' set up on the chamber end to align the bore with a range rod chucked in the tail stock. Use an indicator on the side of the range rod and align about 3 or 3.5 inches of the chamber area straight, by adjusting the outboard spider and your chuck to aligh with. Don't worry about the wabble in the muzzle end you are only wanting to align the chamber area. Pull out the range rod and make fine and final adjustment with a indicator in the bore.
Make sure the extension is a tube or drill a hole through it to blow or cuttings or oil.
You can also stick a range rod in the muzzle to get a measurement or run out if you are going to clock the barrel.
You can make a similar extension on the chamber end by threading it like the action or if it is a remington or similar action, just shim it under your spider screws and use it for extension to align in the same method to do your crown.
I hope some of this is help to you. If you don't undrestand any of it just post back and I will try to explain it better.

Sam Duke
 
Sam, I don't have a spider for the end of the spindle, yet. Would it be foolish to try and drill and tap near the end of the spindle? Probably easier to make a spider though. :confused: Another limitation is that I don't yet have much in the way of metal stock to make things with. Not sure where the best place to obtain stock would be, scrap yards or places like Mcmaster Carr. I tried one scrap yard and it was really scrap.

As I was re-reading your post it dawned on me that the spider and extension don't need to be super accurate if you're indicating off a well fitting range rod in the rifling and use the spider to adjust to that. Am I understanding that correctly?

I think you've just been a big help. :D
 
Spider

Make yourself a spider that will use 3 set screws to attach to the end of the spindle shaft on the outboard end and then drill and tap 4 set screws for the barrel attachement. Clamp the spider on with the 3 screws and it doesn't have to be exact alignment, only a holding device.
You are correct none of the outboard attachement has to be precise.

If you don't have a good source for stock materials, go to speedy metals on the net. or on e-bay they sell all kinds of aluminum, brass, steel, etc. and will cut it to any length you need and ship it to you.

Hope this helps.
Any more questions just post back

Sam
 
Make up a bed side spider out of a chuck backing plate or a face plate like was discussed in a prior thread.
 
Sam, thanks for the link to speedy metals. That will be a big help. Now I need to educate myself of the different grades of metals. Would aluminum suffice for the offside spider body? Wondering about the durability of the threads for the adjustment and set screws.

Butch and crb, thanks for the link to Chris Long's site. Lot of good ideas there. I have an unused backplate for my lathe and will start working on building that bed side spider as well as the offside spider. I now remember the thread about building that spider and Dave Tooleys pictures. I'll search for that thread and bookmark it. If I remember correctly Shiraz said he was going to have some made for sale by Grizzly, did that ever happen?

I'm beginning to wonder if I have enough time left to learn all that I need to know to do good work. But, maybe if I keep learning and keep my brain active I can have fun and hold off Alzheimer's for a while. :)
 
Adamsgt.
Aluminum will work fine. Buy your metal locally. Shipping will eat you up. I've got some that I will give you if you spend the gas money and the time to help saw it out.
Butch
 
Forget the through the head, go and use your steady rest. End of problem, nothing else to buy or machine from scratch.
 
Simple Solution..

Make a center bearing and mount for your steady rest put a cat head inside the center bearing. Drive your barrel with your four jaw and a trued muzzle. Or drive it with a dead center and lathe dog. I run a piece of heater hose through the headstock with two hose clamps on it. The other end it is hooked to my flush system. With a high quality bearing you can turn your barrel easily without makeing any score marks on it. I also made floating steady rest fingers with roller bearings on the end . It doen't work nearly nice as the center bearing/cathead set up. Using a flush system, I turn my barrels at much higher RPMs with no problems. Running them center to center make long head stocks a mute point.
Rustystud
 
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Butch Lambert said:
Adamsgt.
Aluminum will work fine. Buy your metal locally. Shipping will eat you up. I've got some that I will give you if you spend the gas money and the time to help saw it out.
Butch
Click to expand...

The first image that came to mind was two lumberjacks using a two man saw to cut a log. Is that what you intend? :p

Seriously Butch, I need to find where you hang your hat. I have no idea where Poetry is but I will find out. Just what kind of help do you need? I have one of your tuners and need to have the threads cut on a barrel. Shelley got sick before he could do it. Maybe we can get all this done at the same time.

email me or call me at (H)817-346-2861 Cell 817-313-2259. I'm pretty much free for the next week or so. Gas is not a problem, I just pay through the nose and forget it.
 
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