[Tangle]

This is a new design, and to give credit where credit is due, the design in part is based on a suggestion by @dangerranger's suggestion to use a locknut to secure the tuner weight. Well, I did that!

The tuner would need steel weight for weight but I'm not really set up to cut 1.5" steel bar stock and it's a lot of trouble to boot. So I took off looking for alternatives and shaft collars were perfect!

The ones I wound up using are 7/8" ID - because the were available locally. There were also some 20 mm shaft collars available locally, but only two of them. I didn't want to take a chance on developing a design and something going wrong that messes up one of the only two collars in town. But, I fully intend to use some 20 mm collars for a more compact design later on.

So,. you can watch me make the tuner on a Harbor Freight mini lathe. BTW, I am VERY impressed with this lathe - and I have a huge lathe to compare to. I got the 7x10 mini lathe on sale at the local Harbor Freight store on sale and except for a quick change tool holder it is completely stock.

 

[Pete63]

Nice video. Of course, it was on "older, solid, American made lathe", but "just like my Dad made me learn on a "standard transmission FIRST", the "old man that taught me single point threading" insisted one of the first things I mastered was "blind hole threading, going INTO the chuck". You DO "have to have your wit's about you"! Interested on a "range report"!

 

[Tangle]

Nice video. Of course, it was on "older, solid, American made lathe", but "just like my Dad made me learn on a "standard transmission FIRST", the "old man that taught me single point threading" insisted one of the first things I mastered was "blind hole threading, going INTO the chuck". You DO "have to have your wit's about you"! Interested on a "range report"!

Thanks Pete.
Conventional single point threading a blind hole would put the squeeze on nerves. The reverse method i used in the video makes blind hole threading brainless. In fact, and I didn't mention it in the video, but I placed a hard stop in front of the carriage - that would simulate a blind hole. Since I'm threading away from the end of a hole, in my case a hard stop, there's no danger of crashing. I didn't even use a gully for tool clearance.

Here's a practice 40 tpi I cut and while the pic isn't so good, at least you can see there is no relief gully (it's gutter isn't it, not gully) for the tool.

 

[Pete63]

Thanks Pete.
Conventional single point threading a blind hole would put the squeeze on nerves. The reverse method i used in the video makes blind hole threading brainless. In fact, and I didn't mention it in the video, but I placed a hard stop in front of the carriage - that would simulate a blind hole. Since I'm threading away from the end of a hole, in my case a hard stop, there's no danger of crashing. I didn't even use a gully for tool clearance.

Here's a practice 40 tpi I cut and while the pic isn't so good, at least you can see there is no relief gully (it's gutter isn't it, not gully) for the tool.

When I started my "journeyman's apprenticeship" I WAS in my mid 20's! 😂 BUT, the man that gave me most of my training was "SEVENTY-NINE" when I started training with him! He retired, & "RE-HIRED" contract labor, leaving the 2nd time when he was 83. STILL NO issue's "blind threading" or any other process! I liken his skill to "old gun fighter's", whom just "SEEM TO GET BETTER with age". He had a small shop at his house, & continued to do "R&D/research" for his son's Machine Shop, till he passed. I miss him SO much! One of the finest men I've ever meet! Like a second father. There are a couple simple trick's to doing it. I was able to do both "taper out", on last complete thread, or, "into a thread relief". I don't even look at part/chuck! Only a mark on slide & split nut. Depending on set up, may OR may not use a slide stop!

 

[Tangle]

When I started my "journeyman's apprenticeship" I WAS in my mid 20's! 😂 BUT, the man that gave me most of my training was "SEVENTY-NINE" when I started training with him! He retired, & "RE-HIRED" contract labor, leaving the 2nd time when he was 83. STILL NO issue's "blind threading" or any other process! I liken his skill to "old gun fighter's", whom just "SEEM TO GET BETTER with age". He had a small shop at his house, & continued to do "R&D/research" for his son's Machine Shop, till he passed. I miss him SO much! One of the finest men I've ever meet! Like a second father. There are a couple simple trick's to doing it. I was able to do both "taper out", on last complete thread, or, "into a thread relief". I don't even look at part/chuck! Only a mark on slide & split nut. Depending on set up, may OR may not use a slide stop!

Wow Pete, what a privilege to have someone like that in your life. No wonder you miss him so much!

 

[Tangle]

Well, I didn't get to test the tuner today as intended - I had to take my wife to the doctor. Doesn't appear to be anything serious, but just being cautious in this covid situation.

Sooo, I'll try it again tomorrow.

 

[Pete63]

Well, I didn't get to test the tuner today as intended - I had to take my wife to the doctor. Doesn't appear to be anything serious, but just being cautious in this covid situation.

Sooo, I'll try it again tomorrow.

Thanks! Glad your wife wasn't in serious shape.

 

[Tangle]

1/12/2021 update:
It was my intent to get to the range a lot quicker than this, but rain, cold weather, football, and some other things - well, I just didn't make it. Sooo...

The experiment was basically a fail in two ways. One, I wanted to see if a barrel tuner would improve the precision/accuracy of a lighter barrel and second would the simplified "lock nut" approach work. With regard to the latter, if it would work, it would be about as compact as one can be made.

Overall, I could see no significant improvement in precision or accuracy. Adjusting the tuner did move the POI around some, and the group size varied, but nothing proved to be consistent.

Also, this version consisted of two weights locked against each other like a lock nut. There two problems with this. It puts a lot of stress on the fine threads, and the arrangement shot loose in only two shots.

So nothing really worked as hoped for. The next step will be to switch to a heavier barrel; this barrel appears to be a 1.5" MOA barrel and that's about all it's gonna ever do. I also noticed on several range trips, it seems to drift the POI as the barrel heats up and whether a tuner improves precision or not, it cannot stop POI shift due to the barrel heating up - and I'm not shooting fast.

I have a couple of other versions of barrel tuners in mind, one that locks in place with a set screw rather than a lock nut approach, The set screw approach requires additional length though in order to have a "clean" spot for the set screw to lock on, That is, you don't want the set screw locking down on the threads.

So I'll modify this tuner or simply make another, but it looks like I can use the threaded sleeve of this tuner, one of the weights and just machine an outer piece to accommodate a locking mechanism.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Hoping your wife checked out Tangle.

 

[Tangle]

Hoping your wife checked out Tangle.

Thanks! She did! It turned out to be some kind of minor throat infection. She was checked for covid and results came back negative, so that's a relief! She's all better now and pretty much running on all cylinders again.