Gunsmithing 6061 Aluminum Tube

[Ferryman]

Hi Guys

I have been trying (without success) to get a 12" length of 4" X .75" 6061 T6 Tube here in the UK to make a Spider.

I am in AL Saturday 24th thru May 1st and if I can find a piece I will throw it in my checked luggage.

Any help greatly appreciated

 

[300sniper]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

I got mine from speedymetals.com. They should be able to deliver it to where you will be staying.

edit: link

 

[LRI]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

+1 on speedy metals. Ask for Marty! Great guy!

 

[locked&loaded]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

Also try online metals.
Just got some alu. and ss from them last month.

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

What's a spider?

I may have some of that lying around LOL, oh boy and how...

 

[JJones75]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

so you need a piece of 4" OD tube with .750" wall and 12"long? i don't understand your dimentions

I'm sure I'll have somthing close to that laying around if nothing else some 4" round stock I can bore out for ya.

 

[Ferryman]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

JJones

Yeah I want to make a spider/cathead for truing actions

4" OD {A} x 2.500" ID {B} x .750" Wall {C} Tube 6061-T6 Aluminum

I have used 12" as the length as I have not figured out the finished length yet.

 

[Ferryman]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

Checkout the price this UK company are quoteing me

We have two options in the US which might be of interest;

6061 T6511
1 Piece 4.000"od x 0.625"w/t x 400mm long @ £575.00 lot
or
1 Piece 4.000"od x 0.750"w/t x 400mm long @ £595.00 lot


Multiply by 1.5 to get USD so

Option 1. $862.50

Option 2 $892.50

I do not thinks so

Sppedy Metals $72.50

 

[LRI]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

Just out of curiosity.

Why aluminum for this? I see this a lot.

A neat ol man named Bo Clerke (Clerke International Raton, NM) who's a hell of an engineer once said to me:

"Chad, anything worth making is worth making out of steel."

Take it for what it's worth but there's merit to it.

4" DOM tube with a 1/2" wall is pretty tough.

 

[300sniper]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Just out of curiosity.

Why aluminum for this? I see this a lot.

A neat ol man named Bo Clerke (Clerke International Raton, NM) who's a hell of an engineer once said to me:

"Chad, anything worth making is worth making out of steel."

Take it for what it's worth but there's merit to it.

4" DOM tube with a 1/2" wall is pretty tough. </div></div>

i am about to (by about to, i mean that i have been planning on doing this for over a year now

) make d1-4 direct mount action truing jig with 4" x .5" wall dom. i have been using the 4" x .75 wall 6061t6 tube for a while now and have no complaints about it though. i just don't like the idea of hanging all that material off of my 4 jaw way away from the spindle nose. the one i am going to build will be much shorter and i think safer. i also use the truing jig to precision thread muzzles on short barrels such as a 12" 10/22 barrel.

 

[LRI]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

Just a thought since you've already decided to do it over.

Why not make it so a C-16 collet captivates the entire receiver? It wouldn't work for square/odd shaped receivers without some really clever fixturing, but for a Remmy or similar it'd be pretty tough to beat.

Be creative!

 

[dinc]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

Ferryman, Isn't there a scapmetal yard or used metals outlet near by? In my last three interstate moves I always been able to find a used metal dealer, usually the same place you sale metal to. Not sure about your location but that is the best place to find something like this.

I was looking for the same thing and never found any large bore aluminum but within a month found almost your exact dimension in SS. I cut it in half and made two 6.5" truing jigs with SA and LA screws. Just keep looking.

Someone may correct me but an action jig usually has adjustments fore and aft and is held by a chuck. A spider usually has one set of screws and two are used, one on either end of the lathe spindle for centering a barrel.

Cut metal with metal, yeaa!!

 

[300sniper]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

i still like to use a front and rear spider and indicate off the centerline of the raceway. i am not sure how i would do that with a collet. i use the same jig for truing the receiver, truing the bolt and working on short barrels.

(edit: i am not sure if it is an optical allusion, just quickly setup for a picture or what but the point on the dti doesn't look right. i use it parallel to the direction i am indicating)

 

[Ferryman]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

Thanks for your input guys

I will not be doing many actions so I am sure the Ali will work fine.

If I perfect my technique working on the Ali then I can always switch to makeing one out of steel later
I am still in shock of the price the UK guys tried to charge me

 

[LRI]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

I was thinking a pair, one on each end drawn together and able to locate off a center gimble.

Just a thought. . .

 

[Lt. Arclight]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

300Sniper, that's a nicely made piece. Really nice! Good job.

 

[Brodie]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

lol, i made one from 4" solid. Went to the scrap yard and ended up leaving with 4 feet of solid 4" diameter aluminum....sure made alot of chips.

 

[Ferryman]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

Thanks to 300Sniper and G.Dixon for steering me in the direction of Speedy Metals.

Ordered before I left UK and it arrived here in Montgomery AL yesterday.

G.Dixon
For the amount I will use this I think aluminum will work just fine also less rotating mass.

300Sniper
I like your idea of a fixture that would screw on in place of the chuck.

One idea was why not machine a stepped hub like a chuck backplate and secure your existing spider to that.

With your existing set is the action totally enclosed in the spider or does the tang project into the chuck?

 

[300sniper]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

on my current one, i think the tang may just stick into the chuck with a long action. it could have been made about an inch shorter and worked fine.

on the one i have planned, i will machine a plate so the tube has a press fit. i will press the tube in and then weld it to the plate. that plate will bolt to a d1-4 backing plate. it should be at least three inches shorter from the spindle nose than the set up i am using now. i also want to rebuild my jig because for some reason i used 1/2-13 screws for the adjustments. i should have used 1/2-20.

edit: this is what i have in mind. the adjustment screw holes are not in this drawing.

 

[JimT]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

By pressing it in are you going to be able to keep everything as true as you want? From reading your posts I know that you like to indicate everything dead nuts.

BTW, this is a fantastic idea. I can't wait to see the thread on its construction. You are really making me jones for a CNC mill.

 

[300sniper]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JimT</div><div class="ubbcode-body">By pressing it in are you going to be able to keep everything as true as you want? From reading your posts I know that you like to indicate everything dead nuts.

BTW, this is a fantastic idea. I can't wait to see the thread on its construction. You are really making me jones for a CNC mill. </div></div>

a little bit of runout isn't going to hurt anything because you dial in the action true to the spindle axis, not the od of the fixture. if the runout is excessive after it is pressed in and welded, i can make a truing pass on the od of the tube with it mounted directly to the spindle and it will be dead nuts.

 

[JimT]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

Probably save a bunch of time doing it that way also.

Again, your usual pictorial is a must. You do really nice work.

 

[Ferryman]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

I look forward to seeing it.

Have you thought of a shrink fit

I like to heat one part while freezing the other and then just slot them together.Once they stabilise at a common temperature it is a real tough joint.

TIG welding it would make for a real solid connection

 

[coelk]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

300 Sniper, what d1-4 backing plate are you going to use? I saw Bison backing plates on Enco for about $175, have you tried them?

 

[300sniper]

Re: 6061 Aluminum Tube

i'll probably use the cheap import from enco.