Need help finding a 5C spindle for my OD grinder work head, ideas appreciated!

My Rivett 103 grinder project is progressing well and now I have to conjure up a work head. I acquired a Crystal Lake work headstock without a spindle, which was probably a 4C. The most appealing option is to get a 5C spindle and fit it up, preferably that was originally for plain bearings but that might not matter as I expect some modifications will be needed.

A Hardinge dividing head spindle? A Hardinge Lathe spindle? Some other 5C spindle out of whatever?

I guess a Crystal Lake 4C spindle would work, but I am long on 5C tooling.

Yes, I know this is a lot of work so don't remind me.

Any other ideas?

A good Hardinge lathe spindle might be the most accurate of your choices, but think about how you'll drive it, and what the weight will do on one side of your table. Will it rock it over? Create binding?

How robust is that base?

The idea was to use just the spindle without bearings and fit it up to the bronze plain bearings in the Crystal Lake bare head that is sitting on the grinder. I am keeping in mind that any OD work in any collet will not be that accurate but good enough. For real accurate work one has to work between centers.

Gotcha, I misunderstood. Welp, in that case maybe a cheapish indexer spindle will work, you'd just dress the taper once you got it fit to the bearings.

Do you know what the plain bearing on some of these 5C indexers look like? I was hoping to find one out of the indexer so I can see the plain bearing arrangement so I can make a decision.

Sure would be nice to find one with a hardinge chuck threaded or taper mount. That would make mounting the drive dog gizmo easier.

I have seen several Crystal Lake grinders at GE auctions. They all had 3C spindles.

I have a NOS Darex E90 endmill grinder 5C air bearing spindle that I would sell. It is long and precision ground with no shoulders.

I have not seen it lately, but I think I still have a NOS Enco 5C spin index spindle, which is shorter than the Darex and has a shoulder at the nose end.

I have a NOS Hardinge 5C spindle for an HV-4 5C indexer, but these have a tapered OD that fits a tapered bore in the housing. These spindles were made with no chuck mount or with either the taper or threaded chuck mount.

Hardinge made a 5C solid male center with an attached dog for use in their dividing heads. They are too unbalanced to use at high speed, but are probably OK in a grinder work head.

I have a Do-All motorized workhead with 3C spindle and drawbar. It does not have the tilting sine base and tailstock that would have come with it. Cheap but a little heavy.

Pictures on request.

Larry

Those cheap indexers mostly just have a straight tube with a 5c internal id and a threaded opposite end. So just stick one in some round stock or tubing and machine the od to your specks.Heat shrunk on and you get a hardened 5c for your efforts for about $30-40.

ratbldr427 said:

Those cheap indexers mostly just have a straight tube with a 5c internal id and a threaded opposite end. So just stick one in some round stock or tubing and machine the od to your specks.Heat shrunk on and you get a hardened 5c for your efforts for about $30-40.

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Just Loctite it together and then do the OD off the the collet taper between centers and it will run darn near perfect.

I just looked up Crystal Lake and found an old undated catalog that says the work head had a 5C spindle. But the ones I saw at GE in the 1980's had 3C spindles and did not look terribly old.

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/11244/20830.pdf

Larry

I have one of those old undated Crystal Lake grinders and the work head takes a 5C collet
John

Here are some pictures of two KO Lee heads.The blue one I added a dc motor with a tooth belt drive(no slippage with no tennsion) The spin index has a 45mm od.The index plate is held on by a screw on collar.

Sorry about the upside down,can't seem to fix that.The blue head has an ER40 adaptor in it.I also have a 5c for it.