Does anyone know what the thread size is for the handwheel? (Smaller thread on the outboard side of the headstock). I am trying to thread a piece to replace the handwheel for a vacuum chuck.
Unless Brice has that info, and speaks to your post, I would recommend you call Grizzly tech support and ask them to specifically look at that thread size and give you the information, as you want to add a vacuum system. Also, David Roseman might have the information, but he may not have made a vac system for his G0766, but did for his G0733, which does not have the handwheel.
For my vacuum system - - version A - - I made an adapter that has three O-rings and slides into the 10 mm diameter spindle shaft. But the bearings weren't "really" sealed bearings. So I put that on hold. Version B: Then I got a set of great sealed bearings and some other parts from the frugal vacuum chuck guy. It works so good that I doubt that I'll go back to version B. If you are making an adapter that threads onto the handwheel end of the spindle make sure that you use teflon tape to seal it. I'm away from my lathe so I don't have a way to measure that thread. If no one responds before then, I'll respond in about a week. end part 1
part 2: BTW, to measure a thread, you usually do two things: (1) use a micrometer or caliper and measure the outside/major diameter of the threads. Male threads are commonly a little under-size. So if you measure 14.88 mm, it is probably a 15 mm thread. To measure the turns-per-inch, you place a thread gauge against the threads and visually look for perfect alignment. Or, if you have a bolt that gives you perfect alignment, then the thread is the same as the bolt. It is also possible to do this optically with more precise optical equipment. I'll skip that though. Keep in mind that the threads will be in metric. So don't go looking for something like a 3/4-24 thread. But think of something like an 18 mm x 1 (mm). I made up this example, so I don't know if this is a standard metric thread.
