Tripod Centre Bolt Mini-DIY

[Kunama]

I was not happy that the centre bolt on the Berlebach Planet and the EQ6 extension pier were so short that they only gave 3 or 4 turns till tight .....

Thanks to Specialty Fasteners, I found 2 beautiful M12 (1.75mm pitch) x 120mm Eyebolts in 316 Stainless steel.

I did have the option of a larger plastic knob as well but my arthritis sometimes prevents a decent grip on plastic. With the Eyebolt I can use a short bit of dowel for all the leverage ever needed.

Then it was a case of grinding away a section of the thread and then cutting to the final length to get a far stronger grip on the subject.

Bench grinder for the rough work then the bolt was secured into my drill chuck, the drill clamped into a Triton Superjaws, and a lathe was born.
Spin the drill at 1500rpm and hand file the stem down, the threads were then chased clean with a s/s nut and some grinding paste and hey presto, 10 full turn of engagement !!!!

An added bonus is that I can use a carabiner to suspend a weight off the ring for even more stability (might want to observe in a hurricane)

Here is a pic of the bolt before and after .......

[MattT]

Now that is a nice bit of 'lathe' work

Kind of thing I would do....nothing like using a tool for anything other than it's intended purpose, not that I am encouraging anyone to do the same thing....where is the IIS OH&S rep?

[Kunama]

Originally Posted by MattT

Now that is a nice bit of 'lathe' work

Kind of thing I would do....nothing like using a tool for anything other than it's intended purpose, not that I am encouraging anyone to do the same thing....where is the IIS OH&S rep?

I made a pair of them Matt, one goes inside the pier you gave me, other onto the Berlebach.

I have some Mercedes Brilliant Silver paint so I might match the mount and pier to the Sprinter

[MattT]

Originally Posted by Kunama

I have some Mercedes Brilliant Silver paint so I might match the mount and pier to the Sprinter

All you need then is the Merc 'Star' glued to the pier extension