Gunsmithing Advice on a lathe

[olivera10]

Any recommendations on a lathe for a newbie on a budget.
I have cut and recrowned a few barrels and want to take it to the next level. I can't seem to find tooling that will cut a recessed target crown that doesn't require a lathe.
Thanks in advance

 

[ugsly]

Re: Advice on a lathe

what kind of budget are you looking at? When I bought a lathe I set aside $5k for the lathe and tooling. When you buy a lathe its only the beginning. Tooling adds up fast & can run almost what the lathe costs in some cases.

Kc

 

[p8nt]

Re: Advice on a lathe

You need to look at a few things when shopping for a lathe for barrel work. How big is the through hole in the spindle? It should be at smallest 1.375". How long is the headstock from the chuck to the back of the spindle? This is going to determine how short a barrel that you can PROPERLY setup and run. You will probably have to setup and make a spider for the end of the headstock opposite of the chuck side. Check out the bench lathe in a recent MSC advert for $4295 plus $329 for the stand. Part number FR82837915 as well as FR82837956. As far as "newbie" goes
if you have never run a lathe before, you are probably stepping out over your head unless you have someone who is going to teach you. Keep in mind on your, budget the lathe is only part of the cost, all of the tools you need for specific jobs can exceed the cost of you machine.

 

[jonbearman]

Re: Advice on a lathe

I bought an older(1960's vintage) 13" southbend and it will do anything I need.When all was said and done I had about 3500.00 in the lathe and necessary tooling to do the job.Watch ebay!Take someone with you that has a keen eye to look at anything used.The chinese lathes,well some are fair but most are plain junk.

 

[Big Cal]

Re: Advice on a lathe

Hafco lathes are good one with a 38 mm spindle bore they have a model over here in aus with a quick change post and dro for about 4k will do all you really want but allow about another 4k for all your tooling if you go any smaller then 38mm bore you won't get a barrel or receiver through it

 

[olivera10]

Re: Advice on a lathe

Thanks guys I appreciate your time and comments.
I learned a lot from your posts and crowning barrels my main goal does not justify this expense at this time.
I will leave it to the pros for now.

 

[cap2031]

Re: Advice on a lathe

Check out Grizzly.com they have some great lathes pretty cheap, their gunsmithing lathe is great for starting out. Other than that watch craigslist and go smaller than a 12x lathe.

Tooling, and good tooling at that will be the largest cost.

 

[turbo54]

Re: Advice on a lathe

My opinion is the ONLY way to go is Craigslist, and ebay (ONLY if the lathe is closeby).

You can get some outstanding deals on tooled, well equipped, rigid lathes in these places.

I don't mean to offend anyone, but the new lathes you can buy for a couple grand are flimsy and crappy. Yes, I understand gunsmithing doesn't require a heavy duty lathe.... However, I just can't see spending as much money on a cheap chinese lathe as a solid as a rock piece of old american iron thats been running for 50 years and will continue to run for another 50+ years.

Just my $0.02

 

[kraigWY]

Re: Advice on a lathe

Years ago, about 1980 or so, I bought a Jet 12X36 with a 1.5 inch spendle hole for about $2800, its still going strong today.

But as others said, its the tooling that will kill you pocket book.

 

[jacq220]

Re: Advice on a lathe

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: turbo54</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I just can't see spending as much money on a cheap chinese lathe as a solid as a rock piece of old american iron thats been running for 50 years and will continue to run for another 50+ years.

Just my $0.02 </div></div>

because i want to spend time working, not repairing my lathe. yes old american is great, but if you run into an issue, you can spend a fortune getting it back up and running. one of the new imports can produce just a good of quality of work in the gunsmithing field and not be near as finicky as the old american.

plus some of the chinese stuff is really geared towards what a gunsmith needs, with a coolant system, rear spider, large spindle bore, breaks, easy thread change dials, and a lot of speed options in the lower ranges.

i have been researching lathes for almost two years and everytime i go look at old american i cringe when i see what a repair would cost.

me, well 3200 delievered for a mathews precision that should be able to do everything i want it to do right off the bat, and cheap parts availability.

chinese isnt for everyone, but old american isnt for everyone either.

.02

 

[Randfal]

Re: Advice on a lathe

Plus 1 for the Grizzly. They have a great gunsmith lathe a fuzz over $3000 that comes nicely equiped and has a big enough thru hole to do most any gun work.