Whats the best reasonbly oriced gunsmith lathe?

[jonbearman]

My friend and I are looking at lathes but are not sure what is out there to do good gunsmithing jobs for ourselves. We looked at the Matthews 1440 GT lathe but like everything else it is either Taiwan or china made. We are looking to spend 14 grand or less to get something decent. Any help greatly appreciated. I know this has been discussed ad nauseum but things change over time. The Eisen 1440EV as well is another we looked at.


I meant PRICED.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

A good used south bend heavy 10 and every tool youll need can be bought for that. And youd have twice the machine

 

[338 Mollett]

After several years my Eisen still has less than one ten thou. runout on the spindle bore.Get the one that is threaded on the back side of the bore for a spider .

 

[jrm850]

saw this one pop up recently...

 

[Terry]

I have the PM 1440 GT and love it. Bought it with the better DRO installed.
It is a great lathe.

 

[butchlambert]

How long is a string!

 

[Uthink Uknow]

That Clausing Colchester is as close to perfect as it gets. We have a Clausing Colcester 14X50 that was purchased used in great condition and it runs true. It will do anything we know anything about. Good used machines are everywhere near any industrialized city.

 

[gunnermhr]

I have a PM1340GT, its turned out some exceptional barrels. Mine is single phase, I'd go 3 phase with a VFD if I had to do it over. Not sure it's worth converting though. I upgraded the chuck and tool post, both money well spent I think

 

[Dud]

Looking at my local Craigslist, I see older gunsmith size Clausing and South Bend lathes pop up for under $1,500 frequently. Newer China lathes usually go for more.

Some of the old ones are really nice too.

I think it would be hard to wear out a hobby grade lathe doing normal gunsmith tasks unless you were profiling barrels day in and day out so you don't need as much machine as a production shop.

On the other hand, some of the big manual machines are cheap because no one wants to move or store them.

 

[rgc54]

Nowadays the Taiwan lathes are good machines. I bought a 13x40 standard modern from a vocational school USA made and good price. Lots of places to look.

 

[carlsbad]

Taiwan is good. PM taiwan is a good choice.

 

[linekin]

I picked up a SB 10L a couple years ago with a sparse amount of tooling. Should have held out for one with all the attachments & extra tooling. $$$
Nice lathe though albeit a little smaller than what I'm use too.
Keith

 

[billlarson]

A good used south bend heavy 10 and every tool youll need can be bought for that. And youd have twice the machine

Above is good info....
and here is a piece of advice...partnerships are like a marriage,one at a time is a good plenty...
OMHO
bill

 

[mikeeg02]

I have a PM1340GT, its turned out some exceptional barrels. Mine is single phase, I'd go 3 phase with a VFD if I had to do it over. Not sure it's worth converting though. I upgraded the chuck and tool post, both money well spent I think

It also seems to be a significant upgrade vs the heavy 10 you previously had. The ability to hold a tenth for a cut is quite impressive ! Those precision Mathews lathes sure are nice !

 

[Shawnba67]

Make a list of the features you want then find a machine that has them.
Gordy gritters uses a Grizzly lathe.
Remember we are discussing guns so opinions are strong, and the B.S. usually has steak suace on it so you dont notice what it really is!

 

[Kurz]

A couple of thoughts for your consideration:

Buying Chinese is a crap shoot, try it at your own risk of failure.

Buying Taiwan is usually O.K. since some of the 14x40s are really pretty good for the potential low mileage use you're talking about.

Buying a good used lathe can be a nightmare especially if it's been used for production. The wear can be prodigious and most amateurs don't have the faintest idea of how to check these lathes out for accuracy unless you bribe a good machinist to go with you.

Single phase can be O.K. but 3-phase is the best solution to power. Unfortunately, there are areas which don't allow 3-phase in your basement/garage so you have to run a converter which is expensive and a PIA.

There are some excellent companies that rebuild top quality lathes but their pricing can be a little daunting... I waited out the rebuilders for a Hardinge HLV-H to be in my price range and condition. Then I found a super deal on a Rivett and finally a Monarch 10EE. These are all short beds except the Rivett. Be sure to check the diameter of the spindle hole through the headstock as some of these can be smaller than needed.

If you find something you're considering, ask here for some opinions.

 

[butchlambert]

A couple of thoughts for your consideration:

Buying Chinese is a crap shoot, try it at your own risk of failure.

Buying Taiwan is usually O.K. since some of the 14x40s are really pretty good for the potential low mileage use you're talking about.

Buying a good used lathe can be a nightmare especially if it's been used for production. The wear can be prodigious and most amateurs don't have the faintest idea of how to check these lathes out for accuracy unless you bribe a good machinist to go with you.

Single phase can be O.K. but 3-phase is the best solution to power. Unfortunately, there are areas which don't allow 3-phase in your basement/garage so you have to run a converter which is expensive and a PIA.

There are some excellent companies that rebuild top quality lathes but their pricing can be a little daunting... I waited out the rebuilders for a Hardinge HLV-H to be in my price range and condition. Then I found a super deal on a Rivett and finally a Monarch 10EE. These are all short beds except the Rivett. Be sure to check the diameter of the spindle hole through the headstock as some of these can be smaller than needed.

If you find something you're considering, ask here for some opinions.

A VFD or Rotary phase convertors do not have to be expensive. A 10EE with the 20" bed is too short to chamber between centers and the headstock is way too long to do it in the headstock. They did make a very very few 10EEs with a 30" bed.
For chambering only, any quality lathe will do a great job.

 

[jrm850]

It's a crying shame the Hardinge HLV only has a 1.25" spindle bore.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I use two lathes. 90% of my work is done on a Taiwan clone of a Hardinge tool room lathe. Very nice machine but, it was expensive and it is short. Since the spindle is setup for 5C collets without an adapter its bore is only 1.250. A lot of barrels will not fit unless you specifically order them under 1.250. My second lathe is an old Sheldon 13x40. It has a bigger bore and the length to put even the longest barrels between centers. It was never used in production, but was in regular tool room use for its entire 55 years. I didn't realize how absolutely slapass worn out it was until I got the new one. You can do good work on a worn out machine but it takes longer, a lot longer. Tooling is very important. A rough rule of thumb is to expect to spend roughly 50% of the cost of a new machine buying tooling. IMO 3 phase is a must. Get a rotary converter.

 

[Kurz]

A VFD or Rotary phase convertors do not have to be expensive. A 10EE with the 20" bed is too short to chamber between centers and the headstock is way too long to do it in the headstock. They did make a very very few 10EEs with a 30" bed.
For chambering only, any quality lathe will do a great job.

My 10EE worked just fine working through the headstock when you make the fixture to accomplish this. It's not hard but takes time to machine it. This occurs more frequently with that style machine as well as some of the HAAS CNCs. I used it that way for over 10 years building precision bolt action rifles before passing it on to my friend to go with his Rivett.

For chambering only, any quality lathe will do a great job.

As long as the operator is up to the level required.