Chamber reamer for centering Barrel?

[spitfire_er]

I used to work in a Gunsmith shop with all the goodies and tooling, but now I'm on my own and slowly building up the tooling that I want to build a rifle or two a year for myself.

I have a barrel from x-caliber barrels and it is a straight 1.25" tube. I want to keep the 1.25", but want to make a clean up cut the entire length of the barrel to try and make everything as concentric as possible.

I want to use a 60 degree PTG cutter with the floating reamer to get some concentric champhers so I can turn between centers. However, being on a budget and I need to buy a new reamer anyways...... Could I just use a piloted reamer with a reamer holder and run up to the top of the shoulder?

Only down side I could see is that with the 6 br, I'm going to be putting my live/dead centers into a 30 degree hole?

Would this work, or am I just better off spending the extra money and waiting for the 60 degree cutter.

I plan to thread/chamber/ muzzle through the headstock, so this will just be for profiling.

On the flip side of things, Could I just cut both ends at 90 degrees and run off the lands keeping the live center tight, or am I running the risk of pushing my centers in off center?

 

[Erik Cortina]

You can't take a cleanup cut on the entire barrel and still have 1.250" diameter when done.

Use a boring bar and your compound to cut centers.

 

[spitfire_er]

You can't take a cleanup cut on the entire barrel and still have 1.250" diameter when done.

Use a boring bar and your compound to cut centers.

I understand that it will get smaller. Like I said, just doing a clean up cut to make it all concentric. Guess I should have said, keep the profile and keep it as close to 1.250" as I can.

I'm assuming what you are saying is to center the barrel up in the headstock and cut the center, flip it over and do it all over again! Makes sense.

Thanks for your advice. That's what I may end up doing. I guess I'm use to getting it done so quick with the cutter and reamer holder I use to have access to!

 

[ridgeway]

Dial the bore dead nuts and chamber....don't worry about the OD..

 

[Erik Cortina]

Dial the bore dead nuts and chamber....don't worry about the OD..

I would do this.

 

[Jay Christopherson]

You can't take a cleanup cut on the entire barrel and still have 1.250" diameter when done.

Use a boring bar and your compound to cut centers.

I understand that it will get smaller. Like I said, just doing a clean up cut to make it all concentric. Guess I should have said, keep the profile and keep it as close to 1.250" as I can.

I'm assuming what you are saying is to center the barrel up in the headstock and cut the center, flip it over and do it all over again! Makes sense.

Thanks for your advice. That's what I may end up doing. I guess I'm use to getting it done so quick with the cutter and reamer holder I use to have access to!

I'm not sure I see what value there would be in a clean up cut on the profile.

 

[spitfire_er]

It's an unturned blank. I'm not sure it would look very good if I just tried to polish it up. Handling marks and some scratches that would take a while to sand and polish out.

It's not nice looking like a Krieger, Hart, Brux..... or whichever major barrel maker of choice.

This isn't my first rodeo, I've done 50-60 barrels start to finish so I know how to set the thing up to thread chamber, and I was taught by a highly successful bench rest shooter/ Master Gunsmith of 50 years.

Was just asking opinions on best way to set it up for turning between centers without a piloted center reamer.

I'm not going to spend an hour polishing out scratches and end up with a wavy barrel when I polish it up to a mirror finish.

Not trying to be rude, just getting ideas!

 

[jrm850]

It is highly likely that the only two spots that will be concentric with the bore are the two points where the indicator touches, so I wouldn't get too crazy about the accuracy of a center cut on sacrificial metal just for polishing. Stick it in a 4 jaw, indicate the bore, and cut them with your compound.

Taking a clean up cut on a rifle barrel is easier said than done. Chatter city when you are 15" away from support. If these aren't going to be rust blued customs sitting in Circassian walnut, I would invest in a barrel spinner and one of the expanding rubber sanding drums. You can get paper for them with fine grits in the 1000s and you can take it from mill finish to looking at yourself in 20 minutes. It is surprisingly ripple free.

I have to tell you that I am a perplexed that you know how to set up a barrel for chambering, have done 50-60 installs, and don't know how to cut a 60 degree center.

 

[Preacher]

Doing a clean up cut between centers will have that barrel looking like a snake that swallowed a egg..
Buy a lathe file and lots of wet dry paper and get on with it....

 

[savagedasher]

Doing a clean up cut between centers will have that barrel looking like a snake that swallowed a egg..
Buy a lathe file and lots of wet dry paper and get on with it....

:-[ Sound like old school. Better yet next time don't get a un finished Barrel.
+ 1 on the file . Larry

 

[ridgeway]

Was just asking opinions on best way to set it up for turning between centers without a piloted center reamer.

I'm not going to spend an hour polishing out scratches and end up with a wavy barrel when I polish it up to a mirror finish.

Not trying to be rude, just getting ideas!

Dial and set compound to cut your centers like mentioned above.

Finish wise....quick work with a barrel spinner and a 1" or 2" bench mounted belt sander will get that barrel looking pretty spiffy. Progressivly work your way up grit wise to obtain desired finish. Won't take long for a fine finish. If you want a mirror finish...no way around spending time sanding and polishing.

 

[carlsbad]

I've done cleanup cuts on 1.25" shafts for telescope mounts that customers wanted polished. It is difficult on anything as long as a barrel but I think I've done up to 24" shafts. You have to use a follow rest or you'll get chattering in the middle. once it chatters, cleaning it up will be difficult. You didn't say stainless of crmo. If it is crmo, you'll be much better off. Much harder to do a skim cut on ss as the surface work hardens.

Would be good to practice on a piece of 1.25" barstock. Get your followrest dialed in.

I would not drive with a reamer in the hole.....huh?

You can cut a chamfer on the id of any hole with your boring bar or any cutter with adequate relief.

How are you planning to drive it once it is turning between centers? Got a lathe dog?

--Jerry

 

[spitfire_er]

OK,

Wow.....

I figured chatter would be good, get that twisted snake scale look on the finish, as for driving it, I have a bicycle that when I wrap an old inner tube around the back wheel and the barrel and I can do all my cutting while getting my exercise. I do have a dog that lays down in my shop, but I don't think I should chuck her up on the lathe!

Don't worry about it, I have it figured out. I know how to cut a 60 degree center, and that chatter happens on long stock between centers!

I was just asking for opinions on an easier way to do it with limited tools. I have profiled several barrels before but with much more tooling and larger lathes.

Don't worry about it. I've had a horrible week with finding out a close family member has cancer and i'm not in the mood to be poked at and second guessed about my abilities when you don't know what I know, and I don't blame anyone for it.

I appreciated all the constructive comments and thanks for the info!

 

[carlsbad]

Good luck to you and your family member.

Get a lot of experience with your lathe. It probably has a followrest. I think I have an extra one I'd sell cheap for a 13" chinese lathe.

Don't machine when you are mentally distracted. You can lose an arm.

--Jerry

 

[ridgeway]

Sorry to hear about your family member...that kind of news is always hard to deal with. Hope all works out well...

Don't take this the wrong way, but the type of questions you were asking, not sure what you were expecting to hear?

 

[spitfire_er]

No worries.

Here's a snap shot of a handful of stuff I have done over the past several years. All of these are my pictures of my work start to finish, no pre-fab stuff other than a couple partially inleted stocks.

Guess it was kinda a silly question, but I've been away from it for a good year and my mind isn't thinking like a machinist anymore.......

They shoot OK for just being hunting rifles.

I've done quite a bit of work on 700's, 70's savages, but like the nostalgic of an old rifle. I've owned an S&S precision rifle in 6.5x284 and it was a hell of a nice rifle, but I have more fun shooting old stuff.