Clausing lathe

[STS]

Seems to me the long headstock can be overcome relatively easily in a non production environment with an old barrel. Thread the 1” you’ll be cutting off and drill and thread an old barrel piece and screw them together for an extension and a piece of barrel drilled and threaded to match the tennon. I’m not yet set up so I’m not positive it will work but it sure seems it would. Am I wrong ? I know it would be too time consuming for a professional doing work for profit but a hobbyist could.

That method will work. I've threaded barrels as short as 18 inches through the headstock. I made a muzzle extension and threaded it 3/4 X 16 and cinch it up tight in the barrel vise on the barrel. I can stick a test indicator all the way through the extension into the barrel well back inside the spindle. Works well and is not that difficult to do. I made another extension for the chamber end so after the chamber is done I can flip it around and crown the barrel.

 

[TRA]

That method will work. I've threaded barrels as short as 18 inches through the headstock. I made a muzzle extension and threaded it 3/4 X 16 and cinch it up tight in the barrel vise on the barrel. I can stick a test indicator all the way through the extension into the barrel well back inside the spindle. Works well and is not that difficult to do. I made another extension for the chamber end so after the chamber is done I can flip it around and crown the barrel.

Are you saying you have threaded barrels that are 18", on a 1500 Clausing? Or, some other lathe?

 

[STS]

Are you saying you have threaded barrels that are 18", on a 1500 Clausing? Or, some other lathe?

Different lathe. I was simply confirming the validity of the concept.

 

[GenePoole]

Use a 'cat's head' instead of dual spiders.

 

[akajun]

Use a 'cat's head' instead of dual spiders.

Correct, use a cat head or a tru bore system.
Couple people also have made a tight fitting center that fits in the outboard spindle that reaches the end of the barrel in the spindle.
Then there’s always chambering in a steady, nothing wrong with that at all and a lot of records have been set with barrels chambered that way

 

[butchlambert]

My 6913 Clausing is long in the headstock, BUT! I chamber in the headstock. Most barrel blanks are approx 28'+ inches. Easy enough to do the tenon. When you are finished chambering, cut to length, screw an extension on the tenon and machine your crown.
Now, on my Clausing there is a hub on the LH side of the spindle. To shorten the distance I drilled and tapped this hub to get it closer to the cathead on the RH side of the spindle.