Do you use a parting tool to cut off your barrel?

[carlsbad]

As the title says, before crowning, when cutting to length, do you use a parting tool?

--Jerry

 

[ridgeway]

Yep...i part all the time. Depending on how much gets parted, I will cut a center and turn the OD to where I want to part. This makes it nice to make a stub or something with the extra material. Most of time...band saw, lol

I also sometimes part off stamped end for a thin tag for reference. I run the indicator back inside after doing so just to make sure nothing moved during the parting op.

 

[Danny1788]

I use a carbide cold cut saw. It's way faster than parting

 

[jkohler]

Band saw

 

[Tim Singleton]

Band saw

 

[Rustystud]

Band saw. Have a piece you parted off Magna flux xrayed Look at the grain structure after it has been parted off. You will never part off barrel again
Nat Lambeth

 

[carlsbad]

Band saw. Have a piece you parted off Magna flux xrayed Look at the grain structure after it has been parted off. You will never part off barrel again
Nat Lambeth

How deep do you think the grain structure is affected?

thanks,
Jerry

 

[geo.ulrich]

Band saw. Have a piece you parted off Magna flux xrayed Look at the grain structure after it has been parted off. You will never part off barrel again
Nat Lambeth

magna flux and x ray are two entirely different tests, which checks for cracks in material. which I am having a hard time understanding the correlation to parting a part off. as we already know ANY cutting of material will disrupt grain structure..

 

[gme]

bandsaw

 

[carlsbad]

Bandsaw here too usually. I am not afraid to part off a straight 1.25" barrel. I'm more concerned about the large bending moment associated with imperfect parting. You can machine off enough to get well away from the effects of the parting tool---if you put any type of crown on the barrel that will take care of itself.

--Jerry

 

[jfseaman]

Bandsaw.

I've "fixed" a couple barrels that where cut off poorly as in shot poorly after the original work. Removed all the material that had been distorted by the cut off tool. The other, someone has used a pipe cutter. OMG. Faced off the distored metal from the bore outward until the crushed metal was removed.

After. Both shot very well.

 

[hogpatrol]

Bandsaw.

 

[AckleymanII]

OK, how much to you face if you have parted off?

 

[carlsbad]

The last time I faced a 1.25" barrel I faced it off clean, maybe .020 thousandths. Then took off perhaps another .080 putting on the recessed crown.

 

[geo.ulrich]

sounds to me that grinding a parting tool is most of the problems here and don't say use carbide inserts they are made for c.n.c. and as all carbide are pressure tools...you need to free the cut up and you will not bend or get distortion...

 

[shortgrass]

sounds to me that grinding a parting tool is most of the problems here and don't say use carbide inserts they are made for c.n.c. and as all carbide are pressure tools...you need to free the cut up and you will not bend or get distortion...

I think that's a good part of it. Too many don't know how to hand grind tools, let alone a cut-off, or set-up the tool properly, or know how fast it should be run & fed. Most novice users, and there are more now than ever before, are intimidated by that cut-off tool, and rightly so. Don't put a proper grind on it, don't set it up properly and then don't use it properly can mean a certain wreck, damaging the tool, and possibly the holder and the work. Many do all their barrel work, both chamber end and muzzle end, using a "spider'. I don't believe I'd 'part off' with the work held in a 'spider',,,,,,, and I've been using parting tools for more than 40yrs, now.

 

[ridgeway]

If you are distoring metal, pushing metal or whatever during parting...something is wrong. Mr Ulrich hit it spot on.

 

[ridgeway]

I don't believe I'd 'part off' with the work held in a 'spider',,,,,,, and I've been using parting tools for more than 40yrs, now.

I do it all the time. Interapid back inside to check and never had one move. Like mentioned by you and george...its all in the tooling and how its set up. When those chip roll and curl....just like cutting butter!

 

[geo.ulrich]

Many do all their barrel work, both chamber end and muzzle end, using a "spider'. I don't believe I'd 'part off' with the work held in a 'spider',,,,,,, and I've been using parting tools for more than 40yrs, now.[/QUOTE]
The spider isn't really an issue just need to support with a center....as stated above chips need to roll off like ribbons..same as you 47 yrs. and counting

 

[hogpatrol]

The main problem with parting is as the tool gets closer to the center, optimum surface speed also needs to increase and on the old clunkers and some of the other non CNC machines, it's not possible to increase the speed while running. Hence, the tool, as the diameter of the cut decreases, is in now more of a pushing off metal instead of cutting it if you try and maintain the same feed rate. Take it just a small amount off the proper surface speed and you have a broken tool, a climbing workpiece, a gouged surface or all three. CNC machines can increase speed as necessary to keep the chip rolling off smoothly.

George, I parted short pieces of solid 3" cold rolled with a dry carbide insert parting tool in an old LeBlond. Didn't have more than a few inches hanging out of the chuck though. A blue ribbon peeled off and it cut like butter. Had to experiment with the rpm a bit but all good.

Clear as mud? A more articulate explanation here:

http://www.productionmachining.com/articles/five-process-security-tips-when-parting-off