Experienced lathe operators please help me.

[Mr.Knowit all]

Hello and thank you for taking a minute to read my post.
I have come into a little money and I wanted to purchase a lathe and take a few classes
at the college. I know NOTHING about what I need to tread and chamber a barrels. I wanted to
get an idea of what I needed and I was hopping that someone would steer me in the right direction.
I know that is going to take A LOT of time and practice to be any good and I am under NO delusion
that I will be chambering my own barrels anytime soon.
I was just looking for some advice. Grizzly has a 40 in Lathe for sale but the 36 in is a grand cheaper. Do I need a 40 in.?
Thank you.

 

[#40Fan]

I would be looking for a lathe that has a large enough spindle through hole (diameter) to fit any size of barrel you plan on using. Make sure the chuck (preferably 4 jaw) has a big enough hole too.

 

[Mr.Knowit all]

10//4 Thanks

 

[Terry]

I bought the PM 1440 GT. Love it.

Now that I own a 40" lathe I would not buy anything smaller.

It has a 2" spindle bore.

It's not cheap, it is excellent!

Get the DRO.

 

[linebaugh]

You likely will not need a 40" bed for chambering and threading. That said there have been a few times where I could have used the extra bed length but not for gunsmithing. As others have stated make sure you get a large spindle bore and you must have a 4 jaw chuck. The lathes you will be looking for may be marked/advertised as "gunsmithing" lathes and are typically noted as such due to the 1.75 or larger spindle bore.

If you do go.with the larger 1440 size the extra weight may be helpful in smoothing out cuts due to chatter but it's minimal at best. Look at the rpm settings on both and see if there are any gains to be had there. I would personally prefer the lathe with the most speeds under about 800 rpm as I seldom go over 400.

Good luck and don't hesitate to go for it. My lathe has paid for itself in personal use savings let alone satisfaction as a hobby. Add a mill and let your mind wander and you will be surprised what you can produce. What is a lifetime of good memories worth? Have fun and best wishes.

 

[Bully]

If you’re looking at new, I would look at Precision Matthews over Grizzly.

They have a 12x36 made with gunsmithing in mind. I believe it’s Taiwan made. The ones made in Taiwan are generally regarded as being of better quality and fit/finish.

Good luck.

 

[55fairlane]

Do yourself a favor, take the classes, find a local machinist club, learn the trade, THEN start looking at lathes....., there are several good choices, learn the machines, learn the craft, this will help you make a informed decision.

 

[boltfluter]

I would seriously be looking at the Matthews line of lathes as mentioned. Remember, weight is your friend when it comes to a mill or lathe. More is almost always better, if given a choice.

Paul

 

[7mmmag]

I would look at finding a 15 X 54 LeBlond or Clausing , like boltfluter said heavier is better if you have the room and space . If you get one that long you can chamber with steady rest if you want . The leBlond wont be good if you want to use spider , the headstock is too long .

 

[skeetlee]

Lathe rule number one. You can make small parts on a bigger machine, but you can not make big parts on a small machine. I wouldn't go any smaller than a 13 or 14 inch, if I had any inclinations of doing work other than just a rifle barrels.

 

[skeetlee]

Lathe operations are not what I would call tricky. A class isn't a bad idea, but with all the you tube videos out there, I would just dive in. I did and I have zero regrets. Hands on is always the best teacher. Making mistakes is all part of the adventure!! Lee

 

[shanerbanner10]

I'm 100% self taught and now own a business clambering rifles. It is not difficult and it does not take all that long to be "good" at it. I would firstly suggest going over to practical machinist and learning everything you can about what to look for, what kind of machine will best fit your needs. I learned via youtube, practical machinist, a 1903 Lodge and Shipley lathe, and asking a bunch of questions to guys I knew who were already established smiths. What does take a long time to learn is machining knowledge, but basic turning and threading isn't all that complicated.
Make sure the spindle bore is 1.5"+, no change gears and the ability to do either metric or standard threading is super nice, DRO is super nice to have but is 100% not needed , get yourself speedy's floating reamer holder its amazing and last but not least learn how to setup, level, and align your tailstock as best you can. The rest will come with practice. Try to get a hold of some old shot out a barrels and just practice basic turning and threading which will be 90% of what you'll do. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a message and I'll help you out as best I can.

My business partner and I drove 36 hrs straight from Oklahoma to Detroit and back to pick up our lathe. Sites like bidspotter.com are an awesome place to pick up quality machines cheap.

Here are the top 2-4 machines I'd look for
1) Nardini
2) Harrison M300
3) Bridgeport/Romi/DoAll 13.5
4) Sharp 1340VS (this is a good bit more expensive than the previously mentioned lathes, but its a hell of a lathe)

 

[7mmmag]

You know that the lathe is only part of it , 1st couple hand fulls of reamers , Jigs , and cutters then a milling machine . If you want outboard spider get come kind of lathe with short head stock but get a viper jig and that will fix your problems but you would need a 15 inch 4 jaw chuck .

 

[gme]

take the class first, learn how to be safe, talk to as many people who know what they are doing as you can, be prepared to invest significant money in measuring tools and cutting tools

 

[ridgeway]

I've chambered world champion and record setting barrels on a 12x36. There is more to it than the lathe. Anyone can learn to turn, thread, drill, bore and ream. It's how refined you can put it all together is what matters.

 

[savagedasher]

I feel the lathe a person gets should have a bore big enough to put the barrel though the headstock
Nobody need a huge lathe to do barrels work
For them self

 

[Shrek]

Go find a class first is common advice from people who’ve been out of school for decades. Most schools have closed their manual machinists classes and now only teach CNC machining. You probably should check around if you’re going to rely on going to classes at a local school to learn.

 

[Stumpy1]

if you can find a class, take it. If not, try to find a current or retired manual machinist to help you out.

Main thing -BE SAFE. A lathe has no conscience and will rip off anything that gets tangled in the chuck.

Lots of video out there...

not for those with weak stomachs.

Frank

 

[boltfluter]

The biggest pos I have ever run was a Nardinni. This was a big model. Way to big for barrel work. Just had the worst ergonomics of any lathe I have ever run. Just remembering some good times in a machine shop from days gone by.

Paul

 

[carlsbad]

Taiwan.