Grizzly or Precision Mathew’s

[Jesswil61]

Looking back myself, I would not base the purchase on just what your need is at present. Look at the different things that you could or maybe wish to do beyond the immediate needs. Once you dive into this a wish for other capabilities will come up. Another thought to the height of the machine can be modified by anchor bolts and grouting.

 

[shortgrass]

Ed (or Edward), I see that you are in MA. There should be gobs of used machine dealers with tool room sized lathes in you neck of the woods. Just because Giz and PM get talked about all the time on the interdnet, I'd not confine myself to those. You should be able to find a good used lathe for less that will do what you want. Physical problems with a lathe are easy to spot. The condition of the ways, backlash of the lead screws, do the handles all work? Those that have higher tech electrical systems can be more complicated to fix. A belt drive lathe with a 2-3hp motor that is operated (forward and reverse) with a common drum switch, that has a large enough spindle bore and threading would do just fine for chambering barrels. I see several on ebay that are offered by used machine tool dealers that are in your part of the country that'd be worth an inspection and possible buy if in proper condition and priced right.

 

[tobnpr]

^^ Second.
What I don't think has been mentioned is that often, a used machine will come fully tooled.
You're light years ahead with a used lathe that isn't clapped out along with tooling in good condition.
Reasonable bed wear is to be expected and isn't an issue for barrel work (unless you plan on contouring).
As long as the machine is "tight", with good bearings, half-nuts, and leadscrew you're usually gtg.

Bed length...
If you're only going to chamber your own "new" barrels, bed length will be irrelevant if you're working through the spindle. It's always beneficial to have at least 36" between centers if you ever need to work on a barreled action that can't be run through the headstock. I have no clue as to why there seems to be a hard-on for a 14" swing machine, there's no application in riflesmithing I can think of where it's needed.

The downside to the older iron is that they were built before DRO's- and depending on the lathe you need to be "creative" in order to mount the cross scale. Once you have DRO's installed, backlash becomes a non-issue and you have the same potential accuracy as a brand new machine.

That said, you need to know what you're looking at and you should be able to make test cuts/run the machine under power esp if it's a geared head. Lots of good peeps here that I'm sure wouldn't mind checking out a machine with you should you find one.

 

[ChristianSilver]

I’ve had both Grizzly and PM. Parts availability for Grizzly are usually good, PM not quite as good.
Never have I needed parts for my PM, maintenance and knowing the limits of your machine can save you heartaches.
I have the PM 1130V and it has its limits, 1 1/2” bore, DRO and variable speed. Gear changes suck but it’s simple. Turns out very accurate chambering jobs, Maintain them, know the limits of all your equipment and they’ll last.

PM machines are top notch.

 

[Machinist John]

40 inch centers come in handy sometimes.

And purchase or make a tool post grinder. How else are you going to maintain the centers? I have dedicated centers for each lathe, ground in place and match marked to the spindles. Yes Virginia, put a dial indicator on that center when ever you insert it in the spindle. Take a swing and see if it is dead nuts. Yep, that is a ball bearing center being ground, the bearing drag is enough to keep the center point turning. Light cuts!

I put a DC motor on this one when I made it, and have the variable speed controller for the motor. Handy!

Dial indicators: Buy a bunch of them and use them!

 

[Machinist John]

Parts: Bought the 13x40 Jet in 1981. Never had any need for spare parts except for changing motor drive belts about 15 years ago. I oil every fitting each day before use. And wipe down the ways. Lube everything and the machine will outlive you. And I change the headstock oil every year.

The 13x36 I bought from a commercial shop. Rode hard and put away wet. I replaced the spindle bearings as they were rough. Standard industrial bearings, bought replacements at an industrial bearing distributor.

So do not worry about parts.

 

[shortgrass]

When you think parts, think electric switches/relays/starters. There's a lot to be said for a common Dayton drum switch that uses a couple of common relays (forward/reverse) that can be bought at any electric supply store. Some of those components on these newer imports are rather difficult to come by if needed. And it don't run without 'um.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Ive seen grizzly ship a brand new machine out when some headstock gears needed replacing. That guy was a huge grizzly fan from that day forward and bought a bunch more machines

 

[tobnpr]

How else are you going to maintain the centers?

I rarely need/use a center in the spindle- and I've got an oddball "short" MT5 (Sheldon), so I just chuck up a soft center and skim cut it in place before using. Easy-peasy.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I rarely need/use a center in the spindle- and I've got an oddball "short" MT5 (Sheldon), so I just chuck up a soft center and skim cut it in place before using. Easy-peasy.

Ive never put a center in the spindle

 

[Machinist John]

Back before retirement I did a lot of non-gun work, often the work had to go between centers.

Dogs are handy also in the machine shop.

Tooling, tooling. Never have enough!

Some weird stuff has passed through the shop:

Putting an oil groove in motorcycle connecting rods

Tooling to hold the rod

Boring out the throat on a Solex carb

Boring out a motorcycle sprocket

This barrel job is between centers, note the dog. Low flash point cutting oil, hence the smoke. Smells good. This lathe does not have a coolant pump.

I guess you can say I am more of a machinist than a bug hole builder.

 

[TikkaNut]

What's the spindle bore size on a SB Heavy 10?

1 3/8 I had one for years

 

[Machinist John]

Ahh, the South Bend Heavy Ten. The Lathe Fan's dream small lathe.

 

[TrxR]

I've been keeping an eye out locally for a few years for South Bend Heavy 10.