I'm About to Chamber My First Barrel; Any Advice?

[Bully]

Well ?

I'm all set up and ready to roll for tomorrow. Sunday is my only day with the wife so I do try and spend some time with her. Mondays are a bit more "mine" although the dentist and heading to the range will for sure make a dent.

Not to fear @Ggmac I will fearlessly post pics when I'm done. I promise.

 

[55fairlane]

I learned a long time ago a carbide insert cut off tool is the only way to go....

Keep then sharp, on center,square to the work, go slow and use cutting oil

Aaron

 

[hogpatrol]

 

[alinwa]

I'm all set up and ready to roll for tomorrow. Sunday is my only day with the wife so I do try and spend some time with her. Mondays are a bit more "mine" although the dentist and heading to the range will for sure make a dent.

Not to fear @Ggmac I will fearlessly post pics when I'm done. I promise.

Bully for you.

IMO that is the way innernet forums should be done. In fact, I think the 'PM' function should be disabled and every interchange should be right out front. Otherwise, if'n you want private conversation with folks just email 'em .......

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Bully for you.

IMO that is the way innernet forums should be done. In fact, I think the 'PM' function should be disabled and every interchange should be right out front. Otherwise, if'n you want private conversation with folks just email 'em .......

Ive found out from various customers that if they ask a question they get a hunnert pm’s from people with very low or no post count throwin out info i guess theyre too scared to get vetted on the forum. To everybody- if you ask a question be careful about who answers. And to the secret squirrels- if you cant put an answer out for scrutiny either you aint sure or know youre wrong. Either way keep it to yourself or air it out.

 

[shortgrass]

I learned a long time ago a carbide insert cut off tool is the only way to go....

Keep then sharp, on center,square to the work, go slow and use cutting oil

Aaron

Stick with HS cut-off blades. HS is much more forgiving than carbide. My ol' "Machining Data", published by Republic Steel, says an 1/8" wide HS c/o should run at 136 surface feet per minute ( SFM) in 1018 steel (the common stuff from the hardware store). That translates into about 415 rpm for an inch and quarter bar diameter. Feed rate is recommended at 0.0019 inches per revolution. Next to NOT being on center, poor tool geometry and not being 90 deg to the work, going too slow is next in line for problems. Go too slow and you rub that tool to death. You should reduce that 136sfm because you're working with a machine that hasn't the mass and rigidity of a screw machine. 200rpm for a 1 1/4 bar of 1018 doesn't scare me, but 50-60rpm will rub that tool dull, and dull tools are where the problems begin. Here, parting off, the power feed (so you know how fast you're feeding) and flood coolant are your 'friend'. Parting-off is just a 'thing'. I'd recommend "T" style blades. Carbide is for modern production. You can easily multiply sfm recommended for HS by 3 if you use carbide (that'd be about 330sfm, which translates to about 1015rpm for a 1 1/4" bar of 1018)

 

[hogpatrol]

The problem with parting is too slow a surface speed as the cut diameter gets smaller. Not practical on most older lathes but the rpm needs to be increased as the tool gets closer to the center of the workpiece to maintain correct SFM. Along with shortgrass, I prefer the T style bits. For production, nothing beats carbide insert tooling.

 

[dskogman]

I’m still a new newbie as well but have successfully completed a few now and there is some excellent advise here. I practiced on 1 1/4 cold rolled bar then on some shot out barrels. There is no substitute for hands on practice.

A question for the experts here is I found that running the reamer slow (70 rpm) cut ok but the chamber finish was not great and I had some chatter in the neck on a 5r barrel. I tried shooting it but the jump was inconsistent with the lands measurement so I did it again. JGS recommends 300 rpm so I tried that and it works great although it cuts fast so you need to be careful and clean your chips often. What is the minimum rpm for a reamer ?

 

[butchlambert]

The first bolt gun I ever re-barreled was a glued bench gun. Downloaded the action manufacturer tenon print. Did well, measured the PD exactly to the print tolerance, un-chucked the barrel feeling proud. No cigars, the barrel would not screw in.

Butch Lambert to the rescue, first of all I never chased any thread before, he had to guide me through the process via phone. Secondly, he suggested that I measure the old barrel thread PD and use that. Talked about nerve shattering episode, my brother who owned the bench gun was watching the whole time and certainly I did not want to ruin a nice barrel.

Got through it, using all the jigs Butch loaned me, the cone bolt jig, and the headspace jig. Brother left the garage with his toy and barrel performed well at the next VFS match.

Re-barreling a glued gun for a first project is not the way to start.

Guys, If you have a Buddy like Nez, he makes you look good. He will listen, use an engineer's mind to think about it, and then does it. He uses good machining practices.
Oh, by the way, he is the Texas State teams armorer and AR upper builder. He is very successful.

 

[TRA]

Parting is HARD, maybe the hardest job on the lathe.

Ah, cummon AL. Parting is a piece of cake. Keep the tool as short as possible, and don't part off solids. If you must,,, stop at about .100 or so and break it off with a hammer or use a hack saw. Keep the revs up, and don't be a woosy with the feed. The best way is to run the tool upside down, but that's another story. Actually all lathe tools work better upside down.

Parting is like every other lathe tool as the setup is tool specific. Quick change tool holders and parting tools are not a good mix.

Although trying to part on a sleeve bearing headstock would be a royal pain. They are prime candidates for parting upside down. Without tight and stable bearings the parting tool gets sucked under the work. BEWARE.... DON'T try this if you have a threaded spindle!

 

[shortgrass]

Ah, cummon AL. Parting is a piece of cake. Keep the tool as short as possible, and don't part off solids. If you must,,, stop at about .100 or so and break it off with a hammer or use a hack saw. Keep the revs up, and don't be a woosy with the feed. The best way is to run the tool upside down, but that's another story. Actually all lathe tools work better upside down.

Parting is like every other lathe tool as the setup is tool specific. Quick change tool holders and parting tools are not a good mix.

Although trying to part on a sleeve bearing headstock would be a royal pain. They are prime candidates for parting upside down. Without tight and stable bearings the parting tool gets sucked under the work. BEWARE.... DON'T try this if you have a threaded spindle!

Well, mount it up-side down using the "T" slot on the far side of the cross slide and you'll still be " turnin' to the right", like you're supposed to. OH! You might not have a "T" slot there, just the one on the compound slide.

 

[Bully]

I made some good progress. Then I screwed the pooch.

I'm gonna cut the tenon off and give her hell in a few days.

 

[hogpatrol]

I made some good progress. Then I screwed the pooch.

I'm gonna cut the tenon off and give her hell in a few days.

I give you credit for being honest. Again, my advice is to thread a half dozen pieces of cold rolled, drill a hole and do the chamber job on something that you can toss without losing much money.

 

[Shawnba67]

I made some good progress. Then I screwed the pooch.

I'm gonna cut the tenon off and give her hell in a few days.

Set that pooch somewhere you will have to see it. It helps me remember not to repeat certain things! If anyone asks tell em it came off a rifle you bought that way!

 

[tobnpr]

3 pages of constructive, CIVIL discussion on barrel work...
I know how- no discussion on floating reamer holders !
That's the ticket...

 

[Bully]

I give you credit for being honest. Again, my advice is to thread a half dozen pieces of cold rolled, drill a hole and do the chamber job on something that you can toss without losing much money.

No reason for dishonesty. Essentially, I don't care what anyone on here thinks of me. And please, don't misunderstand, I am on here to learn. But in no way am I trying to impress anyone. I've done things in my career that most dream about. I've shot TV. I've been on TV. I've been flown privately to do hair. I've worked with actresses, actors, models, and uber-wealthy doyennes with names people recognize. But at the end of the day, none of it matters. All that matters is that I'm honestly representing myself for who and what I am. Nothing more. Any "glories" aren't mine anyway.
So, why not be honest?

I messed up. I forgot to take out the ejector which messed up my headspace. When I went to try and fix it, I got in a rush and crashed my jig into my QCTP. Sheared some of the bolts off. At the end of the day, it'll cost me some bolts and gain me more experience. All good. I left my shop with all my fingers and eyeballs intact. I actually had a good chuckle about it with a friend on the phone.

I'll take a couple of days and get back at it Wednesday evening. I'll hit the tool supply house tomorrow. All good.

 

[Cloudrepair]

I'm sure it's been said but I would suggest checking your work and rechecking dialed in points often while doing the work.
That will tell you how your setup is working.
Be safe

 

[TRA]

Well, mount it up-side down using the "T" slot on the far side of the cross slide and you'll still be " turnin' to the right", like you're supposed to. OH! You might not have a "T" slot there, just the one on the compound slide.

?

What does turnin to the right" mean?

 

[55fairlane]

Be very careful when running the parting tool upside down....if your lathe chuck threads on this could be detrimental....ask me how I know.......

After you get your set up made again.....pop your lathe in neutral, rotate your chuck by hand and check your clearance......

If you get frustrated.....turn it off and walk away, let your mind "get back in the zone" then continue with your work

 

[shortgrass]

?

What does turnin to the right" mean?

Turning in the forward direction. "right", in this case, meaning proper.