Milling Machine and Lathe ?????

[krktractor]

this is for you retired or working gunsmiths. if you wre going to get into gunsmith what kind of mill and lathe would you be interested in buying. that is precise and long lasting. thanks for your time

 

[GNERGY]

I am not a Gunsmith by trade, but I have been a maintenance machinist for over 40 yrs and this past year I bought some good old American Iron, a Rockwell 14x 40 Lathe and a 2J Bridgeport. Which should be capeable of doing anything you would need to do. They were both 3 Phase so I bought 2 VFD's to convert 220v single phase to 220v 3 phase.
Tarey

 

[butchlambert]

I would agree with that.

 

[Gundoktr]

What those two guys said. One other comment, don't go cheap.

 

[Larryh128]

+1 on not going cheap. There are several places that make a living buying out shops and re selling the equipment. There are times that there will be a glut of manual lathes & mills. If it isn't CNC most shop don't want them. Michigan and Ohio are good places to do a search. There are a bunch of closed shops in both states.

 

[jscandale]

If you end up buying a new lathe, get a lathe that is marketed as a tool room lathe. They really aren't tool room lathes in the conventinal sense, but that seems to be a popular label that the machine sellers are using these days.
A real tool room lathe is short fat and really heavy in order to hold tight tolerances on small work pieces with little deflection. Many times lathes sellers like MSC, Grizzly, JET, Summit and others use the word tool room on lathes like a 13-40 or 14-40 lathe due to their wide beds and rigid bases. Just something to consider.
Oh yeah, and like the others said, don't go cheap or you'll regret it.

JS

 

[krktractor]

looking at a kent precision or maybe a Harrison I found some used machines in great shape also so some clausing lathes also. going with a Bridgeport for a mill if anyone has any knowledge of the lathes I mentioned I would like some expierenced feedback. thanks again for the comments

 

[jscandale]

You might want to stay away from the Clausing. I forget why, but an old machinist friend of mine told me the reason about a year ago and I just remember it being a good reason. Not much to go on, but it's something for you to look in to.

JS

 

[butchlambert]

I have a 6913 Clausing that is a 14X48 machine. I can chamber in the headstock with a cathead on each end. 2 great features, a clutch- brake handle and variable speed.
I think the M300 Harrisons are great machines.

 

[Cigarcop]

I almost bought a Harrison M300 it def looked like a great machine but I was worried about finding parts easily if needed.... I shortly after got a great deal on a SB Heavy 10 in unbelievable condition... Lovin life with that machine now!!

 

[jscandale]

There are lots and lots of great lathes out there to be had of all sizes. Cigarcop got a steal when he bought his lathe. It's pristine. A Heavy 10 is a great lathe, but you probably don't want to go an smaller especially if you plan to do any contouring. I have 2 Grizzly 1340s that are no longer carried by Grizzly tool, but are a staple in the Jet and Summit lineup.

JS

 

[steckmeyer]

I have a Grizzly G4003 lathe and a discontinued Grizzly mill very much like their GO722. I added a 3 axis DRO to the mill. Both machines perform very well. If I were buying today I'd probably get their G0750G or if I had room the G0709. My son and I have built match rifles, service rifles and pistols on these machines without a problem. I chamber through the lathe head and hold 0.0002". The mill is a pleasure even though mine is not variable speed. Plan on spending at least as much on tooling as you do on the machines and you will be set.

Have fun ......we sure do.

 

[X Ring Accuracy]

There are lots and lots of great lathes out there to be had of all sizes. Cigarcop got a steal when he bought his lathe. It's pristine. A Heavy 10 is a great lathe, but you probably don't want to go an smaller especially if you plan to do any contouring. I have 2 Grizzly 1340s that are no longer carried by Grizzly tool, but are a staple in the Jet and Summit lineup.

JS

I need to go jump off of a bridge.............my shop isn't that clean. Good on you bad on me :'(

 

[jscandale]

Oh, it gets quite messy. Trust me...

JS

 

[Cigarcop]

Oh, it gets quite messy. Trust me...

JS

Yeah once I saw a rag on the floor....LMAO!!

 

[jscandale]

Oh, it gets quite messy. Trust me...

JS

Yeah once I saw a rag on the floor....LMAO!!

Yeah.. I bet I could come and eat off your floor.

JS

 

[krktractor]

thanks guys for the comments I like the Kent's and the summit look like the same machine and quite a bit heavier than the grizzly and the enco. too many to choose from should I get the digital readout or go manual. does anyone know what kind of backlash these machines have or what to expect.

 

[butchlambert]

All machines have backlash, you just learn to deal with it. To me, the DRO is much more important on a mill.

 

[stenger]

Bridgeport with a DRO
Harrison 300 series is real nice
Grizzly big gunsmith lathe is pretty nice

 

[paperpuncher]

Heres a nice lathe for sale
http://forum.snipershide.com/sniper-hide-gunsmithing/216796-colchester-13-x-40-lathe-sale.html
This lathe is nearly ideal for gun work but is also very versatile if you plan to multitask. The lathe is powerful accurate smooth running and heavy. It has plenty of bed length and will do metric and english threads. Not mine but I wish it was