mini lathes??

[brian923]

my father in law is moving, so there fore, his machine shop is moving :, :angry:


i have herd of people using a mini lathe for the minor action truing, and barrel turning. i have found one website about these mini lathes, but it looked like they were all set up for woodworking? is this all they do, or can tooling and holders be bought to make them metal lathes?? if not, where can i find more info on some mini laths that you guys might work with, or know about. thanks, Brian

 

[Ogre6br]

try looking here I spent hours

http://www.mini-lathe.com/Links.htm#Home_Shops

LAter
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[kitsap]

Here is another source of information on the mini-lathe:

Varmint Al

 

[memilanuk]

And a place that specializes in tooling for the wee little machines...


http://littlemachineshop.com/

,they also have some handy intro/manuals for the machines as well)

 

[brian923]

thank you all so much. i guess i ll be spending a lot more money now. i mean, now that ive seen it, i have to have it right??? thakns again, brian



p.s. what kind of gun projects have you guys done on your mini-lathes? and... what kind of otehr projects? just curious, brian

 

[ReedG]

Be advised that I have a beautiful Grizzly 7x14 mini-lathe and I love it. But it is neither big enough or accurate enough to do custom action work.

 

[memilanuk]

Brian,

I'm in a 'shopping' mode myself... probably going to get one this fall/winter to learn the basics on, while I save up money and get my shop squared away a little more before I get a 'big' lathe, if I ever do.

Reed,

Good to hear from another happy user!

 

[brian923]

is there a mini lathe that is accurate enough to do any blueprinting of rifle actions? and if so, how big should it be??

i found a mini-metal lathe that is supposed to be within .0005" accuracy? is that not good enough?? Brian

 

[ReedG]

I'm not sure about .0005" accuracy from a mini-lathe, but that level of accuracy is enough for good work.

In order to do action work and/or barrel threading you need a spindle bore that will accept a barrel or action. My mini-lathe has a 20mm bore -- most all are +/- .750". The mini's won't even accept loading die blanks.

I've made some tools for chamber cleaning and lug cleaning, turned some mandrels for Lee Collet dies, etc. I, too, bought the mini as a learning tool and to see if I, indeed, wanted a larger lathe. At this point, I've decided to let the machinists do the quality work and I'll be content to fool around with the mini. The mini is a "hobbyist" tool to turn small pieces of aluminum, brass, delrin, etc., and is fun to use.