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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Gunsmithing
Lathe for gunsmithing??
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<blockquote data-quote="jarnold37" data-source="post: 453170" data-attributes="member: 29241"><p>Some people will say that a 55 chevy is better than a brand new car-heavier metal and no cheap plastic etc. The same with old lathes cabbaged out of some machine shop after years of use and abuse- Yes, if you can find a 25 year old Colchester with little or no wear, buy it. But most old machines will have wear and need either repair or a good operator to counteract the wear when machining. I looked for a good old lathe and didn"t find one that would be good for a rank beginner-but I had the determination to learn to fit and chamber my own- Ended up buyinga new low priced Chinese benchtop 12-36. Was fun to start learning on but quickly I wanted a better quality lathe. The shortcomings of this machine soon appeared. Had backgear and chattered when reaming. Spindle hole was less than 1"1/2 dictating 1.5" barrels had to be chambered out on bed in steady rest, which is not the way I prefer to chamber-A steady rest is basically a 3 jaw chuck that cant be indicated in--however, through the headstock with a 4 jaw or 6 jaw can be centered zero. I use an indicator with a long tip and reach in to throat area and indicate on lands and grooves. Generally a heavier machine is more rigid than light machine-A 14-40 with single phase is a good gunsmith lathe size-and usually the better quality the higher the price, but I think a new machine is better for many reasons and unless doing production work, most will be satisfactory</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jarnold37, post: 453170, member: 29241"] Some people will say that a 55 chevy is better than a brand new car-heavier metal and no cheap plastic etc. The same with old lathes cabbaged out of some machine shop after years of use and abuse- Yes, if you can find a 25 year old Colchester with little or no wear, buy it. But most old machines will have wear and need either repair or a good operator to counteract the wear when machining. I looked for a good old lathe and didn"t find one that would be good for a rank beginner-but I had the determination to learn to fit and chamber my own- Ended up buyinga new low priced Chinese benchtop 12-36. Was fun to start learning on but quickly I wanted a better quality lathe. The shortcomings of this machine soon appeared. Had backgear and chattered when reaming. Spindle hole was less than 1"1/2 dictating 1.5" barrels had to be chambered out on bed in steady rest, which is not the way I prefer to chamber-A steady rest is basically a 3 jaw chuck that cant be indicated in--however, through the headstock with a 4 jaw or 6 jaw can be centered zero. I use an indicator with a long tip and reach in to throat area and indicate on lands and grooves. Generally a heavier machine is more rigid than light machine-A 14-40 with single phase is a good gunsmith lathe size-and usually the better quality the higher the price, but I think a new machine is better for many reasons and unless doing production work, most will be satisfactory [/QUOTE]
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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Gunsmithing
Lathe for gunsmithing??
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