need a good gunsmithing lathe????? What brand

i am sure I am going to get a good old machine machine I can get. I am not going to spend $3500 and get a junk lathe. I going to be patient learn take a few classes read a few more book s take the advice of others and get the right tooling the first time. also the size of the lathe is not a real concern we have a big heated truck garage. I have learned a ton from everybodys post. I just can't wait until fall to take my class at the vocational school. I am going to try my local gunsmiths and see if I can get them to show me a few things. I haven't asked them much because its how they make their living, and me it just a expensive hoppy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
****! wanted to keep that one for myself /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
No, seriously you are right and i tried this one a few times with great success, but again it depends on how you do your screw cutting, if you plunge straight in on the cross slide or set your compound to half the thread angle.

Ian.
 
When I started fitting and chambering my self, I started with a small benchtop and had barrel between centers. I started a search that led me to buying a Nardini lathe with big enough hole in spindle to put barrel through headstock. I called almost every quality gunsmith in the country to inquire which was the most accurate method of chambering . There are many top smiths that chamber through headstock and strongly say it is the better method. Still I had not made up my mind until I visited one of the most noted smiths with many famous shooters on his customer list that I decided to go through headstock. If you do not have your machine trued( usually tailstock is out, and needs ground) then you can limit the runout by stretching out on bed, but it is still out. If you have your lathe trued, then your 60deg center that is centering your reamer is dead true-you dont have to allow for the runout with a floating reamer holder to let the back of the reamer to float. If you indicate your barrel in at the throat on the lands and grooves, the reamer is zero centered with the bore, which you cannot do out on the bed with steady rest that cant be indicated. Some even use steady reast with brass jaws that wear in minutes and need "readjusted" because there is no 60deg center keeping aligned when reaming. Either method will work, but I would suggest getting a big enough lathe to do through headstock if you so choose(you certainly can chamber with steady rest on bigger machine if you desire). I started chambering barrels 1.5" and wanted bigger hole through spindle. You probably think you wont do barrels that big, but I didnt either but I can do them when needed and still do sporter size and do feel the bigger machine is more rigid
 
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