Looking at a lathe.....CT 1440G can I get some informed opinions please

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duncansuds

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Hello,

I have a line on a CT-1440G lathe, I have zero experience with using machine equipment whatsoever, I am looking to get a decent machine to start the learning process on, I was curious if this would handle the general gunsmithing tasks such as threading, chambering, fluting. Like I said, zero experience, but I am willing to put in some time learning and am hoping this machine is a useable one. Can I get some opinions? Also, what is an appropriate price range for it.... it seems to be in very good shape, lightly used.
 
Should deal with any turning you need it to do, well enough.

Fluting is more of a milling machine job, though with some hacking, you could conceivably do on a lathe.

Learning to operate a lathe without someone to help you along the way from time to time can be a learning curve that will feel more like running into a brick wall, at times.

Price? Less than new, unless there is a PILE of decent quality tooling along with. Other than that, can't help you out too much there. It varies by location, seller and buyer motivation, tooling, condition, and so on, so really hard to pin down.

Cheers
Trev
 
I don't have any experience on this lathe, but it looks like a Colchester copy. This looks like a great little do anything engine lathe, although the one that I looked at didn't have a steady rest that you will find useful if you are working on longer parts.
 
A couple of things the lathe should have is threading gears, preferably quick change gearbox and be long enough to turn at least 30 inches between centers. Also a lot of people on this forum seem to feel the lathe and chuck needs to be large enough to allow a barrel to fit through the headstock. Personally my lathe is far smaller than that (Myford Super 7) and I do things like barrel threading and chambering from the tail stock end with the end of the barrel supported by a steady rest for chambering. What you should have along with the basic lathe is both 3 jaw universal chuck and a four jaw chuck with independent jaws. Also a face plate and associated dog and a steady rest

cheers mooncoon
 
A 14x40 lathe would be suitable for any gunsmithing chores where a lathe is required. I can't speculate as to value.
 
I echo the thoughts posted above.

Like mooncoon stated some people have smaller lathes and do all their threading and chambering at the tailstock end (right side of the lathe). It makes no difference as long as you can get the job done. If the spindie on the lathe is too small to pass a barrel through then you have to make sure that you have a long enough bed to fit your barrel and the tailstock.

My lathe has large spindle bore (hole through the spindle that the chuck attaches to) so I can do my barrel work from the headstock end as barrels pass right through. If you are going to do your work that way then you'll need a spider to hold the barrel at the back end of the headstock.

I do work at both ends of my bed and I don't find that I'd suffer if I couldnt pass a barrel through the headstock.

As for jumping in with both feet and gething a lathe I say do it. I did the same thing and I'm so glad I did it. Learning can be tough at times especially if you're doing it without instructions. I had several friends to teach me the ropes.

Most important is SAFETY. If you make a mistake while running a lathe you could pay for it with your life!!

Every time I use mine I'm very awareal at all times where my hands are. One slip and it can/ will be dangerous.

Southbend has a book on how to run a lathe and with that book you can pretty much figure out how things work. Check amazon as I'm sure there's copies on there.
 
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Running a lathe is fairly simple, if you're fairly mechanically inclined. Running a lathe well requires years of training and experience. Just about everyone can fumble their way through turning something, but cutting threads properly, turning proper tapers, getting good finishes, maintaining accuracy, etc is a different story.
 
A similar imported lathe from Grizzly is currently about $7500 new.
Let's assume that the lathe isn't damaged or defective.
It would do just about everything you might want to do with respect to gunsmithing.
Tooling is important. The more included, the better.
You don't mention the asking price, and no one here can see the lathe. If you search kijiji, etc., you might find similar machines for sale.
As far as fluting goes, I used to machine tapered octagon to round barrels on a 16" South Bend. If I could mill tapered octagon flats, you could certainly flute a barrel.
 
I suggest that you find/ take a course in machinists ! A lathe is not something to play at ! You can seriously injure your self ! There are numerous hazards in its operations and use . Once you get the basic operating skills and understand its limitations and capabilities you will be much happer and hopefully retain all your members . A lathe is a great tool and can do some great things once you understand the how too`s and don't ever doo`s . They have no soul ! Just an on off switch . Work safely and enjoy !
 
I fully tooled 14x40 runs about $8k CAD. So check what tooling it has and condition, etc
I recommend the Sharp 14x40 as a great gunsmithing lathe if you don't want to go the chinhung route or get a used mori/wacheon, etc
 
There's over a 100 different 14x40 lathes coming out of taiwan, china, india, from complete garbage to pretty good. A lot look very similar, some are copies of each other, but quality varies a lot.
 
I thank you all for the replies concerning the question. Not sure if we will scoop this on up yet or not. I will do a little ore research on it and find out what tooling it currently has before getting crazy about it.
 
duncansuds said:
I thank you all for the replies concerning the question. Not sure if we will scoop this on up yet or not. I will do a little ore research on it and find out what tooling it currently has before getting crazy about it.
Click to expand...

I've got its slightly smaller brother, an older Asian imported 12x36. Even my lathe would do any and everything I would ever need to do for any barrel work. Well, other than for the most extreme muzzle loader barrel that is more than 36" long. But how often would something like that come up? The 14x40 lathes are just that little big bigger and would do anything you would ever need to do for anything related to gunsmithing.

If it turns out to be less than ideal it would be based on what it comes with vs price. Or some oddball premature wear related to how it was used (abused?) more than due to the size.
 
Watch lathe safety videos online before you start using it, an in experienced person can easily kill themselves with one
 
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