Anyone use a metal lathe to turn necks?

flying pig

flying pig

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Just wondering if anyone uses a metal lathe for turning necks? I was given a nice little lathe yesterday and was wondering if they are accurate enough for something like this or if I should just buy a set up like the RCBS? I bought their neck turner tool yesterday as well but didn't realize I needed their case trimming set up to use it. If I can just use my lathe I'll take it back. Thoughts?
 
you need to support the inside of the neck when turning, so you'll need a mandrel. The lathe itself might be a tricky set up. There are shellholders you could put in the chuck and hold the neck turning tool by hand and that would work
 
flying pig said:
Just wondering if anyone uses a metal lathe for turning necks? I was given a nice little lathe yesterday and was wondering if they are accurate enough for something like this or if I should just buy a set up like the RCBS? I bought their neck turner tool yesterday as well but didn't realize I needed their case trimming set up to use it. If I can just use my lathe I'll take it back. Thoughts?
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If you decide to buy a commercial neck-turner, I've tried the RCBS and the Forrester. I still have the Forrester.;)
 
What kind of lathe? Size?

When I use my Myford to process brass, it gets used as the motive power, rather than as an actual machine tool to cut with. I stick the cutter and mandrel into the chuck, and move the cases to that.

For neck turning, I'd say that would be the way to go too. Setup the cutter in the chuck, the shell holder so it can be placed on the tailstock, etc.

For the most part, it's tough to hold brass for any serious lathe work, as most of it is tapered to some degree, as well as soft enough to bend and dent, when gripped in a chuck at 'uncareful' pressures. I have stuc a fair few cases into a collet to drill out and tap for seating depth gauge use, and that worked reasonably well. Work like tinning rims would be a fiddly setup on anything without a shoulder to reference off, whether that was the belt, or the front face of the rim.

Cheers
Trev
 
Personally I do not as I do not have a lathe nore am I machinist. What I do know is that in the BR circle there are a lot of guys who use there lathes to turn there necks. The main key is turning a mandrel every time you decide to do brass. In other words you turn a mandrel and run hundreds of cases.

Personally I use a K&M with a carbide cutter and my Ridgid cordless drill. Neck turning is just one of the many tasks that I do not take lightly when preping brass for my BR rifles.
 
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