Chambering in steady question

It shouldn't make any difference. The diameter of the live center is a bit more to work around... but why use a live center, the reamer won't be spinning.
 
Live center would be best, but I don't see why you need a steady rest if you're using a live or dead center unless you're making cuts in the middle of the barrel.
Remember that the bore will probably not be true to the outside barrel diameter, so the steady will be fighting the live center.
 
A dead center is shorter and if the barrel is borderline in length on what your lathe will handle, it can make the difference between being able to chamber or not

cheers mooncoon
 
lejarretnoir said:
Live center would be best, but I don't see why you need a steady rest if you're using a live or dead center unless you're making cuts in the middle of the barrel.
Remember that the bore will probably not be true to the outside barrel diameter, so the steady will be fighting the live center.
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Live center is used first to make a truing up cut to the O.D. of the barrel blank then, with live center still engaged, set up steady rest to run on trued up spot...bore & OD are now lined up with each other and will run true when live center is removed and re-set to support reamer...at least that's how it was taught at Sait tech school in Calgary
 
If it was my barrel and I was going to be very fussy about turning the OD of the barrel true to the axis of the bore, I would set it up between centers with a face plate and dog leg. If you take very small cuts a steady rest isn't necessary for initial centering. That only comes in when profiling the barrel. Even then, if you aren't trying to horse off the metal and are patient as well as careful, all should be well. Profiling the barrel is where most of the screw-ups happen.

I use a floating head reamer holder and it is very good at correcting my mistakes. Not all of them mind you. Like it or not you just can't beat a very careful and well checked out set up.

It is pretty hard to beat a four jaw chuck or better yet 6 jaw chuck in combination with a spindle spider where a true to axis ID/OD barrel is set up for zero run out at both ends.

As mentioned, if your lathe is to short/small to do this you will have to work around it. The methods mentioned are good.
 
My headstock is too wide. I have a viper barrel fixture but the brass tips have damaged flutes on the barrel before so I'm left with doing it between centres and a steady now. I don't have a faceplate or dead Center for the spindle yet.
 
fingers284 said:
Live center is used first to make a truing up cut to the O.D. of the barrel blank then, with live center still engaged, set up steady rest to run on trued up spot...bore & OD are now lined up with each other and will run true when live center is removed and re-set to support reamer...at least that's how it was taught at Sait tech school in Calgary
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Absolutely, I should not have mentioned it as the OP was only asking about truing cuts.
I always chamber in the headstock, but when you can't the steady rest way is it.
 
Maybe six years ago a record breaking benchrest group was made by a smith, Jackie Schmidt, who chambered his barrel with the steady rest with truing cut method. His skill and obviously his record proves this method can work perfectly. Please note, he appears on the net chambering in the headstock with a 3 jaw set rue chuck. This is NOT what he did for this record breaker I referred to.

I just don't like using this method and it appears many don't either. Some use a pipe with cats on both ends. For those catching up, you can go as simple as 8 nuts welded onto a pipe, 4 at each end and corresponding set screws. The chuck grabs the pipe and the steady runs on the chamber end of the pipe. You can't measure where the muzzle is but, to me, normally it isn't important because I need two points to be true and the muzzle usually isn't one of them. I like to prebore so just behind the shoulder and a generous couple inches ahead of the throat are the two points. If a smith reams the entire chamber, the reamer will follow the existing bore hole so many dial in the chamber and ahead of the throat.

A reality check is Jackie's success with that method and his record. If we get silly with the method and theory and all the "how true can it be" talk, just remember Jackie's gun.

Back to the op. Just like my preference to avoid the steady with exterior truing cut, your call on live vs dead but my live is still good so I use it. Did you use a piloted 60` cutter to true the end of the bore for the live/dead to run on so you can true the exterior?
 
My lathe is a bit on the large size, 16x40. When I have dealt with short barrels and nothing to hold them by (I use a set true) I use my barrel bushing mould and form a blob 1.5" round of reinforced epoxy around the barrel in the area that I would like to grab it by. When cured I put the barrel between centres and turn the epoxy true and then grab it by the epoxy in my set true and dial it in. Works great. To get the blob off I wack it towards the skinny end with a hammer. And yes, I do use a wax base release to start. Don't use oil or grease for the obvious reasons.
 
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