Machinist input on Gunsmith Lathe

monkeycanada said:
Have a look at this 10 x 22 from Busy Bee:

http://www.busybeetools.com/products/METAL-LATHE-10IN.-X22IN.-WITH-DIGITAL-READOUT.html

the variable speed is very handy
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LOL, as a matter of fact, I have eliminated the Grizzly for this exact model. I will call Busy Bee in Ottawa tomorrow to get some measurements as I will have to modify the existing workbench and cabinetry to accommodate this machine.

It has a DC variable speed motor which is a big +. I will also hold off on the mill as the one I was considering is rather smallish so I will wait and get a bigger one when funds allow.

I measured up my workspace in the garage and will have to do a bit of construction for this to fit in.

Thanks for all the advice!
 
West coast lathe of interest, perhaps.

htt p://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rch/tls/2786273795.html

Depending on what it has with, and condition, this could be anything from a deal, to a great deal

Cheers
Trev
 
Greygoose said:
I am considering the following equipment:

I am restricted by both space and money, so a larger machine is not an option.


I have zero knowledge of operating a metal lathe and am interested in producing small parts/projects (miniature cannons, steam engines) and working on handgun stuff more so than rifles.


I looked at Busy Bee (Craftex) which is also "made in China" (what isn't these days). The Busy Bee stuff seems to be more expensive for comparable sized equipment.


There seems to be some very knowledgeable folks in this thread, and I am looking at a minimum of $2500 investment. Don't want to throw good money away on crappy machines.


I do have a couple of books on the way. Thanks for any advice you can throw my way.


Goose
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That mill will be too small for what you will need.

Check this one........

h ttp://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Mill-with-Stand/G0704

I actually got mine from Machine Tools Warehouse, but it was a copy of this one with the R8 head. It now has DRO on the x and y axis with a power feed on the table.:D

h ttps://www.machinetoolswarehouse.com/xcart/catalog/BF20L-Vario-p-16301.html

You have a BIG learning curve and a TON of money to spend on tooling before you can do much. Be prepared to spend alot of money and time to do what you are looking for.:rolleyes:
 
lathe

Welcome to the BLACK HOLE of hobby gunsmithing, Brambles. Your life is about to take a drastic turn, some say for better, some say worse.
Upside is you'll never have to worry about what to do with all that spare time and money you have.
Advice.........buy and read Gunsmithing Kinks I + II..now on to destroying perfectly good actions and barrels !!!!!!!!

Another good book is Bolt Action Rifles by de Haas has most barrel threads and dimensions in the back.

PS hope you have a rock solid marrige or you'll be hearing "You care more about your f........g guns than you do about me!!"
 
That 704 mill is a far better option to partner up with a 10x22 lathe. It may SEEM like it's bigger than you need but consider that most milling setups for anything complex require a LOT of room to fit in the indexing head or rotary table, clamps, milling vise or other associated bits and pieces. There's always going to be more junk involved with a milling setup than with most lathe setups. And you need the room to allow for all that added stuff.

There's also the issue of machine weight to control chatter and flex when cutting steel. At a listed 290 lbs shipping weight that means the machine is around 250 lbs. I'd suggest that is about as light a machine as you want for doing much work with steel. And even with that weight the cuts you take will be of a light and patient nature. I sure would not want to go smaller or lighter for any sort of work involving much in the way of steel.
 
I recently turned a nipple for percussion pistol out of drill rod. As I cut the threads (.218-32), I repeatedly checked the fit in the nipple seat on the barrel. When I was satisfied, I reversed it, turned it to diameter, drilled it, filed the shank square. Did this on a 3hp 1600 lb 13x40 Standard Modern. You can do anything on a larger lathe that you can do on a smaller one. But you cannot do things on a smaller lathe that can be done on a larger one. With the 10x22 Busy Bee mentionned above, a lot of good work could be done. A contoured sporting rifle barrel could likely be finished on it - threaded, chambered, etc.
By all means get whatever lathe you can afford, have room for. Any lathe is better than no lathe.
 
I have the busy bee 10x18" lathe and the X3 bench top mill with an R8 spindle. After working on my machines and then going to full sized mills and lathes in college for my CNC tech. course, go with the 40" between centers with a 2" spindle bore you'll be able to do just about anything, custom or fabrication work. For sure get a 5C collet chuck it will help immensely with accuracy and repeatability. The spider back plate chuck is definitely a big bonus since they work very well for making parts extremely concentric, with a bit of patience and a test indicator that is. Hopefully you'll be going to pick it up LOL, if you can somehow find a suitable DRO (digital read out) retrofit, it would be a massive improvement as well. Good Luck and make lots if chips :)
 
I got here late. Did you decide against second hand machinery. I live next to BB, and like the guys there and the tools are good for certain things. But when it came to a lathe I decided to go with a South Bend Heavy 10. Too many advantages to list, I have never looked back. In fact, I went originally with the Grizz mill lathe, and I liked the lathe part, if not the mill. I also had a South Bend 9" which in a longer bed will do pretty much anything. There are certainly better lathes than the SB amongst old iron, but the SBs are good enough, and there are more parts, instructions, inspirations than any other lathe old or currently made.

Also when buying Chinese, consider whether the lathe is fundamentally imperial (unless you want metric). Many of these lathes are metric, but geared to turn out imperial ratios, but still a bit of a kludge.
 
I went with a 16x40 Met Tech from Spence Distributors in Winnipeg.I figured I would be doing about 75% farm machinery so I went bigger.Also bought a 9x49 knee mill.I hope I live long enough to get good with either.
 
Well, I did it. Picked up a Craftex C700 10x22 lathe from Busy Bee in Ottawa. Managed to get it into the garage with the help of my neighbor. Don't think I abused my back but will know when I wake up tomorrow morning!

Got to buy some de-greaser tomorrow as it is covered with gunk. I am pleased with the purchase and look forward to making chips.

I saw a video for the BF20L vario mill with a CNC retrofit kit on it... I am sick to get one... It's a small mill but the automated feature makes me tingle... gotta save up some $$$ as this will be the next purchase.
 
Congrats on the new toy! ! ! ! Say goodbye to any sense of boredom from now on since you'll be outside in the garage when not actually eating or at work.... :D

As I recall the main library downtown in Ottawa has a pretty decent collection of books on machine working. Check them out. If I'm right it would be a great first step in your new training.

Keep in mind that making a lot of your own tooling such as the die holders and other bits and pieces shown in my Photobucket page link earlier in this thread will both help you later on and serve as good training right now.
 
"Managed to get it into the garage with the help of my neighbor. Don't think I abused my back but will know when I wake up tomorrow morning!"

I'm in OK shape for 52, but my combo lathe mill from BB and its required return were the last straw for me. Over the last few years I bought an engine lift, a scissor table, and best of all some weird hybrid of a dolly that has a winchable table. Now I almost look forward to moving stuff.
 
Definitely came in late. As Trevj knows I have been dreaming about a lathe for a few years now. Just no way a poor man can get into this unless I buy from Princess Auto and then Trev would refuse to talk to me or shoot gophers with me. I have ALL of the books Trev suggested over the years and all I can say is congrats Greygoose. Wish it were me. Maybe in a few years. Just bought a house so we'll see...
Again, congrats. And enjoy you lucky so and so.
 
rookie wildcat said:
Definitely came in late. As Trevj knows I have been dreaming about a lathe for a few years now. Just no way a poor man can get into this unless I buy from Princess Auto and then Trev would refuse to talk to me or shoot gophers with me. I have ALL of the books Trev suggested over the years and all I can say is congrats Greygoose. Wish it were me. Maybe in a few years. Just bought a house so we'll see...
Again, congrats. And enjoy you lucky so and so.
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Bull####!:slap: :D

Any lathe beats no lathe. I've seen some pretty nice work done with a Clisby lathe. One of those, makes a 7x10 look like <best Monty Python voice> "Sheer Luxury".

The little minilathes that PA sells are not the be-all by any means, but my biggest objection to them is that they are charging a bunch more than they seem to be worth, once you shop around the continent for similar goods.
Follow Kijiji, Craigslist, and Ebay for a while, and be prepared to pounce, and you can do better for the same money, unless you positively have to have some place to drag it back to when it all goes haywire.

Once you(or anyone else) get over the need for support at retail, a lot of options open up.

Cheers
Trev
 
Well, I just ordered a G0704 mill w/power feed from Grizzly. Should be here the first of next week. I am restricted by both money and space, so (Bridgeports, Clausings, etc.) knee mills are not an option for me. Besides, my Visa card is already over-burdened. LOL

Then there is the purchase of raw material (steel, aluminum, brass...) I find myself looking at stuff I would have thrown away not long ago. I am starting to progress well on threading. I even made a non-functional barrel for my PPK. It can chamber an empty casing and the extractor ejects it... maybe eventually purchase a chambering reamer and crowning tool.

Tooling for lathe and milling machine is insane. I have toned down the gun addiction only to pick up a different one.
 
Greygoose said:
Well, I just ordered a G0704 mill w/power feed from Grizzly.
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I don't know how much use you are going to get out of that add on power feed, I find that if the power feed is not geared to the drive of the mill, it is kind of hard to control and I hate using it on my B048 knee mill.
BTW, I would recommend that B2108 vice from Busy Bee, handy as hell, I have a 5" vice but like using that small vice a lot.
 
I'v very jelious of the others here who have mills and lathes. I'm hoping to one day pick up a lathe for myself. For the time being, I'm taking machining courses at SAIT and working on my skills. I'm just starting on my second rebarreling project. Here are a few pics from my first rebarreling job.

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