Profiling a barrel blank

[nanuk]

or, you could pencil off every 6 inches or so, take a file and taper it by hand... like making tapered dowels in the old days.

and afterword, you'd have bragging rights! (and larger forearms, and hands that can crack walnuts!)

 

[Quiet]

OK. Thanks for the info guys. I ended up tapering the barrel blank myself on an antique lathe. It looks pretty nice and no CNC, taper attachment or steady-rest was required, but if I had paid someone by the hour to do it this way, I'd be broke.

 

[ekoso]

As said above a taper attachment is not needed if you can set your tail stock over.
I have done them but the problem machining on something 30ish " long is chatter. You have to use a steady rest and do part of the barrel at a time and you can still get chatter. It is a pita job. Doable but not many wanting to do.
I would like to see how they are done in a Cnc I think they may use a feature that constantly changes the chuck speed so vibrations can't set up. I may try to rough one out in my Cnc mill with the 4th axis to see how it does.
Stephen

I am not aware of a code that varies speeds or feeds along the z axis on a lathe, a G97 however would increase spindle speed as you go negative in the x axis (to whatever your maximum speed is set to). Lots of of small depths of cuts should produce little to no chatter, and if chatter occurs you could adjust the speed or feed manually while the cnc was turning, and then emery cloth to polish if required. I am a huge fan of fluted barrels so the 4th and a ball nose would be my go to