What lathes are everyone using for smith work

[fingers284]

Yeah, like I said, the lathe you have, is better than any picture of the most perfect one! The machine itself is a small part of the equation, the guy standing in front of it is the larger part, and once you understand the machine's limitations and work with them, you can accomplish what you must. It was a frequent cry of the learning apprentices. "This lathe sucks, that one works better!". And they still couldn't make it work on that lathe... Until they got their own skills and headspace working correctly.



There are a few of the Mid-East Countries where that is and has been the case for some time now. IIRC, Kuwait was one, maybe still is. Coincidentally, after the Iraqi's rolled through there and then subsequently got pummeled further into the stone age, the numbers of weapons recovered was commented upon, as being disproportionately low. It was suggested that many of them were tucked away for potential use, if such were to happen again. Sometimes whole populations can and do learn, even if it's not exactly what their 'leaders' wish them to.

It's a fools errand. The motivated will always be able to access what they want or need, and it doesn't take much to build a firearm that will work safely enough, while walking down the plumbing aisle at Home Depot.That we are not awash with illegal home made firearms, pretty much spells out the real risk of them being any sort of threat to the populace's safety.

The whole poo show over the threat of 3D printed guns pretty much spells out how the so called authorities see the picture.

Anyone with access to the Guy Letard " Machinist bedside reader" series (in the third volume I believe) has a very good photo-story available to them very much affirming this statement. A bunch of Allied POW's in a Japanese prison camp built a completely workable small lathe from scavenged/stolen parts to use for making prosthetic devises for wounded prisoners. no mention of them building weapons in the article but I bet it sure crossed some minds over the years of captivity. My favorite story of the complete series.

 

[call2arms]

'Freedom', is probably gonna get better use out of the guy with a couple Haas CNC machines in his shop. Just sayin'.

But I like to not be stuck waiting on someone else when I need or want something. Having the ability to make the pieces I need or want, without having to beaver away for hours at a time with files, priceless!

For whatever reason, metal has always 'fit' better with me than woodwork has, else I likely would be one of the wood shop types. Instead, it's been casting, blacksmithing, machining, and a couple other related hobbies, all essentially revolving around some form of metalworking.

I knew it was getting a bit out of hand, when I bought a pallet dolly, to move stuff around in my garage...LOL!

Work smart not hard when possible