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Another beginner

B

Bloegwta

Plastic
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
I live in Omaha, I am 60 years old and approaching an early retirement, and I have essentially zero experience at metalworking. I am considering buying a lathe to facilitate precision case preparation for my custom .300 Win Mag target rifle as well as .50 caliber. I also do some metal fab work and would likely turn the odd bushing or bolt if I had the machine and the skills. Someday I might tackle a 700 blueprint, but I am a long way away from that skill set. The purchasing guys at work are recommending a Jet BD-920W. I would like to find a tutor/mentor in the Omaha area I could communicate with directly to help me get started.

Thanks in advance everyone, and Merry Christmas!

Steve Bloemker

[email protected]

402-630-2399
 
You will be limiting yourself with that size lathe. Fine for case prep, but really too small for barrel work and barely marginal for action truing. For most barrel work you need at least 24-30" between centers or 1 3/8" hole through spindle with a spindle length shorter than the barrel length.
 
Start a search on line for a Rockwell 11 inch lathe. These lathes were made in 24 and 36 inch center distances. Find yourself a copy of "The Amateur's Lathe" by L.H. Sparey. When you have a question, feel free to pose it here. Most here are most happy to share their experience. Regards, Clark
 
Most Sheldon 10" - 12" lathes have the bigger bore as well. I believe it is a another good choice and normally less expensive than Rockwell or SouthBend in that class. Just my $0.02

Best Regards,
Bob
 
Jet is over priced. I am very pleased with pm 12x36 metal lathe through quality machine in pittsburg. I am in ca. You tube is my instructor and these blogs are my mentors. Check out lathe its intro to gunsmithing- they have a 13x40 from Taiwan thats a dream. But cant afford that one. Good luck
 
Your best bet is to check out community colleges in your area for a machine shop program (usually called something like Machine Tool Technology for ego reasons.) They will have both machines you can learn on and experienced instructors to teach you. This is by far the best way and usually relatively inexpensive.
 
PM machines are terrible.. Plenty of plastic add ons, but no Iron.

Tailstock quill is about .100 over diameter of morse taper. No diameter = flex and quicker wear, than a properly sized quill.

Their advertising shows the specs you want to see, not the hidden cheapouts like the tailstock...

Does not matter, PM 12 x lathes, fall under Forum rules, for non discussable cheap home grade lathes.

Going to 13 or larger lathes, gets you into discussable country..

Yes several people have them here, (myself included) but forum owner wants to keep cheap asian machines where they belong.. In dedicated Homeshop Machinist forums, not here. His sandbox..

A good Sheldon, South Bend heavy 10 (and up), Rockwell is a bit light for my tastes, will do what you need.

A 9 in anything will only have you pulling your hair out barreling rifles. Unless it has a very long bed.

You want to build a centerfire action, you need at least 1 7/16 spindle bore.
 
I also vote for a somewhat larger machine. A good machine for you might be the the South Bend "heavy 10" - this lathe can take 5C collets and has a large enough spindle bore to be useful. It also is belt drive for higher spindle speeds when machining small parts. They are fairly common, and show up regularly at used machine tool dealers. They are normally 3 phase (since they are usually used in an industrial operation), but a VFD can be added very easily.

I suggest a used machine over a new South Bend. The old SBs were made in America, while the new versions are made in China. In my opinion, there is a significant difference.

Try to avoid any of the Asian machines if you can. Even though parts for an american-made lathe are expensive, you can at least get them, plus there are many suppliers of used parts out there. If you have as Asian lathe, lottsa luck.

I have bought better brand Asian machinery in the past - they went down the road quickly. Their resale is poor, their manuals are miserable, and it will be difficult to find any on-line advice. There is a section on this site dedicated specifically to South Bend - check it out,
 
Does not matter, PM 12 x lathes, fall under Forum rules, for non discussable cheap home grade lathes.

Going to 13 or larger lathes, gets you into discussable country..

Yes several people have them here, (myself included) but forum owner wants to keep cheap asian machines where they belong.. In dedicated Homeshop Machinist forums, not here. His sandbox..

A good Sheldon, South Bend heavy 10 (and up), Rockwell is a bit light for my tastes, will do what you need.

You can ignore these comments in the Gunsmithing forum.
 
GGaskill said:
Does not matter, PM 12 x lathes, fall under Forum rules, for non discussable cheap home grade lathes.

Going to 13 or larger lathes, gets you into discussable country..

Yes several people have them here, (myself included) but forum owner wants to keep cheap asian machines where they belong.. In dedicated Homeshop Machinist forums, not here. His sandbox..

A good Sheldon, South Bend heavy 10 (and up), Rockwell is a bit light for my tastes, will do what you need.

You can ignore these comments in the Gunsmithing forum.
Click to expand...


Which is why we have so many half assed hacks here.
 
Welcome to the forum. Lots of great knowledge here. I too am a promoter of bigger is better. Don't do gunsmithing so no help there, but bigger more rigid machines hold more accuracy. My suggestion would be to buy used and as large as you can house in your allotted space and can afford. Keep in mind that you will probably want to add a milling machine and it will take up some space. Don't stress about single phase vs three phase power. Lots of information here on how to convert single to three phase. Large machines are challenging to move. Again lots of information here on meeting those challenges. Gaining knowledge about how to check out machines, make sure your not buying someones old worn out discard, can again be gained here on the forum. Check out the form threads about repairing and returning a machines to like new and workable condition. There is a forum here called: Machine Reconditioning, Scraping and Inspection. With a little reading between the lines you can pick up the types of things to look for, wear wise. There are also threads on specific repairs. If you find a used machine in your area that interest you, you can always take photos and post here and get opinions and advise.

Tim
 
I just tore down, and completely rebuilt a later model South Bend 9A. Longest bed they made at 4-1/2, and nothing else will work- even this will be tight for some chambering applications, which is why I use/am making low-profile everything that goes in the tailstock. Working between centers is fine- but many prefer working through the headstock which is where the 10L is perfect (had I been able to find one locally in decent shape I'd have probably gone that route- and I'm still looking...).

Find one with the Flame-Hardened bed, that hasn't been rode hard and put away wet, preferably you can run it under power for test bars, checking backlash, to see how it cuts and go for it. Tear it down and rebuild it (needs to be done every 7 years or so anyway) since you now have the time- it's a rewarding project and you'll have a great lathe for smithing once you've replaced what's necessary and got it all back together.
 
I think the Smithy 1340 better than the PM .. Still short of SB , Logan and the like but having metric and being new counts some. Agree the small jet mentioned is small even for a first lathe and 1 ½” spindle bore is as small as one should go… perhaps even that too small.

The purchasing guys at work are recommending a Jet BD-920W. (?) Better to ask a lathe hand IMHO. At 60 years old you don't need a lathe project but a lathe you can use.

Jet 1340 with 1 3/8 spindle bore for $8K or better.. don't think I would buy that.
 
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Which is why we have so many half assed hacks here.

I see no chain keeping you here if you don't find something that keeps your interest.
 
If a Rockwell 11"x36" lathe becomes available in your search, don't hesitate to buy it. 4 of these receivers along with 9 of these 50 BMG bolts were made on a 11" Rockwell. 32" 50 BMG barrels profiled & threaded also.latherock.jpglatherock1.jpg
 
My gunsmith uses an old Logan (1136)that belonged to his father so that lathe has been working guns for perhaps 60 yeas now and is still good.(Yes you have to give the motor a push to get it started.)The Rockwell I think even a better lathe than the logan.
 
It is nice but not essential to be able to stick a barrel through the headstock and center it at both ends. You can thread barrels and do chambering by chucking at one end and using a steady rest at the other. If you are willing to go that route you have a much wider choice of lathes available. I would be looking at used machines. Brands I would consider are South Bend, Logan, Sheldon, Clausing, Harrison, Hendey. Those are just the brands I can think of at the moment. These older lathes are much better built than the Asian imports. Just remember, you need a longer bed if chambering using a steady rest.
 
Well cat skinning has many avenues and detours.

Buy the best you can afford and cry once!!

Look on the back of Ackley's book and you may be shocked:

ry%3D400


I set up my 100 year old little South Bend last year to show how I chambered my first barrel back in 1963. (It is a mock up for a photo folks, don't get all wet and excited) Surprisingly similar to the way Parker O. did it, and I never heard of him back then.

No, I never did it this way again but it shows just what you are capable of if you are a 16 year old kid and have an active imagination.

ry%3D400


I have two other lathes in the shop, both much larger than the tiny South Bend. Cannot dare post a photo of either as I would be banned forever: Not made in the U.S.!!! They work just fine.

'Ol Merlin said: Tis Not The Wand, It Is the Magician!!!!

I had a chance to visit Parker Ackley's shop when I was in Colorado in the 70's. He said: "Not the lathe, but it is the skills of the Machinist".

Edit: The little South Bend in action:

ry%3D400


ry%3D400


ry%3D400
 
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