Clausing Colchester 15" for gunsmithing?

ISEN AG · Mar 18, 2015

My home shop currently sports a small Logan 816 that I bought very inexpensively and a Bridgeport EZ TRAK That I found for sale locally recently. I would like to get into building rifles for my father and I and feel that the Logan might not be ideal for truing actions and definitely not barrel work due to the small spindle bore size. The gentleman that I bought the Bridgeport from is also selling a Clausing-Colchester 15" Lathe and told us he would give us a deal if we wanted to come back and buy it. I am not realy well read on this manufacturer and model and figured that there are probably a few here that do run them so I figured id ask about the pros & cons of them and see what kind of accuracy I could expect from these machines. Also what would be a fair price if in good condition. Input is appreciated.

GGaskill · Mar 18, 2015

Can't help with the price (if you agree on it, it is fair) but the machine should be more than adequate if long enough.

Sea Sick Steve · Mar 18, 2015

I had one of these
15" X 30" CLAUSING COLCHESTER ENGINE LATHE,Kec Incorporated 1-713-694-1790, Mfrbee leading trade directory.
It is a great lathe, big hole in the spindle, lots of power, accurate ect. For gun work its really kinda big esp. if you plan on working through the headstock. There are ways to work around this but it is what it is. I traded mine for the 13" version, its more suited for rifle work but honestly it is still a little long through the headstock for shorter barrels. I still have some chucks and tooling from my 15" so if you pick up this lathe and need something shoot me a pm

ISEN AG · Mar 18, 2015

Sea Sick Steve said:
I had one of these
15" X 30" CLAUSING COLCHESTER ENGINE LATHE,Kec Incorporated 1-713-694-1790, Mfrbee leading trade directory.
It is a great lathe, big hole in the spindle, lots of power, accurate ect. For gun work its really kinda big esp. if you plan on working through the headstock. There are ways to work around this but it is what it is. I traded mine for the 13" version, its more suited for rifle work but honestly it is still a little long through the headstock for shorter barrels. I still have some chucks and tooling from my 15" so if you pick up this lathe and need something shoot me a pm

Just out of curiosity what minimum size barrel could I put through the headstock of the 15" if I went that route?

Sea Sick Steve · Mar 18, 2015

ISEN AG said:
Just out of curiosity what minimum size barrel could I put through the headstock of the 15" if I went that route?

Been a while but without the chuck using a spider on the front and back I think 25" was about as short as I could go. There are ways to work around it, if I still had mine I would look into the tru bore alignment chuck. Its a very good machine the big 2.188" hole in the spindle would be useful every now and then. I wouldnt walk away esp if the price is right

Terry Z · Mar 18, 2015

One thing to look into. Mine was made in 1960 and serves me very well but when I called Clausing with my serial number I was told most parts are now not available anymore.

Sea Sick Steve · Mar 18, 2015

Terry Z said:
One thing to look into. Mine was made in 1960 and serves me very well but when I called Clausing with my serial number I was told most parts are now not available anymore.

Not only that but if they did have the parts you better hang on to your shorts. They are pretty stout for the most part but if you do need parts you can sometimes find stuff on the secondary market

Joe Henderson · Mar 18, 2015

They are good lathes if not abused too much. They can cut all imperial and metric threads without change gears but the drawback is that the spindle is a little too long at around 25". A South Bend heavy 10 or any of the smaller Clausings are good. The old Rockwells are fine lathes for gunsmithing. A Romi or Nardini is good if you can find one. Gunsmith work is light work as far as lathes go. Chambering and threading does not really require 7 1/2 hp.

Joe

ISEN AG · Mar 18, 2015

Joe Henderson said:
They are good lathes if not abused too much. They can cut all imperial and metric threads without change gears but the drawback is that the spindle is a little too long at around 25". A South Bend heavy 10 or any of the smaller Clausings are good. The old Rockwells are fine lathes for gunsmithing. A Romi or Nardini is good if you can find one. Gunsmith work is light work as far as lathes go. Chambering and threading does not really require 7 1/2 hp.

Joe

The fact that it could thread inch and metric is a huge selling point to me. I play with a lot of European gun kits such as FALs and Hks so being able to chuck a 18" barrel every once in awhile would be necessary for my needs

Joe Henderson · Mar 18, 2015

It would depend on the level of precision you require. With the big lathe you could thread and chamber between centers or chucked in the headstock but would not be able to use a spider on the outboard end. The Romi and the Nardini, the Kingston, Acer and many others can thread inch/metric, and in the smaller swings can control the barrel on both ends. Even the lowly heavy 10 can cut metric threads but it will need metric translating gears to do so. The Harrison M300 will do inch metric threading as well but it will use change gears between the hi/low thread range. [16tpi up/14tpi down] If you get a lathe with a shorter headstock that is able to handle your threading it would make it easier to do a precision job. It's just a thought. The 15" Clausing Colchester is indeed a decent machine but for gun work it is a brute.

Joe

Butch Lambert · Mar 18, 2015

Listen to Joe. I use a 6913 Clausing 14X48. I have a cathead instead of a chuck and I had to drill and tap the end of my spindle to use 4 screws on the LH of the headstock. A 19.5" barrel is as short as I can chamber in the headstock. You can chamber between centers if you use the steady after truing the OD of each end to the bore. A lot of good barrels have been chambered that way, but I much prefer in the headstock. Lots of smiths use the Heavy 10, Rockwell, and if you find a good M300 Harrison.

Son of Sam · Mar 19, 2015

I have a 13x36 and a 15x40 colchester. The problem you may have is threading through spindle with a spider. Headstock is wider than most barrels. If you plan to use a steady rest you should be fine. FYI- I have Cinn, Monarch, Sheldon, Sydney, Hardinge and the Colchester is easily my favorite.

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