WTB lathe for precision barrel work

[Americanwestarms]

I am in Montana and looking for a lathe big enough and precise for doing and learning to do my own barrel work. Anybody know of a nice lathe needing a new home somewhere near Montana? Thanks a bunch ahead of time.

 

[S_W_Bausch]

[Bump]

I am not a gunsmith, but I know what a gun barrel is, and my guess is there is a variety of machining operations for/with a gun barrel, and the machinery (and its specifications) can vary widely.

Are you gun-drilling? That's a whole nuther type of lathe, that spins the drill in one direction, the barrel in the opposite direction.

What diameter and length of barrel? Those dimensions will have a big influence on what sort of lathe will be ideal, or a challenge.

Metric, or Standard, or both?

I will toss out what seems to be a popular choice, which is a Harrison M300 M400. Metric AND Standard from the quick-change. The headstock isn't too long, either.

 

[S_W_Bausch]

You can automate an ebay search

You can automate an ebay search, set up a radius (in miles) from your zip code, a price range, a name brand, etc.

Let's say you wanted to search on either Sheldon (R15), or Harrison (M300), or some other machine with metric and standard threads from the quick-change, your search terms would be

(Sheldon, Harrison, Andrychow) lathe

You need to determine the spindle bore you need, the headstock length you can tolerate, the electrical you can supply (single or 3 phase, at what voltages), etc. You need to determine the swing desired, the center to center desired, the sort of chuck system desired, etc., otherwise you won't be able to narrow down your choices.

And how far you can drive, how much you can spend.

Ebay will send you an email each time a matching item is listed. The 'save this search' checkbox shows up when you do an "advanced search".

Good Luck, and start asking around town if anyone has a lathe they would like to sell. Take notes on the make, model, condition, etc and come back to P.M. and ask for its reputation.

 

[ScottMacLEOD]

Here's one a few hours away.
METAL LATHE

They seem to come in spurts on the Craigslist and then its a dry spell. If you keep an eye on the Craigslists for Montana and Spokane you'll have some luck if you're patient. Some of the listings in Spokane are for items in Montana.

Scott

 

[Milacron]

Here's one a few hours away.
METAL LATHE

They seem to come in spurts on the Craigslist and then its a dry spell. If you keep an eye on the Craigslists for Montana and Spokane you'll have some luck if you're patient. Some of the listings in Spokane are for items in Montana.

Of the gearhead "all cast" lathe variety, that particular Sebastian line is probably the most suspect/light built American lathe ever made. At a typical east coast auction it might bring 600 bucks on a good day. They pop up for sale often enough because many were sold in their day...because they were cheap price when new.

 

[Americanwestarms]

I thank all of you for your time and help. I went ahead last week and pulled the trigger on a new Grizzly 709. It will be here on Tues. I figured by the time I pay 3,000 for a used one,go and get it,by a power converter,pay an electrician, the new one was cheaper, and I could stay home with my family. I realize the Grizzly was built in CHINA, but Grizzly specs on their machines call for upgraded class 5 NSK bearings and most of the reviews I read are very favorable. So what the heck,here I go! Anyway, thanks again for everyones input.

 

[sealark37]

Keep in Touch

Let us know how the new lathe works out. Although discussion of the un-named machines from the un-named country is not encouraged, curiosity gets the best of us when it comes to performance. Regards, Clark