15mules
Aluminum
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2011
- Location
- Mtn. View Arkansas
I have searched the old post and seen the debates over import or American, or working between centers or through the headstock and which is better. There is no doubt there are strong feelings on each side of these debates. If you have read some of my other post, then you know I am in the process of outfitting my shop to make the move from hand tool work on guns to more machine work in order to gain a few new customers and maybe save some time also. I have a small Rockwell 36" lathe and I am seriously considering adding a larger lathe for barrel work. I am a mamber of the FCSA, so yes I can see that I would likely want to do some chambering etc. on a 50BMG in the future. It seems to me most things can be upgraded or added to a lathe with the exception of one thing, spindle bore size. The size is the size, and it will never expand. So how important is it? How many times have you said, "I wish I had bought a lathe with a bigger bore". How many jobs have you not been able to do, because the bore was just to small. From reading old post, it seems unanoumous amoung most, that for gunsmith work the 1 3/8" bore of the SB Heavy 10 is about the minimum size. In the same price range there are other lathes with 1 9/16" bore and for a bit more 2" bores. What gun jobs are there,that just can't be done with any of these bore sizes? Just how important is bore size and is there such a thing as "Too Big" ??