The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

This will be my fourth and definitely the last a retirement present. Most of the hobby and bench lathes in the UK have a chuck size that is way to small to be of any real use.
So I am looking for recommendations my budget is £1000.

Try to find a used Colchester Student.
Fred

FredB wrote:Try to find a used Colchester Student.
Fred

This , a truly excellent machine , I just retired mine after many years , sold it to a local chap , he's well chuffed !

You can even get one in budget!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/293088554874?c ... TLEALw_wcB

Jeez that is rough :)

My small lathe is a Chipmaster and it has a couple of shorten thread and crown jobs first thing in the morning. It a lovely thing to work with.

Well I have had a good look at whats on offer.
I have not seen anything that I am willing to part with a £1000 for.
I have a lathe in mind but I just need to convince her that must be obeyed to sanction it. Might be a problem. But we will see.
I do have her permission to build a bigger work shop but I did not mention a new lathe.

Alpha1 wrote: I do have her permission to build a bigger work shop but I did not mention a new lathe.

Disguise the lathe as a pile of building materials and sneak it past her

After trying desperately to purchase range rods and all the other bits I wanted to acquire to just re cut the crown on a rifle I have owned for the last 20 years I have decided its not worth the effort or the out lay money wise.
I will just buy a mega expensive wood lathe and make pens.

You do not need range rods to crown a barrel, nor spiders or multiple DTI's to the level you need.

You need:
A three jaw chuck.
A suitable diameter piece of black nylon or Delrin to act as a bushing for the rear of the rifle barrel.
A 4 jaw chuck.
Some soft inserts for a 4 jaw chuck.
A finger DTI
A micro boring bar (I gave you some)

Measure the internal diameter of your headstock.
Stuff a lump of Delrin in your 3 jaw and carefully machine it to size so it is going to be a snug sliding fit in your lathe headstock. Do not remove it from the lathe.

Measure the OD of the the rifle just before the largest diameter and bore the piece of Delrin in the chuck to suit.
Fit your 4 jaw.
Push the bushing in from the rear of the lathe and follow this with the barrel, get it right and the barrel will 'jam' with the muzzle sticking out of the 4 jaw by around an inch.
Insert the soft inserts, some small slips of brass of aluminium will do the job, you should have loads from me.
Lightly tighten the 4 jaw and clock the OUTSIDE of the barrel first, it is so much easier to chase a small error later on than a huge error when working with a 4 jaw unless you are lucky enough to be very experienced with clocking in. I use 4 jaws weekly if not daily and still allow a good few minutes to clock in a barrel or chamber correctly.
Now use our finger DTI on the internal bore to make the final adjustments. A 0,01mm DTI is ample (half thou ish)

Yes there will be some 'parallax' error (For want of a better word) using a bushing, at the receiver end instead of an outboard spider however it is not enough for you to worry about and you can always make spider at a later date.

Alternatively, you can buy your mega expensive wood lathe and look for other things to moan about :)

Ovenpaa wrote:You do not need range rods to crown a barrel, nor spiders or multiple DTI's to the level you need.

You need:
A three jaw chuck.
A suitable diameter piece of black nylon or Delrin to act as a bushing for the rear of the rifle barrel.
A 4 jaw chuck.
Some soft inserts for a 4 jaw chuck.
A finger DTI
A micro boring bar (I gave you some)

Measure the internal diameter of your headstock.
Stuff a lump of Delrin in your 3 jaw and carefully machine it to size so it is going to be a snug sliding fit in your lathe headstock. Do not remove it from the lathe.

Measure the OD of the the rifle just before the largest diameter and bore the piece of Delrin in the chuck to suit.
Fit your 4 jaw.
Push the bushing in from the rear of the lathe and follow this with the barrel, get it right and the barrel will 'jam' with the muzzle sticking out of the 4 jaw by around an inch.
Insert the soft inserts, some small slips of brass of aluminium will do the job, you should have loads from me.
Lightly tighten the 4 jaw and clock the OUTSIDE of the barrel first, it is so much easier to chase a small error later on than a huge error when working with a 4 jaw unless you are lucky enough to be very experienced with clocking in. I use 4 jaws weekly if not daily and still allow a good few minutes to clock in a barrel or chamber correctly.
Now use our finger DTI on the internal bore to make the final adjustments. A 0,01mm DTI is ample (half thou ish)

Yes there will be some 'parallax' error (For want of a better word) using a bushing, at the receiver end instead of an outboard spider however it is not enough for you to worry about and you can always make spider at a later date.

Alternatively, you can buy your mega expensive wood lathe and look for other things to moan about :)

I have a spider fitted it was made for me by my machining/tool making guru before he retired. He made me do most of the work.
I have no problem dialing in a four jaw chuck he taught me how to do that using square or round stock. I got it in the end the clips around the ear hole kept me attentive.
I have lots of interesting bits from your good self in aluminium and I thank you for that.
I also have a drawing you sent me that enabled me to machine a miniature boring bar holder to accommodate the tiny boring bars you sent me. That I am also very grateful for.
That led me to find a supplier and purchase dedicated boring bars and holders. I now have quite a collection the last project was for a Canon camera lens filter holder.

I get frustrated because the subject just fascinates me and I want get on and do it but life keeps getting in the way.
I will try to not be so negative in future.