Engine Lathe recommendations

Well, the bug had bitten me. The gunsmith and machinist (two guys) I work for three me on a lathe today and I'm hooked. I've been looking online for an engine lathe large enough to handle barrel work, as well as the occasional truing of actions. I've heard about guys getting lucky finding great deals on used machines, but I'm not that lucky and have no idea what to check for. Can someone help me with choosing a new machine and what I'll need to get started or what I need to check for on a used machine?


I need it to do the following jobs...

Barrel threading
Action truing
Tapering

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I can appreciate your enthusiasm, but I can see that you're green enough that you really don't know what an "engine lathe" is. If you have no idea what to look for, you are already at a disadvantage. You work for a gunsmith and machinist..??? Have they taught you anything?

Yes they have. And I'm not green to the point I can't run it, I just don't know what to look for in a used machine as far as what is and is not worn.

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If these guys taught you how to run one, they are probably more knowledgeable about machines in general, and can educate you on what to look for. So many times I've seen beginners come to forums and ask questions about this stuff, only to be mislead by noobs ,hobbyists, amateurs and other inexperienced people just trying to be helpful. Seems like the blind is always willing to lead the blind nowadays. Stick with your mentors for hands on knowledge.
By the way, an "engine lathe" is old terminology. Engine lathes were powered by a steam engine, via a jack shaft. In today's world, they are known as "metal working lathes". Not to be a stickler, but the first step on the path to intelligence is to call things by their correct names. Knowing the nomenclature puts everyone on the same page, and makes things easier to learn.

Um...we still, on occasion, use an engine lathe. No need to replace old tech if it still works. And most major manufacturers still use the term engine lathe. Bolton, Jet, and Penn still list them as such.

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Originally Posted by Trenton91

Um...we still, on occasion, use an engine lathe. No need to replace old tech if it still works. And most major manufacturers still use the term engine lathe. Bolton, Jet, and Penn still list them as such.

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And once again the noob clearly knows more than the seasoned machinist/tool & die maker with nearly 40 years of hands-on experience under his belt. Gotta love the internet! LMAO!

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Originally Posted by MrFurious

And once again the noob clearly knows more than the seasoned machinist/tool & die maker with nearly 40 years of hands-on experience under his belt. Gotta love the internet! LMAO!

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Or a 10 second Google search proves my statement...thats not being a noon, that's research. Thanks for providing a helpful comment to the situation at hand.






Moron....

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Reality is, right or wrong "engine lathe" used by many people these days. Sometimes I see it used to differentiate a turret lathe from a non turret. Semantics really. you had established that you were relatively new and that works for me. In informal settings jargon and terminology gets tainted pretty quickly.

Your needs determine what you shop for and availability in your price range is the other thing. If you must buy a pacific rim lathe buy a Korean or Taiwanese made machine. I have done a lot on things a Clausing Colchester, Leblond Makino ,a Lodge and Shipley and an Axelson. The later being more industrial sized and weight. the former being about as big as you would want. I really liked the Webb and Mori Seiki manual lathes. None of those fit the garage or basement scenarios very easily. If you have a nice sized shop.....


A lot of guys started with the larger heavier American made SouthBend too, although they are considered outdated today. Mine is coming together and we will see then.

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Originally Posted by Robinhood

Reality is, right or wrong "engine lathe" used by many people these days. Sometimes I see it used to differentiate a turret lathe from a non turret. Semantics really. you had established that you were relatively new and that works for me. In informal settings jargon and terminology gets tainted pretty quickly.

Your needs determine what you shop for and availability in your price range is the other thing. If you must buy a pacific rim lathe buy a Korean or Taiwanese made machine. I have done a lot on things a Clausing Colchester, Leblond Makino ,a Lodge and Shipley and an Axelson. The later being more industrial sized and weight. the former being about as big as you would want. I really liked the Webb and Mori Seiki manual lathes. None of those fit the garage or basement scenarios very easily. If you have a nice sized shop.....


A lot of guys started with the larger heavier American made SouthBend too, although they are considered outdated today. Mine is coming together and we will see then.

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90% of what I currently do on our lathes (LeBlonds) is threading for actions/brakes, chambering, and tapering of brakes for customers that want it. That's the only specialized processes I'll need my lathe to perform. I do, however, want it to do them accurately. Size and weight aren't much of an issue.

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At the risk of offending the professionals here...like I GAS[emoji1]...I, one of the noob, amateur wannabes, would recommend a new import that you can afford. $5K will get you a very usable machine. Gun work does not require medical instrument or NASA, or ??? grade of accuracy. Gunsmith machining is very basic.

It is amazing to me how condescending some of the more experienced folks are on this board. Not all of us have a mentor right around the corner to teach us this stuff. Good job Trenton91 for getting after it!

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Originally Posted by gbflyer

At the risk of offending the professionals here...like I GAS[emoji1]...I, one of the noob, amateur wannabes, would recommend a new import that you can afford. $5K will get you a very usable machine. Gun work does not require medical instrument or NASA, or ??? grade of accuracy. Gunsmith machining is very basic.

It is amazing to me how condescending some of the more experienced folks are on this board. Not all of us have a mentor right around the corner to teach us this stuff. Good job Trenton91 for getting after it!

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Well, all the threading I do on barrels are off the lands and grooves. So yes, it has to be very accurate. We do everything off the lands and grooves. Our brakes alone have less than .0020" tolerance compared to the caliber. 6.5mm - .266 diameter hole. That makes our brakes second to none on recoil reduction.

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Originally Posted by gbflyer

At the risk of offending the professionals here...like I GAS[emoji1]...I, one of the noob, amateur wannabes, would recommend a new import that you can afford. $5K will get you a very usable machine. Gun work does not require medical instrument or NASA, or ??? grade of accuracy. Gunsmith machining is very basic.

It is amazing to me how condescending some of the more experienced folks are on this board. Not all of us have a mentor right around the corner to teach us this stuff. Good job Trenton91 for getting after it!

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And you just made my point I mentioned in post#4.

mathews 1340 gt.a great lathe for the money

The owner of the shop mentioned getting a 3 phase, and I understand that's for instantaneous reversing of the motor. He's a big fan of LeBlond, and I now know what to look for in a lathe deck as far as wear and abuse. He said any lathe that'll allow a minimum of 1 1/8" of material usage. He also mentioned use of 5C collets.

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There is a lot more to 3 phase than instant reversing. Unless you are in an industrial area you probably don't have 3 phase available. Depending on what your barrel contours you plan on working on and the length of your headstock, you might do better getting at least 1 3/8 spindle bore. If the headstock is longer than the barrel you will have to use the steady rest to support the barrel. Talk to a real gunsmith about setups. You can make any accurate lathe work but having the right size and features/tooling makes things easier.

I can wire my garage up for whatever I need. I currently have a 3 phase air compressor.

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My favorite manual lathe is the LeBlond Regal. Since you are already running a LeBlond then it should be essentially the same controls. If you can find a used one at a decent price that's the route I would take. Most of the critical parts can be replaced so that should be a consideration. If you can find a machine that's still under power it would be nice to make sure it operates correctly, if not under power then look closely at the ways. Take a test indicator and mag base along with the longest test/indicator bar you can get your hands on with you when you look at the machine. Check to make sure the carriage and crossfeed operate smoothly. A 4 jaw or adjustable 3 jaw chuck is a must and a steady fest and follow rest can come in handy. An adjustable tail stock is a good thing to have for work between centers and chamber reaming. A quick change tool post is handy to have along with any other tooling you can get thrown in on the deal. A spindle bore of less than 1 3/8" and less than 30" between centers would probably be a deal breaker for me. You may find a used Clausing , South Bend or Atlas around for a good price too and they can all be good machines, just make sure you can get parts for them if required.

As far as new machines, I know a guy who has a Jet Big Bore and another who has one of the Grizzly Gunsmith lathes, they both seem to like them and do decent work.

Just my $0.02, good luck in your search!
Bob

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Originally Posted by BobT

My favorite manual lathe is the LeBlond Regal. Since you are already running a LeBlond then it should be essentially the same controls. If you can find a used one at a decent price that's the route I would take. Most of the critical parts can be replaced so that should be a consideration. If you can find a machine that's still under power it would be nice to make sure it operates correctly, if not under power then look closely at the ways. Take a test indicator and mag base along with the longest test/indicator bar you can get your hands on with you when you look at the machine. Check to make sure the carriage and crossfeed operate smoothly. A 4 jaw or adjustable 3 jaw chuck is a must and a steady fest and follow rest can come in handy. An adjustable tail stock is a good thing to have for work between centers and chamber reaming. A quick change tool post is handy to have along with any other tooling you can get thrown in on the deal. A spindle bore of less than 1 3/8" and less than 30" between centers would probably be a deal breaker for me. You may find a used Clausing , South Bend or Atlas around for a good price too and they can all be good machines, just make sure you can get parts for them if required.

As far as new machines, I know a guy who has a Jet Big Bore and another who has one of the Grizzly Gunsmith lathes, they both seem to like them and do decent work.

Just my $0.02, good luck in your search!
Bob

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We currently do all our threading and chambering on a Clausing. If I could find one, that's what I'd like to get.

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check out mathews gun lathes. www.machinetoolonline.com. pm1340gt

Well, just got a call from the friends at the city. I won't be on 3 phase much longer. So whatever I decide to get, I'll be running a slave motor.

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I've got a Teco FM50 VFD that runs my 3hp. 3-phase lathe with 240 single phase input. Seems like it was less than $200 with shipping. Probably wouldn't make the cut at sharpshooter's high precision, high production shop but it works for us mortals. [emoji1]

As long as the lathe has at least a 1.5" hole through spindle bore everything else will be good enough for gunsmithing. Condition being the 2nd criteria to for.

For home gunsmithing a 12"x36" or 14"x40" single phase 220volt (120v is also good enough on a 12x36) is ideal. Again as long as they have a 1.5" spindle bore hole.

The 10"xxx lathes have a 1" spindle bore and some 12" also have a 1" but I've seen many 12" with 1.5" bores. Just about all modern 14" lathes have a 1.5" spindle bore.