My Metal Lathe

Tricks of the trade

My Metal Lathe

Postby George Dowell » Thu Sep 08, 2011 3:05 am

Nothing special here, a little 7 x 10 with variable speed and a few Micro Mark upgrades to the controls and tail stock.
Technically it is step up from my old 6" Atlas and this one does do a nice job, it just not have that "feel'
of the Atlas. Probably the plastic knobs. Each year we add a few more accessories, the last was the milling attachment, Maybe a toolpost grinder next time.this is shown in the parking position but it is on wheels and when in use is positioned in the main shop workbench area.
It gets a workout supporting the Kit Building activities, all flavors- nucleonics, rad probes,optics, spinthariscopes, antennas, and connector adaptors.
Attachments
CK1026%20Housing.jpg
CK1026 GM Probe
CK1026%20Housing.jpg (69.82 KiB) Viewed 9771 times
Beta%20window%20closed.jpg
GM Probe Beta Window Closed
Beta%20window%20open.jpg
GM Probe Beta Window Open
In%20unit.jpg
Battery Adaptors in Russian DP5 Geiger Counter
All%20brass%20out.jpg
CP1 Adaptor
All%20brass%20out.jpg (29.79 KiB) Viewed 9771 times
Mat%20and%20Many%20Connectors.jpg
GM Probe Kit Parts
Metal Lathe.jpg
7 X 10 Mini Lathe
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Re: My Metal Lathe

Postby solar_dave » Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:30 am

I got one of those except I have the bed upgrade kit for it. They are really OK for the money and fit in tight spaces.

I really need to shoot some new shop photos and post them here.
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Re: My Metal Lathe

Postby Doug Coulter » Tue Sep 04, 2012 8:58 am

I've got one too - I really like the variable motor thing. I used it to learn lathes before I got the big boy. Now it's for sale if anyone wants it - threading drive/reverse gear needs replaced, though. You'd probably have to get that from Grizzly, as Harbor Freight won't get spares for things like that. After getting the big one - well, I just didn't need this one even with the small space it takes up. I did some fine woodworking on it (Custom made knife handles) with a 24v servo adapted to drive the axis slow and smooth. I like the big one better overall.
Lathe.jpg
Lathe with nice view


The drive motor for the tool post grinder I made is sitting on the piece of sandpaper (grit side up1) at the end of the ways. It bolts into the tool holder, and an viton O ring drives the grinder part, for which I made the collet chuck and mounted the bearings in a block that would chuck into the other side of the tool holder. I often use it with diamond tools to work glass and quartz.
Posting as just me, not as the forum owner. Everything I say is "in my opinion" and YMMV -- which should go for everyone without saying.
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Re: My Metal Lathe

Postby solar_dave » Tue Sep 04, 2012 4:34 pm

Danger will Robinson, take that chuck key out of that chuck, nice aloe vera for the burns from hot chips, what is the rifle
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Re: My Metal Lathe

Postby Doug Coulter » Tue Sep 04, 2012 6:15 pm

Yep, even at the 50 rpm it was set at for cutting quartz tubing with the post grinder - that chuck key can really punch you hard if it flies out. The gun is a .50 bmg, fast-twist experimental piece. I make stuff like that as a sideline, though I didn't make this one. My current love (for building) is 6.5mm Swede or .260 rem, as I shoot long range; Class F, which must mean "old Farts", and egg shoots (.5 and one kilometer ranges).
Those give you the most bullet BC for the least recoil, and running 50 or 80 shots off a concrete bench leaning into the gun during competition is a lot different than just hunting with one shot free-hand.

The .50 is NOT fun to shoot. I've seen it take 300 lb men off their feet trying to shoot it off a card table, with the poor owner (not me then) trying to decide whether to catch the guy, or his gun. Works pretty well tied down to the tractor cart and fired with a lanyard for kicks, though. The guy who built it welded that "muzzle brake" on there and it really doesn't work like the one on a Barrett.

My best 3 rifles are .15 moa or better. Those are in 6 ppc (completely custom by me), .223 (bolt, cooper), and .204 Howa. Luckily, the Howa isn't well known yet, so I can take it to the club and everyone else won't just go home like they do when I bring either of the other two. Benchrest shooting is more like fishing than real competition. If you always win, you're unpopular. Oh, and my more or less "sniper rifle" which is .308 and puts 'em all in the same hole at 300 or so. Could be worse, but even after filling it with lead the recoil is too much by the end of a match, for me.

The aloe is the last living remnant of my parents (other than me) and yes, very good for burns - there are a few welders nearby as well. About time to re-pot that guy, it's getting kinda spread out of the pot.

I'm about to do a photo shoot of another solar system near me. The guy on the main page (take off the /forums on this URL) in the middle owns it, he kind of improved on mine, but doesn't have a great vid cam. I'll get his posted up here soon as I can, maybe next week. It's quite a system. He DOES do a form of grid tie, but not the same - same issue as me, they don't pay, and he's breaking their contract (fortunately it's not criminal, just civil) by NOT having a separate meter for his feed in to the grid so they can rip him off for "load shaving". He just keeps his meter stopped during the day, and uses the rest for other stuff. But his whole house is on the solar, for living. His bread baking business can also take any spare solar power with some planning and luck, but for that if he needs fallback, he uses grid, not a generator.


So, if anyone wants my version of this same lathe (the small one) and can get close to here - it's available to the right guy for a song. It's just too heavy to crate and ship across the country and me still get any money for it at all. And I made this nice stand etc and collected a bunch of extras for it as well. It's a nice piece to be sure. I am just so space limited I can't find a home in one of the shops for it and have to keep it in storage.
Posting as just me, not as the forum owner. Everything I say is "in my opinion" and YMMV -- which should go for everyone without saying.
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Re: My Metal Lathe

Postby solar_dave » Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:16 pm

I got one of those tack driver guns as well, a 6mm Remington with a CJ Hart 26 in barrel with a 1 in 12 twist, Canjar set trigger, 6X18 Redfield. Pop cans at 400+ no issues.
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Re: My Metal Lathe

Postby Doug Coulter » Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:15 am

To coin a phrase or two:
"Only accurate guns are interesting" or perhaps
"gun control is reliably hitting your target"
I'm a pretty good rifleman, but kind of stuck on just enthusiasm with handguns - I do OK, but...not like rifles where I can usually place first or second in any competition. And it's not the gun's fault there - I just don't have those monster forearms all the handgun big winners seem to share - lousy control strength and mass it seems.

But uh oh, we hijacked Geo's thread.
Posting as just me, not as the forum owner. Everything I say is "in my opinion" and YMMV -- which should go for everyone without saying.
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Re: My Metal Lathe

Postby Jerry » Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:01 am

I always thought it would be fun to build a .50 cal out of one of those barrels they sell at gun shows. I think they were intended for gatling type guns.
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Re: My Metal Lathe

Postby Doug Coulter » Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:56 am

The action is the hard part to get - anybody including midwayusa or brownells will re-sell you a barrel just about any spec you want (or you can go straight to a barrel maker). of course, there are many here who could make an action. You just can't sell it if you do - it's legal to own it if you make it (since it's not class III) but not to sell unless you have the right license to manufacture. I have some good books on action designs...
I wouldn't buy a milsurp barrel myself, it'd probably be either inaccurate by design (the gats are), or just plain worn out. A gat is designed to shoot a pattern, not a group, on purpose.

The one I showed - one thing about it I don't like is the shellholder (Bullpup sort of) action that places the chamber right at your neck when you shoot it. An accident (not unknown) will therefore blow your head clean off. That's not a wimpy .223 round with 26 grains of gunpowder and a 55 grain bullet, you know. a .50 is closer to 25k foot pounds than the 1100 of a .223, or the 2500 of a .308.

I guess we should set up a sub-forum for gun stuff? I thought I was the only one here but it appears not. I've got a lot to share about building (or 'smithing) guns and ammo into extreme accuracy, it's a hobby of mine, and I'm very well equipped and experienced for that.

Edit - I did just that, it's here: viewforum.php?f=54 Start whatever related threads you want over there. I seeded it a little bit to get things going.

Sorry George, there's no easy way to move half a topic...and the lathe is appropriate here, not the other chitchat (my bad).
Posting as just me, not as the forum owner. Everything I say is "in my opinion" and YMMV -- which should go for everyone without saying.
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Re: My Metal Lathe

Postby solar_dave » Mon Nov 12, 2012 12:48 pm

Jerry wrote:I always thought it would be fun to build a .50 cal out of one of those barrels they sell at gun shows. I think they were intended for gatling type guns.


I always thought a Ruger #1 action scaled up to like 2X would work well for a .50 BMG gun.
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