So I had a really old Grizzly lathe from 1984 with a belt drive when I was in Oregon and a 1988 JET JMD-18 mill/drill. They were given to me for free and I used them for 5 years. I gave them away to a guy who needed them when I moved to Polk County, Florida 3 weeks ago .

My budget for machinery is ~$10,000. My shop is a 20'x30' 3-car garage, new home construction. I'll have to get an electrician to wire my garage for 220. I just had my ATF interview on Friday and I should have my -07 license in 2 weeks so I am GTG on buying equipment. I'm scheduled to have a mini-split unit installed sometime next week and I'm insulating my garage door this week.

I'd like a Bridgeport mill with possibly a DRO. While that's my desire, I'm open to another manufacturer.

I also need a lathe that I can do barrel threading which includes ACME threads. I'll be cutting barrel shoulders, barrel chambers, crowning barrels and I'd like to learn how to contour a barrel as well. The spindle opening should be able to handle barrel shank diameters of at least 1.5". I'll mainly be working on M14/M1 Garand barrels which have a max shank OD of 1.2". I will also be working on Savages and Remingtons, so I'd like to be able to handle larger shanks, if needed.

I would also like advice on a better way to route wood and fiberglass stocks for bedding. In the past, I just put them in my mill and used a shop-vac to remove dust and debris as I was milling out material. I'm open to getting a dedicated stock milling/routing machine in the future.

I prefer machinery that is good to go, doesn't have to be new, but doesn't have to be reworked, fixed or aligned.

While a mill is very important, I will use the lathe more and I can get by for a while with a smaller mill. I mainly used my mill to route wood and fiberglass stocks (with a shop-vac running during the process, of course).

Any specific make/model of lathe I should be looking at given the parameters I listed above? Should I just get a new Grizzly G4003G and call it a day?

I know there's what I want versus reality. I just don't know what the reality is.

I found this mill locally, but I don't know if it's a good deal, or if these guys are legit.
https://machineinventory.shop/...port-milling-machine

Has anyone ever dealt with those guys?^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thanks, and looking forward to your input.

Tony.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: benny6,

Seems like a CNC router would be ideal for cutting channels for barrels and actions. This would be nice if you are making repeat cuts. For one-off stuff, maybe mount a small Porter Cable router to a Bridgeport quill. I think a knee mill would be a necessity as they can be so versatile.

I'm an amateur machinist with a 60s era Clausing 8" lathe and 70s Bridgeport. I bought an import DRO for the knee mill a few years ago and it makes life much easier. Mounting it was a lot of work but it's great. I wish I had one for the lathe.

The mill you posted looks to have the shorter table which may be a limitation. Also I've read the older power feeds (that is present on the one you linked) are heavy enough to distort the table and put a crown in it.

Im happy with my mill, some day I'll get a Mori Seiki lathe.

10k is a good budget to get set up with a mill and lathe I think. Hopefully you kept your measurement tools as that would cut into your budget some.

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:

I found this mill locally, but I don't know if it's a good deal, or if these guys are legit.
https://machineinventory.shop/...port-milling-machine

You said "locally" -- the website that's linked indicates that they are in Connecticut. Or, is Connecticut the HQ location for a company with more than one location?

(Don't forget to update the signature line in your profile, from 01 to 07.)

Bristol, CT is not far--I can check out the inventory with my machinist friend.

As far as Machine Inventory Shop--no knowledge of them. Most of the industry that used these machines left the state.

I will discuss with my machinist friend today. I can put you in contact with him.
Frank

Thanks, my friends. Any help is appreciated.

I may also start calling local gunsmiths to see if they are closing shop. New ATF rules has some forfeiting their licenses.

Tony.

Unfortunately machinists go out of business all the time lately. Auctions are a great place to get a good deal on a mill and lathe.


I saw a $20,000 lathes go on for $6000 because no one wanted to move them. Bridgeport’s selling for $2500 but no dro and probably some work on your behalf.

Bridgeport mill, kurt vise, DRO and power feed.

Lathe : a Hardinge collet but $$$
An older Southbend with collets $.

A surface grinder would be handy. $

Last your power supply, your gonna need 3 phase or a rotary converter.

For used machines seem most are in northeast states.

Sounds like you got a plan good luck.

.

My father was a machinist and did work in the basement. He could do most jobs with his Bridgeport Milling machine and his lathe.
I remember him also having a surface grinder.
Anything else, he had access to several machine shops in the city.
He was always making gun parts for his brother who was into guns big time.

Access to a place that does hardening is necessary for some things you'll make.

You can put a 1 horsepower single phase motor on a Series I Bridgeport, and gunsmith lathes often come with 220v/1ph motors as well.

For heavier cuts a 3 phase 2hp milling machine motor would be good, but not necessary for your work. I like the J heads rather than 2J/variable speed. The J heads run much smoother, easier to be around and you will be more relaxed.

Check Craigslist as well, and ebay. Ebay would probably have higher prices. Lots of shops switch over to CNC after a while, so the only manual equipment is often available for a moderate price.

A decent Bridgeport with DRO can be had for half your budget. A Lagun is also a nice mill that will last for years. Be sure to get either with a one-shot oiler. A Leblond Regal, or Monarch (geared head) lathe can also be had within your budget. I'd recommend at least a 13" swing & 36" or more between centers. I'd advise a DRO on the lathe as well. You'll likely want a taper attachment if your profiling tapers on barrels. Whatever to choose for a lathe don't get one so old that it doesn't have the quick-change gearbox. Bear in mind you'll need to allocate some of your budget for tooling. A set of collets & a decent vise for the mill & a quick change toolpost with a few holders for the lathe, and drill chucks for both. If you can only get one chuck for the lathe let it be a four-jaw. There aren't many three-jaws around with the accuracy & gription of a four-jaw. Don't be put off by indicating work true in a four-jaw. With a little practice you can do it within a minute or two.

FYI, There are a few worthwhile machinists groups on Facebook for buying/selling & advice in general.

Also, since you're bringing in an electrician you should at least get a quote to run three-phase power. There really is nothing like it for machine tools.

45CAL is quite knowledgeable on machine lathes and stuff.

A place in NH called intellitec inc has benchtop mills and lathes. these are small machines that may fit your needs. The sales are mostly to high schools. You might find some available on the market.

I used to be a salesman for them and the machines are quite sought after by jewelers.

You will need a variety of other tooling and equipment to be able to do things with a Bridgeport. I bought one with a DRO, power cross feed, power drawbar, 2 hp, that had been sitting for years but was mechanically sound. I bought a Kurt 675, Yuasa rotary table and a variety of other tooling.
I also have a 12", older lathe.

I don't know what your experience level is but I'm not sure I'd start the learning process doing precision gun parts for others, and I have been a casual user of my equipment for decades. I do automotive and fabrication type items of a wide variety so I need a bunch of stuff that I don't use that often. A real jack of all trades, master of none.
The wood working part could be done a variety of ways and it sounds like you've already had a lot of experience there. The metal work may be another story.

Here is a good example of what can be had for 5K. This is a very good lathe with tooling, although possibly more than you'd need. Just to give you an idea of what's available. I've always had a soft spot for LeBlonds.

https://www.facebook.com/comme...ref=share_attachment

if your local community college has a machine shop class or classes, maybe pay a visit to the instructor,

it's been 25 yrs since I took a class, so not sure if it is the same now, but the instructor I had was a very well connected, and respected, guy in the machinist circles in this area,

those guys can tell you were to go to get supplies, equipment etc and sometimes they do horsetrades,
we , as students, made small parts that he traded off for supplies he could not get thru the Community College system,


check your neighborhood too, one machinist I knew had a nice setup in his garage , and did not have to use a phase convertor, he was in a neighborhood near a school so had the power company run a line to his garage for what was then a small fee,

Does this seem like a good deal?
https://miami.craigslist.org/p...e-pm/7498208237.html

It will eat most of my budget, but looks like it has a lot of upgrades and has a single to 3-phase converter.

Tony.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
45CAL is quite knowledgeable on machine lathes and stuff.

Thanks for the plug,I gave the big lathe and the tooling away to a friend up in your neck of the woods.

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
Does this seem like a good deal?
https://miami.craigslist.org/p...e-pm/7498208237.html

It will eat most of my budget, but looks like it has a lot of upgrades and has a single to 3-phase converter.

Tony.

That's a good one. You might try to negotiate a little on the price. I'm still of the opinion you'll want a taper attachment. Look into the price for one as part of your total cost. You won't need it right away, but I believe you'll want one eventually.

Taper attachment:
https://www.precisionmatthews....hop/pm-1340gt-taper/

Just as a reference, here's a new one but doesn't have all the extras.
Also if you can pick up the one in the ad it saves the shipping too.

https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/pm-1236/

I called the guy and he was kind pushy. Wanted it gone right away and said he had other interested parties. It’s a 2.5 hour drive to see it. I need to see it in person first then schedule someone to pick it up and transport it. I might just buy new. It seems less hassle for shipping.

Tony.