AR guys

Lil Foot · Feb 21, 2018

CaveCreekRay said:
I bought a nice little milling machine and need a project..

We need to see a pic....

North Idaho Wolfman · Feb 21, 2018

I need a new toy.
Looking a 80% lowers right now, very appealing!

CaveCreekRay · Feb 21, 2018

These are not Bridgeport machines like you are used to. But, I got both of them for about what you spent on a good set of carbide cutting tools.

Here is the milling machine. Its a wreck now but underneath its brand new. I moved it into my shop three years ago and it has collected dust for the whole time. I had to un-pile the heap of crap that was jam-boed on top of it for the picture...

This is the lathe that came with the deal and it looked a lot like the mill until I needed it to cut a bunch of stand offs for a driveway sign I am making. I hosed it off and it looks like new...

The mill is a lightweight but it should be perfect for the last 20%.

Yooper · Feb 21, 2018

Love that machine tool porn. That is a unique guide way for the crossfeed on your lathe.

CaveCreekRay · Feb 21, 2018

Here's a slightly closer pic...

I hadn't touched a lathe since high school and its funny how things come right back. The previous owner hadn't set the crossfeed carrier up right and the cutting tool would shift under load, wrecking the 7/16 rod I was cutting. I reassembled that part correctly and now the tool rest is solid. Cuts great. Hey! It's Chinese but it sure runs solidly and for what I need, I am super happy. No home built miniature Offy engines coming out of my workshop.

Fro65 · Feb 21, 2018

Sorry Skeets, I know we are deviating from your topic. But, I have to ask.

Cavecreekray, are you using your tailstock chuck as a 'pseudo' live center?

I've never seen such.

Lil Foot · Feb 21, 2018

Sorry Skeets, I know we are deviating from your topic. But, I have to ask.

Yup, I apologize skeets, my fault.

Maybe we could get a moderator to split off this page to a new thread? Please?

skeets · Feb 21, 2018

Not a worry guys I love how sometimes these things go someplace else and are more interesting than the original post,,lol and a small milling machine would make doing an 80% lower a breeze I think

North Idaho Wolfman · Feb 21, 2018

Skeets started the thread so if he say's it's all good, it's all good...Carry on!

Hey my lathe looks similar!

Lil Foot · Feb 21, 2018

Cool! CCR, that lathe appears to be a kissin' cousin to the 9x20 Enco I used to have, that NIW owns now. Good machine for it's size, especially with a few mods.
Here's a couple good places for some ideas:
http://bedair.org/9x20camlock/9x20project.html
https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_category.php?category=1963256897
I've seen those mills, but have no experience with them, nor have I heard input, good or bad from others.

Lil Foot · Feb 22, 2018

Cavecreekray, are you using your tailstock chuck as a 'pseudo' live center?
I've never seen such.

Yeah, me neither. Although I have heard of a Jacobs type chuck that is mounted on a bearing- useless for drilling, but works as a support like it appears you're doing.
I'm guessing what you need is a live center, either standard or reverse cone.

CaveCreekRay · Feb 22, 2018

What a nice guy Skeets.

You machinists out there, AVERT YOUR EYES! Combat machining underway!

The tail piece is holding a roofing nail which served and my stop for cutting standoffs using a V-cutter tool. I left it there because I wasn't sure if I needed more standoffs cut. The repeatablity offered by a hard stop made all the standoffs virtually identical. Been too busy to clean up the messes I make.

The amazing thing about these machines is that, the prior owner bought loads of "accessories" for them -and many of them very nice bits. I have really nice bearing tail stock centers and several chucks of varying size, like a brand new Jacobs one-inch. Everything was jammed in the drawers of the stands Gerry made and I have only recently had the time to dig through it all, inspect it, clean and lube it, and order and arrange it. I have a few jobs planned for the lathe in the future.

Thanks for the links on the lathes. I have seen similar sites that indicate you can get pretty decent work out of these with a little tweaking. Kind of a "cult" following. Now, I have a use for my dad's early 60's Starrett measuring tools that are in mint shape... but lost in the pile for now.

Projects..projects...

sdk1968 · Feb 22, 2018

CCRay:

ive got those exact 2 machines in the garage & the big Bridgeport.....

you can literally do anything in the basic gun hobby with those 2 machines.

ive turned out a lot of AR's & AK's with those!

just dont try to over pressure them with load. take small amounts per pass, use the right speeds & keep going.

for heavy steel & big bites? sure the Bridgeport is still the boss... but most of us arent really machinists anyway & we are just wasting the capability of something that big. (for sure i am)

if you need diagrams, templates or help on 80% AR's? just let me know.

or as Skeets can tell you, i can link ya to our site & all the help/instructions you could ever need on weapons building.

s

edit note: got my thumb pulled into that lathe last nite.... even being a small lathe it crushed my thumb & ripped the nail loose, THRU the glove. tiny doesnt mean weak.

Lil Foot · Feb 22, 2018

Ahhhh, accessories! Like icing on the cake!

like a brand new Jacobs one-inch.

OMG-that is huge, for any normal size machine, but especially a 9x20. Biggest one I have for my 12x36 is a 3/4". You might have trouble keeping the spindle turning with a 1"+ drill bit or other cutter in there.

Lil Foot · Feb 22, 2018

edit note: got my thumb pulled into that lathe last nite.... even being a small lathe it crushed my thumb & ripped the nail loose, THRU the glove. tiny doesnt mean weak.

Damn, that had to hurt! Glad it wasn't worse. Seen some bad ones over the years, but never been bit yet, knock on wood. (raps knuckles on head)

CaveCreekRay · Feb 22, 2018

OUCH!

My shop teacher used to yell at us for getting near machines with gloves on. Even grinders will grab you.

Hope you heal up quickly! NO PICTURES PLEASE!!!!

skeets · Feb 22, 2018

You guys that can use this things simply amaze me. I took shop in high school wood shop I did ok,, metal shop,, the teacher would just shake his head when I got near a machine

CaveCreekRay · Feb 22, 2018

At least you and I remember shop class. They are as rare as hens teeth today. How sad.

My freshman year at Central Islip High School on Long Island was the first year the school was open. There was a home-ec wing, a science wing, a huge sports wing with indoor Olympic pool, AND a shop wing with auto shop, metal, ceramics and wood. The metal shop had six new metal lathes, two wood lathes for spinning metal, a big milling machine, a huge band saw, a kiln, welders, and loads of small equipment. Just fitting it out must have cost more than the average home back then. Maybe a couple homes. What happened to education?

Other than speaking, writing, and basic math, I have gotten more mileage out of shop than any other class. Yet my brother, nine years my senior, never saw a shop class. I must have just been lucky...

skeets · Feb 22, 2018

Yep, all the school area this area have gotten rid of all their shops and they no longer teach home ec . I asked one of the school board member why the heck they would get rid of the shops,, she said its the liability for the school ins. A shame a lot of young kids will never know about doing things for them selves

sdk1968 · Feb 22, 2018

CaveCreekRay said:
OUCH!

My shop teacher used to yell at us for getting near machines with gloves on. Even grinders will grab you.

Hope you heal up quickly! NO PICTURES PLEASE!!!!

i took 1 picture... while trying to decide if it was hospital time or not.. but my camera hand was shaking so bad it didnt come out much.

for those who have a lathe? you can probably guess what i was doing..

had a barrel chucked up.. spinning to turn down the shank... at full right, the tower was just a couple inches short of what needed turning..

& since i only needed to take .010 off the shaft..(here it comes) i grabbed a file & was taking it down that way while turning. sure as sunshine.. it grabbed & yanked it in & mashed my thumb between that barrel & the tower.

im guessing that space was 1/4" high.. dead stopped that lathe & i was running at 2200. gloves & lathes are not usually a good combo, but in this case without them, pretty sure we would be talking about my bone showing with the end of my thumb laying in the tray.

seriously, i would have cried or peed my pants if could have... that hurt so bad that was just trying to breathe.

for those of us who have smashed their hand with a sledge? thats EXACTLY what this felt like... AGAIN. only now that im older, for some reason things seem to hurt worse than when i was 20,30,35,40,45... yeah you get it..

anyway gotta get back to work on that gun tonite! its already drawn MY blood & its not even together yet.

and for you AR guys... its a 5.56.............. AK

AR guys

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