I have been wanting to do my own threading and chambering for some time, and my return to LR BR with the wierd stuff I need to make or modify has amplified that. I started out thinking I could get by with a mini lathe for the wierd stuff, but after I researched and thought about it I decided on one big enough to do chambering.

There will be a significant learning curve before I can confidently chamber BR quality barrels, but I am receiving considerable help from a couple gunsmiths that post here. One I have known for 20 years.

The lathe is a Tiawan made Precision Matthews 1340GT 3-phase. I also ordered a VFD and a bunch of other accessories. I should have it in May. That will give me time to set up my shop and get through the Machining Fundamentals book, the Southbend book, and Centerfire Rifle Accuracy by Hambly-Clark.

I also need a mill, but the budget needs to recover first. The main thing I need the mill for is cutting M-70 extractor slots and opening barrel channels on stocks.

Outstanding.

I love being able to build my own stuff. Actually getting what you ordered instead of what the "smith" wanted to build is damned neat!!!!

.

Deals are to be had on the used market, and there are a lot just south of you. In all I have around $8000 in my lightly used Taiwanese 1340 lathe, 9x49 manual mill, and updated Supermax ycm-40 Cnc knee mill(centroid acorn controller). Lots of tooling included. Lathe in single phase, mill has a static phase converter, and Cnc uses a vfd for the spindle, controller is standard 110.

Have fun!

I believe you will be pleased with the PM lathe.

One thing I always caution people about. Unless you're running a full blown machine shop and heavy machines, you will never really be able to take advantage of what a 3 phase machine can give you. In truth they are a huge hindrance if you don't have 3 phase power to the place you plan to run it. People are quick to point out that they can use a phase converter or run a rotary converter but it's just more bastardizing to make something work. On top of that, the trade in value of three phase and the ability to sell them is not that great. Especially with small machines 60 inches and under. Single phase machines are not a problem. Even if they are single phase 220, any schmuck, hobbyist or farmer can drag it into his basement, shed or garage and tie in two 110 lines and he has 220 power. I go through our local BY/SELL here all the time which is Kijiji and there are page after page of 3 phase machines priced basically at scrap prices and they never sell. A single phase machine will last about 3 days and it will be snapped up by some farmer or hobbyist and they pay top dollar for them. I personally would never touch another 3 phase machine and I have had many over the years. If I do get one now I rip out all of the guts and motor and convert it to single phase 220.

3 phase is great if your building is already wired for it and you're running a heavy machine and your power meter is spinning like Rosie O'Donnells head. Not so much great if you have to bastardize everything to make it work and possibly sell it down the road.

With these lathes there is concern about running them slow enough and smooth enough. The three phase is exceedingly simple nowadays with a VFD. Several hobby machinists have been very successfully wiring the VFD to this lathe and being able to still use the full lathe controls. In fact, PM points everyone to a certain set of instructions on a forum they sponsor.

20 years ago you would be right and my initial thought was the three phase would be a big pain and not needed. I am still not sure if I need it, but the VFD only cost $290 and I am very good at wiring-probably not as good a JTex though.............

Been down the 3 phase road many times. Never again, unless I have 3 phase power running into the shop and only on big machines.

A rotary phase converter is simple to make, even a ignorant hillbilly can cobble something together that works.

When I built my shop, 3 phase was $36k-38k ? to run it about 100 yards. A rotary phase converter from American Rotary for about $900? runs all the machines I own, and frequently I have many running at once.

If I chained myself to single phase machines I wouldn't be able to do a tenth of the work I do, and what I could do, would take me ten times as long. I'd be better off cutting an arm and a leg off. Most gunsmiths don't have 20 ton of machinery, but I sure as hell wouldn't be without it.

Three phase is so easy and inexpensive now I don't understand why anyone would be against it. Things have changed in the 24 years I have been paying attention to all this.

Regardless, It's time to get the shop ready!

Yep static phase converters are a piece of cake and cheap as well. Great for things like a lathe and a mill. Technically a rotary is better.......But for a hobbyist not at all necessary. Especially for something like a lathe or mill that is awfully intermittent, stops and starts a lot, like you do when smithing, a static seems much more efficient.

When I got my surface grinder I picked up a static converter on EBay for about $60.00. Works like a champ.

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quote:

Originally posted by INTJ:
Three phase is so easy and inexpensive now I don't understand why anyone would be against it. Things have changed in the 24 years I have been paying attention to all this.

Regardless, It's time to get the shop ready!

Three phase is easy, but not common in residential areas. And when you do get it it's usually 240v delta, with a high leg, that confuses the Heck out of a bunch of people and can cause quite a bit of blue smoke.........

Don't worry about your machine, and if you need any help at all give me a holler, I'm a "pre-apprentice" Smith, but a pretty fair electrician

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I have a conditioned rotary phase convertor for my shop that runs the CNC mill, the 1340 gearhead lathe, the manual mill and the air compressor no sweat. I would never go single phase.

Aaron....you did not list the cost of the spendy portion, the CAD/CAM software. That stuff cost me about half of what my Haas with a 10 tool changer cost. Just wrote them a check for several thousand more for more modules and maintenance.

quote:

Originally posted by skb:
I have a conditioned rotary phase convertor for my shop that runs the CNC mill, the 1340 gearhead lathe, the manual mill and the air compressor no sweat. I would never go single phase.

Aaron....you did not list the cost of the spendy portion, the CAD/CAM software. That stuff cost me about half of what my Haas with a 10 tool changer cost. Just wrote them a check for several thousand more for more modules and maintenance.

What CAD/CAM are you using? Aaron is likely programming conversation with the Centroid control.

Look into Fusion 360. If your business is small enough, it is free. When I was working at other shops I used a number of different programs, from expensive to cheap. I have to say, for being free Fusion is great. Nowhere as fast and intuitive as Solidworks, but sure as heck CHEAPER.

Send me an email if you have any questions.

I have an integrated cad/cam package Solidworks/Solidcam. The support is amazing and if you do prototyping not having to re-write all your tool paths every time you change your model is a huge time saver. It hurt badly writing the check but I am very glad I did it.

Used Solidworks and HSM for awhile, great programs.

It is an awfully big check to write every year, but if you have the work to support it, it is well worth the cost.

One more endorsement for sticking with the three phase motor that most machines (at least those over 6 inches) are fitted with. Static converters are good, rotary are great and VFD's are just wonderful.

The three phase motor is just a shaft, two bearings and a couple of copper coils. They are very smooth running and last forever. No start capacitor, no start windings, literally nothing to wear out if you feed the bearings a bit of oil. With VFD you get dynamic breaking and instant reverse. Assuming the legs are balanced, no problem with harmonics if you are trying for a nice finish. Single phase is fine for a small non production wood lathe, or a very small hobby machine but do not be put off a machine with a three phase motor.

I used a Transwave convertor for years to good effect,even with a shaper on a long flex.
Enjoy your new adventure,being a mililitary man you will have good safety traits, tidy, short hair,short sleeves, no jewellery and loose the tie. Good luck sir,it's a great trade jc

quote:

Originally posted by John Chalmers:
I used a Transwave convertor for years to good effect,even with a shaper on a long flex.
Enjoy your new adventure,being a mililitary man you will have good safety traits, tidy, short hair,short sleeves, no jewellery and loose the tie. Good luck sir,it's a great trade jc

The ship arrives in port April 23. Then a week to rail to the shop in PA, then a week for them to look it over and get it ready. Then a week to ship to Oregon.

That timing will be about right. All i can focus on right now is the NBRSA Nationals for the next couple weeks. Then I can get my shop ready.

i would like to ask, have you owned a lathe before? If not, i STRONGLY recommend buying some 60s or 70s high school shop manuals for safety reasons -- if yes, carry on

Among the books I have bought is “Machining Fundamentals” along with the workbook. I also have the Southbend book.

Not even close to being on topic. But the thread is sort of burned out and it is to good not to share. It all comes from working alone all day in a small shop, I suppose.

So, one of the local tool companies sent a man and a women to my shop today to pitch me a machine. A very, PUSHY sales woman!

Woman: So, what don't you like about the machine?

Me: Well, its a Colchester platform.

Woman: Whats wrong with Colchester. It's a good machine!

Me: Well, we just don't play well together. They're stuffy machines to run.

Woman: Well that's a silly excuse !

Me: Part of it might be my Danish heritage.

Woman: How does that have anything to do with machines?

Me: Well, it's an English design!

Woman: Well it's a GOOD, English design.

Me: Well, nothing against the English. We Danes raped them. We pillaged them. We burned them. We sobered up. We went home. But we're just not going to be buddies !

Woman: "muttering something derogatory about men"

Other salesman: “snickering”

Hey...good luck and enjoy your toy when it gets there.

9 mil Nitrile gloves help to keep the needles out of your finger tips...I know, gloves are no-no's in some shops but required in others...I was taught to wear over sleeves and keep away from rotating things at an early age...sometimes I think that all this "safety" makes it more dangerous because we depend on it without thinking....just like safeties on guns...

SAFETY is in the mind of the machinist NOT on some mechanical device that can go south itself.

Good Luck

Now Rod, Ponder this:

Maudsley is credited with the first metal lathe design that a guy could use. And he was English!!!

Paul Mauser used standard screw thread pitches and the 55 degrees of Whitworth fame. Hmm. A German not using Metrics??? 12 threads per inch on the barrel and 22 threads per inch for the action screws.

Maybe 'Ol Paul happened upon a meeting with the Maudsley design and was impressed.

We mortals will never know the real answer.

Ah, machining metals. The trade is full of witchcraft, superstition, old wives tales and rules of thumb combined with an occasional shot of Everclear.