Well, got our hands on a used surface grinder and its all cleaned up and ready to go. What I'm looking for now are plans or at least instructions on how to make a fixture to hold the actions while grinding. I've got some ideas on how I can do it but I'm also not inclined to re-invent the wheel here. I've also got a new geared-head 14x40 lathe and a 10x54 mill, both with DRO so I recon I can make what I need. Anybody out there have info they're willing to share? Thanks.

Purchase Mark Stratton's book entitled "Tricks of the Trade - Custom Rifle Metalsmithing - A guide to tools, fixtures and machine setups.

That book will tell you everything, and I mean everything, about what you need to know to grind receivers.

Or, if you wish to spend a bit more money, You could purchase a bench center with a head and tailstock on it and mount it on your magnetic chuck. they are available new for quite a bit or money, and sometimes you can find them used as well.

22WRF,
Where can Mark Stratton's book be purchased? An Amazon search came up with nothing> Thanks, Rojelio

I just got off the phone with Mark and his book should be on the way tomorrow. Sounds like exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the replies.

Toomany Tools
I have used Mark's own fixture to surface grind over 10 mauser actions and it is precise, simple and inexpensive. I may have some photos I can post on here but his book and CD will show it perfectly.

If there is anyone out there wondering my book will help them, the publication MACHINIST WORKSHOP is doing a book review in their next edition. They told me that it's do out on March 15.

Also, Trinidad State College has ask me to return to teach a class in whatever I want. So I will be back teaching week long NRA summer classes in 2006.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark_Stratton:
If there is anyone out there wondering my book will help them, the publication MACHINIST WORKSHOP is doing a book review in their next edition. They told me that it's do out on March 15.

Also, Trinidad State College has ask me to return to teach a class in whatever I want. So I will be back teaching week long NRA summer classes in 2006.

Mr. Stratton

It may be early to tell, but what do you think you are going to teach in those classes in 2006. I ask becasue a lot of people (including me) might want to plan ahead for their vacation in 2006 to attend the class, and also because it might be helpful to know whether any prerequisite classes will need to be completed before signing up for your class!

At this point I'm not sure what the classes will be. In the past I've done mostly metalsmithing classes of some kind. I've done a tooling or rebarreling with and octagon and fluting. There are some students who want me to teach a rhino3d class, that a computer design class. Maybe an open custom rifle class, where you bring in your project and we work on it together during the week.

Usually what happens is that there are 15 students in the class, 7 or 8 are former students and they run off and use the machinery to build and work on their own projects and they come and see me when they have a problem or question. The other 7 or 8 students are there to learn rebarreling or what ever the title of the course is. I like this format because everyone gets what they want, and having a smaller class size means you get more bang for your buck.

If you want something different, send an email to the school and ask for a class. If they think they can fill a class with people wanting a subject then they will most likely run it.

Then only thing I ask is NO beginners, have an idea where the off and on switch is. The school runs a beginning class in machine shop, you would be better off if you took one of those classes before you considered one of my classes.

Hey Mark, when is the book signing at Barnes and Noble?

Glad this is working so well for you. You put a lot of effort into it.

Hey Chic,

Self publishing a book has been an interesting project. I was wondering while I was writing it, and doing the drawings if it was going to be worth the time. I didn't know how many copies I could sell. I had to give my wife and mother a copy, no profit there. At first I had a 100 copies printed and I thought it my be a life time supply. A 100 copies lasted about a month. I guess I had a lot of former students. I'm glad I had a computer with spell check.

Hey Mark
I am not a gunsmith but a farmer. I have worked on farm equipment,electric motors and what ever else needed working on for the farm all my life, I'm 32. My question is will this book help me learn how to build custom guns, or do I need to go another route?

Littledevil,

I think most people who have purchased the book will tell you, You need to know your way around a machine shop for my book to do any good. You need to know how to run a lathe and milling machine, with a little surface grinding on the side. The book was written with the professional gunsmith or serious home hobbist in mind.