Order of Operations?

[wrat]

Tried cutting some flutes on my beautifully tapered barrel. Came out looking like a squirrel's tail blowing in the wind.

You may have chucked up a 1/4" ballnose (or so) and cut the grooves that way? Might be a little deflection there without a lot of carefully incremented passes.

Probably the most solid way is to set up in a horizontal with a nice 4" or 6" wheel doing the cutting. Might go a lot straighter that way. Of course, this might require justifying the purchase of another machine, too. In fact, it's always a good time to justify buying a new machine!

Short of that, it might be you'd want to get a stubby cutter. Take a regular jobber length and cut it back to almost hemispherical. That's about as rigid as that setup will get.


Wrat

 

[wrat]

After a long career as a gunsmith, let me say: Damn right brother! Ain't Makin any money as a "semi-retired, burnt out 'ol gunsmith either! But just like with hot women -- I like it!!!!! A lot!

Squire

Yep. That's why I do it. For all the loads of Money AND the Women.
Gunsmithing? or being a rock star? Decisions, decisions....


Wrat

 

[MattM]

You may have chucked up a 1/4" ballnose (or so) and cut the grooves that way? Might be a little deflection there without a lot of carefully incremented passes.

Probably the most solid way is to set up in a horizontal with a nice 4" or 6" wheel doing the cutting. Might go a lot straighter that way. Of course, this might require justifying the purchase of another machine, too. In fact, it's always a good time to justify buying a new machine!

Short of that, it might be you'd want to get a stubby cutter. Take a regular jobber length and cut it back to almost hemispherical. That's about as rigid as that setup will get.


Wrat

Yep, that's what i did.

 

[OLEJOE]

I buy profiled blanks. I work a full time job and barely have time to chamber one. I cut and crown the muzzle first so I can leave the bushing on my "Gordy Rod" to set up the chamber end and then switch it to the reamer. Saves me a little bit of time and I can wait until I have the time to do the threading and Chambering without stopping. Good luck.

 

[MattM]

I buy profiled blanks. I work a full time job and barely have time to chamber one. I cut and crown the muzzle first so I can leave the bushing on my "Gordy Rod" to set up the chamber end and then switch it to the reamer. Saves me a little bit of time and I can wait until I have the time to do the threading and Chambering without stopping. Good luck.

What's a "Gordy Rod''? Do you thread or chamber first?

 

[OLEJOE]

I thread first but it may be better to chamber first and adjust threading to suit. I'm doing my first one with a counterbore and I've been kind of nervous about it. I think I'll chamber it first, cut the counterbore and then thread it. Of course I'll cut and square it first. Gordy rod refers to the indicating rods used by gunsmith Gordy Gritters.

 

[OLEJOE]

Gordy rod is a tapered rod with a removable bushing on the end like the reamer. Put the unbushed end in the drill collet in the tailstock. Run the rod into the bore approximately where it's contacting the chuck and indicate off the rod. Then move it back or out to the entrance to the bore and adjust it with the spider on the other end of the lathe bore. Google Chambering on Utube and Gordy has a video of how he does it. Here's a pic of the stub I made to practice on.

 

[MattM]

I've been practicing with scrap. Don't have the nerve (yet) to do ruin a $275.00 barrel.

I can thread and taper OK but not chamber. Though I tried.

 

[OLEJOE]

I've been practicing with scrap. Don't have the nerve (yet) to do ruin a $275.00 barrel.

I can thread and taper OK but not chamber. Though I tried.

What problem are you having Chambering? How do you hold the reamer? Watch some Utube videos. That's how I learned to do it. Tried to do my first one using the drill chuck in the tailstock and wound up with an oversized chamber. I knew I had the tailstock lined up straight with the headstock. I used a dead center in the tailstock and it worked perfectly.

 

[Tozguy]

For a machinist doing the occasional barrel, the pre-bore approach to chamber cutting can be interesting. It involves drilling and boring to match the taper of the chamber reamer. The body of the reamer then follows the bored hole when cutting the chamber to final dimensions. No need to have a range of bushings for the reamer nor a special floating reamer holder.