Input on used lathe

[Kies277]

I am fairly new to machining and want to get a lathe to work on gun and silencer parts (legally). What is your input on this lathe that is for sale locally for $1000? The listing states the following:

12" Atlas Craftsman lathe, new 6" chuck, 48" bed, 3/4" i.d. spindle, 110v, auto feed. Everything works great, I use it daily but got a bigger machine so this one has to go. I have some tooling to go with it but the small chuck in the head stock is not included. This thing is perfect for home or a small shop. I've machined 4"x4" solid and 32" long bar stock no problem so it's very capable for its size.

 

[RM-MN]

For some lathe work on a barrel you will want to keep the end of the barrel close to the headstock for some operations which means that the rest of it has to fit through the spindle. I think you will eventually want a lathe with a larger spindle ID. JMHO

 

[ShopShoe]

I agree with what has been said above. I am not a gunsmith, but I know what is being discussed.

For an idea of what you might want, look at www.grizzly.com and see what features are on what they call "gunsmith lathes." You can probably find other vendors with similar lathes, but there will not be so many lathes on the used market that include those features.

As far as the price or value of the lathe advertised, I would look more closely at it for general machining, but not for what you want to do.

Hope this helps a little.

--ShopShoe

 

[Herbiev]

For gun barrel work a larger spindle is a must. My lathe has a 1 1/2" ID and only just manages this type of work.

 

[packrat]

Search the net for South Bend heavy 10 lathe see what you think, much better than the Atlas/Craftsman. Price runs about $1,000 for one...https://www.ebay.com/itm/South-Bend...m=182997150031&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

Here is a SBL heavy 10..maybe a over priced.