Seriously Considering Mini Lathe/Mill - Is It Feasible? - Page 3

Gunplummer · February 12, 2016, 04:18 AM

If the small lathe is cheap enough, you can set it in a corner for screw making. A lot of older guns had weird sized and shaped screws. They can get expensive and time consuming to locate. Baby lathes have their use, but usually as a secondary item in the shop.

PoiDog · February 12, 2016, 02:26 PM

Dixie Gunsmithing, I hadn't seen those all plastic ones in my research for buying a lathe. The lathe I settled on is a 10" x 22" Grizzly G0752.

The change gears are definitely metal. Man, for them all to be plastic...

I'm just a hobbyist, I bought the lathe and the mini mill after I retired, so I'm not putting them through anything seriously hard. The spindle on the lathe is just over 1", something like 1.065". I won't be getting any really heavy barrels through it.

I thought after I learned more about this stuff, I could turn and thread a barrel and put a muzzle brake on any rifles I own.

I can put AR's together, but that doesn't make me a gunsmith. These machines are fun to mess with, plus they can do some real work too. Just nothing really large.

I come to this forum to see what I can learn from actual gunsmiths.

February 12, 2016, 04:18 AM	#51
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	If the small lathe is cheap enough, you can set it in a corner for screw making. A lot of older guns had weird sized and shaped screws. They can get expensive and time consuming to locate. Baby lathes have their use, but usually as a secondary item in the shop.

February 12, 2016, 02:26 PM	#52
PoiDog Senior Member Join Date: September 1, 1999 Location: IL Posts: 309	Dixie Gunsmithing, I hadn't seen those all plastic ones in my research for buying a lathe. The lathe I settled on is a 10" x 22" Grizzly G0752. The change gears are definitely metal. Man, for them all to be plastic... I'm just a hobbyist, I bought the lathe and the mini mill after I retired, so I'm not putting them through anything seriously hard. The spindle on the lathe is just over 1", something like 1.065". I won't be getting any really heavy barrels through it. I thought after I learned more about this stuff, I could turn and thread a barrel and put a muzzle brake on any rifles I own. I can put AR's together, but that doesn't make me a gunsmith. These machines are fun to mess with, plus they can do some real work too. Just nothing really large. I come to this forum to see what I can learn from actual gunsmiths.