best starter lather for learning

[keepinitreal538]

OK hears the deal end goal i want to teach myself how to become a gunsmith. for now i want to learn how to use and maintain a lathe. i will be enrolling in a machining class at a local tech collage and a gunsmithing class online. the online class worries me. i feel you cant learn gunsmithing online. anyways to my question. i would like to invest in a small lathe that i can use to learn and practice on and i can keep for things like muzzle brakes and small jobs. since i dont know how to check and see if a lathe is good or bad would you recommend buying a used one or a new one and also what would be a good beginner size. by the way i will be taking an online gunsmith class because i dont see any offered in Florida and i dont want to move out of state and back with my family.

[Pineapple Devil]

If you're serious about it I'd buy something better than a beginner lathe and just grow into it. Spend once, cry once. That's not to say that you need to spend $10k on one either. A lot of people buy one of the middle of the line Grizzly lathes and get good use out of them. Also look on Craigslist.

[Capt. Link.]

OK hears the deal end goal i want to teach myself how to become a gunsmith. for now i want to learn how to use and maintain a lathe. i will be enrolling in a machining class at a local tech collage and a gunsmithing class online. the online class worries me. i feel you cant learn gunsmithing online. anyways to my question. i would like to invest in a small lathe that i can use to learn and practice on and i can keep for things like muzzle brakes and small jobs. since i dont know how to check and see if a lathe is good or bad would you recommend buying a used one or a new one and also what would be a good beginner size. by the way i will be taking an online gunsmith class because i dont see any offered in Florida and i dont want to move out of state and back with my family.

I hate to bust your bubble but gunsmithing pays very little its a service.The shop is often supported by sales of new and used rifles and pistols.I rarely ever used a machine tool in the trade.Hammers pin punches screwdrivers files & stones are the tools needed 99% of the time.The work is fast in the fall and non existent in the summer.Cleaning guns and repairing jobs done by YouTube gunsmiths is most of the work.If you become a 02 and have the skills of a machinist you will fair better.

[ThaDoubleJ]

Yeah, my smith basically does it as a hobby, and he's buried in work two to three weeks out, still has to maintain a full time job to cover the bills.

[grrifles]

I have been doing gunsmithing on the side for 9 years. Still have to work on airplanes to pay bills. I make enough to support my gun habit. I bought the grizzly g4003g. If can do a lot and I can build accurate rifles with it. Just remember tooling will cost what th lathe does.

Chris

[Fulmen]

You can learn the basics on any lathe, I've worn out one mini-lathe on my shenanigans
That being said, if you're committed you should start with something capable of actual gunsmithing work, say a 12x36. You really need that length to work on barrels.

[propeine]

You can learn the basics on any lathe, I've worn out one mini-lathe on my shenanigans
That being said, if you're committed you should start with something capable of actual gunsmithing work, say a 12x36. You really need that length to work on barrels.

I'm no gunsmith, just a wannabe, but I did just acquire my own 1942 heavy 10 and it does most everything the larger lathe I was working on did. No metric threads without some gear changing and cuts are a bit lighter than the heavier machine I was using. Similar lathes can be found in the 600-2000 dollar range. The 1 3/8 bore is enough to turn barrels through the headstock so I would definitely recommend finding one with the 2 1/4-8 spindle rather than the 1 1/2 spindle.

[alordnapa]

If you have not heard of it before, you should take a look at the American Gunsmithing Institute https://www.americangunsmith.com/
Although they are an actual certified vocational school of gunsmithing, they also have much more utilitarian video and distance-learning courses, the most valuable for a budding gunsmith are the Machine Shop videos. Learning to operate machine tools, learning to weld, etc. by experienced people is a good way to have most of your fingers and toes intact for when you move into custom gunsmithing, or weapon-specific armorers courses (Which are worth their weight in gold!)

[keepinitreal538]

ok i should have mentioned this will be a hobby. sorry my bad. i work 24 on 48 off and am looking for something for my 2 days off. i will not rely nor hope to pay any bills with my gunsmithing i do hope to be able to make some odd ball things to one day help pay off the lathe. maybe gunsmithing was the wrong term. i would love to make art. (hand crafted wood stocks, threaded spiral cut barrels and one day i want to try my hands at some integral suppressors.) but i also want the knowledge to be able to take apart any firearm and identify a problem and make a repair. thanks for all the replies you guys are very helpful.

[CMV]

I thought once I got decent on my machines it would be a good way to help them earn their keep. Thread some barrels, make some muzzle brakes, restore some stuff, custom AR & 1911 builds, etc. The only way to get work when nobody knows who you are is to work cheap. The downside to that is everyone & his brother will flood you with AKs. That's fine if that's something you like working on, but I'd rather R&R 20 AR FSBs than remove & thread one Kalashnikov barrel. I never got it to the point where it was a hobby that paid for itself - maybe if my time was worth $0/hr I could say I come out way ahead on materials & tools, but it takes a lot of time. Even more time when it's someone else's property because you are being extra careful.

So I do stuff for friends frequently at my leisure & usually get something in trade for my effort that makes it somewhat worthwhile. The only other work I do is for people that I've done work for before or someone they refer to me. In the end I decided I'd rather work on my projects than those of others. Maybe once I retire from my real job, but I just don't have time to do the things I want to do if I'm constantly Cerakoting, threading, tinkering, etc. for strangers.

I typically get 2-3 calls or emails per month that go "you built this really nice AR for my friend/uncle/son/neighbor/etc. Can you build me something Noveske quality, Cerakote it to look like it came out of West Coast Choppers, custom engrave a billet lower, make the trigger better than a Geiselle SSA, and do it all for $800?" Gets tiresome. But I typically build, fix, or Cerakote something every month for someone else. Any more than that I turn down or quote an outrageous enough price that they go away (or I will make the time if they agree). I don't need the $ & would rather be off pursuing my leisure interests in my free time.

Anyway.... to answer your question... if you're going to take some machining classes, you probably shouldn't buy anything until you get some time on their machines. See what you like & don't like about what the school has and it will make buying your own so much easier because you'll know what's important to you. You'll also know what all you need to buy with your machine(s) or if a used machine that includes a lot of extras is a bargain. You'll also be able to tell if that used machine is behaving as it should. The Grizzly 8x16 variable speed or 9x19 geared lathes for $1,000 wouldn't be bad starters. You won't be messing with rifle barrels on them, but could do a lot of small projects. Keep them in good shape & you should be able to get 75%+ of your $ back out of them when it's time to upgrade.

[tmc4065]

If you're serious about it I'd buy something better than a beginner lathe and just grow into it. Spend once, cry once. That's not to say that you need to spend $10k on one either. A lot of people buy one of the middle of the line Grizzly lathes and get good use out of them. Also look on Craigslist.

x2

"Starter" anything machine tool related means it's usually a crappy compromise.

[Grounded]

a nice southbend will get you plenty of clean parts off it. Just learn the machine and work with it.

[Marsblue]

I'd go for an older/used American lathe over a new import any day. They pop up on craigslist often for good prices. Ebay will also have a good selection, but they tend to be more expensive and you h ave to deal with shipping. I bought my first lathe from an estate auction that was only a couple hour drive away. There should be auction companies that list estates or business liquidations in your area. I'd sign up for their email lists and wait for something to come up. The older machines may show signs of age, but they were built heavy with good metal. Just check for play in gears, that the rails still mate up snug with the carriage and that the spindle is true without wobble. A little surface rust should come off easily and not cause a problem.