lathe for rifle building

[bkem619]

Hi,
I am looking for recommendations on a lathe for building high power rifles.
I would like to have a spindle bore of 1 1/2 inch or larger and fits into a hobby budget.

Has anyone had experience with Grizzly, Birmingham or Jet lathes, and what is your opinion of those products.
Thanks, Bill

[tp555]

I'd say yes on the 1.5" bore and 40" length of bed.Small lathes are made in china and taiwan. Then branded by different companies.Look at the controls for the gears.You have 2 levers or one combo lever.One company makes the two lever machines.The retail outlets put their logo on them.Jet products are more expensive then the norm. They slick up the machine,paint etc.I'd rather spend
money on tooling then paying for fancy paint.What you want is a 12 or 13" lathe.The taiwan quality is better, but chinese mfg is becoming more prevalent.
Bottom line is how much money you got to spend.Find the best deal and spend the rest on tooling (tool holders,chucks,cutters).Look for enco,WTTool and other outlets close by. I got my machines from WTTool which has a store 60 miles away from me. The lathes will weigh 1200 lbs or so. If it gets delivered by freight truck,do you have a fork lift to get it off the truck?regards.

[bkem619]

thanks for you help. Bill