rifleman wrote on Mar 8^th, 2025 at 7:09pm:


Thanks Jordan and Bill, it does really feels good that I have this action working as it was was intended.

JHM, I agree about good files and rasps.  I really don't mind filing, but it is getting harder to find good files.  I'm always looking for new old stock stuff.
Bob

Doing barrel work today.

The barrel will be a 30 inch octagon to round.

First picture shows getting a good start on the octagon section in the mill.

Second shows it done, and ready for turning the round section in the lathe.
Bob

I have been silently following your build here, I love seeing your machining setups, it is going to be a very nice rifle, I look forward to seeing it complete.

marlinguy wrote on Mar 13^th, 2025 at 10:47am:

Remember "Good wood don't grow on trees" Nice Bob!

On with the barrel...turning the round section.

Setup in the lathe, I first turned it just over the max diameter, of the taper, while setup cutting straight. The first picture is this setup.  I do have a quick change Aloris holder but have found this old school lantern setup work better for these long cuts.  Chatter is not fun to deal with and a don’t normally get any with this setup.

I then setup for taper turning by moving the tail end of the lathe to the taper I want.  This was very easy at this point since the octagon was already tapered to the degree I wanted, .006 per inch total.  The barrel is sized very close to a Winchester #3 1/2.  I simply moved the lathe tail stock until the side flat of the octagon was straight with the lathe travel.  

The last three pictures show the finished barrel, polished out to 320 grit.  I do the final finish on my barrels by polishing longitudinally 400 to 600 grit.  I feel I get a better finish doing it this way and can see all the radial scratches are gone.  But, I won't finish it until I'm ready to blue the barrel.
Bob

hey Bob, thanks for the explanation as I have to do this soon but curious why you didnt use the taper attachment to do this?

steel-pounder wrote on Mar 14^th, 2025 at 7:09pm:



The taper attachment isn’t long enough.  Even if it was long enough, I find using the tail stock is much easier to setup.  I put an indicator on the live center and measure how much I move it.  Then use the same number to move it back.  By doing this I’m usually right back to a straight cut with no taper when done.
Bob

what is the green machine next to the lathe