Making a Rolling block rifle on my lathe.

Well looks like you are seeing it again but its the other side, this is the under side of the tang. Nothdude you will be happy to know I used the drill press for all the holes this time, It`s just that the action holes had to be spot on and square to the action, so use the lathe . Gremlins getting in, just about finished the milling that first bit when bang the milling bit snapped, bugger, but had a spare one so job done . Had a talk to Tub@steel as to where my two bits of 4140 was going to come, lost my order sort of stuff but it`s on the way, so may be looking at making a barrel to see if I can improve on them. :thumbsup:
Attachment 138185, Fly cutting it true.

cool stuff ive never thought of using the lathe how you do i might have another look at the lathe at work and have an experiment

This is why the lathe is called "the universal tool", if you have the time you can make almost anything on it.

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Originally Posted by Cordite

This is why the lathe is called "the universal tool", if you have the time you can make almost anything on it.

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Darn tootin,! Back in the '60's a good mate of mine made an excellent copy of a .22 Colt Woodsman from an exploded view parts diagram and the entire job was done on a Myford ML7 with a milling slide accessory. He is a highly skilled toolmaker but he was still in his apprenticeship then. A basic machine combined with skill and patience can make just about anything.

Very cool. Do you need any special license to make these? What pressures will it run at/to?
My dad is a soon to be retiring fitter/turner who makes can't find vintage car parts in his spare time. I could put him and his mates onto one of these.

If you have a picture on your back you dont need a license to do anything and they seem fine with it

What does that mean?

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Originally Posted by stevodog

What does that mean?

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Attachment 138214

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Originally Posted by stevodog

Very cool. Do you need any special license to make these? What pressures will it run at/to?
My dad is a soon to be retiring fitter/turner who makes can't find vintage car parts in his spare time. I could put him and his mates onto one of these.

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You can make a firearm for yourself provided it is legal to have with your FAL. Like, don't make a pistol if you don't have B-cat license.

You can later pass this firearm to someone else, but you can't manufacture a firearm for someone else or with the intent of selling it, I think you need some sort of ticket for that, maybe @gundoc can fill in more details.

Of course with new arms regulations, my mate would not able to help me even put a scope on my rifle unless he is a licensed gunsmith...


EDIT: adding beginning of section 5 of the current arms act, my emphases in bold:

"5. Dealers to be licensed
(1) No person may, unless they hold a dealer’s licence under this Act issued by a commissioned officer of the Police,—
(a) in the way of business sell any firearm, prohibited magazine, prohibited part, airgun, pistol, or restricted weapon; or
(b) manufacture for sale any firearm, prohibited magazine, prohibited part, airgun, pistol, or restricted weapon."

Now that's it, a barrel is a tube with splines cut in the bore, what you do with it is up to you, good for watering the garden. If you asked me to make a action for you ,"NO WAY", I only make rifles for my own use and are proof tested, I gave my Sharps rifle a good test shooting with a hot load that would make a Ruger #1 sit up and take notice!!. So there`s no numbers or stamps on it. It`s ok to mill on a lathe, BUT, only light cuts, not like someone with a 2.200kg monster .

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Originally Posted by stevodog

Very cool. Do you need any special license to make these? What pressures will it run at/to?
My dad is a soon to be retiring fitter/turner who makes can't find vintage car parts in his spare time. I could put him and his mates onto one of these.

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Yes, you do need special permit/licence to make such things these days. Back in the 60's it was a highly illegal activity but a fascinating technical challenge. Proof that laws only work with those who choose to obey them. The pistol worked well on both standard velocity and high velocity ammo and, with the exception of pins and springs, was made from mild steel.

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Originally Posted by Cordite

Attachment 138214

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ok where did you guys get my picture from arrrugh

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Originally Posted by gundoc

Darn tootin,! Back in the '60's a good mate of mine made an excellent copy of a .22 Colt Woodsman from an exploded view parts diagram and the entire job was done on a Myford ML7 with a milling slide accessory. He is a highly skilled toolmaker but he was still in his apprenticeship then. A basic machine combined with skill and patience can make just about anything.

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@gundoc

Yes and if I’m not mistaken the same talented individual, once freehand cut on a milling machine the Jaguar script on the set of knock offs for his E Type Jag.

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Originally Posted by S.E.G

@gundoc

Yes and if I’m not mistaken the same talented individual, once freehand cut on a milling machine the Jaguar script on the set of knock offs for his E Type Jag.

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No, a different (though very talented) person.

Im interested to see how you go about cutting the internal recesses. Its that operation that has stopped me from attempting a rolling block so far.

brew me old china wheres me sporran mounted 25pounder comin off the production line .
It wll give a hole new meaning to the words "gettin a shot away"-specially on mallards!!
now given both of us have a penchant for home brewed ale -i always found i did better work and thought a lot more outta the box ,if I raided the fridge 1st and gazed intently at what i was working on whilst emptying a bottle or two!!
bloody amazing "rough as guts" manufacture but very effective .My warehouse jandals recoil pads was a love child of this approach.
gadgetman recently used the approach -though it looked prettier -lack of ale Id suspect!!
Keep up the good work!!

Hi you old bugger, lucky your brew`s not like mine, have to don the full antivirus suit AND wear a recoil pad before I open one of my 25lder bottles of brew, the gases explosion can be heard in wellington. Now the gas has cleared it I setup to mill a slot in the under side of the action so I could fly cut most of it off. The end bit is slightly curved so will do that last. And yes Tensixty that's some thing I have to work out. It`s getting there.
Attachment 138420, Milling the slot so I can cut the rest.
Attachment 138422 Fly cutting the rest.

Awesome, I'm learning a lot of new tricks by looking at the way you achieve different things. I have a small mill at work but some of your techniques are inspiring.

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Originally Posted by mimms2

And how do you keep your chucks so clean?? mine are all basically blued... by surface rust then a dosing of oil, rinse and repeat

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Preventative maintenance! It was usually impressed into the 'old school' apprentices with the toe of a steel cap boot! A tradesman looks after his tools!

My top slide has a bit of slop in it to, trying to think how you cut a acme thread to makeup a new worm nut. Always try a mill with the cutting force downwards and my lathe is always covered in swarf, cooling fluid, cutting oil and T68 lude oil, also some gun drilling oil when I get a leak at 400psi, the celling's not rusty ether. The lathe is sitting on carpet, in a steel tray, don`t want to stuff up the carpet. :o

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Originally Posted by homebrew.357

My top slide has a bit of slop in it to, trying to think how you cut a acme thread to makeup a new worm nut. Always try a mill with the cutting force downwards and my lathe is always covered in swarf, cooling fluid, cutting oil and T68 lude oil, also some gun drilling oil when I get a leak at 400psi, the celling's not rusty ether. The lathe is sitting on carpet, in a steel tray, don`t want to stuff up the carpet. :o

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You will have to grind up a piece of HSS to the Acme thread shape (taking the dimensions off your top slide screw) making sure the depth of the tool will allow enough depth of cut. Make sure the tool is a few thou narrower than the crest of the screw thread. Because the Acme thread is tapered equally on both sides it is just a question of making cuts until your screw shaft is a snug fit. This will leave a small recess in the crest of the thread for crap to accumulate. You could lap the thread with the screw shaft and some Brasso for a perfect fit. When assembled adjust the gib strip to give a fairly firm fit which will help prevent sudden movement of the slide.

well that instruction Gundoc is like me reading zulu.....but its plurry heartening to see you knowledgeable chaps shareing you lifetimes hard earned knowledge with each other so freely.

Yer, just had a deko on UTUBE about it, looks doable and you cut the thread on a angle so cutters only cutting one side. Have finished the under milling and just needs the lug cut off then a radius that's just under the front of the action. It looks like to me that most of the inside is gutted out and only small sections left, under the barrel and back of the hammer, it`s getting there, have look at what I`ve got now from when I started, wish I could loss weight like that.
Attachment 138484, Starting to look the part.

So just moving along there the lumpy bit has got the chop and have machined a sexy curve at the front so the bottom bits basically finished. So here`s some more learning bit`s Rumpy of how to make sexy curves on the lathe.
Attachment 138647, the curvy bit.
Attachment 138648, Fly cutter in the chuck, easy peasy .:thumbsup:

Crack up system there, whatever works aye


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yer, you've got to think a bit and I`m always saying I haven't got a mill, all I need to do is turn the lathe up on it`s end and bingo I`ve got a mill.

I’m enjoying this @homebrew.357 thanks for the regular updates. :thumbsup:

Still witling it down and I love swiss chees and will keep you posted on progress, but it`s going to take a while. In the mean time I have just got my lengths of 4140 steel 1-1/4" round for barre making, so may have a rest of the roller for a bit, I`ve got lots to do.
Attachment 138746, bit of cleaning up should see it right, now setting it up for milling the breech face, got to be spot on.

ok so...you using your lathe...a bit like a router????but fixed......taken me awhile to twig what you doing...THINK Ive got it now.

It`s hard to see there, but the action is packed away from the angle bracket and the fly cutter prescribes the ark of the curve I want to cut. It`s clamped on the cross slide so first cut is .010' on the infeed of the cross slide, with the saddle on feed towards the chuck and chuck turning it shaves of a bit till its gone in the full thickness of the action. the back up, in .015" and in again and keep doing this till the cut is where you want it. :oh noes: , Zulu.

zulu in brail........lol

Now look here Micky you are going to stop watching Shortland street for a bit, and get your head around the mechanical bits, a can opener is for tins, not removing primers. Look at this, setup to cut the face of action where the breach block is, it flicks up and holds the case in. This is were the barrel will eventually screw in to the action.
Attachment 138845, The back of the setup.
Attachment 138846, front bit , you can see the milling cutter doing it`s bit.
Attachment 138847, this is where it`s at. See, just like putting on a gumboot. :thumbsup:

whish i could put on gummies like you do

Had our first bit of hail a shower so getting nipper, had to stoke up the fire, so on with the gummies for a load of fire wood. So while I had them on fired up the lathe to fly cut the tang top. When this is finished you will see a roller action coming out of that humongous lump of steel, mined, don`t do it with gummies on, hot bits of swarf in them with bare feet you learn a new quick step dance, :ouch...it hurts:.
Attachment 138941, need I say more. Aaa, yes, no Micky ,it`s not cutting those round holes.

nah I think I can see how you doing it from that photo....your cuttter is "flyin around" and your piece of steel is moved into its orbit very carefully in controlled manner to remove metal.

dont know if Ive mentioned it before...but you are a clever bugga.......very clever indeed.

Got it, good lad, it`s clamped on the cross slide and it moves form left to right, in front of the chuck, move in 0.015" fly cutter spinning slowly and cross slide in feed and it slowly cuts off very hot bits of steel that seam to like my blood gun boots.

inspirational

Hope your hearing aids are turned off Doug.
Slimming nicely.

AAaa, what did you say,
Attachment 139003