Gunsmithing deciding where to put my new lathe

[SSC]

I just bought my first lathe G4003G and it will be here monday. needless to say I am running around trying to get everything ready. I am trying to decide how much room I need to leave around the lathe and thought you guys would be able to help with that. As of now I am going to put it a 24-36 inches off the wall, but how much room should I leave on head stock end? I know I will have to load barrels from that end but couldn't they go through from the inside out? I don't have tons of room so I have to use it wisely, but I also don't want to be moving it again later because I didn't plan well enough.

Thanks

In the Grizzly manual it says at lease 80"x60" plus leaving the loading area unobstructed.

 

[CSI]

Re: deciding where to put my new lathe

Yes, you can load stock from the chuck side. The only limitation to this would be the distance between the chuck face and the tailstock without removing the tailstock. That lathe is 36" between centers so you should be fine for gunsmith work. As far as clearance to the left of the lathe, 24" should be adequate to handle a work piece 36" in length.

 

[wnroscoe]

Re: deciding where to put my new lathe

I'd set the machine at a minimum of 18" to 20" off the wall so the electrical box can be opened (36" is the NFPA/NEC Working Space Code) and at least 30" to the left of the machine for loading and unloading barrels. Leave at least 24" to the right for working around the tail stock. At some point, you'll need to remove the splash guard, the extra working space will be appreciated at that point.

Good luck.

 

[jonaddis84]

Re: deciding where to put my new lathe

Definitely leave enough room on the headstock side so you can load barrels, you wont always be able to load from the right due to recoil lugs. You dont need a ton of room on the right, just enough to remove the tailstock if you need to, so like 20" or so.

 

[LRI]

Re: deciding where to put my new lathe

A great deal of time is spent on a lathe when gunmaking. Barreling, receiver work, pillars, screws, etc.

With that in mind treat it like a show piece and build your shop around it. Make all sides accessable if at all possible.

It'll be easier to clean/service this way too.

Good luck!

C.