Muzzleloader

Barrel Machine
by Gerald R. Hunter
Georgia
 There are several gunshops in this country which can
turn out an excellent rifle barrel or rechoke a shotgun
tube to your preferred percentage, but for many muzzle
loaders this is not enough. It wasn't enough for me, when
I bought a bucketful of flintlock parts from Dixie Gun
Works, induding an unrifled barrel blank.
Of course, many a muzzleloader who would give his
eyeteeth to be shooting a rifle barrel he had built himself,
may be well heeled, but there are also many poverty
stricken ones who cannot afford such custom work. The
barrel machine described and pictured here, of my own
l
design, is versati e, accurate, minimal in cost, and small
enough to fit into the tiniest home workshop.
Among the many operations which can be performed
on the device are rifling, overboring, finish reaming to
land size, chambering, throating and muzzle-relieving of
rifle barrels, as well as choke cutting, chambering, lap
ping and polishing of shotgun bores.
The rifling rig cuts any number of grooves from I to 12
(including the awkward 7 and II) and any pitch from I
turn in I foot to infinity in a straight twist (and with an
arched cam bar, the gain twist).
 While the device could be used for deep-hole drillin g in
solid blanks, it is intended for overboring shot-out rifle bar
rels, or increasing the bore size of useless calibers to larger
conversions like . 357 and .44 magnum, or muzzleloaders.
The same unit that does the boring is utilized also for finish
reaming after the boring, preparatory to rifljng. In smooth
bore barrels it can be used to remove pitting when thickness
of barrel walls allows, to ream out choke, and to rechamber.
This same unit is used for all work on rifle barrels except for
lapping and cutting the liOing. Shotgun bore work is done
on the third unit of the device.
A single motor transmits power through a series of V-belts
and pulleys to operate the devices at proper relative speeds.
the rifling head is hand-operated, as is the shotgun barrel
carriage_ The barrel boring carriage may be hand-operated
or powered by cables, pulleys and weights.
Overall size of the composite machine is only 24 It wide
by 42' high by 96" long, b u t it could be smaUer. The ri
fling platform may be swung out about 450 during the
brief time when actual ri fling is being done, to make it
more comfortable for the operator, and also so the cam
bar (which determines twist) has additional room when
severe rates of twist are being cut.
Expense "f the machine can vary widely. For instance,
the .frame can be made of welded I-beams; expensive
thrust bearings can take the loads; highly tempered rack
and pinion gears can turn the cutter rod, and so on, to a
very staggering figure. To shave costs severely without
sacrificing efficiency, my machine is constructed from
materials you would classify as junk. It cost less than $50,
excluding the motor.
The most important ingredient is the entire operation is
that of proper perspective. You must first understand
just what you are doing, what the parts of the machine
are to do, and how you are going to make the machine do
them. Once you have this' 'big picture" you are in a posi
tion to economize most on construction.
Few of the tolerances are critical. You can vary the di
meions of the parts to fit whatever supply of materials
you can acquire at least cost. If you can find a cam bar of
somewhat different thickness than specified, for in
stance, at a substantially cheaper cost, by all means sub
stitute it. Further savings can be effected by utilizing used
materials. Superficial rust on a rail or bar from a scrap
yard may make that material available for JO per pound
instead of several dollars per pound for some newly al
loyed metals, either of which would do the job. In the
case of rods, use hot or cold rolled steel instead of drill
rod, at vast savings. For the hollow boring rods, use
seamless steel tub ing instead of the more expensive air
craft qUality. For chucks, borrow those already on hand
frc:..m some of your other appliances or machines.
 To begin a [ual construction of the machine, cut the

Act;urau indexing of the rifle barrd vise can be done by using a compollnd
bubble protractor temporarily c1il111ped to pipe that will be the vise,
Compltlld r/fling barrel vlst. insldt Induing head.

4x4's to Ingth for the main frame, then the 2x2's for the
scondary part. Mortise the joints or half-lap them. and
as you join the parts apply glue, true them with a square,
clamp them, drill pilot holes, and bolt or screw them to
gether. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly before proceed
ing farther. The machine will be subject to vibration,
which will wreck your structure unless it is soundly made.
Do not permanently install th bed for the lapping!
choking device until you have found, by actual xperi
ment, where it must go to align properly with the chuck.
 Rifling Rig
Begin with the platform, a 2 x 10 x 96 inch straight, we ll
seasoned plank, and bolt or screw the tracks on one end of
it. Any track that is substantial and reasonably true will do.
Make up the carriage block; and rabbet, dado, or oth
erwise, make it a clean sliding fit in the channels of the
track. Length must be provided to give room for the pi
nion gear, rack gear b ar, bearings and hand grip.
The ball bearings (roIler skate wheels) must be firmly
bolted to the carriage with V-straps, or something simi
lar. Between the bearings, at right angle, bolt the chan
nel iron guide for the rck gear. The rack gear isa bicycle
chain bolted to a flat steel bar that will slide snugly in the
greased guide channel.
Anchor the rack gear to the rack gear bar with a stout
machine screw at either end, for the bicycle chain must be
very taut. The rack should be long enough to all ow two
or more complete revolutions of the pinion gear (a bicycle
rear sprocket) when assembled and meshed.
The largest rod that will pass through the hole in the
sprocket acts as the pinion axle. Turn down ends of the
rod to fi t through each bearing (the skate wheels), leaving
shoulders turned on the rod as natural end stops, and
braze the rod true in the sprocket. Before assembling the
axle, adapt the longer end of it to hold the rifling rod. A
common threaded joint, which allows twisting, wiII not
suffice. You can cut a lap-and-hook joint, held together
with a movable sleeve. or a small chuck.
Assemble the sprocket-mounted axle into the bearings,
mesh sprocket with the rack gear, then bolt down the
bearing housings.

Camming
The cam bar, by the angle it forms with the spacing bar,
determines the bore distance per revolution of pitch to be
cut, and must be four feet long if you want to cut barrels up
to 42". This proportion may be used for shorter lengths. The
pivot end is attached to the platform with a bolt; the opera
tor's end is anchored to the spacing bar with any movable
device which will securely hold it to the index. Dogleg bends
raise the cam and spacing bars up to the level of the rack gear
guide so they'll operate in the same plane.
The cam end of the rack is drilled to accept two bolts.
A short under bar, 8" long, is drilled and mated to that
end of the cam bar, and a ball bearing skate wheel i s per
manently bolted under the rack bar and inside the cam
bar. The outer holes are elongated to allow adjustment
(fast twists cramp the cam), and a second skate wheel is
mounted on a wing nut adjustment bolt through the
routed holes. The skate wheels must embrace and snugly
roll along the cam bar; the wing nut adjustment is neces
sary because the space between the wheels increases as the
 . . .
OilLinc:

==.i- r-l
a
. . --- - _. Oil Se !

r!=
f Healing
TranSrerpulle)'. ___

- _
I .. c:= --_." Drivc:Pulley

Drive. ____ _ _"" . ._. __ Chuck

Mandrel. ______ __
Chuck._______ ____ -- _.__Track

____, ... Oil Pan

Track. ____ ____ ---

_ ____.. Barrel Vise

___ ._Cariage

Skate Whed ___ _ _

Carriage___ _ _ ____
.J!.

Frame _________ ._

BORE REAM LAP

 Piat Bolt

-- "
Platrorm

Ballc\Vis

....." . StOp Collar

'
, ....,, . lode.ingHead
... ..,,/:.
. Inde. Pin
'
<:.... "" Mount
SetScrews

Rimn, Rod.
" ,
Tucle . ... ...... Cam 83.r Piyot

CarnBar
"",

Chuck .

Skate Whed
Skate Wheel
AdJutment

Pinion Gear ,
,
: :, .

u
Handle P l l , ' ,

Carria,e"

Handle " RIFLER

 stop collar for h end which will keep the small pipe from
fore-and-aft driftlIlg. Bolt the outer pipe firmly on the plat
fonn to line up with the rifling axle and rod. .
Cut the smaller pipe,. which is your barrel vise, enough
longer than the outer plpe so that you cau have room for
opposed set screws which will hold the gun barrel. Insert
the small pipe into the larger and drill a small hole
through both pipes; this is your first basic index refer
ence. Whh these holes firmly aligned (by a temporary
pin), affix the stop collars. To index the barrel vise, space
the circumference of the vise into the number of divisions
(grooves) you may want to cut. You can set up a 12-
groove index with just one outer index hole, and with it
cut 12,6, 4, 3 or 2 equally spaced grooves. But you must
drillS additional outer indices to cut 5, 10,7. 8, 9 and II
grooves. Ends of the barrel vise should be drilled and
tapped at right angles for two sets of set screws each to
grip the gun barrel.

Barrel Boring, Reaming

First step is the oil pan. OJl a wooden template,7' x 8" x
2", clamp the sheet metal over it, and bend the oil pan into
shape. A drain hole for the cutting oil is cut through a lower
corner of the pan. Solder a cup under this hole, with its own
exit hole below, to hold some loose packing as a filter for the
oil. For gravity feed you need a catch pan, and a reservoir
mounted above the machine. An oil line connects the reser
voir to the hollow driveshaft so cutting oil will be fed to the
work. Mount the oil pan with self-threading screws, through
neoprene washers, into the oil pan platfonn.
 Boring Head
Thread one end of the driveshaft to take a chuck that
will hold the boring rod. True and polish the outer end of
the driveshaft to take the pressure-snug oil line. Install
the shaft in the 10" pulley and through the mou
thrust bearings. The boring track should be as long as the

Rifling rods and cutter head. Fore and aJt, carriage guides.
;
Rifle barr 1
hell ,
is damped In IILre wllh machine screws. Cutler in top center oj
woodtn shim In pillce below.
Rifling carriage. Fore and aft, guide rails. Right, wooden o perating
handle. Background, cam bar. Center, bicycle sprocht is actuated by
bicycle chain mounted on bar which slides in channel iron as carriage
move.I. Note ball bearing skate wheels (bearings) in moun/so Rifling rod
at left ctnter.
 longest barrel you will bore plus length of the longest bit
or reamer you will use, fastened firmly through Ihe bot
tom of the oil pan to Ihe oil pan plalform.
The boring barrel vise is made from a 2 thickwall
pipe, with opposed set screws to grip the barrel. This vise
is firmly mounted to the carriage, which can be made of
either wood or metal. Depending on the scrap available,
make guides that will force the carriage to slide accurately
down the track. Criteria for mating of the carriage and
track is that they be an easy sliding fit, free of wobble, so
the cutter won't chatter. Centerline of the vise must cor
respond to centerline of the drive chuck.
One end of the hollow boring rod is held in the chuck. The
other end is brazed or threaded 10 the cuUer, with a bleed
hole through the rod wall at the cutter so cutting oil can
reach the work, exit the tube and be caught in the oil pan.

Lapping, Choking
The device for rechoking, internal polishing, bore lap
ping and removing rust from barrel chambers is mounted
paraUed to the boring tool, and nearer the operator since
. the carriage is hand-fed.
Begin with 'the track. a simple strip of hardwood 7'
long, 2 wide and 1.1 It deep, nailed to its platform. The
wooden carriage must be wide enough to handle the wid
est double barrel guns and drillings with which you will
work. as well as single barrels and barrels having awk
ward integral lumps or mounts. The carriage cover is
clamped to its base with four opposed wing nut machine
bolts, so when the cover is screwed down tightly on a bar
rel. the barrel is firmly held in the carriage. The carriage
moves on ball bearing roUer skate wheels to allow eas)'.
consistent carriage movement alan, its track_
Mount the ball bearing mandrel so the shaft aligns with
the track. If barrel-widths of the guns you are working
 with is extreme, instead of nailing the track to its plat
form, you will have to provide lateral adjustment. On lhe
outer driving end of the mandrel put a 6" drive pulley
then a 2" pulley that will transfer power \0 Ihe cutting de:
vice. The inside end of the mandrel takes the chuck. A
17S0-RPM motor, with the pulleys specified. will give
proper speeds for most operations. The malar should be
al least !tS: h.p., and a full I h.p. wi\\ be less likely to stall
and leave a cutter stuck ill a high-priced shotgun tube.

OH Seals
Culling oil is gravity fed to the boring drive shaft by a cop
per oil line, bent to shape so it exerts pressurc against the end
oflhe hollow mandrel. The two pasages arc mated against a
hollow neoprene "button" (which you can shape with a little
experiment), and the oil itself provides ample locallubrica
lion as the mandrel turns against it.
To seal the joint wherc cutting oil lcavcs the mandrel and
passes through the centerless chuck to the hollow boring rod,
a simple, flat, flexible neoprene or plastic washer inside the
chuck prevents escape of the oil. Hold the boring rod tightly
againsl this washer while locking the chuck.

Rifling
The main essentials in rifling are these: (a) make sure
the gun barrel cannot slip in the barrel vise; (b) double
check before starting to make sure the bore is reamed to
land, not groove, diameter; (c) keep a sharp cutter, with
enough relief not to bind; (d) never stop the cutter during
a stroke; (e) never change the relationship of the rifler to
the bore until the job is completed.
To rifle. mount the barrel, muzzle toward the carriage.
flfTDly between the set screws. Slip the rifling rod through the
barrel and mount it in the chuck. AffIX the cutler head and
adjust the shims for the first cut, which should be very light,
.0001 or Jess. Lock. the indexing head. Anchor the cam bar
Son, Gerald, Jr. operates rifttr. Below, center, carriage of boring/
rramlng machinr In oil pan. Extrrme below, Shotgun barrels In carrlolt
of shotgun tool.
 -----10"
---. --

.
6" Pulley

/
3" Pulley
On Motor

DRIVE
 on th e spacing bar for the required amount of twist.
The c ut is made on a pull stroke. Make the fITs! cut with a
dry bore. After the cut, inspect the b or e to make sure the cut
is clean and consistent. Now remove the shims from the cut
ter head, pu t a patch wet wilh cuning oil on the head bulton,
and push the he ad through the bore in reverse, thus cleaning
out the chip and lu bricating for Ihe nex t cut.
Shim up the cutter for about a .003 cu t (thickness of a
brown paper bag). Pu\l the indexing pin, rolate the barrel
vise to the next hole, and replace the pin. Squirt m ore cut
ting oil in the bore and take a new cut. When you h ave
been all the way around the index, add anothcr paper
shim and repeat until the desired depth of groo ve is cut.
About .012isusual.

Choke Cutting
To remove choke, or to cut a recess choke in a cylinder
bore barrel, lock an ordinary brake cylinder hone, avail
able from most auto supply houses, in the shotgun chuck.
Lubricate with cutting oil. When cutting recess choke,
provide carriage stops so the cutter will cut only the
length of choke you want. Don't slop the carriage in niid
track; hep a steady back-and-forth motion. Stop the
motor and remove the barrel frequently for inspection.

Lapping, Internal Polishing

As diagrammed, the power shaft of this tool turns at
approximately 800 RPM, ideal for most such work. At
this speed it exerts a lot of bulldog power - enough to
wrench the carriage out of your hands if it gets away
from you, possibly severely injuring you. It is wise 10 pro
'vid e a foot or knee cutoff switch so you can instantly stop
the motor if necessary. Faster speeds build up too much
heat and burnish rather than cut; slower speeds tend t
gal! and may freeze the cutter in the work.
 The chuck on the driveshaft should be large enough to
hold up to Vz" cutter rods. You will need Yz /I down to 1/4"
rods to cover JO down to .410 bore tubes, each a little longer
than the longest gun barrel to be worked on. The end of each
rod should be slit with a hacksaw or mill for 4" to I " depth
depending on rod dianleter, to accept part of a sheet of
emery doth. Coarse grits are best; flne grits may polish a bit
prettier, but have been found not to have enough friction to
control shot well.
You will also need some rubber to shim up the emery as
the cut proceeds and wears the grit down. Use plenty of
cutting oil.
In practice, tear off a piece of emery cloth, slip it into
the slit of the rod, and wind it so it will follow the direc
tion of rotation. Use as much winding as you can force
into the bore as the rod begins rotating. In full-length
bore polishing, keep the carriage moving full-length back
and forth, with no stopping, and with considerable pres
sure being needed to hold the carriage and to make it
move back and forth. When the resistance becomes easy,
slide the carriage off the cutter, stop the motor, and add
shimming or more emery; fe-lube and cut again.
Never let the emery stop in the tube or it may stick and
give you fits removing it without damage. To help pre
vent such a catastrophe, keep drive belts and chuck very
tight, and use a motor you can't stall.
Doring, Reaming
The e.selltia1s of these operations are to have al\ ade
quate flow of cutting oil; to make sure the cutting rod
doesn't slip in the chuck; and to have the carriage free of
all undue wobble that would cause the cutter to chatter.
Boring is best done on a pull stroke, because the entire
hollow r od aets as a pilot, and the emire bore behind the

In my rlzht hand, chuck j<'hlch holdJ bo,;n,l"gm(n, rods; 01 lIS le!t,

cult/n, oft/ttd lint, In It/t hllnd, chuck which holds shottun lapp''''
rod, Nou wooden slide at lowtr 't/I, /0 adjusl b,'t /tns/on, Top, rift'
tnurtlls"
 !
barin,
; rear,
(fr onl)
rriag'
" vise!ca
n barr
shOlg"
lh " vi.... of
Ano
chuck.
reaming
 bil i s available 10 take the chips. Keep the bit going and
the carriage moving or your stopping will show up as a
ripple in thc bore.
Reaming is usually done immediately after the boring,
and can be done on either a pull or a push stroke. 1n the
instant machine, sct up for boring on a pull stroke, ream
ing should bc done likewise. The weight-pulley-cable ap
Dlication will result in much smoothcr reaming than is
,)Ossible by hand.
An dfective rcamer can be made by grinding down a
wornou! square file of applicable site, which automati
cally provides a feeding taper and a soft iron end to braze
to the rod. It should be ground so that the first cut is very
shallow. For succecding cuts, place a long wooden shim
between one side of it and thc bore, so the shim will force
the opposite cutting corner to ream. Add paper shims as
necessary. as in rining.
Excellcnt reamers also can be made of lathe tool bilS,
particularly cobalt or tungsten carbide bils. In silver sol
dering or brazing the bits to the rods, use as little heat as
possible and a heat sink, to prevent drawing the temper.
Use the automatic gravity oiler if at all possible, and
plenty of cutting oil. .
'A lengthy volume could be written on the techniques of'
rifling, choking, boring, reaming, lapping and the other
potentials of this maching. You will enjoy lurnin.g these
things as you operate your Own homemade machine.

Construction Procedure:
The main frame must be built first. Joinls musl be
bolted and glued to prevent looseness from working vi
brations. Flooring over the bottom is optional, but pro
vides a place for accessories. Solid boards must be used
for the rifling mechanism and the lapping bed. A mid
levelshelfmwt be provided for the molor, its height de
ltndent upon size of themolor and length of the belu (a
minimum of 1 h.p. motor, because you don', want a lap
to get stuck midway of a bore, which might ruin the
whole job). Above the motor pulley, a sliding mount
must be provided for the lapping arbor and pulley and
behind it, a mandrell on which to mount the chuc and k
puUey for the boring and reaming device.
After installation of the above, a track must be made
on which the cradle for the lapped (bore polished barrel)
will run. Recommended size is 2 V2" by Y2 II depth to
whatever length barrel you expect to process. The cradle,
running on four rolter skate wheels, is made of oak, with
a cover to hold the barrel, of the same material. The
cover is clamped by four wingnut bolts to hold the barrel
tight when being lapped or polished as it is passed to and
fro for application of the rod which is held in the chuck.
Behind the lapping polishing track is the part for bor
ing and reaming. A sheet metal pan is mounted here, with
neoprene washers so it won't leak the cutting oil which is
fed in through the chuck holding the reamer or drill. This
oil is fed from a I-gallon can mounted head-high above
the far end of t he machine, as a gravity feed. The oil
flows down through the chuck into the hollow rod to
which the drill Of reamer is attached, and escapes through
a hole drilled in the rod just behind the cutler. A drain
hole is provided for the pan. ::
The rifling device could be made separate from the rest of
the machine, but is mounted atop it for practical working usc.
The whole thing is mounted on a 2 x 6 board, pivoted at the
far end Vvith a bolt so it can be swung to the left to give more
g
room for workin it. Guide rails (of whatever material is
available) are attached to either edge, so the rifling index will
move in a straight line. A block of wood is made so it has
flanges which follow the guide rails. To this is bolted a half
square steel beam, which serves as a channel for the index
chain to run back and forth. The chain, fastened solid at both
ends, is a common bicycle chain. This chain actuates a com
mon bicycle sprocket (from the same scrap bike, in this case)
which is fastened to a chuck which holds the rifling cutter
rod. The sprocket is mounted in pillow blocks, so it can tum
as the head is slid back and forth. The progression of the tum
(pitch) is regulated by a cam bar. The bar is anchored at the
near end of the guide rails, the far end being able to swing in
and out depending on the rifling pitch desired. The far right
end of the chain mount has a bracket which s lides along the
eam bar, so that as the rig is pulled (this is a pull CUller), the
eam makes the chain move right or left which, in tum, re
volves the sprocket, that tums the culler rod.
The barrel vise is a hollow steel tube also mounted on
the same board; it has four big headed set screws to hold
the barrel firm for rifling. This tube goes inside the index
tube. The index tube is pre-indexed with 6 holes (more i f
you want more than 6 turns to the length). You put a steel
pin through the index into a matching hole in the barrel
vise; make a pass with the cutter; pull the pin, rotate the
vise until the pin drops into the next hole; then make an

ot er pas with the cutter, and so on.
_
 In ifling, after you cfamp the barrel in the vise, you
damp the cuUer rod in the chuck, run it through the bar
rel so it comes out the far side, screw the cutter head to it
and crosspin the cutter so it won't unscrew. Put a shim
(common brown paper is about .003 "') under the elev,tor,
squirt culting oil in the bore, and pull one pass. Rem'ove
the shim, push the rod back through the bore, rotate the
barrel one hole, and rcpeat. When you have finished all 6
grooves (or however many you wish to index), add an
other thickness of papcr (or whatever) under the first
shim, and repeat the cutting process. Usually this is done
four times, for a groove depth of .Oll". Push a tight
patch through the finished rined bore; if it i s too rough,
lap it smooth with a poured lead slug and valve grinding
compound, or a grit of your choice.
To operate the lapping/polishing device, clamp the gun
barrel fllTTLiy in the carriage, so the bore lines up with the rod
held in the chuck. Hold the carriagejirmly ... .. both hands
or the torque may take it away from you and make a grand
mess. To leave both hands free, it is best to install a motor
s""itt;:h that you can kill with a motion o your knee. A Vz W
diameter longer than the gun barrel should be ha.cksawed
sptit about thIee inches at the working end to accept a wind
in& of emery cloth. A more slender rod may whip and be
dangerous - even fatal -- as it revolves without a center rest.
The emery cloth should be wound to follow the direction of
the turning rod. It should be as tight as you can comfortably
control; a backing of a piece of bicycle inner tube will pro
vide the fit and also allow nexibility. Cutting oil should be
squirted into the bore and onto the emery cloth, and the
emery slowly fitted to start into the bore. With hand pres
sure, the cloth is passed back and forth slowly through the
bore. A finer grit should be used 10 finish the job. Never Jet
the turning rod stop with the emery doth in the bore.
In using the drilling device, or the reamer, also do not
let the culler stop in the bore. The drill or reamer is pro-
Detail of all comer joints. Frame is of finished 2x4's, which of course
actually measure j 0 It, Longitudinal members are through boiled to
upright Unon; cross members extend across tenon and upright and are
lot screwed into logitudinal member. All joints, before final takeup of
the bolts and screws, are glued with eXlerlor Weldwood glue, available
in small amounts/rom almost any hardware store or craft shop.
All other wooden connections are simple lap joints secured with double
through bolts and glue.
No'!e of the dimensions aTe critical. They may be varied, depending
upon materials a'ailabJe to whomever is constructing the machine.
 pelled by a gravit y weight, through a pulley; if it balks
add a bit of propulsion by hand but never force it ra pidly :

Barrel Machine--Materials required

Frame
56 l ineal feet 4 x 4" lumber (mllin frame); 28 l ineal feet
2" x 2" lumber (secondary frame); 24 lineal feet 2" x 6"
l umb er (main platforms); 19 sq uar e feet of flooring; 4
square feel of 2" mat erial (for mot or m o unt); I pint glue;
machine bolts, or lagscrews, with washers, to pin joints.

Rifling Rig
Track
Platform - wood 8' x 2" x 10" (included in f rame above);
Tracks - preferably steel, two 5 ' sections of chan nel iron
(old garage door hanger tracks will do).

JpdengHead
Indexing sleeve - iron p ipe 6" to 12" long, 2 II! " 10; Stop
collars - 2" sections of above piece of pipe; Stop collar set
screws - 1 p air setscrews in each collar; Induing sleeve
mount-wood, l' x 4" x 4"; Barrel vise - iron pipe longer
than sleeve, 2 !Ii" 00; Barrel vise lock screws - two sets
of fOur opposed machine screws; Indexing stop - sma!!
tapered eel p in to match index holes.

Pitcb Inuex
Cam bar - iron, 54" x I Y:" x 'fa"; Cam bar pivot - short'
9" section cut from same stock, plus bolt; Spacing b ar -
iron, 42", cuI from same stock; Spacing bar pivot - bolt,
through bar inlO platform.

RifiiD&Head
Rifling rod(s) - slightly under bore size(s); Riflins rod
chu ck - simple lap CUI joint plus steel sleeve Jock; Rifling
h
rod cutter * steel rod, le ngt and diameter to suit; Rifling
cutter - 1,1 "x III " piece ofold file, lathe b it, elc.
 Carriage
Carriage b lock - wood, 12" x 6" x 2";
Carriage grips - wood, 20" x 3" X I";
Thrust bearings - two ball bearing
roller skate wheels; Bearings mounts -
bent iron straps, bolted down; Rack
gear - bicycle chain securely screwed to
rack gear bar; Rack gear bar - iron,
42" x 1 Yz" x Y4 1/; Carn roller bar - 8"
section of same stock; Carn roller
bolts - short bolts to fasten skate
wheels to carn bar; Rack gear bar
guide - channel iron, slip fit for bar;
Pinion geai - rear sprocket from bicy
cle, matched to chain; Pinion gear
shaft - shaft through pinion and bear
ings, 6" long.
Boring - Reaming
Power pulley - standard V, 10 di
ameter, !IS II bore; Drive belt - stan
dard V to match, 40 II length; Shaft
hollow seamless steel tube !IS NOD,
12" long; Bearings - matches pair
standard mounted ball bearings, YIII
bore; Oil tank - I, 3, or 5 gallon can
(for cutting oil); Oil feeder line -
standard t/8" c opp e r tubing 36"
long, with cock; Oil seal - neoprene
or vinyl button between shaft and
line; Oil pan - strip of galvanized
roofing (flashing) 96" x 12 "; Oil
sump - small tin cup, plus filter ma
terial; Track - inverted channel iron
60" x 2"; Track bolts - four anchor
bolts hold track to bed.

Carriage
Barrel vise - iron pipe 24" x 2" ID,
plus lock machine screws; Carriage
block - wood, 18" x 2 VI" xl"; Car
riage guide - iron straps, screwed to
-
block; Boring bars - hollow steel,
length and diameter to suit; Cutters
_ bits, reamers to suit, machine or
handmade; Chuck - stout 3-jaw,
centerless, to accept th" slock; Oil
seal- neoprene or vinyl washer to fit
inside chuck against heel.
 Lapping - Choking
Power pulley - standard V, 6", with
VI: " bore; Transmission pulley - stan
dard V, 2", Vi" bore; Main drive belt
standard V, 44"; Bearing unit -
standard ball bearing mandrel, DE
V2 " shaft; Chuck - cheap hand tight
3-jaw to take VI" stock; Track - wood,
84" x 2" x II:! "; Carriage - two wooden
boards 16 If x 4 "; clamp bolts to grip
barrel between boards, 4 skate wheels;
Carriage stops - wooden pegs, spaced
in track as work requires; Lapping rod
- steel, maximum diameter to suit bore
and job; Cutters - wound emery cloth,
abrasive coated felt bobs, or automo
tive brake cylinder hone.

Power
. Motor - heavy duty 3/. or 1 h.p., 220
volts, 1750 RPM preferred; Motor
pulley - standard V. 3 ,. diameter, to fit
motor shaft; Motor mount - wood (in
cluded in frame materials); Motor
switch - foot or knee switch, for emer
gency cutoff.

Miscellaneous
Cutting oil - at least 1 gallon; Do not
use lubricating oil to cut; Hardware -
assortment of bolts. Jag screws, rna
chine screws as needed; Paint - vinyl,
epoxy or polyeurethane enamel will
help keep machine easy to clean, and
will protect against oi l rot; Solder - for
oil pan and sump.
\100.,) ;"" ".i,, Ih. -0'1'''1' f"r r;rIi,, II... "" 1.:0".1, \,,10' Ih., )(,,;.1.- ,," II". b.,,,,I,. "hid"II,,.II'j(h rl,,' m"k_
n".r "r,;.", .. f ,h.< ",,((,r.),a. ". ,I.., .,..1,11. i_ 1'"II,oJ ,,1""1='
L f. Kuehn, obcve, rifling 0 muule.loodu, borrel with equipment
and tool. of hi. Own de.ign ond monu/oClu'e; righ', onorher .iew
I 'he home'mode rifling equipmen'. Skill olld pu'ie"ce 'If
. r"am
on atloching 'he wooden .plin". '0 'he cylinde. It 'qu"e
ing ond bending
rhin .triPI 01 o,h ond ollaching wi,h ,crew.
At top, above, two views of rifling heads.
Under the sc ale is a wed ge for adjust
Ing the cutters; second from the bottom
Is a float used for clearing the barrel of
the old rifling; at bottom is an adjust
ing device. Right, close-up view of the
head of the rifling guide, the index
boards and their method of attach ment.
 Uniform TwIst Rllllng

Study the diagram on lhe lefl. Jfyou want to

make a rifling cyUnder that has one tum In
36. you can start with a cylinder that Is 36
long where lhe grooves are to be cut. A flex
Ible metal wire Is attached to one end of the
wooden cylinder at poInt \. It Is then stretched
Slln.Jght away from the cylinder to a point that
Is equal to the circumference {dIstance around
lhe cylinder!. polm 2.From point 2 the WIre
Is stretched to it poInt
(3) toward. the other end
oftile cylinder mat 1$ e.nctly 36 from point 1.
It Is best If the cyUnder Is lying flat on a table
or workbench. Point 2 should be stapled or
lacked to lhe nch so tilal It do<::s nOI move. Now roll the cylinder toward poInt 2. As the cyllnder
Is rolled. the wIre from pOUlt I 2 Will roll around one end of the cylinder. When you have finished
rolling the cylinder POints I an(t 2 I,ollid come together Now the wire from pOint 2 . 3 make one
spiral arou.nd h
t e
 DEEP HOLE DRILLS
Lei us wlk 1.I 1iltlc <Jhcml the Deep HIlle Drill. Sizes. and thl' Grimling
of the orill. What <-I Deep Hole Drill look like. and "111111.' of the
terminology of Ihe rarhitlc drill.

I will nUl g(1 inlt) thcgrimJing ttl much of the Deep 1-1t)1t; Bils. as m{l1
will buy lhe sizes that they need. When you have III huy the 'V' luhe.
amI. Ihclirililips, plus insHllIlhc tlrilillrivcr, iJnd t ip. il isjll1 a"uul as
cheap to huy the completed drill. Ifyuu want tll griml your tlrililips.
the various makers if Glrhidc lools will he able tll supply ynu wilh Ihe
scvcrotl izcs (If Carhide deep helle drill tips Ihal you \\ill ncell. The
gnuJc()f t.:;lrhidc u!-.uaIlyslIp*
plied ror deep hole lip:>. is
IIK1.
GRINDING TIPS
Tu set up for grinding the
deep hole tips. all Ihal is
necessary is 10 turn 2 short
pieces of drill rod, ahoul I
inch long, center one end of
Deep Hole Drill Tips each piece, The drill rod
shuuld be the same size as
the drill tip that you are
planning to grind. Gel a
small V way, or'a piece of
finish angle. Lay the tip and the 2 pieces of drill rod, with the cenlers
out lO cl:h end of tile lip. Get some low melting silvcrs()ldcr and j()in
the 3 picces.
 FLU
IIVEl

and AS DEG. 20 DEG.
C

D 0 0

I E I'OEG.
_. -
20DEG.

PosnON CHISLE

--\
POINT AT
D PRIMARY CLEARANCE .19JXDIA.

, /? 'A'-1-
I I

?
J
SECON
CLEARANCE
:: SS
THAN ,020

i--.
L---..

DRILL TIP CLEARANCE

Usc Ihe lowesl name possihlc 10 melt I he silver solder, as 10 much heat
will or Gin (;ra(;k Ihe GHhillc lip. Whcn donc lei (001 in the fixture.
When cool set u p hetwccn centers of the lathe. set tail stock over so
 AUTOMATICALLY,..
gooe'
FIXTURE
NO"'r.NCL..Tunr or cuN ...... ,
you will have <J I lkgrcc i n d udcu taper per inch rrom the front or
(ulling edge or t i p t o t he hark.

After this. grind the primary land. This will have to he ground to
ahsolutcrcntl'r. AJkr 1 h i s is done. hcaL Ihedrill t i p lip and remove the
 { S-) I
Oj
I

C--::=========:::;
DRILL TUBIN G CUTIl G EDGE

-f;---- - - - 1.
-;
)'
HOLE
THROGH
DRILL liP

TIP

DRILL TI P Be TUBE
ceOiered ends. Grind lhe remainingsilvcr solder from lhe carbidc lip .
iflheholc>are pl ugged , drill lhcm oul. I have found lhal welders chalk
rubbed inlO Ihe holes of I h e l i p will help 10 keep the solder from
plugging il. The drill can now be moun led 10 the drill lubing.
ORILL TIP MAKES IT'S OWNCENTEft
The V l u hing can he purchase from High Sianoun!. or Donjon.
address arc in the hack of the hook under suppliers. 1 would rCl.:llffi
mend Ihal Y()U h uy Ihe firsl
()Jie from Ihe suppliers. This will save you
some head aches on your first harre!. The urill will last for several
humlrcd harrcls if you have no m.:dtlcn(, ami you take (arc of them.
DRILLING THE R I FLE BARREL
In Ihi.; dmp't'rwc \\ i l l cm'(:r I h e pron:...... uf makin),! lhl' I i l ll: 11;1 1 ' 1: 1 . 13y
I
II I IW you kIll 1\\ I I 1\\ 1 hI..' 1< II)h : l l l' l"t 'II'" fueled. and ha\'t' " h:. ... u ilka of
\
hnw t h e r i l l e ha r l c! j ... lIIadc. I \ i l l nnw ll'll you "h:p 11\ "'\'P hl l\\' 10 go
"hOlll rnakill,!.! 01 J ilk h;mel.

Firs! I would S I :1 I 1 \\ j I ll :1 t r IX iurh x 2(, c

inch IIltl.!! ]li u.: 01 p:;;n tiT
r
q fl\"Sprnnf. Thi ... <,Iccl WI II d i l l . 1""::1111 . ., nll riflc h(' , 1 1 I 1 i l l l l . :IIHI ;,111I111
IICl(,1' .I!. iw, allY " ! l l l h k . Thv nrq Illill!! In th. i... In ] 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i ... I>:1I il1 llH:
1:" lll.. Ian: 1111 0 1 1 l' .:nd. and (cnlel d ri l l i t . On Ihl' , . , h , ' , l"lld i . h bl:sl
In lact" i. n i l :thl '

r.,j a k c s l l I v I hal I l i e ' , ' n d I hal Y' HI 1 1.:111('1 d I i l l e d h 1 1 : 1 1 : 1 1 1 0 1 " 1 1 1 1 " II II A I I !.! f
I I H ' 1I:l I l d h l:,n'd I . 1 1 . k:lvc i l l':-;ll'ndl'll. I r t l J l l l hl: clwd; :11'1'111 ( , i m hc'i.

If , Ill' hand i"' ."1 i{'k i Illl I I (1111 I hl' cnd ( l r I hl' 1<11 lie. 111:1 kl a wllar. \\ il h 4
SCi Sl'rl\\'.... . n lilt' hanl'l clIl he l'l'!Hl'ICUHIlU I i,!! id. Al lhl' l1ieh ... pccll
111;11 I iiI..' 11;1 I 1 t'l r... til illed. I he e n d ni l he harTl'1 w i l l ... 1 : 1 1 1 1 1 1 r1l1l 1 1 1 1 1 and
vihr;I1t.' .

The r h i p box i ... in',Jalled w i r l l r he s r a r h : r hll"ihill!! ill pla(,l', ;11111 rhe

slarlel' hll:-.hill i ... H'I . (";udully nusIil'u lIJl H!!ainSI I lll' h:l l i d hlank.

(:Ol1I1CCI :111 1 lie shields, UIIII'I I"I IrL!CI :t hOUl l ht: C lIH' Pll lhc: t'nd nr ,hc
;
l.l lhe Ihal will rCll1 l l1 l ilt: Clil whel you ,!!o IIHOII!!,h th(' haHt'1 \\'jlll the
lIrill. 8011 ihe III i 1 l 1lrivcI holder.ccntering it w i l h Ihe renter I I I t he lail
stuck. 11 would he 111111(' ftl'l:llr<lIC if II would he dnl ' \\Oh a ... han l<
dlUdccJ ill till: III.!ad tuLk, t h rough the opening that hullis the drill
drivJ.:f,

Sct lhl: lle(;p lit Ill' drill ill Ihe drill drivl!r (11 11)(.: I:ilrriage, l:(mnel:l the
hylll allli, huse I n I Ill! l i l l illg. NIIW \,t,;ry c.iHcfu lly Iafl I he drill I ip illio
the I a i l c i hll!-lhing. I k I t H'c. yllil 1111"11 1111 Ihe I l i l lll Il!sl II ( 1 I I l , lIllUhlc
dld Ihe !-let Llew that hilids Ille drill ill, IfYllll l u rn 1I11 1hc oil ilIHI

SJo:T SCJU:WS .'OK

CNl t:JtINQ 8.-\KkU.

lATHE WITII COLLETS

FOR 1I0LDlNG BARREl,
t u rn II p r I l l: P 1"(;."'.'" " r..:, Y It, w i l l hh IW O l l r 1 111.: d I i l l ilild I ' \........ ihk chip I hl:
lip, <lml i,ho g..:1 all i l i l h i l i l l

Turn UII I I I ..: oi l. hUI bdl lre y c III ti l ) l l wk ..: III": Iha l l ile vidvl' is ()PI\ a l l
I he way..,t1 I l lere i" J I l l pll ':"'11 rc i I I I he I i II":. I I cwryl hi ng i U K yo u ,He
pumping I hL' oil h.II.:" 1 l 1 1 h e l a n k , w i t l i very l i l l lc oil glling t h rough Ihe
drill. N, IW dllc tile valve l( )wly. watching t lie pn;...urL' (Ill the ,!.:'ilIge.
when i l geb lip I I I ()oo I I I liJIJ 111 .... . . which is ahout I he righl pressure fur
3D calihtr h'IHeb.

Lei il run for ,I JJl illllle ()j' o It H:her" h II' leak .... l .utI" ami l'C IHI\\' much
oil i:-. cllming OUI {II I Ill: l i p . Theh l1ollld he quilL' a h i t . Thb i....
iI1lPlll l; I II I .. w lhlI yt) I I ;l I c d l i l l i llg l h i:-. I.... OIiC wily t h a t yllil watdl to
sec it your d l i l l b plll ggLtl U p . ;\lIy l i llll: I he nllw slow:-. 111 1\\,11, I I I ttlP.
or pn':","'lIfc goe.... II p . .., h II 1 (jOWl! Illc kcd fa"' l . Ill' you wi 1 / l uin I he d r ill.
I will ,IS:-'lIl11e tl l a t Y' I I I have :t l h'"dv I'llilllgl'll l l l c quirk ('!la nge gcarssil
 you clIn get a slower feetl. A gootl
, I<l r l i n g poinl woultl he .OO{)X feetl
per revi liul iOIl.

PRESSURE AND VISCOSITY

MATERIAL . 1 56 .250 .5fHI

LOW
VIS. - I'.S.1. 100 - HOO 100 - HOO 125 - 700
ALLOY

IIIGII
V I S . - 1'.S.1. 1 fI0 - HOO 1 00 - HOO 125 - Hon
ALLOY

I11GII 1 25 - Hilil
VIS. - I'.S.I. 10f) - HOO 100 - HOO
SI'to:t.;t)

300
VIS - I'.S.I. 1fI0 - HOO
STAINIJo;SS
Now ifyuu lire reatly. have all thc s h icltls up. no leaks. t u rn Dn I h e lalhe.
Bcfme you tlo t h is make sure Ihal Ihe tlrill lip is no\ tllut:hing the
h<Jfn:1. The lathc !'hllUld he funning a hn u t 4000 rpm. hul you GHI run
it a t jts rl:gul<Jrspcctl. It will take longer hH.lrill the harrel. and the drill
might tcnll lowlInlier a l i t l l e o n the slower RPM. Nowwilh the oil on,
feed the drill ililO the harrd hlank very slowly hy hand. The drill and
tubing will prob.bly challer. U n less the drill tube st arts io buckle,
keep reeding i t in. an<.l after i l goes jn 1/8 in or so it will Slt)P chattering.

Once i t SlOpS chaltering engage the reed.It s ho u l d start drilling with

no chatter. I wouh.l recommend thai you keep your hand lin t hetlrill
IUhing ror two re.sons; ( I ) - J r your hand is o n Ihe luhingyou wil l he
able to nil what is going 011 i n the harre!. There is a t.:ertain rill to the
tubing when the drill is culling right. (2) Your hand will act as a
vibration damper ror the lIrili.

Rememher lu keel' your hand on Ihe drill all the lime to reel Ihe
vihralio,,'s on Ihe drill. Aner " short while you will he able 10 lell
cxacUy how Ihe drill is (Ioing. Aner a few harrels you will he ahle 10
lell when Ihe drill is uull, Of it gels (hipped. Under normal c.;omJitions
the drill should he sharpened ahout every two barrels. To sharpen i t
i s only necessary to just touch th e t:utting surf<Jl:c wilh the silicon
caroil!c (green wheel), or diamoml wheel, ralhcnhan grimlingtlll i l ic
surfaces.
 SPEEDS AND FEEDS

MATEIUAL 'I'll .250 TO .SIHI TO .750

LOW IU'M 6700 4.l1l0 2 1 1HI

ALLOY 1 . 1'.11. .IHHI.1 .IHII .IHII

IIIGII IU'M .1400 Will 1511(1

ALLOY 1 . 1 ' . 11 . .001 .0111 .IHI I

I I IG I I IU'M 2910 ZIOII I HIMI

SPEEIJ 1 . 1'.11. .1111114 .IIOO .1I(HI5

JOII I(I'M J4011 Z I O II I HIMI

STA I N LESS 1 . 1'.11. .11110.\ .IHHI.\ .1HH14

41HI0 IU'M .l4tHl 2 100 IHIHI

STA IN U.:SS 1.1'.11 .11110] .IHHI.1 .IHH14
The angles on [h face of the lIrill is fa irly l:ritit:al, as [hey will change.
There my hcSp(l[S ruhhing thcllrill hccause lack (lfdcarance, may cut
t:urvcd holes. or m<ly [urn oul rihhon t.:hips. These prohlcms can he
usu a l ly h e traccli ID an improperly sharpcm:ll d ri l l . You shouldn't
have ny rrouh1c on the l1rilling if you have followcl1 inst ructions. By
now you will have pn)hahly 1H1Iicell I h at as t he pressure (lfthc ()it goes,
so docs the temperature.
On .... mall c.:a/ihcrs the Ll ril 1 tUhing get rcal warm. This is IltJrJmtl. By
nowVlIu should hC<lhout till thcwCty thro ugh the harrel. When thcdrill
com s through lhe end of the
harrel. r p hox
your now o f o i l in Ihe h i
p
will SlOp ahru t ly . Open the valve on the hypass line ttl dmp I h e oil
pressure. Let t h e drill l no l hc r 1/4 inrh allLl Llise ngagc lhe
travel a ho u l t
rccd lcveranll hack nut the drill. when it all the wayout S h U L C\,crything
t.1uwn.

Well you have done it. You have drilled your rirsl harrel. The rest
should he cCisy now. /l' e\'eryt h i n g WetS Llone right the harrel should he
perfectly s l r:Jig h l . Leave I he harrel i n the lathe as the 1 1f.:xt operation
will he reaming the lIrillc(j harrel.
THE DEEP HOLE
DRILLING LATHE
CONVERTING THE LATHE

You will nced a lathe with a hole t h rough the hcalJ I\ld: 01 al least I
114 inch. Thi is so you can l<ike the 2(l inch or Itln!.!cr halTl'i hlank
Ihrouh thc spimllc. You w i l l :1Io Ilced to gel a ,l!car r a i n " o )IIU Gill l
rcUUf.:c till: Ic.:.cll \ l r l ll e l a l hl..' lIuwl1 l o a l ll:aSI .OO{) It'l'lI PCI Il:\nhllinn.

THIS SLOW FEED IS NECESSARY TO BE ,181.1: TO IJRII.I.

THE 1 7 CAL. BARRELS. FRUM TIlE I lelL BARREl.S TIlE
FEED WILL BE SPEEDED UP AS THE CAL. GETS BIGGER.

Alsu ifylIu have rliln It) make lluilC a few tI;'lrn..'ls it wtlUlLI he wise I t)
gCl lhe r igh t size pullc)'!'. ltl he utile Hl inl:rc<l!;c t hl..' spcctJ \ l r l h c pinc.lh.!
up lu 3000 RPM. N ow you m i gh t say . <lnu some or the people who

manufacture Ihe hea ri ngs for Ihe \alhe. lh"l lhe hearings wi\\ ntll l"kc
this kiml of spccll.

My d r i ll ing !tuhe was a 10 illl:h Clausing. 36 im:h hcl1, whidl I usclJ X-

9 hours a d ay. Sumetimes 7 d<lYs a week for almost 5 YCCJrs hchHl: I had
lo change the bearings.
The Key 10 this is (;OOD 011. AND PLENlY OF IT. There is little
pressure on the bearings when drilling or reaming. just a light push or
pu ll on Ihe spindle.

Also if you ha\'e plans 10 make quite a few harrels using cut ri ning. it
would he wise 10 gel Ihe righl Sil p u l leys 10 he ahle 10 increase the
speed of Ihe spindle up 10 2(XX) RPM to handle the smaller calibers
such as 30 caliber. My drilling lathe for reboring was a older South
Ben d wilh a 60 inch hcd . which I used H9 hOllrs a day. This lalhe was
excellent for rehuring and liner making. and proved excellent for cut
rining. Somelimes 7 days a week for aimosl 5 years before I had to
change t he bearings.
 STARTER BUSHING
CHIP BOX

BARREL DRILL

LATHE CHUCK

DRILLING SETUP
If your lathe doesn't have an oil tray or chip pan underneath, you will
have to construct one. The tray needs 10 extend a few inches past the
head stock spindle. If it does not it won't be to much of a problem to
huild a cover thai will faslen III the lalhe or lray 10 caldt l ile llil from
Ihcbarrcl anti return il lo the tray. This cover needs to he high enough
10cOvcrthespindie hole with a piece ofcanvas with a hllic in II III keep
Ihe oil from splallering all over everything.
 COOLANT VOLUME REQUI R EMENTS

VOLUME

DEI'TH OF HOLE

6" 1 2" 1 8" 29" 36"

HOLE nIA.
I N C H ES

3/1 6 - 1/4" 2 3 3 3 3

5/1 6 - 1 /8" 4 4 5 66 6

1 5/32 - 1/2" 5 6 8 10 "

1 7/32 - 3/4" 7 8 10 13 17
CHUCK COVER
You will need a t:IlVCt thaI wi ll gu liver the J jaw chut:k. or (1I11CI, as
there will hC4ui lc a hil ofuiJ Ihnlwn 'Iul lhcrc. Thbcl)\'crt:an hemadc
w raiscstraighl up emu 1m the tn,n! there should he a long \Iu' h. dcar
thctlrill ur rC<lmer luhc. Y[IU will alsu need an uit \,;untaincr tl al 1c<lM
55 gallon!'>. This c<ln he the oil drum thaI the oil !.:LImes in.

Thcrcwillalsu ncell 10 Ilea (unlilincrtJI al lea!>! 2u ;,II'J/t_, h! ';ttt:h the

oil and t:hips herllrC il reI u rns \0 lhe m"inIJilt:.mIHiul'r. Y" lI wil] need
some kim.! ul O<lrnCS whirh (an he I im:h angle inll1 I"iu 11;11 in l hc lray
in Ihe J'!lhc. Thb. i to help )'cl'iHalc [hc (hips frum Ille uil. "nd help
III settle lhc fine (hips. From there il goes 10 iI I 1/2
iudl return pipe
un lhc lr<.ly. down [0 ahoul iJ foot off lhe nullom ul lht: 211 galJun
cCJntaincr. This is Ut'J1C III hClpscparate the chips InUll Ihct.iI. From
this cunlaincr the oil over now. through a I 1/4 inch pipe 10 thc 55
gall"n urum, which i laying un Ih illc.

In rrunl urlhcovcrllow pipe is a lar!!c magnci which wlil lrap lhcvcry

finc melal Thai lliull'\ have limc In scille. This will prolong lhl." life "f
yuur pump.
HYDRAULIC PUMP

Yuu will ncell a hydwuli( pump that wili lurn lIut iI\ \c,I\' 54l l !lf
rrc.urc. and a gtxKl now ralc. You will nced the hi,!!h IHC\UrC rur
drilling to gCl lhc rcquircu now 10 rt'movc the chips. In thl' rC;lming
operation. you w i l l also ncctl il large volume nfuil ill kll'P the nutes
dear. Nol cnuugh oil now anu the I1UIC of Ihe Il'a mcr 11111.1 1 uin the
reamer and hiHn:1.

COOLANT VISCOSITY

Conlanl viscl)sily ftnllrillsi1.t 1/4 tll.VXinchhtIUld hcX!)/115 Sayl'lc,1t

Secunds al UK) degrees.
PUI a barrel blank i n Ihe lalhe Ihal has theendsquared and trued, press
Ihe unhardened Slaner bushing into Ihe bearing. Then very carefully
move Ihe chip box wilh Ihe slarter bushing and bearing up flush with
Ihe end of the harTel. Make sure that the h us h ing is Oush with the
barrel, and not canted. Tigh ten down the chip hox, turn on the
mach i ne to makesurc all is running true. Ifeverythingis running true,
set in the deep hole drill the size you are making Ihe hushing for, turn
on the uil. SCI for low pressure. The drill point will j ust be Slaned in
the hushing.

Turn on the lathe, and s l owly feed the drill tip into the h ushing, and
into Ihc h,lrrcl forii dcplh tlfaht)ul a 1/4 inch. Rack(JUI when lhistlcplh
is reached, shut off the oil, a n d (urn off the machine. This method can
he used ira (orren size reamer cannot he ohtaincd. This mClhno will
not give you the dosesl fit, hul i f s ta rt i ng the drill very carefully will
al most always give you a stra igh t hole.
BUSHING (HEAT TREATING)

After the hand is drillt:c..I to size iI can he stamped for size, amI heal
treated. Bring u p the temperature in the furnace ttl proper lempcrd.
lun:. U I :J l l hl.! nushingwilh II CtlmpuuntJ [hal willsHJp Scaling,and put
in the furnace. .I have used a surface hardening compound for this
purpt)sc wilhcxcdlcnl results. Hardand Tuffisvcry gOixl. AsStlilfl as
Ihchushing has rCl.lchcd the proper temperature. rcmOVC llnd qllcnl'il
in it gmxl 4ucnchingoil. You will not nced 10 draw the \cmpcron [he
hushing ilS we need all lhe lliInJncss we l<ln get.

Th;shushingwi!l lasl rur a many l'tarrds, anuwhcn ilslan, !OWC<.Lr, you

will kllt)w as YIIU will start h) gel cHluked urr ccnlCr hl)Ic...
 Uimensions for the starter nushin I lule

CuliitCl' U"iII Uiametcl'

1 72 . 1 64
224 .2 1 2
244 .2ZX
257 .244
Dlmen.loDs for the 2M .2511
Stareer Bu.blng 2711 .2M
284 .2711
.lOX .2Y3
.(). .2Y7
32. .304
3]8 322
350 34.
375 3(1
44 .4 1 5
457 .443
 DEEP HOLE DRILLING

Normally in ltnytlccp hulctlrillingllpcratiun, the h:.rrcJ turn.., IIntJ Ihe

urill isstalinnary. The rCaStlO riiT IhisL"an he secn in. YIIU will notice
thai wi th Ihcsinglc lipg.undrill lha\ ilunlyculsun nncctlgc. A, il tlrills
in thcbarrcl it only cuts nn unccugt.:.. and as it drill it drills in Ihe !'Ilmel
ils makes ils llwn ,-"Cnler. Duc \ulhe high RPM urlhe h:.rrcl, it makes
its own (cnler as il drills. This is Ihe rcasun why an ;u.:l.:oralc !Harler
hushing is so impunanl.

Thc tlritling Ilfa rilk harrel is actually thcsimptcsi und mlIS\ trlluh!e
frecuperaLion orall. When Ihc drill is nut Maned waigh! iI will try 10
pick up the center IJf rulatiun. and the hlile is lme !clOg L"urvc.

We nurmally turned out IOUur murc mmplclctJ rille I'IlIrrcls pcrwcek.

and in lhe tlrilling upcralion we L'Ould use lowskill help. Ali lhal was

________ n"'
CS5ary was for Ihe uperalurs was In SCI up Ihe ma..:hine. lurn it on.
....
They had 10 walch so Ihe drill wouldn'l plug up with chips, shul il off
when done, and Ihen reload i t and slarl again. When you gel
everylhing sel up righl. you will be able to turn oul 3-4 compleled
barrels a day with no problem on ONE lalhe. This is a compleled
harrel lhal is drilled. reamed and rilled.

Now aboul lhe laSl lhing lhal will be needed is a special Sleady Rc&t 1O
SUPPOI l he drill lubing as il drills. This will help Loul down tile
vlhrauons thai will some t i mes start in the tlrill.
--
You CAN NOT allow t hese vihrations to slart. If it uocs it l:an l:::.use
the carhide drill tip III chip. and if you do not catch it in time it can also
cause the drill to plug up and twiSi the tipoff. Will give you a good idea
ofwhal " Deep Hole Drill looks like.

Iwant to point out Ih::'l this drilling setup is not limilcd lo just barrels.
It ("'3n he uscll for 4uitc a hit df other imJuslriul opcral ions. where
extremely accurate holes arc neeued. Also with carhide drill tips. very
hard sleel can he drilled. For odd shaped items whereyuu are unohle
 PRESSURE AND VISCOSITY

MATEIUAL .156 .250 .500

LOW
VIS. - I'.S.1. IIH. - HlHl 100 - 800 125 - 7lN'
ALI.OY

1111; II
VIS. - 1'.S.1. 1110 - 8lH. 100 - 8lN. 125 - IMHI
AI.LOY

111(;11
VIS. - I'.S.I. 1 110 - 800 11". - 8lH. 125 - IMH'
SI'I':":1l

:!IN.
VIS - I'.S.I. I OO - 8lH'
STAIN I.I'"S

10 rOlale the drill. you can set u p the operation where the drill can lie
 rotatcd using special tooling.

PRESSURE AND VISCOSITY CHART.

Thcscwill givc)'uu thc prc.sureand Visl;osily ("fYl/urOH Cuolarll for

dilferent Iypes of materials. Do nut furget It) put the shield liver the
end uf the harrel, so when you tlr[ll lhruugh Ihe harrcl the nil will nul
he sprayed uver the enlire shup.
T O O L F O R G U N S M I T H S - A N D O T H ERS
W. o . MEEK oullincs an old mClhod of drilling barrels
 .Host readers are familiar with
D-bits, which are used as substitutes
for reamers in many model workshops,
alld hare been referred to in several
}'1E constructional articles. But recent
qlleries suggest that the D-bit is not
as well known as it should be, e ven to
professional engineers. This article
describes one of the first and most
important applications of D-bits in
deep drilling and boring operations.
 Oee tube! solder to bit

t --n _c_J:-E- hl -l}

<",II" ....
h" ",""
Oil S
,1 _
 HILEt he Dbit is prim ari ly

W a gunsmith's 1001. it could

be very usefu l to model
and general engineers if its met hod
were more generally known. It is
often confused with the nat bil for
opening out cored holes in iron
castings.
When guns were firsl int rodu ced . the
nalUm1 peoplc to build them were the
armourers and sword-l1l;lkcrs. They
had developed a high s t anda rd of skill
in smith's work. but they did not lise
the la t h e to any extent. II was found
possi ble to make serviceable gun
barre ls by hammer-welding bundles of
wrought iron wires and h... isling them
at the same time. When the barrels
were finish filed. they had a bernlliful
grain, running in spirals like a wire
rope. They were morc resistant to
bursting than an ordinary bnr.
At first t he bore was rormed by
forging on a mandrel. By 1 600, good
quality bores were produced which
must have been dri l led . The gUll
drill, as we know it. has the advantage
of bei ng able to d ril l a hole accurately
without the need for an accurate bed .
The drill bit itsel f is the accurate part.
Of course, modern deephole drills are
highly accurate, multi-s.pindle, motor
driven, highspeed machUlcs-but they

, MRCH 1962
 are still the linear descendants of these
old devices.
Before Hitler alterd th,e s.ccncry.
there was a q u a ner I n B mllllll!ham
where many onelllan businesses l11adc
gun pans . There I saw and sketched
a deep- hol e gun d ril l reputed to have
been ma de in the 1 8105. The b\.'d.
a bout 10 ft long. \\ as said to have
been chipped, filed :\nd scraped by
hand.
There \\-as a headstock. \\ hieh had
a hollow mandrel. a tailstock. with a
hollow spindle. and a carriage \\ i t h a
screw feed and a drill holder mounted
on the saddle. Connected to the drill
holder was a telecopic brass lUbe
running to a hig h-pressure oil pump.
which drew irs oil fro m the chip pan.
through a filter. \Vhale oils were
traditionally used, but cutting oil s
are a l so su i ta ble .
The b a rre l [Q be drilled was swung
between hollow centres, with large
cones in each end. The drill was fed
through a bush in the tailstock spindle,
which acted as a guide bush as it was
a good sliding fil.
To the bit proper, which was about
four inches long, was soldered a
 length or D-scction tubc. Thc pump
forced oil at several hundred pounds
pressure through the l u b e and the oi l
hole i n t h e b i t . Such a force was
enough to wash away the chips.
The point of the bit was made
out-Dr-centre, usually about fivc
eighths or the radius of the hole. It
was, of course. cut only on one side.
The tube was flexible enough to allow
the drill to find its own centrc. 1 f it
was ground right ( t here was a mystique
about the grinding) it would produce
<I per rect l y straight hole. The speed
would be about 800 to 1 ,000 r . p . m .
and the feed about half . a thou a
revolution.
Once started, the drill was not
stopped until the hole was finished;
the operator co u l d tell, by placing his
finger on the drill tube and feel i ng the
vi brations, and by examining the
swarf, how tbe drill was cutting.
Correctly, it would come away in a
crinkled ribbon: not in curls, as these
would tend to jam up the hole.
Of course, that was not thc end:
the final beautiful finish of the bore
was obtained by spill boring, another
old method now hardly used. [!)