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Squaring off/crowning a barrel

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phoenix511

40 Cal.
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I'm looking for suggestions on squaring off a barrel muzzle.

I'm not skilled/clever enough to use the T-square and file method. I have a lathe, although the headstock can't handle a 3/4" or greater octagon barrel. Turning between centers would cut into a portion of the tailstock center.

Maybe a slightly tapered brass sacrificial center to fit the bore in the tailstock?
 
It does not take a whole lot of skill or cleverness to cut and square a muzzle. I've done three and even the first was completely successful.
 
If you just want to use your lathe and the lathe is long enough to put the barrel between centers, do you have a steady rest? If the barrel is octagon do you have a spider for the steady rest?

Like Marmotslayer said, it is not hard to square a muzzle by hand.
If you have a suitable lathe setup that’s not hard either.


:)
 
If you can turn it between centers and just want to square it off, maybe you could just make a partial trim cut, stopping before you dig into the tailstock. Even a shallow cut will give a good reference for finishing with a file. You could blacken the lathe cut with a magic marker, as a guide, and file until you just barely start to touch the blackened shoulder. That should keep the rest of the face flat and square. Just a thought. Bill
 
Yes, my lathe is long enough for a rifle barrel, and I do have a shop-made spider and a steady-rest, but this set-up has more wobble than I want.

Would you start with a spider, turning between centers, then finish by hand with files, T-square, and grit?
 
Wet Willie said:
I do have a shop-made spider and a steady-rest, but this set-up has more wobble than I want.
Click to expand...

So what part has the wobble in it that can’t be tightened or shimmed up?


“Would you start with a spider, turning between centers, then finish by hand with files, T-square, and grit? “
Click to expand...
I would set it up between centers then set up the spider in the steady-rest, remove the tail stock and cut whatever type of crown I needed on the lathe.

If I am doing it on the lathe there is no reason I can think of that I would not finish it on the lathe.

When I crown a new barrel it is usually on a lathe, when I clean up a old crown, or re-crown a lot of the times it’s by hand.



:)
 

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