80% build party in Chattanooga. Let's make it happen!

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I think a drill press would be extremely slow if trying to dig out the wells on a lower, not to mention again the stress on the chuck,

which most likely wouldn't drill straight after several attempts. Harbor Freight has a small mill that, with the right base clamp,might

do the job reasonably well. I'd say something more attune to a Bridgeport mill would be more to the task. You could, however,

drill out the body and leave the fine milling to the drill press with some good mill bits and it would probably work okay.

 

My drill press is a pretty good one for asian junk, but it hasn't been tried on something like that.

Edited December 24, 2013 by 6.8 AR

[Guest Mr Lagrange]

Hey everyone - long-time reader, 1st time poster.  This thread is the sole reason why I chose to create an account.  Have y'all made any progress towards making this happen?  I'm sure someone knows someone who works at or owns a machine shop.  All we would have to do is "rent" time and have someone there who knows the CNC machine to guide each of us through the steps.  I've got a few friends in California, and this is how they go about finishing their 80%ers.  Using a drill press to finish a receiver is like using a butter knife to cut a ribeye.  That's just my 2 cents.  I'll hang up and listen.

 

I'm in the same boat as this guy. Looking for a machine shop (preferably in east TN) that we could all go to and have our lowers done. I'm also not apposed to a garage job. I'd be happy to provide monetary and/or alcoholic compensation in either case!  :cheers:

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Unless someone on this forum owns a machine shop, that would be very expensive, for good reason. Everything in the shop is

expensive. Odds are, it will be a garage job. Now, if a bunch of you want to go in together and buy a surplus mill. :D I've thought

about doing that in the past, but I putter around with everything. I still can't justify it, though. Unless you have a three phase service,

about the only option is the drill press, or the Harbor Freight hobby mill and a Dremel tool, which may work just fine, as I said earlier.

[tnguy]

I got my lowers in (orders for the jig are apparently running behind). Not going to rush to do anything with them. I didn't realize there would be no engraving *at all* which isn't a big deal except for it would be nice to have markings for the selector. So I may take my time with the mill (I'll be waiting for it to go on clearance anyway) and do the CNC conversion before I even touch the lowers.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

In the pictures of the 80% lowers, about the only thing to do is hole out and drill where the trigger and selector assembly go.

Markings are on it. Not that that isn't the difficult part of the job.

[tnguy]

You may be looking at a different lower. The ones I bought are unmarked.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Yeh, those don't have markings. Just the notches. That wouldn't matter to me. The stops are on it. I didn't look close enough.

[tnguy]

Yeah, not a big deal to me either and it looks like electro-etching is easy enough so it leaves my options open for something custom :)

[Taylor]

Things may have changed since the late 90s but at that time it "WAS NOT" legal to sell a home built receiver regardless of the intention of the maker at the time it was made.  The only legal way to transfer the receiver without a serial number was to leave it to someone in your will.  If you wanted to sell it then you had to do the paperwork with the BATF and have a serial number issued for the receiver.

 

I have not checked on this is quite a few years so I may be outdated on my info.

[jamesh516]

Just checking to see if anyone has made any progress on a CNC shop in East Tn willing to host a build party. Several buddies of mine and I have gone in and we have 7 to get done. We initially planned on the drill press method but several have gotten cold feet not.

 

Thanks!

[Guest Mr Lagrange]

I've still been looking around for a place to get a lower milled. Anyone else made any progress as of late? 

[Junkstack]

I guess I'm just going to end up buying the lowers and using my grandfather's big ol' drill press. I thought about renting out the lower jig.

[tnguy]

Harbor freight hasn't been cooperative in discounting their mill lately.