Seeking: Guy with Really Big Lathe

[mrming]

Upfront: I don't care if you are male or female. Just using 'guy' as a generic placeholder. Farm girls, don't hurt me! :-P

 

 

I'm looking for someone with a big ole lathe and knows how to use it. I need a handful of 4' long or better steel precision rollers cut. Raw stock will likely be 2" DOM tube or pipe at your preference. I'll need the first inch or so of both ends bored true to a center line and then the entire outside turned true and parallel to said center line. Precision is a rough term in all this. I only need it to hold a few thousands over any given foot. Plus end caps.

 

Any clue where I might find someone to do this that won't try and take my first born? Most everyone I've talked to seems to want more money than a nice kimber costs. I presume it's just a we-dont-want-the-work price..

[RED333]

http://www.unitedstatesrollerworks.com/index.html

 

Have you priced a large lathe?

[peejman]

I doubt it's a "we don't want the work" price. What you're asking for is several hours of work per piece. Most machine shops charge $75-$100/hr. Getting a 4ft piece of pipe straight within a few thousandths is no small task either. So if you need more than 3, yes, you're well past a new Kimber. Edited January 26, 2015 by peejman

[Ron45]

My lathe is too short. Story of my life...

[mrming]

most of the quotes I had gotten where well past $1k for a pair of 4 footers. Common wisdom aside, someone knows how to do it. Else 1045 tg&p rod wouldn't be under $200 per pair for what I'm after... it just doesn't have the turn downs / end caps.

[raildog]

Pm with your info i have two shops i can recommend one in Nashville one east of Nashville

[MacGyver]

Good equipment and the skills to operate it don't come cheap.

[Clod Stomper]

Good equipment and the skills to operate it don't come cheap.

 

That's why I charge 150/hr.

 

Edit:  Oh, you're talking about metalwork.  Never mind.

Edited January 27, 2015 by Clod Stomper

[A.J. Holst]

That's why I charge 150/hr.

Edit: Oh, you're talking about metalwork. Never mind.

Trained at the Fred Garvin Institute?

[Clod Stomper]

Trained at the Fred Garvin Institute?

I had to look that one up. HA!

[56FordGuy]

Big lathes aren't cheap, most shops don't buy them to sit around and take up space. Odds are any shop equipped to do what you're wanting already has contracts for parts that keep their machines running, so working in a 'one off' job means slowing production on an existing, probably regular order. 

 

Lots of folks know how to do it, it's just a matter of having the equipment. Most hobbyists and home shops don't have the machines to turn a 4' long piece. 

 

I have a shop in Gallatin that I've farmed some large jobs out to in the past, but they're not taking any 'extra' work right now. You might try Industrial Resource Group on Polk Ave in Nashville. 

[raildog]

What part of the state are you located in i can point you to one of the shops I use in that part

[TGO David]

Common wisdom aside, someone knows how to do it. Else 1045 tg&p rod wouldn't be under $200 per pair for what I'm after... it just doesn't have the turn downs / end caps.

 

Knowledge, experience and ability are valuable commodities.  Most everyone knows how to hold a knife and cut something with it.  It takes a specialist to use those common abilities to perform heart surgery.

[Patton]

When I was in college the first time, the machine shop classes were constantly looking for projects of this type. I would not have a clue on how to approach them anymore.

[dlmeadows]

If you want tg&p with just a hole drilled and bored an inch deep I'm sure we could do that for you reasonably priced. If interested pm me and I'll give you some contact info.