best way to shorten action screws?

al
you have a lathe
mount the pocket cutter in the lathe,
use a wilson case holder on the cases and go to work
a pc of wood across the ways to work from
cutter is carbide i run it at 300-500

I haven't reamed a pocket in 20yrs :)

And I have 6 cutter setups including a set of carbide Whitetails......

I'm just impressed by outside-of-the-box methods and wondering if I've understood what's being done.
 
Al.......

You've pretty much got the idea......but I should have made a better explaination.

The 20PPC case(how'd you guess that?) is placed on the Whitetail PPU, and the 270/30-06/etc wrapped case-mouth is placed over the neck, to the shoulder.

I'm super right-handed.....so I place the wrapped ball in my palm, with my thumb and first two fingers extending over to lightly grasp the PPC case body. Since the palm pressure does most of the work......suprisingly little fingers/thumb grasping strength is needed to keep the PPC case from rotating.

Ok.....there it is.......clear as mud.....enjoy.

BTW.......my newer set-up is a Bodine 1/8hp gearmotor(cheap off of flea-bay). Very handy for benchtop stuff......while also enjoying old Lone Ranger episode re-runs.

Kevin
 
Al,

What I've done is drill and tap a piece of aluminum roundstock that is shorter than the screw. Tighten the screw up in the hole, then chuck it up in your lathe so the to-be-cut end of the screw sticks out. Part or face to length, and chamfer.

Works like a charm.

Justin

This is what I do when I want a very clean cut.

I often run a die down onto the threads a few times t make sure it is nice and clean.

If super precision is needed use a split die and adjust it.

A light chamfer that affects the last thread and all is well.

Label and save the aluminum for the next time you encounter that thread.

I keep them in the tap drawer with matching taps.
 
Air Cut Off Tool

I make action screws from flat head socket cap screws..........stainless or black oxide as required. I turn the head down to .375 and move the 82 degree taper up to the .375 head diameter. This may be old school to most but I thought some may find it useful info.

I too use a short piece of aluminum round stock drilled and threaded to hold the screws in in lathe.

However, I always had issues trying to cut off the screws for length with a parting tool....very hard.... broke a few inserts over the years. I finally resorted to a hack saw and facing to final length.

I eventually switched to a small air cut off tool from Harbor Freight, $10 bucks, to rough cut the screws while in the chuck and again faced the screws to finished length.......much easier.

I tried Kevin's method of turning the screw with the lathe at 70 RPM's as I rough cut it with the air cut off tool...........even better results.

Rick M.
 
I make action screws from flat head socket cap screws..........stainless or black oxide as required. I turn the head down to .375 and move the 82 degree taper up to the .375 head diameter. This may be old school to most but I thought some may find it useful info.

I too use a short piece of aluminum round stock drilled and threaded to hold the screws in in lathe.

However, I always had issues trying to cut off the screws for length with a parting tool....very hard.... broke a few inserts over the years. I finally resorted to a hack saw and facing to final length.

I eventually switched to a small air cut off tool from Harbor Freight, $10 bucks, to rough cut the screws while in the chuck and again faced the screws to finished length.......much easier.

I tried Kevin's method of turning the screw with the lathe at 70 RPM's as I rough cut it with the air cut off tool...........even better results.

Rick M.

Rick M.,

I've always parted them off using my/your method and never had a problem, but I use a carbide parting tool that gets sharpened frequently. If you have one laying around, give it a whirl.

Justin
 
I make action screws from flat head socket cap screws..........stainless or black oxide as required. I turn the head down to .375 and move the 82 degree taper up to the .375 head diameter. This may be old school to most but I thought some may find it useful info.

I too use a short piece of aluminum round stock drilled and threaded to hold the screws in in lathe.

However, I always had issues trying to cut off the screws for length with a parting tool....very hard.... broke a few inserts over the years. I finally resorted to a hack saw and facing to final length.

I eventually switched to a small air cut off tool from Harbor Freight, $10 bucks, to rough cut the screws while in the chuck and again faced the screws to finished length.......much easier.

I tried Kevin's method of turning the screw with the lathe at 70 RPM's as I rough cut it with the air cut off tool...........even better results.

Rick M.

OK, see now this right here is kinda' worth the whole price of the thread to me..... I've got BUCKETS of those screws and use them for all sorts of builds, sometimes even milling square pockets into the bottom side hardware..... and I've thought about re-cutting the heads to a taper instead of ordering more pre-tapered and just never DONE IT!

I have all of the listed accoutrements, just never got around to touching a bit to the bottom side of a screwhead. Thank you for that ".375" and "82 degrees" I be gonna' do it now :) you pushed me over the edge

Does a center bottom out in the hex recess?
 
I don't use a center.

Does a center bottom out in the hex recess?

Al:

I don't even bother to to use a center, sticking the head out of the chuck the minimum necessary. I use a 60 degree insert and set the compound for a 11 degrees to arrive at the 41 degree cut.

Rick M.

Added: Please note that I start with a hex flat head 82 degree cap screw and reduce it in size to fit the typical trigger guard. However I have tried a regular hex cap screw and it worked as well. Never had a head break off yet @ 45-50 inch pounds.
 
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Rick M.,

I've always parted them off using my/your method and never had a problem, but I use a carbide parting tool that gets sharpened frequently. If you have one laying around, give it a whirl.

Justin


I have always used a carbide insert parting tool, .........maybe its just not been sharp enough or not well centered enough for Grade 8.

Thanks........I'll try that again re-checking for center and sharpness.
 
Does a center bottom out in the hex recess?

Al:

I don't even bother to to use a center, sticking the head out of the chuck the minimum necessary. I use a 60 degree insert and set the compound for a 11 degrees to arrive at the 41 degree cut.

Rick M.

Added: Please note that I start with a hex flat head 82 degree cap screw and reduce it in size to fit the typical trigger guard. However I have tried a regular hex cap screw and it worked as well. Never had a head break off yet @ 45-50 inch pounds.


thanks, I was spacing on socket head cap screws, good catch
 
Sorry meant socket not hex

thanks, I was spacing on socket head cap screws, good catch

Al: Sorry in my addition above I meant to say I start with a socket flat head cap screw and reduce the head to .375 to fit trigger guards. I've also tried regular socket cap screws and they work as well just cutting the 82 degree taper. However Mutual Screw (yes that's correct), the supplier I use, does not list regular socket cap screws in 18/8 stainless in 1/4 x 28 x 1 3/4.

Rick M.
 
Al: Sorry in my addition above I meant to say I start with a socket flat head cap screw and reduce the head to .375 to fit trigger guards. I've also tried regular socket cap screws and they work as well just cutting the 82 degree taper. However Mutual Screw (yes that's correct), the supplier I use, does not list regular socket cap screws in 18/8 stainless in 1/4 x 28 x 1 3/4.

Rick M.

Well either way I will be putting bit to head :)

For a while there Brownell's was always out, my other suppliers were even more money, I was reduced to alleyway dealers like Sarco and Numrich LOL ...... and every time I ordered parts from Jack First or Bob's I'd throw a set on.... Even ordered some from BAT but they're always scary to me. PURDY but scary.

I do a lot of prototyping so early on looks is unimportant.... if the project looks like a tinkertoy, so be it..... So I have bulk packs of black hardware screws.

I've actually had to steal Peter's screws to get Paul's gun out the door and that's just bazzackwards, 20min of lifetime forevermore gone into the gap..... for lack of a nail


I'd rather make a screw than take another gun down, tear it apart and have to tape it together while I wait for screws. I've dropped and damaged one expensive gun in my life. And had some of mine dropped....

I got so desperate I ordered a pack of Brownell's "blanks" https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...are/metal-screws/blank-screw-kit-prod376.aspx only to find them all square too..... (didn't look close enough LOL)

I just assumed if I touched a bit to the backside of a 1/4-28 screw it'd go all chickaree on me, squawkin' like a cricket

now I be try it

thanks!
 
Why don’t I mix epoxy with a drill!?!!
Sorry for the tangent, but that is a great idea for my devcon!

Just make sure the mixing head is not pulling in a lot of air.

Foamed up epoxy may harden before the bubbles disappear.

It also makes far weaker joints.

We used to make aerospace grade epoxy joint that required additional joints made before and after the actual joints so the strength could be verified by destrictive teasts.

Two 'test joints' allowed you to make only four joints in the actual article.

Check all serial numbers.
Make 1 test joint.
Make up to 4 'real' joints.
Make another test joint.

Cure in oven (usually overnight).

Submit test joints to QA for destructive analysis.
When destructive analysis sheet comes back with PASS on the results line add to back of work order stack.
Check the serial number all match.

All the parts used here are serial numbered.
Including the test joint parts.

And the test joint pieces are held for a long time.

The seven year requirement to maintain aircraft records sticks in my head.

They may also be disposed of when a notice is received that they are no longer in use.
Tracing what data can be disposed of is a PITA job by itself.

We would be told that part number xxx, serial #nnn was no longer in use.
Now we have to search our records to find those EXACT parts in a 'build tree.'

Thick hundreds of filing cabinets.
Many times it is easier to just ignore the 'termination of use' and just add another cabinet to the record keeping.

By 2000 we still had records from 1972 in filing cabinets.

Like after an actual crash or the equipment being withdrawn from use.
 
Just make sure the mixing head is not pulling in a lot of air.


Two things;

#1, I rarely use epoxy without the addition of fillers. The fillers are to ADD air.....without bubbles or voids. My current fave is to bulk it up with glass microspheres to make Farina then add fumed silica (Aero-sil) to make marshmallow fluff. The Aerosil makes it thixotropic......doesn't add much bulk nor weight but it makes the stuff stay where you put it. While spinning the stuff in I keep the beater under water and it just "pulls" the powder in like ya' read about. No bubbles, just powder. I also add dye at this stage. I just finished filling a shell for an HBR project, NO floc, straight bulked epoxy. I milled 'er out, no voids and when finished it weighed 2oz LESS than my McMillan HBR stock

#2, when I'm making for a clear or translucent mix I have a 4 liter vacuum chamber
 
Two things;

#1, I rarely use epoxy without the addition of fillers. The fillers are to ADD air.....without bubbles or voids. My current fave is to bulk it up with glass microspheres to make Farina then add fumed silica (Aero-sil) to make marshmallow fluff. The Aerosil makes it thixotropic......doesn't add much bulk nor weight but it makes the stuff stay where you put it. While spinning the stuff in I keep the beater under water and it just "pulls" the powder in like ya' read about. No bubbles, just powder. I also add dye at this stage. I just finished filling a shell for an HBR project, NO floc, straight bulked epoxy. I milled 'er out, no voids and when finished it weighed 2oz LESS than my McMillan HBR stock

#2, when I'm making for a clear or translucent mix I have a 4 liter vacuum chamber

Pretty kewl!
 
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