Mill for inletting

[Maineshops]

Anyone using a mill for inletting a barrel? I need some tips on a fixture to set it up.
I built a flintlock many years ago for my wife and the kids are arguing over who gets it so i need to make two more. Old age is taking its tole on eyes and hands so i need to "cheet' a little.
Also looking for another 32 cal barrel and a dubs egg lock. Thanks Dan

[oldtravler61]

    Maineshops are you referring to swamp barrels or straight? Might make a difference on your set-up. I do mine with a router for straight barrels. Works very well. Swamp barrels I do  with hand tools. To cheap to send out for someone else to do.lol   Mike

[tuffy]

Maineshops ... For the Durs Egg lock try this link:

http://www.lr-rpl.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66:durs-egg-model-1100-1150-1100p-1150p&catid=38:lar-locks&Itemid=61


   Hope this helps a little,
   CW

[tiswell]

Maineshops,
         I just finished routing out a 42" "B" weight swamped barrel channel on an old round ram bridgeport. If you have access to CNC machine with sufficient travel it would be pretty straightforward.  The machine I used was manual and had a total x travel of 18" so I had to move things around quite a bit. I held it in a pair of vises. If you are doing a straight barrel it would fairly simple, but the swamp increases the number of set ups significantly. If paying someone to do your barrel channel and ramrod channel and hole is an option, I would suggest it. If you want to do it just for the experience, private message me and I will give you my phone number to discuss it. To cover the whole process of work shifting and machine manipulation to get this accomplished I would have to write a short book.

                                                                                                                                      Blessings, Bill

[45-110]

hello
yes i use my bridgeport vertical mill to get barrel channels close. straight tapers require offsets and raising quill to get the flats smooth. my table is a 48". i never was too comfortable using a router, on the mill things happen slower and you can see whats going on. HSS tooling wont burn at the slower rpm's either.
regards
kw

[Hungry Horse]

 For straight barrels I use a 1(or more) HP router, a pair of 1/8thx1" angle iron rails, 4 heavy duty C clamps, and a shop mate clamping workbench. By adjusting the angle of the rails you can even put some cast off in the stock. I even made my router bit (the first time)out of a reground spade bit. But commercial carbide bits made for this purpose are better.

  Hungry Horse

[P.W.Berkuta]

I have a mill but it's travel is about 19" - OK for a half stock straight barrel but no good for a long swamped barrel. It is easer for me to use a router or I send it out if I don't want to @$#% with it.

[Maineshops]

They will be straight barrels as i already have one. I have an old percussion barrel that is swamped but it would need fleshed out and converted to flint. That project should be a restore as it is mostly in tact, although rough. My Bridgeport only has a 33 in travel and my Cnc router has a 26 in travel so either one will require a move
I was thinking of an mdf fixture to clamp the stock in and move the fixture. I think i have enough shut height on the mill to have the fixture tall enough to get the toe tucked in there and have the barrel channel level above the table. Sound doable? Dan

[Pennsylvania Dutchman]

I made a fixture to recut the roller bearing ways on a 16" DeWalt radial arm saw. I added several keys in the bottom so I could slide it on the Bridgeport table, as I did not have enough table travel to make the cuts in one pass. It worked really well. You could do the same thing on your stock machining fixture.
Mark

[Maineshops]

Thanks all for the tips and ideas
Mark....good idea on the t slot keys to move the fixture. Didn't think of that. Gettin old i guess. That's the spark i needed. ideas beget ideas. Dan....way up in northern maine.

[tiswell]

If you loosen the 4 bolts at the top of the column you can swivel the turret to the left and right and increase the effective x travel on a manual Bridgeport. Once you have a channel milled to the end of the x travel, swivel the turret then pick up the center of the existing channel and keep going.