best way to cut cases

If you're doing high volume there's no faster or cleaner way than on a lathe. We use a little Atlas with a turret tailstock. The cross cut is made first then we trim to length from the right:

327_Meteor_Forming_2.jpg


-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
Cutting Cases

"Glad you could make it work Vic. I've never been able to get that to work. And I've tried. Dang thing always wants to walk downhill and I end up with threads instead of rings. Heck I've cut threads on straight tubing before. Wish I knew what trick you used."

No trick. Probably just dumb luck and a tool with a sharp cutting wheel. The cases I cut were straight sided with little taper. I can see where trying to cut a case with much taper would result in exactly the problem you encountered. One "trick" I did learn was to cut the case off after necking down and pushing the shoulder back. This way I was cutting the cylindrical neck portion and not the tapered case body. Good shooting! Vic
 
alinwa said:
Lee please tell me more about how you're holding that case :)

al
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We use a split sleeve like the one below (pictured is a 500 JRH I made from cut-down 500 S&W Magnum).



The sleeve slips over the body and butts against the rim. All of this is held in a collet. Our set-up for rimless is a bit different. I'll snap some photos of that process and post them soon (I need to make some 350 Rem Mag from 338 Winchester).

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
Lee Martin said:
We use a split sleeve like the one below (pictured is a 500 JRH I made from cut-down 500 S&W Magnum).



The sleeve slips over the body and butts against the rim. All of this is held in a collet. Our set-up for rimless is a bit different. I'll snap some photos of that process and post them soon (I need to make some 350 Rem Mag from 338 Winchester).

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
Click to expand...

So that's a collet chuck on the lathe eh?.........very cool. Gotta get me one'a those. And is the split collar tapered in your setup or do you just make the gap big enough and let 'er wrap?

tx

al
 
Thank you Ryanjay11....... that was a beauteous vid. I now have impetus to get me one a' those 21st Cen turning setups :) And I wouldna' thought of that method.

Funny thing is..... it's actually similar to how I cut individual setup cases now, I spin 'em up in the horizontal drill press and hold a triangle file to them until they part.... HIDjus sloppy and dan'rous. This makes it a science.

Thank You!

al
 
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alinwa said:
Thank you Ryanjay11....... that was a beauteous vid. I now have impetus to get me one a' those 21st Cen turning setups :) And I wouldna' thought of that method.

Funny thing is..... it's actually similar to how I cut individual setup cases now, I spin 'em up in the horizontal drill press and hold a triangle file to them until they part.... HIDjus sloppy and dan'rous. This makes it a science.

Thank You!

al
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No problem Al.

Everything John makes is top notch. Did you see the hydraulic press that he just released? I saw it on 6mmBR. I think there is another thread on here about it.
 
Not sure if this is the best way but I had all the parts and it keep the fingers away from the blade.
 

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TomK said:
Not sure if this is the best way but I had all the parts and it keep the fingers away from the blade.
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I also think that this isn't the best way, though it ensures maximum safety when cutting that should be our primary concern.
 
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alinwa said:
So that's a collet chuck on the lathe eh?.........very cool. Gotta get me one'a those. And is the split collar tapered in your setup or do you just make the gap big enough and let 'er wrap?

tx

al
Click to expand...

Al, yep it's a quick change collet chuck. And the collar isn't tapped, there's just enough gap for the case to slide in before the collet tightens.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
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