Lack of tools...

[tonaka]

Hi everyone!
I am reading your posts everyday on almost all gates and I am just amaized how much things you guys do and know about the airguns.

I like to tinker with stuff and I have couple air guns but sometimes I am so frustrated that I don't have so many tools to work with.
I took apart my TF99 to tune it and I did OK with it. I totally redone the stock on it and I made new seal from leather because the old one had broke, ordered lubes and lubed it but it has plastic spring guide and I really don't like it because I think it lets the mainspring  vibrate a lot. But I got no lathe to make one. I know that I could have ask someone to make it for me but knowing that I can do it myself if I had lathe and I like, love to do this kind of thing myself, it makes me feel frustrated. Originally I wanted to make seal from teflon and I went on and tried it but without a lathe I couldn't make the hole exactly in the center(it came very close though) and basicaly I screwed it up so I had to make leather one.
I learn alot from all of you here and I wish I can share with you about my projects but..... you know I have dremel, hand drill, spring compressor that I made and some files. I can't even accomplish much or it takes months to do some stuff.  My TF 99 shoots much smoother but not as powerful as I wanted it to but I am happy what I did with limited tools.
I know that some of you will say; "just buy a lathe" but I got not so much $
Does anyone knows where I can get "good" lathe under 200$?
Thank you for all of your sharings and years of experementing and expirience. I could inherit alot.

[RCnMo]

It's hard to find a good lathe for under $200. I went through this about 10 years ago when I was trying to find one for myself. Ebay usually has a good selection of used machinery, but you have to figure on spending quite a bit on shipping. You are in a better location than I was because I live in the midwest and it seemed that all of the good deals were either out on the west coast or on the east coast. Kind of kills the value when you have to drive several hundred miles to get to it. Plan on spending about as much on tooling as what you spend on a lathe. Also, a lathe is a tool that should last you the rest of your life and just settling on something to get you by will soon become a disappointment. I have been through three lathes because I settled on what would get me by and now my 'big' lathe is becoming kind of small. The 7x12 mini lathes are worth their weight in gold. They are kind of like buying a chinese air rifle. Rough out of the box, but with some refinements, pretty nice to use(within their limits) The 9x20 lathes that harbor freight sells are fair machines. I'm sure someone will chime in on this one. Just keep your eye out. School auctions are a good place to find some rough machinery, you just have to have an idea of what you're looking at when you buy used. Bearings can be replaced, ways are hard to fix. Good luck.

[tinbender]

RCnMO has good advise,

It is frustrating to see what can be done seemingly effortlessly by someone with tools you do'nt have. A lathe would be alot of fun. But don't undervalue the lessons you are learning. Amazing things can come from handtool work. In a past day craftsman could use and maintain and often make the tool for the job. There were no box stores and now that there are you still cannot become a craftsman with a checkbook. No tool is better than the mind that's using it and by having less to work with you learn more things to do with what you have. And this continues as you get more and more stuff. Becareful though that you don't bury yourself in stuff :)

Dave

[RCnMo]

Not to keep robbing your thread, but a drill press is a very handy tool. Not only are they good for drilling accurate holes, you can sand, wire wheel, buff, do very light milling work, thread straight holes, light press work, and even do some vertical lathe turning. I made my first cylinder base pin for a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a little 9 inch drill press some years ago and it's still in use today. So if you don't have the cash for a lathe, a drill press is something you may want to look in to. It's a tool that you will keep forever too.

[tonaka]

Thank you guys for your feedback. I think I will look into buying a drill press.

[tinbender]

Hi Tonaka,

Again I read good advise and glad you see the value in it. If there are funds leftover from your drill press if you don't already have a vernier caliper ( bought my first, a myatoyo sp? at swap meet for $2) or possibly a 0-1 mike will help.

Dave

[kiwi]

Hello..If you were to look at a drill press see if you could fined a drill/mill the ones with the belt drive top end. I have no idea if you are able to fined a 2nd hand one in
your budget over there.

[daveshoot]

http://www.harborfreight.com/

Go to Find By Keyword, and type "drill press". You will be amazed. There will be a retail store somewhere near Hayward that you can visit.

For entry-level tools, this is the place. Later, if you decide you want to rifle your own barrels and make aircraft components, you can move up the quality chain. :-)