Reviewed by Dale Annis

Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced
Type: Shop Manual
Projects: Several Supporting Tools and Procedures (Lathe)
Units: (in.)
Pages: 304 plus appendices

“The information is only a guide; the final word has yet to be written.” John L. Hinnant

Prophetic words from a book that was meant to be a shop manual. The Complete Guide to Precision Rifle Barrel Fitting by John L Hinnant is just that, a shop manual. As a matter of fact, the author encourages the reader to pull apart the binding, punch holes in the pages and place the book into a 3-ring binder. But don’t let the simple construction paper cover and lack of color illustrations and photos fool you. What this text lacks in “bling” it makes up for in substance!

Anyone considering placing a rifle barrel in a lathe must have this book. I cannot over emphasize the value of this book to a gunsmith considering rifle blueprinting as a service to offer customers. Amateur’s wishing to build their own rifles will fall in love with it immediately.
Broken down into the following sections, the manual guides the reader, step by step through the procedures of building the needed tools, fitting rifle barrels, blueprinting rifle actions, and chambering 22LRs with a special segment on Rugers. I listed the text as intermediate to advanced because it is obvious that some knowledge of lathe usage is assumed by the author. The drawings, while very adequate for anyone with at least some experience with a lathe, would leave the complete amateur wondering how the steady rest supports were suspended in space while holding the barrel. Obviously, Mr. Hinnant is gearing this to a reader with some prior knowledge of lathe operations.

Sections:
1. Accessory Tools for Fitting Rifle Barrels
a. Reamer Wrenches
b. Bolt Lug Lapping Tool
c. Receiver Facing Mandrel
d. Dial Indicator Tail Stock Fixture
e. Barrel Vises
f. Receiver Wrenches
2. Lathe Cutting Tools
3. Lathe Cutting Speeds and Feeds
4. Squaring the Receiver Face
5. The Barrel Turning &Fitting Procedure
a. Facing off the Center Holes
b. Drilling New Center Holes
c. Turning a Relief Cut on the Muzzle
d. The Basic Lathe Set-up
e. Turning the Breech O.D.
f. Marking the Breech and Thread Tenon Length
g. Turning the Thread Tenon Diameter
h. Turing the Thread Relief Groove
i. Facing the Thread Tenon to Length
j. Counter Boring the Breech Face
k. Shaping the Coned Breech
l. Reaming the Chamber
m. Threading the Thread Tenon
n. Determine the Correct Chamber Depth/Headspace
o. Finish Chamber Reaming and Head spacing
6. Chamber Throat Length
7. Crowning the Muzzle
8. Milling the Extractor Cut
9. Assembling the Barrel and Receiver
10. Fitting a Barrel to the Single Shot Action
11. Blueprinting a Rifle Action
12. A Blueprinting Update
13. Chambering for the Twenty-two Rimfire Cartridge
14. The Ruger Models 10/22 and 77/22

Mr. Hinnant offers several options for set-up, taking into consideration that not everyone’s lathe will accommodate a barrel between centers or through the spindle. Set-up processes are explained with emphasis on the pit-falls to beware of and drawing based orientation of information being relayed. Likewise procedures take into consideration some of the hazards involved with regard to what won’t work on certain rifles, such as a warning against over-lapping bolt lugs on certain case-hardened Mauser actions.

In closing, this book is written, printed, and presented by the author as a shop manual. It fills that role very adequately. It is a vast pool of information and reading it will be a joy for anyone who has ever dreamed of barreling their own rifle from scratch or turning that old deer rifle into a F-class trophy winner.

Reviewed by Dale Annis
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Reviewed by Dale Annis

Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate
Type: Skill-Oriented with some projects
Projects: 10 (lathe)
Units: (in.)
Pages: 224

If I were an editor tasked with proof-reading the book entitled The Amateur’s Lathe, by Lawrence H. Sparey, I would consider requesting that he change the title of his book to “Small Lathe Work 101” as it would serve as a text for such a class.  Sparey takes a skill based approach in discussing the vast capabilities of a small lathe by encouraging the practice of the techniques he explains with numerous plans and drawings of potential projects which are apparently chosen to expand the owners lathe’s capability as well as his own.  Some of the projects, in my opinion, appear a little advanced in set up.  Most notable in this are the Dividing Head and Tailstock Turret Tool-Holder.  I would like to point out that while there are numerous illustrations and photos in the book which an enterprising person could easily convert to a working plan, not all of them contain actual dimensions.  Therefore I have chosen to call any graphic drawing with dimensions a project for the purposes of this review.  (Please note that the drawings for the Dividing Head are incomplete, lacking a parts list and the dimensions are difficult to read due to size.)

PROJECTS:

1. Collet Set and Adapter (Chapter 4)
2. Tail-Stock Die Holder (Chapter 4)
3. Four-Way Tool Post (Chapter 4)
4. Tailstock Turret Tool-Holder (Chapter 4)
5. Running (Live) Center (Chapter 4)
6. Dividing Head (Chapter 13)
7. Overhead Driven Tool Post Grinding Attachment (Chapter 13)
8. Lapping Head for 5cc Engine (Chapter 14)
9. Lathe Carriage Stop (Chapter 16)
10. Back Tool Post (Chapter 16)

Sparey also describes several processes which, while not lathe work in nature, are needed to effectively use one; topics such as marking out of material, use of measuring equipment, and sharpening lathe bits are included.  Sparey also discusses many tools and devices which are easily made and help make work easier.

The book is written using inch measurement however the topics on thread cutting reference British threads which are a different angle than American.  Likewise, I have not verified that there are no discrepancies between the tables located in the back of the book and American sizes of letter and number drills.  Other than this small consideration it appears that the dimensions should be an easy match for us “Yanks”.  The original printing of the book was 1948 and as such there are some dated references to materials which are no longer used such as whale oil.  There is also a slight disparity with regard to nomenclature of a few of the lathe components and various tools in general.  In spite of this “cultural” difference in British spoken English and our own, the book is a joy to read.

Chapter titles of the book are as follows:

1. The Lathe (a brief history and overview of types)
2. Choosing a Lathe (Sparey isn’t brand specific but leans to Myford)
3. Installing the Lathe (tips on building a bench included)
4. Lathe Accessories (many plans for tooling)
5. Measuring Equipment (use of Micrometer and Calipers etc)
6. Lathe Tools (Sparey is a big advocate of the knife tool)
7. Drills and Reamers (includes a good section on drilling holes accurately)
8. Holding Work in the Lathe (a good source of ideas for unique problems)
9. Marking Out (ideas abound in here for potential home made equipment)
10. Plain Turning and Boring (includes many small tips and tricks)
11. Taper Turning, Crankshaft Turning, Disc and Ball Turning (a brief overview of the ways of accomplishing these)
12. Screwcutting (watch those angles)
13. Milling, Shaping, and Grinding (mostly Milling, the other topics are very brief, there are some plans in this chapter though)
14. Lapping (includes some ideas for lapping tools)
15. Metal Spinning, Spring Winding, Turning Rubber, ETC. (some unique ideas for lathe usage)
16. Production Methods in Small Lathes (couple of more project ideas here)
17. Care of the Lathe and It’s Accessories (a lot of good practical knowledge here)
    Appendix: Handy Tables for Home Mechanics
    Index

I would never advocate owning only one book as a reference for a topic as vast as lathe-work, however if I could choose only one book, this one would definitely be on the short-list.  I would go so far as to say it should be one of the first books purchased on the topic by new lathe owners and those considering the purchase of one.  It is one of the best on the topic in its modest $10.00 to $15.00 price range.  If you have any questions or if you own this book, please feel free to post a comment.

About the author

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