Building 80% AR Lower?

[7insert]

I have experience working with wood growing up and have a typical tool setup with power drills and various hand tools.

Im looking to build an 80% AR lower so any great resources? ive been googling around but id like to hear what tools I need (I have a dremel and thats about it metal wise).

Questions I have:
Anodizing or Duracoating?
Drill Press or Cheap Mill?
Which Drill Press/Cheap Mill?
Which Jig?
Anyone willing to help?

[Circuits]

Finish is up to you. Some of the bake on resins are easiest to do at home with no equipment. Anodizing's not hard, but you need a current source and solutions and buckets, etc - so more hassle and time and stuff.

If you have a jig, it's quite easily doable with just a hand drill or drill press.

The tool you have is less expensive than anything you go buy. If not, and it's just for this project, get a harbor freight drill press on sale.

Jig depends on who made the 80% and what's been done to it - they're not all the same.

[7insert]

Finish is up to you. Some of the bake on resins are easiest to do at home with no equipment. Anodizing's not hard, but you need a current source and solutions and buckets, etc - so more hassle and time and stuff.

If you have a jig, it's quite easily doable with just a hand drill or drill press.

The tool you have is less expensive than anything you go buy. If not, and it's just for this project, get a harbor freight drill press on sale.

Jig depends on who made the 80% and what's been done to it - they're not all the same.


Thank you very much. As for powersources for anodizing what ive used in the past for experiments where I needed DC is take a PC power supply and find the load wire, put a beefy ceramic resistor across it and the power supply will toggle on and give you 12v at a couple amperages and and and 5v at a couple amperages.

So all I basically need is a drill press, lower and a jig? Would you suggest one of those drill press mill vises ?

So far im looking at:
http://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-bench-mount-drill-press-5-speed-60238.html
And
http://www.harborfreight.com/5-rugged-cast-iron-drill-press-milling-vise-69159.html
And
Lower with Jig

Any special bits required? would you suggest something better than the generic old harbor freight ones?


Ive worked with wood before but never really any metal so excuse my stupid questions.

[Circuits]

If you're only planning on doing one, an XY table and good drill press is probably overkill. Unless you're shopping for a drill press to keep for the ages already, and this is just the final spur to get one, don't overspend.

You need to keep in mind that the lower and jig stick up quite a bit from the vise/clamp/table, and you need clearance for the drill bit, so you'll probably need a lot more than 8" table clearance to finish a lower. Figure at least 16" of adjustability between the spindle and plane of the table, though a couple inches less might still work.

Be sure to plunge cut only and you won't overload the bearing in the drill press - it's not a mill and never will be, so even with a mill bit is not suitable for side cutting. With the drill press/jig method, you plunge cut with regular old drill bits to remove most of the material and finish with dremel and hand files. A mill bit can be used to get the fire control well floor flat, as they cut flat on the bottom, but again, don't try to get too fancy with side cutting, as a drill press is not made to handle those forces.

[7insert]

If you're only planning on doing one, an XY table and good drill press is probably overkill. Unless you're shopping for a drill press to keep for the ages already, and this is just the final spur to get one, don't overspend.

You need to keep in mind that the lower and jig stick up quite a bit from the vise/clamp/table, and you need clearance for the drill bit, so you'll probably need a lot more than 8" table clearance to finish a lower. Figure at least 16" of adjustability between the spindle and plane of the table, though a couple inches less might still work.

Be sure to plunge cut only and you won't overload the bearing in the drill press - it's not a mill and never will be, so even with a mill bit is not suitable for side cutting. With the drill press/jig method, you plunge cut with regular old drill bits to remove most of the material and finish with dremel and hand files. A mill bit can be used to get the fire control well floor flat, as they cut flat on the bottom, but again, don't try to get too fancy with side cutting, as a drill press is not made to handle those forces.


Thanks for all the info as usual you seem to be a great help.

[jackthewall81]

What 308 jig and 80 percent lower would any of you guys reccomend?

[BPTactical]

Maybe I'm dense but I don't get it- Why would one spend $150+ on a drill press and vise plus drill bits, files, Dremel accesories and your time to "Build" a lower that you can buy for less than a hundred bucks?

[ChadAmberg]

You say you're an experienced woodworker?

http://blog.joehuffman.org/2014/01/28/ar-15-lower-from-a-2x8/

[jackthewall81]

Maybe I'm dense but I don't get it- Why would one spend $150+ on a drill press and vise plus drill bits, files, Dremel accesories and your time to "Build" a lower that you can buy for less than a hundred bucks?
Well I already own all that, and 308 lowers are around 300 bucks. So it's cheaper for me.

[Irving]

Maybe I'm dense but I don't get it- Why would one spend $150+ on a drill press and vise plus drill bits, files, Dremel accesories and your time to "Build" a lower that you can buy for less than a hundred bucks?

The same reason people start fires with two sticks instead of a light probably.

[funkymonkey1111]

Maybe I'm dense but I don't get it- Why would one spend $150+ on a drill press and vise plus drill bits, files, Dremel accesories and your time to "Build" a lower that you can buy for less than a hundred bucks?

isn't part of the reason for getting at 80% lower so you create a firearm that hasn't gone through a 4473?

[Circuits]

isn't part of the reason for getting at 80% lower so you create a firearm that hasn't gone through a 4473?
One of a very few ways an 18-20 year old can get a handgun in Colorado now, as well - complete 80% lower and build into an AR pistol.