trimming

[rspar]

So I ordered a lee trimmer setup with the case gauges and holders for a couple calibers. My intention was to use my drill press in it's slowest setting. But first I spent about an hour or so rigging up a way to have the shell holder mounted to the base of the drill press and the cutter in the chuck so the press did everything. Sounded great until everything I trimmed came out short. Evidently my press and my drill motor are both too fast and it more chops than trims. So I'm using it by hand so much for automation to save my hands. I'm now on the look out for a pulley to slow my press down.

I use a 1/4 socket to hook to the holder then I ground the head of a bolt down to fit into the socket then I put the bolt through a small board clamped to the drill press base and voila it held the case for me. Then the ship ran aground.

[Munk]

Were you using the pilot that was appropriate for your caliber?

I use a lee trimmer, and I can tell you that, if anything, the trimmer cuts it slightly longer than recommended trim lengths, but still shorter than max case length. I actually had to shorten one of my trimmer pilots so that I could hit a cannelure properly.

Also, as far as using a drill press with the lee kit...
That method doesn't work well at all. If you ARE using the pilot, it's too soft of a metal to just cram the drill press down with. The drill press has a MASSIVE force advantage and can easily cut brass shorter than the pilot. The real trick to using a drill press as a brass trimmer is to set the table height of the drill press so that at maximum extension the press hits your ideal case length. This also eliminates the need to use the full length of the pilot, as it will only be used to center the case rather than dictate length.

My advice? Mount the shellholder to a router with a router table. Bring the router all the way up so you can access the holder easier. Then put a big knob of a handle onto your cutter, because that 1/2 inch shank on that thing is a pain in the fingers to use after a couple of cases. The router should give you easy trigger action to spin the case, while using the pilot properly by hand will keep it from being overcompressed. Then, with the case spinning, you can just tap it with your chamfer/debur and be done with it.

Ideally, i'd like a foot pedal rig to make the case spin.

Also... Keep your lee trimmer parts in a sealed, dry, container (desiccant packs help). The metal will corrode very easily.

[freonr22]

I don't know about the lee, but the possum hollow worked best on high speed 2600 rpm ,
vs low speed 540 rpm

[bigdrunk92037]

Keep an eye on the trimmer pilot. After a few 1,000 rounds the pilot does get shorter leading to brass being cut shorter than you want it to. Good thing the pilots are cheap. Keep an eye on the case lengths and replace the pilot when necessary.

[Whiterabbit]

I can spin my cutter pretty fast without issue. If your brass comes out short, I suspect it's a hardstop adjustment that you can make to get everything right as rain.

[rspar]

Well my drill press was probably made in the early fifties so adjusting the table to the tenth let alone the hundred would most likely not happen. Interesting idea on the router I'll give that a try. A footpedal switch would be awesome. I still have no idea how it managed to cut the cases too short with the pilot in it. It beats using sandpaper and measuring over and over like I was talk about tedious. I borrowed a RCBS trimmer for a while I never got the hang of it it's no faster than doing it by hand with the lee, at least for me.

[Munk]

Well my drill press was probably made in the early fifties so adjusting the table to the tenth let alone the hundred would most likely not happen. Interesting idea on the router I'll give that a try. A footpedal switch would be awesome. I still have no idea how it managed to cut the cases too short with the pilot in it. It beats using sandpaper and measuring over and over like I was talk about tedious. I borrowed a RCBS trimmer for a while I never got the hang of it it's no faster than doing it by hand with the lee, at least for me.

I already told you how the pilot let it cut shorter.

Steel is not immutable. It's squishy and a little elastic. When you take your drill press and try to crush the pilot between its mount in the cutter and the bottom plate of the shellholder, you WILL ABSOLUTELY COMPRESS THE PILOT. This allows the cutter to get closer to the shellholder which results in shorter brass. In fact, the steel of the pilot is soft enough that you can get some of this compression BY HAND without the drill press.

A compounding problem with this is that the drill press has such an insane mechanical advantage that being gentle with it is almost impossible.

As of now, I've already done over 1000 .30 cal cases (almost half and half .30-06 and .30-30.) by hand using a cordless drill. I fiddled with the drillpress and found that making a usable rig for it was more costly than it was worth. I'd be better off just buying a Wilson trimmer.

I made a knob for my lee trimmer, and that made a WORLD of difference in the hand processing. Easiest way I found that makes a knob anchor itself to the lee trimmer is to take a piece of wood, make it the shape you want it, then soak it until it's damp wood. THEN you take your .5 inch drill bit and drill the hole for the cutter. Put the cutter into the wood while it's damp, and let it dry around the cutter. It will shrink as it dries and become nearly immovable. You'd pretty much have to cut the knob off if you wanted to remove it.

[ns3v3n]

Lee sells that zip trimmer thing right? That doesnt work for you?

[frt96]

I drilled a 1/2" hole in new golfballs to make my handle for my trimmer and my press. the wood ball came off my press. 5 minute epoxy and the golf ball will never come out.

[bohoki]

that zip trim is the biggest hunk of junk ever avoid it get the possum hollow lee has some good stuff but all their trimming is fail

[freonr22]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?p=3496531#post3496531

[ireload]

Keep an eye on the trimmer pilot. After a few 1,000 rounds the pilot does get shorter leading to brass being cut shorter than you want it to. Good thing the pilots are cheap. Keep an eye on the case lengths and replace the pilot when necessary.

+1 on this. Mine shortened too.

[rspar]

checking out possum hollow today