The shop

TIM'S SHOP

(The following is how the shop still looks pending our transfer of equipment. One of the amazing attributes of Tim's genius is wonderfully efficiant work flow!)

(The following in Tim's own words)

I began making sights several years ago with a very small lathe and mill. Since then I have added equipment as I can afford it. The following pictures show the insides of my 12 foot by 25 foot shop where Skinner Sights are made.

This picture shows my two mills. The one of the left is a small manual mill from Grizzly. I have found it to be very accurate and just the right size for my needs. The mill on the right is a CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled) mill from CNC Masters. It is programed using the laptop computer that you can see a corner of on the right. I have 5 vices on this mill so it can produce 5 bases at a time. It takes the CNC mill about 4 hours to produce 10 bases.

The stems and apertures are made on a lathe. The main lathe I use in the shop is a Grizzly 10X22 lathe.
lathe

It has been extensively modified to meet my needs. I have installed a variable frequency drive so I can control RPM and forward and reverse. I have also added a DRO (Digital Read Out) which allows me to measure my cuts to a 100 thousandth of and inch.

The drill and tapping center is shown in the following picture. This is where all the holes are drilled and tapped.
drill_Tap_centeer2

Final grinding and polishing also is completed in this area on the two belt sanders at the far right of the picture.

I have enjoyed designing and manufacturing sights. Making tools and jigs to mill and turn the sights parts has been a challenge. Feedback from customers like you has helped me improve and refine my designs. Selling through this website and engaging in discussion on the Marlin Owners forums has given me the opportunity to meet some of the finest people on earth. Thanks for looking.