Cheap chuck

[lurker]

If your lathe has a 1" x 8 tpi thread these are an excellent buy

http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/SCT- ... --M33.html

I have just bought one as I want to turn some square blocks of wood that are too big for my standard chuck without buying different jaws.
You could easily use this as a faceplate and more

 

[Wildman]

now that is cheap

 

[chipmunk]

I hate to say this but you get what you pay for.

I had a similar chuck on my first lathe. It was a knuckle chewer and wood had a tendency to fly out unannounced.

Save your money until you can afford a proper scroll chuck.
HTH
Jon

 

[CHJ]

I would advise that you don't use without tailstock support for normal uninhibited turning.

OK for tailstock drilling or boring where pressure is towards the chuck body.
Those jaws provide too little holding area on most woods which will be prone to compression to be safe for general use.

I say this as someone that quite often uses Engineering jaws in a 4 jaw self centring scroll chuck but with a reasonable experience of what will hold and what will fly out with ease.

 

[timber]

If your lathe has a 1" x 8 tpi thread these are an excellent buy

http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/SCT- ... --M33.html

I have just bought one as I want to turn some square blocks of wood that are too big for my standard chuck without buying different jaws.
You could easily use this as a faceplate and more

If you have metal work lathe and a milling machine that would be a great buy as you would the be able to make your own sets of jaws to suit the wood shape that you want to turn. I have a metal work lathe and a quantity of soft jaws than can be shape changed, very handy.

 

[marcros]

if it is not a scroll chuck, would that also mean that you would need to use a dial indicator to centre each work piece that you put into it?

 

[lurker]

if it is not a scroll chuck, would that also mean that you would need to use a dial indicator to centre each work piece that you put into it?

Thats exactly what I'm doing.
As I say, I bought this for a specific job but it will be useful to adapt for other purposes, including off sets.
If people took the trouble to read what I wrote, you will see I'm not advocating using this instead of a proper scroll chuck.

 

[chipmunk]

I think that the trouble is that, as Chas says, tailstock support is really needed when you use this chuck because the short narrow holding faces of the smooth jaws. They are just inadequate for gripping wood. So, in that case does it really do anything more than a drive centre?

I'd argue that your money would be better spent on one of Chronos' cheap Steb clones which would allow you to turn on-centre and off-centre between centres more safely and enjoyably and you'd have change left over.

If you want a cheap faceplate then by all means drill it and if you want to replace the jaws with some soft rubber buttons to create a reverse turning cole jaw bowl chuck with offset capability then go right ahead but in its as-bought state I'd say it's got very limited use I'm afraid.

Jon

 

[lurker]

I may eventually do what you suggest in the last paragraph.
But for the specific job I bought it for its "as bought state" is what I wanted.

Like all turning tasks I'm well aware of the likelyhood of any chuck not holding the wood and will use appropriate controls.
You are second guessing my use.
I've only been turning for 10 years so thanks for your valuable advice

Unusually I'm not saying any more as the product is quite a nice little earner for me. In fact its the only thing I sell that is made on the lathe. This chuck has the potential to speed up my production.

 

[chipmunk]

...but surely you can appreciate that to someone without your 10 years experience, and your unstated specific use for it, seeing your opening suggestion that it is "an excellent buy" might be tempted to get one in place of a proper chuck that cost twice or three times the price and the poor unfortunate could end up wearing the wood they put on the lathe?

It's clear that you have a specific use - I'm just questioning your claim that they are an excellent buy for everyone with a 1" x 8TPI threaded headstock as in the OP.

Surely that's overstating it isn't it?

 

[Rhossydd]

It doesn't even stack up as a cheap faceplate either.
For use as a faceplate it would need drilling the cast iron, not exactly a trivial task, but you could buy a purpose made one for less at Toolpost anyway.

A highly niche item that shouldn't be generally recommended in my opinion.

 

[lurker]

So I need to assume people buying any and all turning kit are rank beginners and not capable of appraising the product ?
Everything has its limitations; who thinks otherwise?

I maintain that if you have the right headstock its well worth consideration as additional equipment; which is pretty much what I said in the first place.

You read it might be a alternative to a "proper chuck", I didn't write that.

 

[Rhossydd]

So I need to assume people buying any and all turning kit are rank beginners and not capable of appraising the product ?

Given the proportion of total novices that pass through here, that would be wise.

Everything has its limitations; who thinks otherwise?

Novices without any experience or knowledge to evaluate what people say or recommend.

I didn't write that.

What you did write was unqualified by your specific niche requirements and experience. The idea that it "You could easily use this as a faceplate" is debatable to say the least.

 

[lurker]

Well I won't be making the same mistake again :evil: