Chucks

[roggatismus]

I have purchased myself a new chuck from machine mart - the clarke one.

After playing with it a bit i have discovered that each grip moves inward individually, and it is difficult to centre it accurately.

Any tips on centering with this type of chuck?

Thanks

 

[CHJ]

Sorry to say it sounds as though you have purchased an engineering independent 4 jaw chuck, designed to allow square bar stock to held on a metal lathe or to deliberately offset round pieces for eccentric turning.

Not at all what you need for normal wood turning use where a self centring chuck is needed.

 

[Jenx]

Oops Roggy !, sounds just as Chas has described ...
You're after a self-centering scroll chuck really ... get on the 'dog' to them tomorrow and see if you can exchange it for something else... or if not, maybe get a refund. ---

There must be a fair chance you'll come out of it ok, if they're even halfways decent, and the chuck you have is returnable in original box & packaging...
Here's hoping ... let us know what occurs.

 

[roggatismus]

This is bad news. the last thing i want to do is take it back, is there any way that i can use it?

this chuck was in the wood lathe section, how odd

 

[Jenx]

As a relative beginner ( hope you don't mind me saying that :wink: )... it will be really difficult to make any kind of headway with it.

It really belongs in the realms of a metalworking machine-shop type of environment, if it is indeed what it sounds like.

The 'right' animal is a Scroll chuck, which when you tighten it up, has all four jaws operating concentrically, in the one operating movement.

Is there a reason that you would have difficulty in trying to return it ?
If it is indeed a metalworking chuck, you'd have a legitimate reason to do so, if its been marketted in a way that would suggest to a potential buyer that its purpose was for use in woodturning... Promoting something 'not fit for purpose', if you see what I mean.

I'm guessing that as younger fella of 16, that the budget available could be a consideration ( That never goes away, BTW ! :wink: :lol: )...
There's a place called THE TOOLPOST that offers a chuck ( for woodturning ) Called the Model T, in 1" x 8 , or 3/4" x 16 for £59.95
( www.toolpost.co.uk ) which is about as competitve a price for a chuck as I've seen ( new ) ... there may well be others too... tomorrow should see some more input from some of the more knowledgeable lads here ... and there's always the 'e-bay' type route to try and get your hands on something suitable too.

But definately.. I'd be inclined to say .. Give some serious consideration to the wisdom of keeping the one you've got, just to avoid the hassle of trying to get it exchanged --- the vendor has a certain responsibility not to have had that for sale in a woodturning section ... just to avoid such a thing happening.
It's going to make any progress extremely difficult with regards to chucking workpieces, to the point where it will probably frustrate you beyond belief.

If at all possible... try and get the right thing for the job,
It will make the whole future experience massively easier and more enjoyable.

8)

 

[TEP]

Mornin' roggatismus.

I must agree with what has already been said above. Machine Mart has been selling those chucks for woodturning as long as I can remember, certainly since I began turning. You could use it, centre the blank by eye and turn away, but that is it. You can't reverse chuck, or do all the other tasks normally required of a woodturning chuck. To although I know they do market it as such.

As you have already been advised, take it back and ask for a refund. It is no good for woodturning and certainly useless for a beginner. You can buy a beginner scroll chucks for £60 - £200, so I would suggest you get saving.

 

[roggatismus]

My nearest machine mart is miles away, and i think it will be too late to return it after easter.

With a lot of trial and error, i have found a way to reverse chuck it.

First i faceplate the rough outer shape of the bowl, with a little thing for the chuck to grip (a spigot i think?) then i leave the work on the lathe, and gently attach the chuck to the spigot/grippy bit

I true it up using the tailstock, and tighten it up. i give it a spin to check it, and then take the faceplate off and insert the chuck.

It seems to be a nice way of doing it, or i can just turn on the chuck from the start.

It is annoying, but as a resident of a boarding school, i will save some money and ask the maintenance guys to buy me some bits on my behalf using the school account, thus landing me a juicy discount.

Slowly but surely i will build up my armory of woodturning bits.

And one day i will find a brilliant use for that chuck (i hope)

Thanks for all the replies, you lot are so helpful!

 

[stevebuk]

Slowly but surely i will build up my armory of woodturning bits.

hi there
i hope you dont mind me saying so, but i hope you dont have to buy 2 of everything because you buy the wrong thing the first time, i also followed this path for a while, but now i will return items however much of a pain it is.

 

[boysie39]

I think your last post has left you in a no win situation, you asked for advice and some very knowlegable people offered you their soloution to your problem the chuck is not suitable. You have ignored this advice and decided that you have found a way to overcome its shortcomings,
if you are injured GF useing this chuck you will not have a leg to stand on (no pun intended).Why ask for advice if you have no intention of considering it or using it.
The guys on here are helpful blokes and know what they are talking about and if they say it's not good it's not good. How do you tkink they will feel if you have an accident and are hurt after them telling you it's the wrong piece of equipment. Boysie

 

[Jenx]

Boysie raises a good point Roger ..

Something I'd failed to make mention of ... it could conceivably be quite dangerous to persist with it...
Chas may possibly confirm.. he knows a lot more about metalworking ( and woodworking) lathes than I do..

A bit like eating your soup with a fork - its the wrong impliment :wink:

I can just about remember being 16 ... and the last thing I wanted to get was 'lectured' at by older fellas, but when I went skidding along the highway on my backside in a pair of Levis , having seconds before just fell off my first (legal) motorcycle.. I kinda wished I'd listened to the 'big lads' that told me to buy leathers :wink: :lol:
Outsize Pistons and a re-bore may have 'seemed' a better investment, but when my ass had the same appearance as half a yard of corned beef, and my mother was covering me in calamine lotion for two weeks... I had a bit of time to 'reflect' on the decision :wink: :lol:

Box it up, and send it back with a covering letter or a phonecall..
as Delboy says...
"You know it makes Sense, Rodders " :wink: :wink: :lol: :lol:

 

[boysie39]

Roggatismus, Did'nt mean to sound as snarly as I may have sounded in my earlier post,the old pain gets to me every so often. I see in another post that you have bits breaking off a secondhand lathe you bought,so you probley got an affordable lathe which has reached it's sell by date.
Maybe tou may be able to salvage something from it but you have to be very careful of what you try. I dont have a Clarke but there could be bits of other lathes laying around that might suit you or someone else might be able to help you out. but if there are bits breaking off get rid of it.
I take it you are a student and would like to start turning if there is a club near you interduce your self and you will get plenty of good advice there. REgards Boysie.

 

[Jenx]

Don't you two fellas start gettin all cuddly and stuff, now... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

There are 'standards' to be maintained, :wink:

 

[roggatismus]

lol no worries

when i said bit breaking off i meant thinks like the bowl rest wearing out and snapping, and handles coming off.

This lathe was given to me by my DT teacher, and is currently in the machine mart selection of lathes and is worth 230 pounds

I'm confident of this lathe being good but i need to replace the axle as it is a tad wobbly for larger bowl turnings

I am making a large parts order, and i will take the machine apart and check the bits, and if necessary buy some more.

Im confident that this lathe is ok, with confirmations from my DT teacher and father.

I wonder if any of you have the same lathe as me?

It is the cwl12d model

Thanks

 

[John. B]

I spose you could always buy a metal lathe :lol:
Might save a bit of traveling, but then they say that traveling broadens the mind :lol: :lol: :lol:

John. B

 

[Jenx]

:lol: PMSL @ John :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


Rog... check it out here :

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... hp?t=15125

Shows you who's got what :wink:

 

[roggatismus]

I need to get in touch with kevin, but i dont know how to pm him.

 

[Jenx]

Could be KEVIN that changed his name to WOODMAGNET :wink:

Same one ?

 

[Jenx]

GITFACE will be worth making contact with too .. he has the same lathe as you do :wink:

 

[roggatismus]

i have just PM'ed them

thanks jenx

 

[Woodmagnet]

[-o< Oh no, someone asking "me" for advice. :shock:
This is me with a 4yr old lathe that i can't use and have
only turned "dibbers" on up till now.
I have p.m'd you Roger. :lol: