Which Chuck To Choose?

[paulkane1]

Ive just acquired a Jet 1440 VS Lathe,M33x 3.5 Spindle.What make of Chuck ,would suit this lathe? What one would you recommend?

 

[Dave Brookes]

I would suggest the Axminster SK100 with ‘C’ jaws as a starter.
Dave

 

[CHJ]

I would suggest the Axminster SK100 with ‘C’ jaws as a starter.
Dave

That suggestion would certainly give you a wide selection of auxiliary jaws to choose from (80 & 100mm aux. jaws all fit the carriers) and the axminster chucks are a commom standard throughout the range should you change your lathe or add alternate axminster chucks in future.

 

[Steliz]

I got the Axminster SK100 recently and I'm very happy with it, a very wide selection of jaws to go with it. The only negative is that the chuck key could be a bit longer.
I also have a Record Power SC4 which is as good but I tend to use the SC4 with my dovetail jaws and the Ax has my button jaws on it. To lazy to change jaws.

 

[Robbo3]

I posted a summary of chucks back in 2014. Should be mainly still relevant.
- https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/wood ... 76139.html

 

[Lazurus]

I just purchased another chuck and went for the tool post Versa chuck, great selection of jaws as you can get carriers for most major makes and very well engineered and a competitive price. not up to my super precision but not far off.

 

[marcros]

I was planning on this, but ended up with importing a vicmarc vm100 and a couple of jaw sets from timberbits in Australia. offer on at the time, and was very happy with the quality and price. I had decided that the couple of jaw sets that I wanted to use were vicmarc, so it was narrowed down to the vicmarc or versa chuck

at the end of the day, most chucks will do what you need them to- you pay your money and take your choice. don't get too hung up on one particular one, look at the price of jaws, and factor that in, but don't worry about choosing the wrong one too much.

 

[treeturner123]

The big question is, why only get 1 chuck, you know that you will need a second one to save constant changing!!!

Phil (with 3 chucks)

 

[memzey]

Can most chucks be used with wood and metal?

 

[Robbo3]

Can most chucks be used with wood and metal?

The stepped jaws in metal chucks don't hold wood very well. They will rotate it but won't accept much sideways pressure. Thus only recommended for short lengths (say up to 75mm) which don't protrude too far from the jaws or longer lengths with tailstock support.
It's the shoulder that butts up against the face of the jaws, rather than the grip, which stops the piece from wobbling.

Drawing courtesy of Chas.

 

[memzey]

Thanks Rob.

In isolation I understand each of the words you have used above perfectly well however, the order and combination you have chosen to use them in has left me severely befuddled. Not your fault at all, purely down to my ignorance. I should have stated that for the record I have never turned a thing before but am contemplating getting a lathe for the first time to see if I like it. How about I frame the question like this; if one were to have a single chuck to be used 80% for wood and 20% for metal, which chuck would you choose and why?

 

[TFrench]

They aren't really compatible with both, due to the way wood jaws hold the workpiece. If you have a lathe with a common nose thread it should be quite easy to get a cheapy metal turning 3 jaw chuck and get a backplate tapped for the right thread to fit your wood lathe.

 

[CHJ]

if one were to have a single chuck to be used 80% for wood and 20% for metal, which chuck would you choose and why?

Before anyone can advise on chucks, we need to know:-

What lathes are you talking about.
1. Wood working Lathe.
2. Engineering metal work late.
3. Wood turning Pattern makers lathe.

No. 1. You can do limited metal turning on Brass, Alloys & plastics with HSS hand tools and drill steel with tailstock mounted drill chuck.
No. 2. You can turn alloys, steels, wood, plastics etc. and do limited free flow wood turning with adapted tool rests.
No. 3. Wood orientated version of an Engineering Late.

Chucks such as the Axminster range, Versachuck etc. have metal holding internal and external jaw sets avilable the same as a metal tuning lathe chuck.
Very few of the normal wood turning accesory jaws are suitable for gripping metal for machining purposes but several will happily hold a mandrel, screw chuck adapter etc. for between centres turning or polishing of wood.

 

[memzey]

Thanks. Of your listing above it will most likely be a 1 or a 3. Are you saying that it’s possible to use the same chuck for turning wood and metal by changing the jaws on said chuck?

 

[CHJ]

Are you saying that it’s possible to use the same chuck for turning wood and metal by changing the jaws on said chuck?

Yes, as long as it's a 4 Jaw self centring chuck.
Three jaw chucks don't have wood specific axcessory jaws and are poor at holding in compressible wood.

Metal work of any significance on a wood lathe is limited to softer alloys with hand tools.

If you are considering being able to use any given chuck on both wood and metal working lathes then you are more than likely to have to go for a Versa Chuck style unit that has interchangable ISO back plates, it is most unlikely to get machines from the two disciplines with compatible spindle threads.

 

[Lazurus]

If you buy second hand a lathe will generally have a chuck and accessories with it to suit its particular discipline.

 

[memzey]

Are you saying that it’s possible to use the same chuck for turning wood and metal by changing the jaws on said chuck?

Yes, as long as it's a 4 Jaw self centring chuck.
Three jaw chucks don't have wood specific axcessory jaws and are poor at holding in compressible wood.

Metal work of any significance on a wood lathe is limited to softer alloys with hand tools.

If you are considering being able to use any given chuck on both wood and metal working lathes then you are more than likely to have to go for a Versa Chuck style unit that has interchangable ISO back plates, it is most unlikely to get machines from the two disciplines with compatible spindle threads.

Thanks again. So would this chuck fit the bill?
https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-c ... k-ax915228

 

[CHJ]

The SK100 chuck has metal working style jaws as options (internal & external)that can be installed in place of the wood accessory jaw carriers.

It will however be a fixed spindle thread of one of 4 different standards to suit your specific lathe.
Not all older lathe specifications are available in the normally available options so due diligence is needed if purchasing second-hand machines.

 

[Robbo3]

Memsey, we have taken over someone else's thread but to try & clarify .....
you have a branch. You place it between centres, a spur drive in the headstock & revolving centre in the tailstock & turn the wood smooth & parallel. You then create a tenon of a suitable diameter & depth to fit in your chosen chuck jaws.
The tenon must not be longer than the depth of the jaws as the shoulder of the tenon needs to press on the front face of the jaws.
If the jaws open into a recess then the recess must be deeper than the length of the jaws.
In the drawing the left side depicts the jaws in a recess & the right side the same jaws on a tenon.

 

[memzey]

Thanks for clarifying Rob. It’s starting to make sense to me now (homer)