wrote in message
...
I have an old Cushman chuck. It may have been made as long ago as
1899. I have emailed Cushman about this chuck, trying to date it,
but
haven't heard back from them. It is about 4.300 diameter and is made
from cast iron. It looks like the chuck may have been nickel plated.
The only evidence of any plating is on the back of the chuck. I'm
not
sure how to tell if what looks like a very thin, almost worn off,
nickel plate is actually just burnished cast iron. Were Cushman
chucks
plated?
Thanks,
Eric

I have Jacobs drill press chuck "PATENTED SEP 16, 1902" that looks
like a modern one except for its diamond knurling.

Holtzapffel mentions that three-jaw self-centering lathe chucks go
back almost to 1800.