"stone" wrote in message
oups.com...
Is there any great technique for using this sort of beast?

My four jaw chuck has each jaw adjusted separately.
(maybe they're all this way)

Generally when you say "four jaw chuck" you mean a chuck with fully
independent jaws like yours. This allows you to either chuck round pieces
with zero runout, to chuck square workpieces on center and to chuck round
and square workpieces with an intentional offset, for example to bore and
offset hole in a workpiece.

However, there is such a thing as a scrolling four jaw chuck where all the
jaws move together. This is a special chuck that is only good for chucking
square work pieces on center, you wouldn't want one as your only four jaw
chuck.


But, what I did was turn each jaw out until I thought
they were flush; then I adjusted each jaw symetrically.

Then I spun the thing(by hand), and gauged how close the piece was
to a tool bit, and tweeked from there until it was pretty
much in the center of the jaw.

That's pretty much the way its done, the only thing I'd add is if you need
best accuracy use a dial indicator instead of your eyeball. As you use the
chuck more you'll get faster at chucking things on center. However, if you
need to chuck a lot of workpieces on center and don't have a 3 jaw chuck or
a collet setup, I'd consider getting both as you can afford them.


Is this it?

Or is there a much better way?

Let's see if anybody else has a tip for faster centering.

Paul T.