I've wanted a 6-jaw chuck for the 10x36 lathe and the recent 20 percent
off sale at Enco got me to try the Chinese imports. I know things are
not always ready out of the box, but the bargain is just too cheap:

272-5010 6" 6 JAW SET-TRU ADJ LATHE CHUCK
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=272-5010

274-1602 6" D1-4 SET-TRU CHUCK ADAPTER
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=274-1602

What a mess.

The D1-4 adapter, the way it came, had the taper a few thou too small
and tipped, so it wouldn't quite go on the spindle. So I spent half a
day indicating and chucking the thing to bore a correct taper. Nothing
on the entire piece was square, true, or centered. I know you're
supposed to custom cut the interface for your machine ("some machining
required"), but the D1-4 side should have been right from the start.
But after some frustration and a room full of cast iron bits I managed
to get it corrected.

Ah, now to assemble and try the chuck.

First, the screws are missing, or maybe there's a fight back in China
whether the chuck people or the backplate adapter people are supposed to
supply the connecting screws. Everything sits around while Enco scares
me up a set of the oddball size.

Finally I assemble the thing and gleefully apply the set-tru
adjustments. I'm thinking a few thou of runout clearance on the adapter
should be plenty of adjustment range. Lo, this supposedly sub-thou
truable chuck is bored about 0.008" off center! So I go ahead and cut
the adapter some more so finally I can zero it. I make one actual part
on the thing, and something isn't right.

I put the test bar back in and indicate further and further away from
the chuck. Must be something wrong with my test bar? Off the to
surface plate to check it, and it is fine. Turns out the the jaws are
ground to an off axis angle of about 0.002" per inch. Puh-leeze.

It's all back in the boxes now for a trip back to the Enco clearance bin
in Atlanta. Maybe somebody can use a correctly machined backplate.

Next time it is Bison or made-in-USA.

Richard sez: " . . . .What a mess. . . . ."

Thanx for the lesson. But my only question is why did you try to fix that piece of crap before
exercising the warranty?

Bob Swinney

Robert Swinney wrote:
.... why did you try to fix that piece of crap before
exercising the warranty?

'Twere me, I would reply that at the beginning I didn't know how bad it
was going to be & a *little* fixing-up would be well worth the savings.
At subsequent problems the same reasoning would apply. (Note that
sunk-cost fallacy is not in play.)

But that's just me,
Bob

Robert Swinney writes:

But my only question is why did you try to fix that piece of crap before
exercising the warranty?

The time to fix it seemed comparable to the time to get a return
authorization and pack it up to send it back. But only seemed, because the
backplate was not the only problem. And once you have a little time
invested you do feel the irrational pull of the sunk costs.

On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:56:58 -0500, Richard J Kinch
wrote:

I've wanted a 6-jaw chuck for the 10x36 lathe and the recent 20 percent
off sale at Enco got me to try the Chinese imports. I know things are
not always ready out of the box, but the bargain is just too cheap:


Next time it is Bison or made-in-USA.

I can vouch for the Bison 6-jaw I bought one from Enco several years
ago when they were in the sales flyer and there was an additional 20%
sale. It was under $400, but the regular catalog price is $937 now.
Yikes.

The Bison seems to be every bit as good as my Buck Ajust-tru chucks.

--
Ned Simmons

On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:56:58 -0500, Richard J Kinch
wrote:


It's all back in the boxes now for a trip back to the Enco clearance bin
in Atlanta. Maybe somebody can use a correctly machined backplate.

Next time it is Bison or made-in-USA.

Bummer!

I happened upon a used Buck Adjust-tru in very good shape some years
ago. Had to buy a D1-4 backplate that cost more than the chuck, but
the result has been working for me for many years now.

Caveat emptor. Get a Buck and you'll never have to complain to enco
again.

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Imagine what I could do if
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : I knew what I was doing...
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

steamer wrote:
Caveat emptor. Get a Buck and you'll never have to complain to enco
again.

Well, you can't! Buck has stopped making the Adjust-Tru line of chucks
- what a shame. But, I got an 8.25" copy from Phase-II some years ago,
and it has been VERY good.

Jon

On Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:27:28 -0500, Jon Elson
wrote:

steamer wrote:
Caveat emptor. Get a Buck and you'll never have to complain to enco
again.

Well, you can't! Buck has stopped making the Adjust-Tru line of chucks
- what a shame.

They still make them.
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?P...PARTPG=INLMK32
http://www.buckchuckusa.com/products...ucks-atsc.html

--
Ned Simmons