I recently purchased a used 4-jaw chuck for my Atlas 12" lathe.

The problem is that none of my chuck keys will fit it. The 3/8 is too
large, and the 5/16 marginally too small, so unless it's some *******
metric dimension, an 11/32" inch square chuck key would be perfect.
The problem is that I can't find any on eBay or even in the tool
catalogs.

The question is: "Does anyone know where a can purchase a 11/32"
square chuck key for a lathe 4-jaw chuck?

Thanks in advance.

Harry C.

Harry, in the past when I had this problem I ground a little off of each
side of the 'square'. Lasted for years.

Gary

"Harry Conover" wrote in message
om...
I recently purchased a used 4-jaw chuck for my Atlas 12" lathe.

The problem is that none of my chuck keys will fit it. The 3/8 is too
large, and the 5/16 marginally too small, so unless it's some *******
metric dimension, an 11/32" inch square chuck key would be perfect.
The problem is that I can't find any on eBay or even in the tool
catalogs.

The question is: "Does anyone know where a can purchase a 11/32"
square chuck key for a lathe 4-jaw chuck?

Thanks in advance.

Harry C.

"Harry Conover" wrote in message
om...
I recently purchased a used 4-jaw chuck for my Atlas 12" lathe.

The problem is that none of my chuck keys will fit it. The 3/8 is too
large, and the 5/16 marginally too small, so unless it's some *******
metric dimension, an 11/32" inch square chuck key would be perfect.
The problem is that I can't find any on eBay or even in the tool
catalogs.

The question is: "Does anyone know where a can purchase a 11/32"
square chuck key for a lathe 4-jaw chuck?

Thanks in advance.

Harry C.

Hi Harry.
Other posters have suggested serviceable solutions to your problem,
(grinding), but I just have to giggle a little at your characterisation of
metric dimensions as "*******s", when you seem quite happy to work in
illegitimate fractions like 11/32"!

Just as well it wasn't 21/64", or 43/128", huh?

(Sorry for kicking this dead horse) ;-)

--
Jeff R.

(Harry Conover)

I recently purchased a used 4-jaw chuck for my Atlas 12" lathe.

The problem is that none of my chuck keys will fit it. The 3/8 is too
large, and the 5/16 marginally too small,

Another alternative is to chuck a length (5/8 diam., perhaps) of round stock in
your three jaw (use O1, if you want to harden and temper it), and turn an
appropriate length down to the width of the diagonal of an 11/32 square. Then
file the four flats by hand right in the lathe.

You don't have to mechanically index it. You can get it square with a flat
file and a small square to check the right angles; just keep the 11/32
diagonal diameter at the corners. Don't file the flats in sequence, but after
the first, file one next to that, then go back to the other side of the first
one and file that for the third.The first try may be a goof, but by the second
or third, it will come together.

Turn a short concavity or chamfer to blend the key back into the main piece.

Part it at 4-5 inches. For a handle, drill the back end radially for a
1/4-5/15 rod. You can use a crotch center in the tailstock for that (with the
drill held by the chuck), or the drill press. There's a number of ways to
secure the handle from slipping, if that's wanted (one variation uses a notch
around the center of the handle and a ball bearing held by a coil spring).

Frank Morrison

In article ,
Harry Conover wrote:
I recently purchased a used 4-jaw chuck for my Atlas 12" lathe.

The problem is that none of my chuck keys will fit it. The 3/8 is too
large, and the 5/16 marginally too small, so unless it's some *******
metric dimension, an 11/32" inch square chuck key would be perfect.
The problem is that I can't find any on eBay or even in the tool
catalogs.

Who made the chuck? It may well be a metric dimension. My
calculations suggest that it may be 8.75 mm (your 11/32" converts to
8.7313 mm

The question is: "Does anyone know where a can purchase a 11/32"
square chuck key for a lathe 4-jaw chuck?

Do you have a milling machine? If so, get one of the square 5C
collet holders (usually comes in a set with a hex one), add a collet to
match the diameter of the stock (I used drill rod for mine, because that
is what I had handy), turn the end to the diagonal measure of the square
socket, clamp it in the milling vise and mill a bit off one side.
Rotate it 90 degrees and mill again, repeat until you have done all four
sides, then measure the size of the (partial) square you have produced.
Subtract the desired size from it, and divide by two to tell how far to
advance the qull or crank up the knee, and mill all four sides again.
Keeping it in the collet chuck, test the fit in the chuck you are
fitting, and if it right, turn the workpiece around in the collet chuck
and cross-drill the other end for a press fit of the handle. Drill it
to be a slide fit, and knurl the middle of the handle for a press fit.

Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

A.Gent wrote:

"Harry Conover" wrote in message
om...

I recently purchased a used 4-jaw chuck for my Atlas 12" lathe.

The problem is that none of my chuck keys will fit it. The 3/8 is too
large, and the 5/16 marginally too small, so unless it's some *******
metric dimension, an 11/32" inch square chuck key would be perfect.
The problem is that I can't find any on eBay or even in the tool
catalogs.

The question is: "Does anyone know where a can purchase a 11/32"
square chuck key for a lathe 4-jaw chuck?

Thanks in advance.

Harry C.


Hi Harry.
Other posters have suggested serviceable solutions to your problem,
(grinding), but I just have to giggle a little at your characterisation of
metric dimensions as "*******s", when you seem quite happy to work in
illegitimate fractions like 11/32"!

Just as well it wasn't 21/64", or 43/128", huh?

(Sorry for kicking this dead horse) ;-)

--
Jeff R.


you would like 5334/16256 mm maybe ?

Martin

--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
m...

you would like 5334/16256 mm maybe ?

Martin



Nuh.
I find fractions vulgar.

--
Jeff R.

A.Gent wrote:

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
m...

you would like 5334/16256 mm maybe ?

Martin




Nuh.
I find fractions vulgar.

--
Jeff R.


I think 21/64" is easier to think of myself.

Martin

--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 05:15:46 GMT, "Martin H. Eastburn"
wrote:


you would like 5334/16256 mm maybe ?

Martin
'Bout the size of a pencil hammered square?
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

I don't know where you'd find one that size. You may need to make one, and
CRS would probably be sufficient.
With an endmill, you could make a suitable key on your lathe, assuming that
you can mount the EM in a collet or even a 3-jaw chuck (not the best holder
but it'll work as long as it's done cautiously).

Grinding an existing square-ended key or other tool could be a simple
solution, as suggested earlier. An old 3/8" socket drive extension would be
good material for the key stem. You might not want to try drilling the
extension for the handle though if it's high grade steel. Welding a section
of round stock for a T handle on the end could work.

I've made a few keys from CRS and they're holding up well (I like a longer
stem for lathe chuck keys). For the endmill method, with a boring bar holder
mounted on the lathe compound, using a shop square will get the opposing
side cuts parallel.
The blending radius that someone mentioned makes a good looking finished
part.

A tool that I find useful is a 1/4" drive screwdriver-style handle with a
1/4" to 3/8" adapter on it, it's handy for quickly setting the independent
jaws on lathe chucks, then followed with the T handle type for jaw
tightening.

WB
................

"Harry Conover" wrote in message
om...
I recently purchased a used 4-jaw chuck for my Atlas 12" lathe.

The problem is that none of my chuck keys will fit it. The 3/8 is too
large, and the 5/16 marginally too small, so unless it's some *******
metric dimension, an 11/32" inch square chuck key would be perfect.
The problem is that I can't find any on eBay or even in the tool
catalogs.

The question is: "Does anyone know where a can purchase a 11/32"
square chuck key for a lathe 4-jaw chuck?

Thanks in advance.

Harry C.