Last August, as I was getting started in turning, I bought a cheap 4-jaw
chuck with a grip range of about 2-4" and Tommy Bar closure. I'd like to
buy a couple more but don't recall where I bought the first one (online). I
paid about $50 for it, despite being warned off cheap tools and find that
it is more than adequate for what I am doing.

It IS cheap ... there doesn't seem to be any manufacturer identification on
it so I can't even search for it with that term.

Any clues, gang?

Bill

If your are in Canada try http://www.busybeetools.com/
Item B2249108 for Scroll Chuck 1X 8 TPI at $65.00 CAD and B2249134 for 3/4 X
16 TPI. In the US it would come to about $50.00 USD.I have one and it does
the job good. These are low cost build in China and sold as no name the
world over. The quality standard is almost none existant. It reminds me of
the AK riffle low quality but it does the job well.
One point is that the two locking (Tommy) bars are made of cold rolled
steel. They do not bend but the edge at the end of the bars will wear out a
little after a year of use. I would replace them with the right size drill
rod.

"Bill C." wrote in message
...
Last August, as I was getting started in turning, I bought a cheap 4-jaw
chuck with a grip range of about 2-4" and Tommy Bar closure. I'd like to
buy a couple more but don't recall where I bought the first one (online).
I
paid about $50 for it, despite being warned off cheap tools and find that
it is more than adequate for what I am doing.

It IS cheap ... there doesn't seem to be any manufacturer identification
on
it so I can't even search for it with that term.

Any clues, gang?

Bill

"Denis Marier" wrote in message
...

One point is that the two locking (Tommy) bars are made of cold rolled
steel. They do not bend but the edge at the end of the bars will wear out
a
little after a year of use. I would replace them with the right size
drill
rod.

Just grind the ends back. The softer, easier to replace steel is a better
bet than the hard stuff, which would distort the holes in the chuck. If you
don't want to grind, just get some cold-rolled rod of appropriate size to
serve as tightener and "sacrificial" metal.

That sounds like a good idea George.
Cold rolled steel is much cheaper and easier to obtain locally.

"George" george@least wrote in message
...

"Denis Marier" wrote in message
...

One point is that the two locking (Tommy) bars are made of cold rolled
steel. They do not bend but the edge at the end of the bars will wear
out
a
little after a year of use. I would replace them with the right size
drill
rod.

Just grind the ends back. The softer, easier to replace steel is a better
bet than the hard stuff, which would distort the holes in the chuck. If
you
don't want to grind, just get some cold-rolled rod of appropriate size to
serve as tightener and "sacrificial" metal.

"Bill C." wrote in message
...
Last August, as I was getting started in turning, I bought a cheap 4-jaw
chuck with a grip range of about 2-4" and Tommy Bar closure. I'd like to
buy a couple more but don't recall where I bought the first one (online).
I
paid about $50 for it, despite being warned off cheap tools and find that
it is more than adequate for what I am doing.

It IS cheap ... there doesn't seem to be any manufacturer identification
on
it so I can't even search for it with that term.

Any clues, gang?

Bill
=====================
Bill,
That sounds like the chucks available from Penn State Industries.

Ken Moon
Webberville, TX

Denis Marier wrote in message
on Monday 25 April 2005
06:26 pm:

That sounds like a good idea George.
Cold rolled steel is much cheaper and easier to obtain locally.

"George" george@least wrote in message
...

"Denis Marier" wrote in message
...

One point is that the two locking (Tommy) bars are made of cold rolled
steel. They do not bend but the edge at the end of the bars will wear
out
a
little after a year of use. I would replace them with the right size
drill
rod.

Just grind the ends back. The softer, easier to replace steel is a
better
bet than the hard stuff, which would distort the holes in the chuck. If
you
don't want to grind, just get some cold-rolled rod of appropriate size to
serve as tightener and "sacrificial" metal.



Better yet, don't reef on the bars ... yer squishing the blasted wood, fer
cryin' out loud. ;-)

(I used to work in a machine shop ... I've broken my fair share of table
clamps and deformed the proper amount of work by over-tightening things.)

Ken Moon wrote in message
k.net on Monday 25 April
2005 06:41 pm:

Bill,
That sounds like the chucks available from Penn State Industries.

Ken Moon
Webberville, TX

Thanks Ken ... I'll surf on over and see if I can find what I am looking
for.

Bill

"Bill C." wrote in message
...

Better yet, don't reef on the bars ... yer squishing the blasted wood, fer
cryin' out loud. ;-)

(I used to work in a machine shop ... I've broken my fair share of table
clamps and deformed the proper amount of work by over-tightening things.)



B B B B B But don't the jaws have to "grip" tightly?

I'm with you, Bill. Snug does fine if you've made the hold properly.
Roughed a 16x8 chunk of slinging wet hard maple on the pin chuck yesterday,
reversed to a 2" dovetail recess for hollowing. Works, just don't tell the
lawyers you use them in stuff that big.

Still, the 15 year old regular Nova is getting a bit peened out.

George wrote in message on Tuesday 26 April
2005 06:17 am:

B B B B B But don't the jaws have to "grip" tightly?

I'm with you, Bill. Snug does fine if you've made the hold properly.
Roughed a 16x8 chunk of slinging wet hard maple on the pin chuck
yesterday,
reversed to a 2" dovetail recess for hollowing. Works, just don't tell
the lawyers you use them in stuff that big.

Still, the 15 year old regular Nova is getting a bit peened out.

ALL aspects of wood turning merit serious focus and attention. I've had a
few pieces leave the lathe ... usually in several simultaneous directions
and developing jagged edges as they exit. One left a too-loose Longworth
chuck and took $40 worth of laser engraving with it. One got a catch in a
thin cross-section (say 'hasta la vista, baby!'). It's now a solid ash
cheese and cracker board. Very pretty. But you should have seen it when it
was still a bowl. :-/ And there were a couple spindle pieces that got
chalked up to skew and scraper training but were at least as much the fault
of trying to work long pieces without a steady rest on a machine that can't
turn slowly enough to get away with that.

I'm willing to give mounting careful thought now.

If I grip the wood too tight, I will destroy it. I usually start my bowls on
a faceplate and turn a dovetail in the bottom for hollowing. There are a
lot of other ways to get there, but I am comfortable with this. The
dovetail is usually 1/4" deep, or less; just deep enough to accept the
dovetails cut into the chuck jaws. If I lean on the tommy bars, I can
destroy that recess in just about 4 seconds flat. DAMHIKT

If I grip it too loose, it goes whizzing past my head and groin. Both of
which have sentimental and ornamental value to me.

So now I grip work too firmly to shake easily, but not tight enough to
stress. It took some practice and could use some refinement. But I think
I've begun to get a handle on how tightly to grip this beautiful wood we
work with.

Bill

Bill C. wrote:
Ken Moon wrote in message
k.net on Monday 25 April
2005 06:41 pm:

Bill,
That sounds like the chucks available from Penn State Industries.

Ken Moon
Webberville, TX

Thanks Ken ... I'll surf on over and see if I can find what I am looking
for.

Bill

When you get it please post your experience - we're all on the the
lookout for a good deal (i.e, reasonable quality at a great price).

....Kevin
--
Kevin Miller
http://www.alaska.net/~atftb
Juneau, Alaska

"Bill C." wrote in message
...
I usually start my bowls on
a faceplate and turn a dovetail in the bottom for hollowing. There are a
lot of other ways to get there, but I am comfortable with this.

So now I grip work too firmly to shake easily, but not tight enough to
stress. It took some practice and could use some refinement. But I think
I've begun to get a handle on how tightly to grip this beautiful wood we
work with.

I use a pin chuck or pin jaws rather than a faceplate, and that tail stock
stays engaged until I'm ready to make the final passes. HATE that flying
wood.
http://groups.msn.com/NovaOwners/geo...nw?albumlist=2

A Longworth is on my "nice to have" list.

On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 06:56:51 -0400, "George" george@least wrote:


"Bill C." wrote in message
...
I usually start my bowls on
a faceplate and turn a dovetail in the bottom for hollowing. There are a
lot of other ways to get there, but I am comfortable with this.

So now I grip work too firmly to shake easily, but not tight enough to
stress. It took some practice and could use some refinement. But I think
I've begun to get a handle on how tightly to grip this beautiful wood we
work with.

I use a pin chuck or pin jaws rather than a faceplate, and that tail stock
stays engaged until I'm ready to make the final passes. HATE that flying
wood.
http://groups.msn.com/NovaOwners/geo...nw?albumlist=2

A Longworth is on my "nice to have" list.

George.. I looked at your album, and don't quite get how the pin chuck works...

It LOOKS like a chuck screw kind of thing, (Oneway), but a lot easier???



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

"mac davis" wrote in message
...
http://groups.msn.com/NovaOwners/geo...nw?albumlist=2

George.. I looked at your album, and don't quite get how the pin chuck
works...

It LOOKS like a chuck screw kind of thing, (Oneway), but a lot easier???


It's from metalworking, really. You can see the roll pin, and there's
decreasing depth opposite the rotation direction. The pin wedges into the
smaller space, trapping the piece and carrying it. This one's from Best
Wood, and it's a humdinger. Had one from my old "Masterchuck" which was
merely a roll pin in a flat area. Bidirectional wedging possible, but as I
don't reverse, this one's the best for me.

As I said in answer, it's a lot of stability, safety and hold for the sake
of a 1" hole. I leave the pillar in and drop a bit into the dried hole,
mounting within fractions of center without half trying.

On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 13:41:53 -0400, "George" george@least wrote:


"mac davis" wrote in message
.. .
http://groups.msn.com/NovaOwners/geo...nw?albumlist=2

George.. I looked at your album, and don't quite get how the pin chuck
works...

It LOOKS like a chuck screw kind of thing, (Oneway), but a lot easier???


It's from metalworking, really. You can see the roll pin, and there's
decreasing depth opposite the rotation direction. The pin wedges into the
smaller space, trapping the piece and carrying it. This one's from Best
Wood, and it's a humdinger. Had one from my old "Masterchuck" which was
merely a roll pin in a flat area. Bidirectional wedging possible, but as I
don't reverse, this one's the best for me.

As I said in answer, it's a lot of stability, safety and hold for the sake
of a 1" hole. I leave the pillar in and drop a bit into the dried hole,
mounting within fractions of center without half trying.

I was wondering what size hole it needed...
It looked like a very small hole ( less than 1/2") but I was thinking that in
proportion to that large of bowl, it was a larger hole than it appeared..

I might consider one if I graduate to stuff the size of your bowls, but right
now the chuck screw is working pretty well and requires a pretty small hole..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing