Re: FOUR JAW CHUCK do like it or hate it 4
My first lathe came with a 4-jaw chuck. I hated it, and pined for a 3-jaw. The next lathe I got came with a 3-jaw. Boy was I tickled until I needed that fourth jaw. The last lathe came with both. I use the 3-jaw a lot. But when you don't have diameter to throw away, or the stock is just barely long enough and has to be swapped, or is odd-ball, and more, that 4th jaw will save your bacon. Back when I had that first lathe, dial indicators were for commercial shops and rich buggers. Chalk was how we centered up the stock. It worked surprisingly well, too.