- Joined
- Sep 24, 2016
- Messages
- 125
Just bought a PM1228 from Matt. Does anyone know where to buy a decent 4 jaw D1-4 Chuck with Camlock? Matt has a really high end one, but was hoping not to spend quite that much ($380ish). Thanks in advance!!
My experience with many of the inexpensive generic 4J chucks, is that they are poorly cast/machined and often out of balance. If you plan to be spinning the chuck above 400-500 RPM, this could be a problem. Also the jaws can be very course and poorly ground, along with the independent jaw scroll mechanism. If this is a secondary chuck for low speed, then this may be OK, if you plan on using this as a primary chuck or often, I would recommend the Taiwanese 4J 8" independent chuck that QMT/ Matt sells. Very well made and spins up to speed with no balance issues (they use balancing weights internally). I think it is better than a Gator, and probably comparable to the Bison, at almost 1/2 the price. Otherwise Shar's is an option, but if you look at the pictures/casting it is a bit rough. It is possible to drill some of the casting material and balance the chuck statically, but if it is going to be your go to chuck, then I would get something better.
http://www.shars.com/products/toolholding-workholding/lathe-chucks/8-d1-4-4-jaw-independent-chuck
Thanks Dan. Was looking at that one from Shars. Do you think it will be a good option for a hobbyist or do you think I should pony up and buy the one from Matt that is $380ish? the one Matt has is what he calls high end from Taiwan, but obviously double in price. Also the Shars one is 20% more off of that, which would be $146.8 with Blackfriday code.