6" or 8" chuck for a rotary table

MyLilMule

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I have this 8" rotary table for my Bridgeport. But it would be a lot more useful if I had a chuck for it.

My thoughts are, I can use a 6" chuck and an adapter plate to mount it using the T slots in the table, or an 8" chuck that is front mounting, possibly needing to drill and tap new holes in the table. Mounting a chuck to the table will be fairly straightforward.

However, what I need some input for is where to find a budget friendly chuck. I'd love to have something low profile, but those seem to be in the $1K range. Way out of my budget.

I would prefer a 3-jaw, something that is inexpensive, but also isn't junk with a mile of runout. Recommendations?

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I have this 8" rotary table for my Bridgeport. But it would be a lot more useful if I had a chuck for it.

My thoughts are, I can use a 6" chuck and an adapter plate to mount it using the T slots in the table, or an 8" chuck that is front mounting, possibly needing to drill and tap new holes in the table. Mounting a chuck to the table will be fairly straightforward.

However, what I need some input for is where to find a budget friendly chuck. I'd love to have something low profile, but those seem to be in the $1K range. Way out of my budget.

I would prefer a 3-jaw, something that is inexpensive, but also isn't junk with a mile of runout. Recommendations?

View attachment 427891
Only my opinion of course but i would use the smaller chuck fitted with a back plate and drilled or slotted to suit the T-slots thus making fitting and removal easy. How often are you likely to need an 8" chuck ? Depends on what you make most of the time ! If you use a back plate you can also fit a location spigot to suit the centre of your table.
Another thing to consider is a slave pattern for your table that can be drilled and tapped ad hoc to suit whatever you are doing. I have one made 50+ years ago with umpteen holes in it !!! John
PS forgot the chuck -- a pal needed a budget chuck for his Myford and purchased a Sanou, he asked me to make a backplate for him [screwcutting beyond his ken] the result was amazing for the price -- about £60 UK at the time runout was minimal, maybe just lucky
 
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I have a 6 inch 3 jaw on a back plate bolted to my 8 inch rotary table. Works well.
 
I would opt for the 6" chuck, The backing plate can then be mounted using the tee slots, simplifying the mounting and removal. I have a 6" 4th axis RT with a 5" 3 jaw that uses that method and it works well.

An 8" chuck on an 8" RT is also starting to get unreasonably heavy. In my experience, when it becomes bothersome to change something, the tendency is to look for work arounds. My 12" RT has taken a more or less permanent position on my RF clone because I don't want to have to muscle it on and off the table.
 
I'm feeling the 8" rotary table by it's self is unreasonably heavy for me now. :)
 
a pal needed a budget chuck for his Myford and purchased a Sanou, he asked me to make a backplate for him [screwcutting beyond his ken] the result was amazing for the price -- about £60 UK at the time runout was minimal, maybe just lucky

I searched for this brand, and I got a link to a chuck on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3XsBnxQ

But it doesn't use the same brand name. I found Sanou chucks on Ali Express, but the shipping to the US is triple the price of the chuck! LOL

I'm fine with just a 6" over the 8". The problem with an 8" is going to be mounting it anyway. Making an adapter for a 6" would be pretty easy - that does not worry me.

What I need are recommendations for what chuck to get, like you did with Sanou (I'm going to keep looking) with first hand experience - I want some level of confidence I won't be buying pure junk.
 
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