Chuck Arbor

K

kingmt01

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I have some threaded chucks here that I'm trying to fix up to use. I'm planning on turning the arbors on the lathe. I'll likely single point the threads to keep them more concentric & hopefully less runout. I know in the end it is just a drill chuck & some runout is a given but I need practice at thread cutting anyways.

The question is are you picky what your arbor is made of. I use a bunch of mystery metal from the hardware store. Some of it doesn't turn very well but I have some that is very soft & does turn well. I have others that I have marked as mind steel that I've just picked up here & there. It isn't as soft but is still somewhat soft & turns well. I was thinking of ordering drill rod for this but thinking more on it it seems that soft metal would be better for this & starting with a ground surface would be almost pointless if I'm turning it.

My Morris taper arbors seem to be quite soft.
 
All my arbors seem pretty soft. I have dinged a few with small drops.
R
 
I would not use drill rod. In a pretty large size like that, it is expensive (and as you have said you gain no benefit of the precise sizing). You are not going to heat treat it, so again there is no benefit of using tool steel. I often hear of people wanting to get some special material for an ordinary project (which I am guilty of too).

Good 'ol carbon steel is a great product. For those arbors, use whatever you have that is attracted to a magnet, rusts when left outside and is soft enough to cut with a file.
 
I had a handful of salvaged hand drill chucks, I obtained on Ebay a few 1MT, 3/8 24 arbors, now I can set up center drill, body drill, tap drill and tap, or whatever is needed. All used on my Atlas Clausing MK2, 618.
 
shorty... 3/4 shank, fits mill collet

get them from thirft shops, broken electric drills, no battery's, etc


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charl
 
Last chuck I salvaged was threaded. I found a grade 8 bolt which threaded in the chuck. It was straight "enough" on inspection. Cut the hex head off put her back in service.

Daryl
 
I did the same as Daryl except I went one step farther. After cutting the head off I faced and centered drilled the bolt. Then took a piece of 1/2 round stock turned it down to 3/8 as that was the size of the drill chuck. then chucked the drill chuck on that with a live center and took a cleanup cut on the bolt. Now when put it in a collet run out is less than .0005
 
kd4gij,
You got her done right!!

Daryl
MN
 
I've done some cleanup on bolts & nuts for precision stuff. I actually thought about getting a 3/8 24tpi bolt & but. Just mounting the bolt & nut in the lathe to square the face of the nut off(they are always crooked) & cutting the head off. However the threads of the bolt usually aren't that straight ether.
 
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