- Joined
- Jul 17, 2020
- Messages
- 323
So this is more of a back to basics question, which suits my skill level on the lathe.
We seem to use the term runout for both the non-concentric type and the wobbling type. Like we say a lathe 3 jaw chuck has more runout than a collet, but we really mean a collet keeps the work more concentric to the axis of rotation than a 3 jaw. We also say that a drill chuck has runout when the central axis of the drill is skewed from the axis of rotation, causing wobble.
My question is on a lathe with a 4 jaw chuck, how do you mitigate the wobble type of runout when working on an almost finished part? Even high quality chucks become worn with use and can become slightly bell-mouthed, and soft jaws certainly don't help matters. Do you just default to using a tailstock center on parts longer than a few inches if you need to eliminate wobble?
We seem to use the term runout for both the non-concentric type and the wobbling type. Like we say a lathe 3 jaw chuck has more runout than a collet, but we really mean a collet keeps the work more concentric to the axis of rotation than a 3 jaw. We also say that a drill chuck has runout when the central axis of the drill is skewed from the axis of rotation, causing wobble.
My question is on a lathe with a 4 jaw chuck, how do you mitigate the wobble type of runout when working on an almost finished part? Even high quality chucks become worn with use and can become slightly bell-mouthed, and soft jaws certainly don't help matters. Do you just default to using a tailstock center on parts longer than a few inches if you need to eliminate wobble?