Horror Stories About The Chuck Coming Off While Running Backwards

Had it happen to Me also. FIL was a mold maker in a glass house. They used bigger lathes than most here. One chuck came off while at a fast speed and it bounced out of the chip pan and rolled down the aisle. No one or anything hurt.
 
Just yesterday I told someone who "had to try" to learn for themselves, "You're one of those people that don't want to listen to 50 people that experienced it first hand. You don't believe it until you see it."

That his name is Tom is incidental. :big grin:
 
I think it happened to me at least once back in the early days, didn't actually fly off but did come loose when I reversed the power on one lathe to quickly. That was enough warning for me. I usually tried to check all the screw on chucks from there on.
 
I had one come loose just once in my 40+ yrs as a toolmaker. It happened when I hit the brake hard on a lathe and the chuck unscrewed about 2 - 3 turns. Scared the heck out of me and after that I made sure all chucks were tight before I did anything on a lathe. Only thing I could think of is someone did not tighten it or vibration had caused it to loosen.
 
I've been operating lathes for more decades than I care to remember. The only time I reverse the spindle is when I want to use my "inside" chamfering tool on the outside of a bar end. What are you guys doing that stirs up that much drama and makes you a danger to yourself and others? :rolleyes:
 
Seen a chuck screw itself off the mandrel two years ago at my model club, one of the less experienced guys , nice enough guy but haed to teach decided in his wisdom to run the old beat up Atlas lathe in reverse, nobody noticed, because he had been running it in the correct direction(forward) a couple of minutes before, Off it came & fortunately landed at the back of the lathe.

Sometimes I tend to think that common sense & an engineering instinct can never be part of some folks psyche.
 
I've had my chuck come loose during threading but not whilst actually cutting the thread.
I hit the reverse switch to get back to the start but must have bumped it too soon and it unscrewed the chuck, thankfully not all the way it stayed hanging on the threads.
Taught me a quick lesson without damage this time.
 
Jan, the reason that you may have never have SEEN it happen or that you know NOBODY who has done it, is because most people are wise enough not to do it.
 
OK -- First off, the chuck unscrewing is a natural happening when enough force is placed on the threads, as the lady (gr8legs) said earlier it is a screw and they do come loose. Also it is not done on purpose unless you are changing chucks. When it happens it is accidental not premeditated.

"Billy G"
 
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