[Newbie] Need Help Selecting New Chuck for South Bend 10

Bob Korves said:
It is time to learn how to dial in work on a 4 jaw chuck.
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Bob, you're probably right, and I've done some work on my 4-jaw. The problem is that at this very early stage in my hobby machinist career (I've been at this less than a week), I am still struggling with the basics of lathe work like speeds and feeds, and the time it takes me to center work in a 4-jaw takes a bit of the fun out of it... at least for me.

I did make a machinist hammer that, since I don't own a mill... yet, required me to chuck the head in a 4-jaw for the handle hole. It came out better than I thought it would, but it took forever.
 
karlsangree said:
As a machining newbie, my expectation at this early point in my journey is for the chuck to hold the material fairly straight, and then spin it around :)

I am waiting to get some input on 5" (which I currently have") or 6". It seems like 6" is better than 5" (that's what she said lol) but there must have been some reason the previous owner went with 5".

I did look at Shars and they have what looks to be a fairly decent 6" 3-jaw for about $250 and includes the 2 1/4 x 8 backing plate my lathe requires. Of course, it's out of stock.
Shars 6" with backing plate
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One reason to buy a 5" rather than a 6" is that it's cheaper. Since you have a 6" 4-jaw, if you have a larger job that requires it
you're covered. To some degree, what you buy depends on what you plan on making. It might be a good time to step back,
take a deep breath and wait on the 3-jaw until you know more about your needs and also know more about which chucks
will serve you best. Bob's suggestion of learning to dial in your 4-jaw is spot on and once you learn the procedure, it goes
quickly and easily. Instead of buying a chuck, you might buy a dial indicator and set it up on a quick change tool holder just
for that purpose.

I would avoid $100.00 chucks: there are lots of cheap, unsatisfactory Chinese tools out there and as a consequence
lots of unhappy buyers.
Buying poor quality tools because you're new just means you'll need to replace them later when you
know better.

As for re-machining your existing backing plate, you would just have to compare it to whatever chuck you buy. It's possible.
 
karlsangree said:
Bob, you're probably right, and I've done some work on my 4-jaw. The problem is that at this very early stage in my hobby machinist career (I've been at this less than a week), I am still struggling with the basics of lathe work like speeds and feeds, and the time it takes me to center work in a 4-jaw takes a bit of the fun out of it... at least for me.

I did make a machinist hammer that, since I don't own a mill... yet, required me to chuck the head in a 4-jaw for the handle hole. It came out better than I thought it would, but it took forever.
Click to expand...
We can help you become more efficient with the procedure, and it really is a necessary skill.

Here are couple of examples of the indicator set-ups I mentioned. For most of the work I do,
these work fine. Does your lathe already have a Quick Change Tool Post?

IMG_1665.jpeg

IMG_1666.jpeg

This one was posted recently by akjeff. There are lots of ways to make them.

IMG_9275.jpeg
 
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I have a similar size Logan lathe that came with a 6" 3 jaw and that fits it just fine. If you happen to find a particularly good deal on a 5" go with that but otherwise I'd go with the larger one.

Machining a back plate is not that hard, just a matter of being vigilant with your measurements because you want a snug fit for best accuracy.
A 3 jaw (or really any self centering scroll type) with a backplate machined on the lathe it is being used on will usually be more accurate than a chuck made for any old lathe unless you spend the money for a tru-set type chuck.

An independent 4 jaw is much more forgiving since it is set up each time you use it.
 
I also have a Heavy 10L. The L designates Large, referring to the spindle bore. The 2-1/4 - 8 spindle thread confirms it. I would recommend a 6 in. chuck as it allows you to take advantage of more of the machine's capacity. Regardless of what you pick, look for reversible top-jaws instead of separate internal/external jaws.

This Shars chuck might be a good choice, the backing plate will require finish turning to fit the chuck but is otherwise ready to go.
They claim .003 TIR, which is about as good as you can expect from a 3-jaw.
www.ebay.com

6" 3 Jaw Reversible Jaw Self Center Lathe Chuck +2-1/4“-8 Back Plate TIR Cert L[ | eBay

For back plate you would not need to drill any mounting holes but you will need to turn the shoulder D1 down. 040" to match the back of the lathe chuck to make the chuck & back plate more concentric with the lathe spindle and reach chuck's TIR.
www.ebay.com

Shars generally has a good reputation for affordable tooling, others may be able to provide some input on their chucks.
 
Only reason I'm asking , the chucks shown are one piece . Not desirable . Have to step out for a moment , but I'll show you what I'm going thru . :grin:
 
MrWhoopee said:
This Shars chuck might be a good choice, the backing plate will require finish turning to fit the chuck but is otherwise ready to go.
They claim .003 TIR, which is about as good as you can expect from a 3-jaw.
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Bought it. If the description is correct, then it was a good deal: $220.38 includes s&h. The same on Shars was 233.80 + s&h.

I have purchased a couple things directly from Shars like my AXA QCTP, 5C collet rack, a handful of collets that were missing from the set that came with the lathe, and a few other misc. items. So far, I've found Shars to be a great company to deal with. They have great customer service, quick response to email inquiries, prompt shipping, and their phones are answered by a human.
 
Good choice . You always want 2 piece jaws . :encourage:
 
another reason for choosing the 6" chuck is the center hole will be much larger. I recently needed a 5" for a small lathe and was hard pressed to find one with a center hole larger than 1.118". The 6" will probably have 1.5, and be a much heavier built chuck.
 
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