I finally settled on a new 8in lathe chuck for my 10in rotary table. I couldn't justify a spendy chuck for occasional use in my home shop, and after scouring the on-line universe for a good candidate, I realized that there is no way to anticpate the level of quality on import chucks under $500 or so, sight unseen.
The chuck I settled on is from a company called CME tools for $140. After comparing the description and on-line pricing on many chucks, the clincher for me was that CME laser etches their name on the chuck. No no-name chucks for me!
I was about to place an on-line order from the CME EBAY store for $180 delivered, but I noticed that CME is actually located in a suburb of Detroit, about 45mins from my home. I called them to see if I could simply drive over and pick it up. They assured me I could, saving shipping charges!
After un-boxing, the first thing I did was to plug the chuck key in and test the jaw movement. I didn't feel any apparent grit as the jaws opened and closed, although I could feel the distinct pinion gear mesh on the scroll. The jaws closed nicely with no apparent asymetric gaps between jaw edges.
After learning from the pages of the Hobby Machinist forums how to examine, dismantle and clean a lathe chuck I unboxed it and set about the task.
The chuck was covered in a light film of oil, which is easier to clean off than cosmoline that I was expecting to find. I was pleasantly surprised to find none of the sharp edges and burrs that many other reviews reported on other economical chucks. Curved edges were nicely rounded, and straight edges were all nicely chamfered.
As I dismantled the chuck I did encounter some wet sandy muck on the internal parts, as I have seen in on-line videos. After rinsing and cleaning the parts and re-assembly, I'm feeling quite optimistic I may have a reasonably usable lathe chuck for not too much outlay.
Will report here when I get it all back together and bolted up to my rotary table, for which I'll likely need to fabricate some t-nuts.
Pics below:
The chuck I settled on is from a company called CME tools for $140. After comparing the description and on-line pricing on many chucks, the clincher for me was that CME laser etches their name on the chuck. No no-name chucks for me!
I was about to place an on-line order from the CME EBAY store for $180 delivered, but I noticed that CME is actually located in a suburb of Detroit, about 45mins from my home. I called them to see if I could simply drive over and pick it up. They assured me I could, saving shipping charges!
After un-boxing, the first thing I did was to plug the chuck key in and test the jaw movement. I didn't feel any apparent grit as the jaws opened and closed, although I could feel the distinct pinion gear mesh on the scroll. The jaws closed nicely with no apparent asymetric gaps between jaw edges.
After learning from the pages of the Hobby Machinist forums how to examine, dismantle and clean a lathe chuck I unboxed it and set about the task.
The chuck was covered in a light film of oil, which is easier to clean off than cosmoline that I was expecting to find. I was pleasantly surprised to find none of the sharp edges and burrs that many other reviews reported on other economical chucks. Curved edges were nicely rounded, and straight edges were all nicely chamfered.
As I dismantled the chuck I did encounter some wet sandy muck on the internal parts, as I have seen in on-line videos. After rinsing and cleaning the parts and re-assembly, I'm feeling quite optimistic I may have a reasonably usable lathe chuck for not too much outlay.
Will report here when I get it all back together and bolted up to my rotary table, for which I'll likely need to fabricate some t-nuts.
Pics below:
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