What Chuck to choose?

[petcnc]

I'm looking for a decent quality 5'' (125mm) chuck for my lathe.
My research lead me to two similar chucks

Pratt Burnerd Lathe Chuck 125MM 3 Jaw (5 In) Standard Accuracy Front mounting


And a Bison 125mm 3 Jaw (5 In) 3204-125 Plain back mounting (DIN 6350)



What puzzles me is the dofference in the way they are mounted to the back plate.

What would you suggest? Front or back mount?

 

[Ray C]

Hi...

You might also consider Gator brand chucks which are produced by the same parent company that own Bison. Real Bison chucks are made in Poland. I believe the Gators are made in Mexico.

Front vs. back mount. The nice thing about front mount is that if you need critical centering, it's easier to slightly loosen the front bolts and tap the chuck into place similar to a set-tru type chuck. On many machines, you may not have enough clearance to reach the bolts if they're in the rear.


Regards

Ray

 

[benmychree]

Bison chucks are good quality, Pratt Burnerd is good also; the mounting makes little difference, the holes may be easier to locate with the Pratt Burnerd, as you can spot the holes with a plain old transfer punch and use whatever socket head capscrews you choose, whereas the Bison takes a set of transfer screws to spot the holes and would require metric socket head capscrews.

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

Buy a chuck with 2 piece jaws that is also adjustable, this will cost a good deal more yet is well worth the money.

 

[mksj]

You might look at the Bison 3205-125 which has reversible two piece jaws. Gator is made in China, it is kind of hit or miss as too quality from other postings, but they are an exact copy of the Bision chucks. I use their back plates for my Bison chucks because they are much less expensive. Bison is still made in Poland, in the US they are also sold as TMX these days. I have the PBA 6" 3 jaw scroll Set-True type, and also a Bison 8" and 5C, both are high quality. I would say the PBA has the upper hand on quality, if your cost is the same I would go with the PBA, otherwise Bision if less expensive. There is some variation on mounting, so the picture of the PBA looks like it is the 200mm chuck, not the 125mm (they all use the same picture). You may also look at the Pratt Burnerd 9210-01305 which is their precision version. I believe there is also a Set-True type, not sure about 2 piece jaws in the PBA.

Seeing that you are in Greece, the PBA and Bision I assume would be less and more common then some of the other brands we see in the US.

 

[petcnc]

I would say the PBA has the upper hand on quality, if your cost is the same I would go with the PBA, otherwise Bision if less expensive. You may also look at the Pratt Burnerd 9210-01305 which is their precision version. I believe there is also a Set-True type, not sure about 2 piece jaws in the PBA.

Seeing that you are in Greece, the PBA and Bision I assume would be less and more common then some of the other brands we see in the US.

They are both expensive! the PB is 50 $ cheaper!

Pratt Burnerd Lathe Chuck 125MM 3 Jaw (5 In) Standard Accuracy Front mounting 307 EURO inc p&p

Bison 125mm 3 Jaw (5 In) 3204-125 Plain back mounting (DIN 6350) EUR 345 inc p&p

I'm not sure the accuracy I will achieve with those justifies the money I will pay though!

 

[petcnc]

Finally I think I will go for the PB as I found it £208 (280$) + £37 (50$) postage!
That is 277€ in total !!!!

 

[mksj]

The PBA chucks are very nice, be sure to factor in a back plate that works with your lathe. On some you may need to skim the back plate and cut the register. Although both manufactures usually sell back plates that are a direct bolt on. Usually you should expect a runout of under 0.002" with the better chucks in this size. Let us know how it goes.

 

[petcnc]

The PBA chucks are very nice, be sure to factor in a back plate that works with your lathe. On some you may need to skim the back plate and cut the register. Although both manufactures usually sell back plates that are a direct bolt on. Usually you should expect a runout of under 0.002" with the better chucks in this size. Let us know how it goes.

I was looking for a PB 125mm 4 jaw independent adapter mounted, but it seems the do not make them any more! They start from 160mm upwards

 

[chips&more]

For me, it’s gotta have the set-true feature, or I don’t want it!…Dave