4 Jaw Chuck D1-4 With Cam Lock

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Buggy Chief

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Just bought a PM1228 from Matt. Does anyone know where to buy a decent 4 jaw D1-4 Chuck with Camlock? Matt has a really high end one, but was hoping not to spend quite that much ($380ish). Thanks in advance!!
 
Thanks Dan. Was looking at that one from Shars. Do you think it will be a good option for a hobbyist or do you think I should pony up and buy the one from Matt that is $380ish? the one Matt has is what he calls high end from Taiwan, but obviously double in price. Also the Shars one is 20% more off of that, which would be $146.8 with Blackfriday code.
 
You can get away with using a cheap 4 jaw chuck. But for the record, $146 and "decent quality chuck" aren't words you use in the same sentence. Personally I would go for Matt's offer; no one else is going to sell you a Taiwanese chuck for that price.

Definitely if you go shopping for a three jaw chuck upgrade, pay the extra money to get something good. Preferably something with an "adjust tru" feature so you can actually zero the part in the chuck (cheap three jaw chucks can give you 0.005-0.010" of run-out).
 
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My experience with many of the inexpensive generic 4J chucks, is that they are poorly cast/machined and often out of balance. If you plan to be spinning the chuck above 400-500 RPM, this could be a problem. Also the jaws can be very course and poorly ground, along with the independent jaw scroll mechanism. If this is a secondary chuck for low speed, then this may be OK, if you plan on using this as a primary chuck or often, I would recommend the Taiwanese 4J 8" independent chuck that QMT/ Matt sells. Very well made and spins up to speed with no balance issues (they use balancing weights internally). I think it is better than a Gator, and probably comparable to the Bison, at almost 1/2 the price. Otherwise Shar's is an option, but if you look at the pictures/casting it is a bit rough. It is possible to drill some of the casting material and balance the chuck statically, but if it is going to be your go to chuck, then I would get something better.
http://www.shars.com/products/toolholding-workholding/lathe-chucks/8-d1-4-4-jaw-independent-chuck
 
Great points. I don't want to have to balance the chuck at all. Want plug and play. Since it has independent 4 jaws, probably won't be main chuck, but who knows... Thanks again for input.

mksj said:
My experience with many of the inexpensive generic 4J chucks, is that they are poorly cast/machined and often out of balance. If you plan to be spinning the chuck above 400-500 RPM, this could be a problem. Also the jaws can be very course and poorly ground, along with the independent jaw scroll mechanism. If this is a secondary chuck for low speed, then this may be OK, if you plan on using this as a primary chuck or often, I would recommend the Taiwanese 4J 8" independent chuck that QMT/ Matt sells. Very well made and spins up to speed with no balance issues (they use balancing weights internally). I think it is better than a Gator, and probably comparable to the Bison, at almost 1/2 the price. Otherwise Shar's is an option, but if you look at the pictures/casting it is a bit rough. It is possible to drill some of the casting material and balance the chuck statically, but if it is going to be your go to chuck, then I would get something better.
http://www.shars.com/products/toolholding-workholding/lathe-chucks/8-d1-4-4-jaw-independent-chuck
Click to expand...
 
I have the high end 4J 8" chuck from Taiwan that Matt sells, and it's just terrific. Agree with other comments - don't skimp here. Think about whether you want/need two-piece jaws before finalizing your decision.
 
Buggy Chief, one thing to keep in mind. Any chuck you buy anywhere else will cost you at least 50+ bucks for shipping, whereas, if you buy Matt's chuck, he can put it in with the lathe for shipping so that brings the price down to 330ish for a much better chuck. Something to think about. Good luck, JR49
 
Buggy Chief said:
Thanks Dan. Was looking at that one from Shars. Do you think it will be a good option for a hobbyist or do you think I should pony up and buy the one from Matt that is $380ish? the one Matt has is what he calls high end from Taiwan, but obviously double in price. Also the Shars one is 20% more off of that, which would be $146.8 with Blackfriday code.
Click to expand...

I'm very much of the buy the best & most versatile you can realistically afford, mindset. Unless you absolutely must have it day one, I would hold off till i can afford a good chuck.
 
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