FOUR JAW CHUCK do you like it or hate it?

How often is your 4 jaw used?

  • Alway use a 4 jaw never use a 3 jaw

    Votes: 14 7.7%

  • Use a 4 jaw most of time

    Votes: 37 20.2%

  • Use a 3 jaw and some times use 4 jaw

    Votes: 89 48.6%

  • Use a 4 jaw only if I have to use one

    Votes: 43 23.5%

  • Only use a 3 jaw, 4 jaw makes me mad & chuck key goes flying

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    183
  • Poll closed .
Re: FOUR JAW CHUCK do like it or hate it 4

uncle harry said:
Soapstone is commonly used to layout "rough" tolerance fabrications in sheet and structural steel for torch cutting or non critical hole or other feature locations. Often, we would use it to layout fabrications on the shop floor. It is hard & rigid enough to hold up well as a "drawing" instrument.

It's like high class chalk and will mark off eccentric lathe-chucked shafts or other parts.

A rough & ready method at best.

The soapstone is quarried & cut to make many other things like sinks & wood stoves.
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Understood, I've got round and rectangular. Works well for layout on my welding/cutting table.
But, please explain how you use it for indicating stock in the a chuck.

Daryl
MN
 
Re: FOUR JAW CHUCK do like it or hate it 4

george wilson said:
by soapstone method,he probably means letting the lathe run,and carefully presenting a piece of soapstone to the metal. Let it touch. Turn off the lathe. The touched place will be the high spot of the metal. Adjust the chuck to make that high spot recede. Keep doing this till the soapstone touches all around.

This is tedious and uncertain as you have no way of knowing how much you're moving the metal. I always use a dial indicator when centering work in the 4 jaw,with the lathe turned off till I get the metal centered as accurately as I want. With care,you can get down to a tenth or two-IF the metal is perfectly round. And,MOST metal is NOT. Not even drill rod,which is slightly LOBED.
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Yep,
That's what I do.
I think I learned it from Tubalcain.

Daryl
MN
 
Re: FOUR JAW CHUCK do like it or hate it 4

I just use a pencil as it is available.
 
Re: FOUR JAW CHUCK do like it or hate it 4

Skewed question. It just depends what I'm doing. When >.001 runout is required, it's the 4-jaw or a collet. If it's low tolerance, then the 3-jaw. I don't dislike any of them, it's just a matter of choosing the right tool for the job. Everything doesn't require a >.001 tolerance.

GG
 
Re: FOUR JAW CHUCK do like it or hate it 4

Preferance here is 4 jaw or between centers. And then on rare occaision we chuck a 3 jaw and dial it into a 4 jaw. Then on the GK 1918 monster 3jaw (chain fall Needed)
then we chuck up a 4jaw in its 3 jaw. gotta think out of the box sometimes...
 
Re: FOUR JAW CHUCK do like it or hate it 4

Arkie said:
I'm really lazy....so I bought a lathe for the 4 jaw and another lathe for the 3 jaw. How do I answer this poll...its really stressing me out.:))
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You are EVIL!! :think1:
 
Re: FOUR JAW CHUCK do like it or hate it 4

george wilson said:
I am really doubtful that the Bison combination chuck would ever function accurately as a universal chuck. And,it'll cost you a pretty penny to find out if it doesn't !

Are you familiar with knowing that if you have a part accurately centered in a 4 jaw,you cannot just remove the work by loosening 2 jaws,then try putting in another piece of work the same diameter,and tightening the 2 jaws back(What a run on sentence!!!) Anyhow,it never works: The 4 jaw invariably has to be dialed back in. This because of play in the chuck jaw screws,play in the seating of the jaws in the chuck body,etc. It just never works. I think the combination chuck would be only an APPROXIMATELY self centering chuck for the same reasons.


BUT,If you do buy one,DO let us know how accurately it functions as a self centering chuck. I'd LOVE to know. Just in case by a miracle it works accurately.

I wonder if Bison would reveal information on how accurately their combo chuck does function as a self centering chuck? Probably would not be any use to ask the distributor. You'd have to ask Bison directly. The dealer would not know. With the considerable investment at stake,it would really be great to know in advance. Otherwise,you're probably potentially just buying a chuck that would still have to be dialed in every time.
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Hence the logic in a 4 jaw chuck that can be opened and closed like a 3 jaw scroll chuck...then I thought how often would I need to chuck multiples of the same part in a 4 jaw answer probably never. I have all but abandoned the idea of this 4 jaw combination chuck after thinking about your post. I think I'll go with the 6 jaw set tru.
 
Re: FOUR JAW CHUCK do like it or hate it 4

coolidge said:
I think I'll go with the 6 jaw set tru.
Click to expand...

Do you work with a lot of thin wall materials? You do know that there are more disadvantages to a 6-jaw over a 3-jaw than advantages right? Most people don't know that. Just want to point that out before you spend so much on one, many would not be happy with the disadvantages. But they sure are purdy.

IMO an 8" is a pretty hefty chuck for a 12x36, I personally wouldn't want that big of a scroll chuck, the 4-jaw independent is fine. Be sure to check if the jaws will clear the ways when fully extended.
 
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