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 .
There is no reason to "hate" a 4 jaw chuck. It is just another device to use when you need it. And,in the final analysis,it is more useful than a 3 jaw. When I first got one of my early lathes,I had no 4 jaw. One of my first jobs was to bore and thread(with Acme thread,single point),a bronze nut for a guy's cross slide. The hole was off center,as is usual. I had to futz around a while till I got the nut off center with the 3 jaw by experimenting till I got it where I wanted it. No trouble had I a 4 jaw.

The customer was an idiot any way. I found out later,he told another guy I had had a hard time doing the job. That made me look bad. I can do without some people. He was too stupid to realize that I needed a 4 jaw for the job,which would have been no trouble.
 
I clicked 3-jaw only because there was no 6-jaw option. I keep the Gator 6-jaw on the lathe most of the time. When needed it is quick to swap on the 4-jaw and very seldom do I use the 3-jaw that came with my lathe although it does appear to be a good quality chuck.

I will admit that now that I have a D1-4 cam style spindle setup I use my 4-jaw much more than on my previous lathe. My last lathe was a PITA to change chucks and therefore I used any other method rather than swap out chucks.
 
george wilson said:
There is no reason to "hate" a 4 jaw chuck. It is just another device to use when you need it. And,in the final analysis,it is more useful than a 3 jaw. When I first got one of my early lathes,I had no 4 jaw. One of my first jobs was to bore and thread(with Acme thread,single point),a bronze nut for a guy's cross slide. The hole was off center,as is usual. I had to futz around a while till I got the nut off center with the 3 jaw by experimenting till I got it where I wanted it. No trouble had I a 4 jaw.

The customer was an idiot any way. I found out later,he told another guy I had had a hard time doing the job. That made me look bad. I can do without some people. He was too stupid to realize that I needed a 4 jaw for the job,which would have been no trouble.
Click to expand...

If you want to actually use the lathe and you can afford only one chuck it would have to be a 4 jaw as it will do thing that can only be dreamed of with a 3 jaw. Granted the 4 jaw is a PITA when multiple parts are to be made but you can make them, with a 3 jaw not so much even with shimming.
 
Try having welder as machinist. Thea three jaw chuck looks great
The only one shop that could use the four jaw was my self.
FYI where I live had shortage of machinist and a lot of low cost unemployed welders


Dave

petersenonmain said:
If you want to actually use the lathe and you can afford only one chuck it would have to be a 4 jaw as it will do thing that can only be dreamed of with a 3 jaw. Granted the 4 jaw is a PITA when multiple parts are to be made but you can make them, with a 3 jaw not so much even with shimming.
Click to expand...
 
I rarely use my 3-jaws chucks, although it's easy to swap with a D1-5 mount (except the big Pratt-Burnerd, that's a workout), but I'm practiced at dialling in 4-jaws, I have several from 4" to 12" plus collets and drawtube, pair of 12" faceplates and finally a couple of 3-jaws which are my last choice! One unusual piece is a 5" self-centring 4-jaw, handy for square workpieces, usually held in the big P-B so I can get the work centred...
Then again, I'm usually concerned more with concentricity to an existing part and.accuracy more than speed... YMMV.

The new housemate wants to learn how to use ,the lathe, I'll teach him to use a 4-jaw first, he'll benefit from it!
 
A few years back when I first got my lathe I would try not to use the 4 jaw because it seemed so big a deal to change the chuck. after a few changes it is no big deal. Now I use the 4jaw when I need to or think it will be of benifit to the job. but most of the time I have the 3 jaw on there.
 
I got my 10ee 11 years ago, it came with a warn out 3 jaw, 8" 4 jaw, and a very nice Hardinge collet closer. The 3 jaw was quickly retired and I got a set tru 6" chuck. I then got a Bison 5C collet chuck that is set tru and that gets used a lot. When my back got bad I bought a 4jaw chuck in smaller size, 6" a Bison which I use occasionally . The last chuck for lathe is a 4 jaw which mounted on 5C backing which gets used in the closer when I am doing small irregular shaped work.

I hate using the 8" 4 Jaw only because with bad back its a pain literally to mount, but other than that I like 4 jaws, its what I learned on so they really don't bother me. But if I can use collets that is my preference.

michael
 
Doubleeboy said:
I got my 10ee 11 years ago, it came with a warn out 3 jaw, 8" 4 jaw, and a very nice Hardinge collet closer. The 3 jaw was quickly retired and I got a set tru 6" chuck. I then got a Bison 5C collet chuck that is set tru and that gets used a lot. When my back got bad I bought a 4jaw chuck in smaller size, 6" a Bison which I use occasionally . The last chuck for lathe is a 4 jaw which mounted on 5C backing which gets used in the closer when I am doing small irregular shaped work.

I hate using the 8" 4 Jaw only because with bad back its a pain literally to mount, but other than that I like 4 jaws, its what I learned on so they really don't bother me. But if I can use collets that is my preference.

michael
Click to expand...
A piece of 2 or 3 inch pipe and a small jib crane mounted on the back of the head stock can do wonders for a bad back. Use the pipe to mount the 4 jaw and the jib to pick it up, just drill and tap a 1/4 to 3/8 hole in the chuck and use an eye bolt for the pick. This works on my 20" chuck so I can't see why it won't work on yours and as an added bonus no more smashed fingers.
 
petersenonmain said:
A piece of 2 or 3 inch pipe and a small jib crane mounted on the back of the head stock can do wonders for a bad back. Use the pipe to mount the 4 jaw and the jib to pick it up, just drill and tap a 1/4 to 3/8 hole in the chuck and use an eye bolt for the pick. This works on my 20" chuck so I can't see why it won't work on yours and as an added bonus no more smashed fingers.
Click to expand...

The bottom of this page shows a method that might work, if you don't want to, or can't drill into your chuck.

http://www.homemetalshopclub.org/news/mar02/mar02.html
 
I have a 12" three jaw set true on my 18" lathe that I use most of the time. I like it because I can dial it in and it will repeat pretty well without having to use an indicator every time. I do have two four jaw chucks a 12" and a 14" that I have never really used since I got the three jaw set true. If it wont fit in the three jaw I just find another way to do it on the mill for the simple fact that the chucks are so darn heavy. I do keep the four jaw around in case I ever do really need it for something odd.
 
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