Lathe Chuck Quality

[Jester966]

My Atlas TH54 came with a 5" Bison 3-jaw chuck (3204-125). The chuck is in pretty good shape and runs concentric within about .002". Unfortunately, it only came with one set of solid I.D. jaws which limits me to gripping a max O.D. of about 2". The lathe also came with a face plate, but no 4-jaw.

A new set of solid O.D. jaws for the Bison chuck is about $180, but I could buy a new Chinese chuck with both sets of jaws for $98 instead. Or, for $166, I could buy a Chinese 6" 4-jaw, and hold any larger work with it for now.

The Chinese chucks I'm referring to come from accusizetools.com. There are likely other inexpensive options, but I can pickup from Accusize to avoid shipping charges. As I'm in Canada, shipping chucks from the states would be fairly expensive.

I don't have a specific work-holding need right now, just trying to way cost Vs. quality Vs. versatility. What are your thoughts?

 

[taycat]

company here in uk sell's indian made chuck's they are much better quality than the chinese ones.
made by a company called zither.
got a couple and they are good.

 

[stupoty]

I was lucky enough to get a bison 3 jaw chuck on my latest lathe, it's the most repeating 3 jaw chuck I have ever encountered.

If the size is ok I would be tempted to try and get jaws for it.

Stuart

 

[Splat]

Bison makes a very good chuck. I would get jaws for it.

 

[mksj]

Bison makes good chucks, as long as it is not worn out, I concur with splat to replace the jaws. You might check several suppliers, looks like you would want: Bison HARD 2-PIECE REV. JAWS SDT 3500 3200-125
http://www.ajaxtoolsupply.com/index.html
http://www.e-jaws.com/
http://www.usstjaws.com/about_jaws/masterjaws.htm
Enco has 1 piece, but price in PDF catalog $160 does not match with part price in cart $196. You could get these on a 20% off sale (sign up for email notifications), and/or see if they will honor the lower of the two prices.
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPAGE=444&PMITEM=712-2576

 

[darkzero]

Keep in mind, if you do purchase replacement jaws, you will still need to regrind them for your chuck. Bison as well as other higher quality chuck manufacturers stamp identification numbers on the jaws to match the chuck body because they are matched/ground to each body.

You might get lucky & may not need to especially if you have a Set-Tru chuck but it is recommended by the manufacturer. And when purchasing replacment jaws for 2pc jaws, the master & top jaws will not line up with each other cause they need to be reground.

 

[randyc]

Another vote for Bison jaws, noting that they may have to be ground true as darkzero specified. I have only one Bison chuck but it's definitely a quality piece of work - wish I had two or three more, LOL !

 

[EmilioG]

Who makes the best lathe chuck?

 

[Splat]

Who makes the best lathe chuck?

Ok, I give. Who?

Actually, if I had the $ I'd go with Bison but as for the "best"... I know there's chucks costing triple of Bisons price but their tolerances are Nasa quality. I've decided to go with a Gator/Fuerda 6.25" 4-jaw for my Heavy 10L. I've read mostly good about them. I also called the company with a few questions and their tech support was pleasant and I didn't feel rushed. Got all my answers in one call, too! LOL!

 

[darkzero]

Who makes the best lathe chuck?

There's one of those questions again with the word "best" that can't be answered. It's opinionated & a specific type of chuck from one manufacturer can be "better" than another & vise versa.

Not counting CNC lathe chucks, "best" in my book today is Pratt Bernard (England). But that can change. Buck used to be one of the best in my book but they're no longer made the US anymore. My best chuck in my possesion today is a Bison but I'll probably never buy one again going forward due to the company changes, in the past few years. Currently my most used chucks are Bison & Gator (Fuerda). Kitagawa & Kalamazoo are also excellent chuck manufacturers.