8'' 4jaw chuck with d1-4 plate

[777mechanic]

i'm looking for a 8'' independant 4 jaw chuck with a d1-4 plate , what should i look for as in quality . Is there much difference from a buck to a Chinese chuck what am i getting for the difference in money . i'm looking at gator , buck , and one from grizzly tools . so give me your opinion on these chucks thanks .

 

[Frank Fox]

i'm looking for a 8'' independant 4 jaw chuck with a d1-4 plate , what should i look for as in quality . Is there much difference from a buck to a Chinese chuck what am i getting for the difference in money . i'm looking at gator , buck , and one from grizzly tools . so give me your opinion on these chucks thanks .

I bought a "GATOR" . Real good qualty. I was looking at price and decided to go with Gator. It was about twice as much as the Chinese, but much better quality. I got one with replaceable jaws. I couldent find a good used one for the price of the Gator.
Frank

 

[rmack898]

Yes there is a difference between a Buck and Chinese. Some where in between the two there are options like Bison and a few others.

If I had to cut corners on quality due to budget constraints, a 4-jaw independent chuck is where I would do it. Since you have to dial the part in on a 4 jaw, you don't have to worry about a scroll and only have to worry about the jaws and screws which on a lower quality chuck are things that you can improve and tweak and make better than the Chinese factory did. I would look for a chuck with 2-piece jaws instead of removable jaws, that way you only have to worry about getting a good fit on one set of jaws instead of 2 sets.

I have a no-name Chinese 8" 4-jaw that I bought for use on my rotary table for $139 that is actually a nice chuck with 2-piece jaws and I would not have any second thoughts installing it on a lathe.

If you go for a lesser quality chuck, spend the $$ on a quality D1-4 back plate and take your time and fit the chuck to the back plate on your lathe properly and it will serve you well.

 

[darkzero]

I bought a "GATOR" . Real good qualty. I was looking at price and decided to go with Gator. It was about twice as much as the Chinese, but much better quality. I got one with replaceable jaws. I couldn't find a good used one for the price of the Gator.
Frank

I have the same Fuerda/Gator chuck with the American tongue & groove jaws, I'm pretty happy with it. Although China Fuerda has much better QC & mine is much better than any other China chuck I've used/had in the past. I went with an integrated D1-4 chuck. By eliminating the backplate it's easier to move around, less overhang, & easier to hold because of the casting.

I use my Bison Set-Tru chuck most of the time, I don't use a 4-jaw that much. I couldn't justify spending the cash on a higher quality 4-jaw, I hated the 4-jaw chuck that came with my lathe, the Fuerda is a great replacement.

And yes, there is a bid difference in quality between quality chucks & Chinese imports. Normally I would buy a used quality chuck before China but they aren't easy to find for cheap. For chucks you really do get what you pay for, same for QCTPs.