Need some help finding a 6 inch chuck

B

buckshot

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Jan 5, 2023
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Greetings folks,
Now that I have re belted and reassembled my Atlas 12 Pedestal 3996 lathe I think I am in need of a 6 inch 3 jaw chuck....The Craftsman 6 inch that came
with the lathe will no longer keep the work tight in the jaws......I have seen some of the repair video's but I don't have a grinder to attempt to cut the
jaws....Even if I did have a grinder I would probably do more damage then good....As I am retired and working on a bit
of a shoe string I am attempting to find a hobby class chuck. I may use this machine five or six times a year..... I have been traveling around to a number of machine shops trying to find a surplus chuck
but I am finding more dead ends than chucks. I have been on the internet and the data on any number of chucks is , to me, confusing to say the least.....
The opening through the spindle is .077 and the spindle / chuck size is 1 1/2 X 8 so I don't think I need any thing bigger then a 6 inch...I would like to find a
chuck that screws directly onto the spindle..... .I would sure appreciate some basic direction on being able to
properly identify what I am looking for and needing....I even went to the internet and searched the topic "Buying lathe chucks for dummies ".......are there
any companies out there that you folks have done satisfactory business or are happy with ? ? ?
Have fun,
buckshot
 
The ones Shars sells (And CME-Tools, and the usual importerse) are reasonably good, though they don't have a direct-thread version. You end up having to machine your backing plate, but many come with the backing plate 95% finished, so just need to machine the register and bolt it together!

An additional idea, is to see if you can take your jaws in off your 3 jaw, machine them into '2-piece' jaws, then create a set of soft-jaws for them. I touch of a project, particularly depending on what machinery you have available, but at least 'soft jaws' (or even steel jaws!) could be machined in place easily enough.
 
You are better off with a separate back plate and machine the back plate on the lathe to fit the chuck. It will be more accurate that a one piece chuck.
 
this one , I think is going to go for some big money . But you never know . https://www.ebay.com/itm/325491243193?hash=item4bc8ca38b9:g:lrwAAOSw9gFjuhBY&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAsPh4dhWVXqRPKRhwnHlfIPnEOlBjxHyII2V5mxrlgeUgVnoRfaN/TVr66m0HFxRZsrCol/YTli9ArXiLOv/fcmGbR8ZiMU0US954c40hUWITvPyv58KMLRspqgrwcDlY2sO82haBSEqwI3835eZgR6GvAS4A6OplxMFHZZJmEUL4+SuSf6o/6l5WOmf93yQQXHuZbpjNxAICiHynVRw0gTFLBK8ugnXhUxKElGIs0NTL|tkp:Bk9SR8bq1rW0YQ

Here is a nice one , note that the jaws bolt on . That means you can put on soft jaws . https://www.ebay.com/itm/300921707099?hash=item461054da5b:g:JQUAAOSwN91bbfPC&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAsDujBFwtrRtJy6abP/h3HPG3TxshhA8Xon/73lwfG8MkREjQykmasxvai0mQTVora3uY0jShxtnQOTNNWkGq978McnOq/X/Qqt1XdUCEl8IGXzcARqeB5vgeYADYV+RY7KfmVffoW5R2d7DZhZgblqmWsVqZ5UuqXzVYZ+ihTkMJubgRAOVIVV59l+xQnGuYiBvUDAXfQPW8p6jBSV2qI933Sqksz0Mc/SsRx8rrMQCJ|tkp:Bk9SR8bq1rW0YQ

Here is a nice collet nose . https://www.ebay.com/itm/2716675431...4NhdVCBYS5INBXTx1D45N84WMA|tkp:Bk9SR8jq1rW0YQ

Also Joel at mymachineshop.net has stuff you might like , good luck .
Mark .
 
Welcome to HM!

I wanted to bring a bit of perspective for your consideration, buckshot. I would guess that about 90+% of the work done on a lathe is done with a 3 jaw chuck so having a good one matters. Higher end chucks grab more evenly, more rigidly and more repeatably, and they do so for much longer than cheap chucks do. If and when you upgrade your lathe, a good chuck can be transferred or sold. In general, I look at 3 jaw chucks in the same way I look at a good milling vise; this is a foundational tool that should be as good as you can afford. Forget the 6 jaw chucks, collet chucks and other fancy toys. You NEED a good 3 jaw and a good 4 jaw. You can get by without the rest of the eye candy.

The better chucks include Pratt Burnerd, Rohm, Yuasa, Kitagawa and Samchully. Below this level are Bison, TMX, Gator and the like. Below that are the rest - the Taiwanese and Chinese imports.

You will very likely need to buy a good chuck and a threaded backplate to fit your spindle. The guys can tell you how to machine and fit it to your lathe.

Yes, I know you said you'll only use the lathe 5-6 times per year. Yes, I saw that you're on a budget. BUT you asked and this is the best advice I can give you - buy a good chuck and buy it once.

I found a deal that I will PM you about; if you can swing it, it is a very good deal.
 
mikey said:
Welcome to HM!

I wanted to bring a bit of perspective for your consideration, buckshot. I would guess that about 90+% of the work done on a lathe is done with a 3 jaw chuck so having a good one matters. Higher end chucks grab more evenly, more rigidly and more repeatably, and they do so for much longer than cheap chucks do. If and when you upgrade your lathe, a good chuck can be transferred or sold. In general, I look at 3 jaw chucks in the same way I look at a good milling vise; this is a foundational tool that should be as good as you can afford. Forget the 6 jaw chucks, collet chucks and other fancy toys. You NEED a good 3 jaw and a good 4 jaw. You can get by without the rest of the eye candy.

The better chucks include Pratt Burnerd, Rohm, Yuasa, Kitagawa and Samchully. Below this level are Bison, TMX, Gator and the like. Below that are the rest - the Taiwanese and Chinese imports.

You will very likely need to buy a good chuck and a threaded backplate to fit your spindle. The guys can tell you how to machine and fit it to your lathe.

Yes, I know you said you'll only use the lathe 5-6 times per year. Yes, I saw that you're on a budget. BUT you asked and this is the best advice I can give you - buy a good chuck and buy it once.

I found a deal that I will PM you about; if you can swing it, it is a very good deal.
Click to expand...

I agree with most of this, however, disagree with:
"Forget the 6 jaw chucks, collet chucks and other fancy toys. You NEED a good 3 jaw and a good 4 jaw. You can get by without the rest of the eye candy."

I find my 6 jaw chuck has completely replaced my 3 jaw, and is better in a ton of ways, to the point I wish I'd bought a better one! I have a cheap one that is 'good enough' and use it non-stop. I agree about the 4 jaw being necessary as well though.
 
Take your chuck to a local machine shop and have them grind the jaws for you. Be cheaper than buying a new chuck. Maybe there is a member of the forum close to you that could do it for you.

Since you have already determined that the chuck is no good. You can't hurt it by trying to fix it. This video might help you out.
No grinder needed.

Have you figured out why the chuck won't hold the work tight? Have you tried wrapping some copper wire around the work or the jaws to see if that helps? Don't be afraid to try things.
 
ErichKeane said:
I agree with most of this, however, disagree with:
"Forget the 6 jaw chucks, collet chucks and other fancy toys. You NEED a good 3 jaw and a good 4 jaw. You can get by without the rest of the eye candy."

I find my 6 jaw chuck has completely replaced my 3 jaw, and is better in a ton of ways, to the point I wish I'd bought a better one! I have a cheap one that is 'good enough' and use it non-stop. I agree about the 4 jaw being necessary as well though.
Click to expand...

A 6 jaw is okay but is no more accurate than a 3 jaw. Plus, a 6 jaw does not grab as tightly as a 3 jaw and that can make a difference when taking big cuts. A 6 jaw is okay when working on plastics and thin walled stuff but it is not a replacement for a basic 3 jaw chuck, at least not in my opinion. My Pratt Burnerd Setrite 6 jaw is a fine chuck but comes out only when I need it. Otherwise, I use a Rohm 3 jaw.
 
If you don't grind the chuck on the lathe that it will be used on , you are wasting your time.
 
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