Too Many Chips in the Scroll when Boring

When using a boring bar, the chips are pushed into the bore.
I’m curious what you do to keep chips out of the scroll on a 3 jaw.
I just cleaned it, now I have to do it again.
(On the other site someone would say, “don’t use a 3 jaw”)
Ball of foil stuffed into the bore?
I appreciate your ideas.
Jeff

 

Keeping the scroll clean is a matter of removing the jaws and giving them a good brushing with a brass suede brush. The scroll is cleaned with a wooden chopstick, shaped at the end to fit into the scroll groove. Inserted at the outside edge of the scroll and twisted slightly so it contacts the bottom and both edges of the scroll, whilst winding the scroll so that the chopstick moves any debris to the center, where I can just brush it away.

Thanks! I plan to try your technique next time I do internal boring or threading. Might make it quicker and easier by chucking a ⅜" or ½" socket adapter in the ol' cordless drill, so I don't have to wind it by hand.

 

Only time I worry about the spindle bore is when I'm going to put a center in the taper and then I clean it spotless. General cleaning I just vacuum out then use a large bottle brush attached to a piece of dowel to push any remaining crap out the back of the spindle into a plastic bag. One of those vacuum attachments for computer keyboards get into small places like the scroll and a piece of wood or plastic as scraper helps then winding with a bit of cloth on a stick cleans any remaining muck. Small magnet like on a hook & pick set is good for getting the odd bit of gunk out. Don't put oil on your scroll it holds dirt! Spray-on Silicon is pretty good stuff. Usually the only time you need to really get stuck in is if a bit of swarf get lodged in somewhere and you will feel it when turning the chuck key.

 

With an old lathe, the spindle is threaded, I have an MT4 bore.
If the jaws are opened up beyond 2" diameter you can see the scroll. This is the area I want to keep chips out of. I'm not concerned about chips in the bore. The newspaper filled the void where chips can get into the scroll.
You guys with the newer machines may not have this problem?
I'm not experienced enough to know if some chucks have closed scrolls?
Anyway, newspaper works for my old lathe.

 

Hi Guys,

If you are not passing material through the spindle and want to keep it clean, why not make a back stop that plugs into the taper and has an adjustable screw so you can change the depth. Just leave it in place until you need to use the spindle bore.

I used to have a wooden one with a 1/4" whit bolt in it ! It got borrowed a long time ago. I now have a 2MT taper drill shank, that was cut off a scrapped drill. I drilled it and threaded it 0BA. I now use that as a back stop.

Two uses for the price of one

 

Imo, Any time you are doing a through bore, you are going to end up with chips in the scroll.

Taking your chucks apart for regular maintenance is a good practice to get into. I strip mine down for maintenance every 2 or 3 projects on average. Sometimes I even have to do it in the middle of a project.

 

I would not recommend paper towels or newspaper. The chips are potentially hot enough to start this 'kindling' on fire. Ask me how I know. I like the ball of tin foil idea. Cheap & conformable. I use that across the lathe bed once in a while with nasty stuff like cast iron or rust scale. I'm always paranoid of rags getting caught up in the jaw or tangling in the leadscrew. I have a cheapo shop vac I use around the machines. Brush the big swarf away & then its a lot easier to just clean the smaller bits with suction. Compressed air, even low pressure, can push crap into nooks & crannies where it doesn't belong, but I use it sparingly for vacating small holes like threading or whatever.

 

With an old lathe, the spindle is threaded, I have an MT4 bore.
If the jaws are opened up beyond 2" diameter you can see the scroll. This is the area I want to keep chips out of. I'm not concerned about chips in the bore. The newspaper filled the void where chips can get into the scroll.
You guys with the newer machines may not have this problem?
I'm not experienced enough to know if some chucks have closed scrolls?
Anyway, newspaper works for my old lathe.

Some (very)small cheep brushes are handy for getting in their and cleaning out places like that.

Stu