Which 3 Jaw Chuck and collet chuck for incoming PM1340GT

S

Serpico1985

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I am new to lathes. I purchased a PM1340GT that should be here in early March. It's a single phase that will be used for gunsmithing. I've been using a mill for a year now and am still new to machining but learning.

When I purchased the lathe I got the Precision Matthews brand high precision 4 jaw lathe chuck that will ship with it. In talking with the other gunsmiths who are guiding me I know that I need a 3 jaw chuck and a collet chuck. I'm trying to figure out the best bang for my buck on these items. I'm not incapable of spending some money (I'm not on a tight "Chinese only" type budget) but I don't want to burn money needlessly. I know the 3 jaw will get used the most along with the collet chuck for what I need to do with them.

I've looked at Buck adjust-tru 3 jaw chucks and lordy are they expensive. The 8" 3 jaw with a D1-4 back plate is around $1700-$1800 new. I thought about trying to find a used one on ebay with no back plate and combining that with a new D1-4 back plate but it's hard for me to tell if the used condition is satisfactory or not. I've seen them on ebay for anywhere from $200 to $700. The $200 ones look rough. The $600-$700 look much better but I'm not %100 sure they are what they say they are as I'm unfamiliar with the markings on the older buck chucks.

As far as collet chucks go I'm all ears. Don't know much about them. I've seen the Chinese ones that are around $150 to a bison brand that are around $460 with no back plate. Any advise would be appreciated.

Thank you.
 
I have a PM1340 outfitted with a Chandox 3J, with Adust-Tru and 2-piece jaws. It was supplied by PM, made in Taiwan and an outstanding chuck. I also have a Bison 3J, Adjust-Tru with 2-piece jaws and it's also a great chuck. I'm not sure if PM is still importing the Chandox, but the Bison I have and can recommend is shown here. I don't think you need a Bison quality D1-4 mount.
 
For a goode middle ground, take a look at Bison chucks, for a little cheaper Gator.

Lots of places sell Bison , so you need to shop around as prices can be all over the place.

Plain back (model # is actually 7-800-0800)
www.penntoolco.com

Bison 3-Jaw Self-Centering Scroll Chuck, Plain Back #3205, 8" Diameter - 7-800-0800

Offering a huge selection of industrial tool sales online. Find over 100,000 metalworking products, precision measuring tools, power tools & accessories.
www.penntoolco.com www.penntoolco.com

The only potential benefit of a collet chuck in my opinion is if you get a set true one. They are more expensive, still less rigid and fiddly, but can make up for poor quality collets (within reason.)
 
Last edited:
Serpico1985 said:
I am new to lathes. I purchased a PM1340GT that should be here in early March. It's a single phase that will be used for gunsmithing. I've been using a mill for a year now and am still new to machining but learning.

When I purchased the lathe I got the Precision Matthews brand high precision 4 jaw lathe chuck that will ship with it. In talking with the other gunsmiths who are guiding me I know that I need a 3 jaw chuck and a collet chuck. I'm trying to figure out the best bang for my buck on these items. I'm not incapable of spending some money (I'm not on a tight "Chinese only" type budget) but I don't want to burn money needlessly. I know the 3 jaw will get used the most along with the collet chuck for what I need to do with them.

I've looked at Buck adjust-tru 3 jaw chucks and lordy are they expensive. The 8" 3 jaw with a D1-4 back plate is around $1700-$1800 new. I thought about trying to find a used one on ebay with no back plate and combining that with a new D1-4 back plate but it's hard for me to tell if the used condition is satisfactory or not. I've seen them on ebay for anywhere from $200 to $700. The $200 ones look rough. The $600-$700 look much better but I'm not %100 sure they are what they say they are as I'm unfamiliar with the markings on the older buck chucks.

As far as collet chucks go I'm all ears. Don't know much about them. I've seen the Chinese ones that are around $150 to a bison brand that are around $460 with no back plate. Any advise would be appreciated.

Thank you.
Click to expand...
I purchased the 8" Gator 6 jaw set true chuck for my PM1340 and I'm very satisfied with the chuck.

http://gatorchucksonline.com/Scroll...pb-series-6-jaw-153-semi-steel/1-153-0800.htm
This chuck gets used for 99% of my work.

Instead of buying a separate collet chuck I went with an ER32 collet holder that I chuck up in the 6 jaw.
https://www.maritool.com/Tool-Holde...STRAIGHT-SHANK-COLLET-CHUCK/product_info.html
This gives me the equivalent of a set true collet chuck for a fraction of the cost plus no need to switch out chucks. Some will say this is a less rigid setup and that is true but considering the small size stock you put into a collet it doesn't matter much. If you are doing a lot of repetitive small part work in a collet this setup will be slow compared to a true collet chuck but I'm a hobbiest so not really a problem for me.
 
I would consider trolling ebay for a "New-Open Box" chuck with the specs you consider necessary. I recently bought a Pratt-Burnerd - Made in England 6" 4-jaw independent scroll chuck in that category and paid a fraction of the cost for a brand new one. The chuck came in the original box with original styrofoam packaging and cosmolene and had clearly never been used on a lathe. It was exactly what I was looking for except for the backing plate - I modified one I had to fit my lathe. The only downside was it did not have the original chuck key. So I made two - a nice exercise anyway.

I did a quick search on ebay and found this - might not be at all what you're looking for but just an illustration that there's stuff out there:

www.ebay.com

Display Model Bison Poland 8" 3-Jaw Scroll Lathe Chuck. 2pc Jaws. A5 A1-5 Mount. | eBay

Display Bison Poland 8" 3-Jaw Scroll Lathe Chuck. 2pc Jaws. A5 A1-5 Mount. $1108 Premium European quality. Box May be different than the one shown •3-Jaw Direct Mounting Lathe Chucks •American Standard . 2-Pc. Jaws Please See additional Pictures Below the Description.
www.ebay.com

That chuck lists for over $1,300 on MSC's website:

Regards,
Terry
 
P
tjb said:
I would consider trolling ebay for a "New-Open Box" chuck with the specs you consider necessary. I recently bought a Pratt-Burnerd - Made in England 6" 4-jaw independent scroll chuck in that category and paid a fraction of the cost for a brand new one. The chuck came in the original box with original styrofoam packaging and cosmolene and had clearly never been used on a lathe. It was exactly what I was looking for except for the backing plate - I modified one I had to fit my lathe. The only downside was it did not have the original chuck key. So I made two - a nice exercise anyway.

I did a quick search on ebay and found this - might not be at all what you're looking for but just an illustration that there's stuff out there:

www.ebay.com

Display Model Bison Poland 8" 3-Jaw Scroll Lathe Chuck. 2pc Jaws. A5 A1-5 Mount. | eBay

Display Bison Poland 8" 3-Jaw Scroll Lathe Chuck. 2pc Jaws. A5 A1-5 Mount. $1108 Premium European quality. Box May be different than the one shown •3-Jaw Direct Mounting Lathe Chucks •American Standard . 2-Pc. Jaws Please See additional Pictures Below the Description.
www.ebay.com

That chuck lists for over $1,300 on MSC's website:

Regards,
Terry
Click to expand...
P.S.: It's also been my experience that vendors with "New - Open Box" merchandise will negotiate - sometimes, substantially.
 
The Chandox set-true type chuck is probably the most cost effective, and can be either an upgrade to the PEP package or purchased separately if in stock at QMT/PM. The Buck chucks are quite expensive for what you get, there are equal or better quality chucks for less. The Gator chucks are Chinese copies of the the Bison, many of the parts are interchangeable but the workmanship on the chuck is better with the Bison, but it varies and you can read others review of these chucks. Bison chuck is not much more. TMX use to be a distributor for Bison, but split off and has their own line of chucks manufactured in Poland. They are slightly less expensive than the Bison, a few people that have purchased the TMX noted some small issues but they worked well otherwise. The Pratt Burnerd America 3 Jaw Setrite Chuck, 6 or 8" is also a very good chuck and is what I use. QMT/PM sells Bison/TMX so worth inquiring on pricing if you go that route. A Set-True type of chuck uses an adjustable back plate that the chuck can be centered for minimum TIR. This is helpful if you need to center the work piece and if you are doing repetitive tasks that the part is removed and then rechucked. In most cases the repeatability is better than 0.0005" but will also vary on the size of the piece you are holding.

As far as collet chucks there are too general schools/preferences, one is for a 5C collet type and the other is an ER40 type. The pros and cons of each type have been extensively discussed, the 5C has less holding power and collet clamping range, but works better (in my opinion) for short or small pieces and also can be used with stock other than round with the appropriate collet. Since it has a very small clamping range, I advise using a 1/64th collet set available through QMT/or other vendors. An ER40 system has a wider clamping range but needs to hold the stock through the collet, technically they have a collapsible range of 1 MM but in my experience the accuracy suffers at the clamping extremes, so I recommend getting the collet set in imperial vs. metric if you go that route. Shar's usually stocks a D1-4 ER-40 set-true style chuck that many HM members have used with good results (you can do a search), alternative is a Set-True style 5C. I use the latter in a Bison chuck and it works very well, my understanding is that QMT/PM now stock a less expensive version set-true type 5C chuck in addition they can source the Bison/TMX. I also find the Small Tools Inc. carries a wide range of chucks and typically have very good pricing.
www.smalltools.com

Bison 5" 5C Super Precision Collet Chuck Set Tru Mount 7-862-0505

Bison 5" 5C Super Precision Collet Chuck Set Tru Mount 7-862-0505
www.smalltools.com www.smalltools.com
www.shars.com

5" ER40 Zero Set Fine Adjustment Collet Chuck

www.shars.com www.shars.com

If you plan to do gunsmithing, you may consider going 3 phase for the 1340GT with a VFD, typically you will get better surface finish, soft start, rapid braking and variable speed on the fly. You can do a basic VFD install for around $600 inclusive of the VFD (WJ200-015SF available through QMT or other online vendors ).
www.driveswarehouse.com

WJ200-015SF

www.driveswarehouse.com www.driveswarehouse.com
 
Davidpbest
Dan_S
Rich V
tjb
mksj

Thank y'all very much for the information! I didn't realize that PM sold stuff that wasn't listed on their website. I called them and they are going to email their prices for Bison and TMX 8" 3 jaw D1-4 chucks.

Also the sales rep said that they were coming out with their own 5c collet chuck in the next month. I think they will price quote that as well.

Y'all have given me a lot to chew over. Thank you.

Zack
 
You may be able to get a 3ph 1340GT now if any are left from the shipment that just came in. It was recommended above, it's a little more effort to set up, but you do get more benefits.
 
The ship has sailed on the single phase. I have a single phase mill and I got a spot in my shop pre-wired for another single phase machine. Thank you though.
 
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