4 Jaw Chuck and Indictor

[Phil1958]

ordered up a 4 Jaw Independant Chuck for the lathe and
a Gage Holder :

BTC 6" 4 Jaw D1-3 Independent Lathe Chuck 1 Piece Jaws

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VY05LI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

i've been using the lathe to make small parts such as knobs, pin sockets
for electronics, and a bunch of other projects.

the precision of my work has never been really that good. the small pin sockets had
off center holes, maybe 5 to 10 thousands in a .062" hole in .100" to .250" round bar
stock. the pins needs to be sorted and tweaked because of all the tolerance buildups and
usually end up getting tossed and new ones turned again until i get pins that fit.

i came across a guy on youtube (not my usual way of gathering knowledge) called
ABOM79, adam booth. he runs a machine shop down south. most of his work is on
large lathes. he does most of his lathe work on a 4 jaw independent chuck.

his videos are pretty good explaining how he sets things up, makes fixtures, tool
bits, etc.. if you are an amateur hack like me his videos are worth the time to
watch. just about all the problems i have turning parts are due to my poor, and
lack of, setup and indicating skills.

so the indicator gage and four jaw chuck will put me on the right path to getting things
centered on my lathe. i will post some pictures when the chuck and indicator arrive.
they are due in on tuesday.

cool!

:thumbsup:

phil

 

[Mariah]

Phil...Use a center drill to locate the hole, drill .005-.010" under size, ream to finish size with a chucking reamer. If your tailstock is on center the hole will be perfect. I do this frequently, the holes center within .0005" T.I.R.

PS You must face off the part first to prevent the tools from leading off center!

 

[FOMOGO]

Phil...Use a center drill to locate the hole, drill .005-.010" under size, ream to finish size with a chucking reamer. If your tailstock is on center the hole will be perfect. I do this frequently, the holes center within .0005" T.I.R.

PS You must face off the part first to prevent the tools from leading off center!

Yes, yes and yes if he has an accurate lathe. Is it true? Or does it have run out? Lots of variables with the scenario.

I too have made and tossed quit a few parts. I have checked my lathe and it is true so there is no question that it is pilot error (ME).

A friend that is a Tool & Die maker taught me more on the lathe in 30 minutes than I had learned in the 6 years I have owned it....

I was measuring for run out in the wrong way and relying on eyeball as good enough. Plus assuming that it is straight just because it is tight in the chuck......

My finish work turned around immediately. Much better fit and finish on parts now. He makes parts for me on occasion that are just amazing for fit and finish BUT this is what he does and all he does day in and day out.

I find the 4 jaw chuck very useful in some circumstances but struggle with the set up. I can get it dead true but it takes me longer than I think it should... I am better than I was and I am not making Rocket parts so I am happy.


[MENTION=42056]Phil1958[/MENTION] Keep at it and it will get better. I struggled with a parting tool until I watched several YouTube video's and then it all came together. There is a lot of good information there you just have to weed through the want-a-be's. Probably the biggest problem is that we don't get to spend enough time on the Lathe. Its like welding. The more you do it the more you understand it.

Doug

 

[SAT]

Phil1958, Mariah, FOMOGO,
I spend some time every so often watching You Tube "before you buy that lathe", "setting-up a metal lathe" and "cleaning three jaw scroll and four jaw independent chucks". Adding an additional light over each machine helped a bunch too. It hurt to spring for a Precision Level, but it gets used every so often to assure that the machines flat, level and not twisted or torqued.
Edit: also the South Bend Two Collar method with a micrometer measurement.
All good information here. As usual, I'm interested in PAP's take on improving lathe accuracy.
Hope this helps,
SAT

 

[Phil1958]

UPS must have delivered this friday night or saturday at the shop,
i was expecting it on tuesday:



picked up droppings of 4140 and 12L14 to play with on the new chuck!

:thumbsup:

phil

 

[PAP]

Honestly, I haven't used a 4 jaw chuck in probably 20 yrs. Why?.....because 2 of my lathes are set up with 6 jaw adjust-tru chucks. They will clamp up with uniform pressure and distort things less with 6 jaws versus 3 or 4, plus the chuck itself can be adjusted on the back plate.
This saves so much time that it is worth the cost in the long run. Typically I've seen guys spend almost an hour dialing in a barrel blank on a 4 jaw chuck, I can do it in less than 2 minutes.
4 jaw chucks have their purpose for work pieces that are not cylindrical, but I haven't run into any circumstance lately that I needed to use mine, because I usually found a solution that worked better on a mill.

Phil, for the small work you do, you should consider an ER collet set up. Now that you have a 4 jaw, you can dial in the collet holder, and just use the precision of the collets to hold center and repeatability.

 

[Mariah]

Phil...That 12L14 (Leadloy as I call it) is the excellent choice of steel to practice with. That little bit of lead makes it cut easy and lend to a good finish.

 

[Phil1958]

the chuck arrived this morning:



i need to clean the lathe up a bit before
installing it. maybe tonight or tomorrow.

thanks for the advice!

:thumbsup:

phil

 

[Phil1958]

non-existent quality control.....

one of the cam lock bolt holes was not threaded. this doesn't
say much for BTC. let's see how the customer service is.








UPDATE - a new chuck is being shipped today. not bad!