Made a change to my chuck!

jthpipes · Post by **jthpipes** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 7:26 pm

I got sick and tired of my cheap chuck from my lathe spitting the block of briar back at me

... So I removed the jaws from my bench vise and a little jb weld and it works great!!!! some times when you don't have the money you have to use what you can get your hands on.

what do you think?

JMB · Post by **JMB** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 10:30 pm

that jb weld is great stuff. You did a good job turning the pencil on the lathe. lol

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 11:53 pm

Let us know how it holds up. I've been getting irritated at my jaws (similar to those you have) because they don't have a lot of area to grip the block. What I'd love is something like Ken Lamb's jaws, but I simply cannot afford them. I have to schedule some of my father-in-law's time to weld me up something - and that's like a freshman at URI scheduling time on ASCII Purple....

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 1:34 am

I agree Random.

I've seen how JB Weld behaves in some El Cheapo fiberglass drift boats when it's under constant stress. It tends to crack.

Rad

ToddJohnson · Post by **ToddJohnson** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:17 am

random wrote:I am certainly one who experiments often and wildly, and I do not want to discourage you in any way. JB Weld is indeed good stuff. On the other hand if it lets go when the lathe is at speed you could be in for a nasty surprise. I would suggest that if you can scrape together a few bucks you take it to a welder and have it glued with steel instead of JB Weld. Maybe it'll last forever with JB Weld, there's no way to tell. Just my opinion, and please let it caution you without discouraging you. The idea is good, the implementation seems a little... rickety? I'm an old woman sometimes.

I am in absolute unconditional agreement with Random here. Now that you have it epoxied in place, perhaps you could drill 4 holes, tap them, and secure the jaws with some machine screws. Still not bulletproof, but certainly much safer than just JB weld.

Todd

jthpipes · Post by **jthpipes** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 1:19 pm

I understand where you guys are coming from. safety first! I figure that the block comes flying off a lot when I try to turn anything and when I used it like this it did not so in a way I think it may be safer with the JB weld. I may drill a hole and bolt it like todd suggested. (thanks todd) I also stop the lathe a lot to check for cracks in the weld just to be safe. I really hope I can get the money to buy a better one soon. thanks for your concerns and input.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:28 pm

Looks pretty cool guy. I've never worked with JB Weld, so I've no ideal how it holds up. What would you use to drill holes in the steel anyway? And if you're gonna drill it, why not add in the swivel pin? Carr Lane makes a bolt with a swivel ball in it that you could use. Here's a link: http://www.carrlane.com/Catalog/index.c ... 2853574458

Pretty cool stuff. The guy who's making my chuck is using them. Looks like they'll be perfect. I can't wait to spin it up.

jthpipes · Post by **jthpipes** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 12:12 am

well I drilled and turned my first pipe on it and it held up great. I still want to put a couple bolts in for safety but it held the briar like a champ!

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 11:07 am

Cool!