New lathe questions (chucks and QC setup)

[NezRongero]

the lathe I’m pretty much set on is a PM 1440 - forgot to mention that.
I’m ok crying once and paying a bit more, provided I’m buying what I need...

They of course have a 3 jaw & 4 jaw , I’ll be getting both (kind of resolved that).

I called aloris to see what model I needed, so I’ll be going from there I guess.

Thanks for the reply’s - now I need to go look at 6 jaw chucks.. huh.

Here is good buy on an 8 inch 6J set thru, I am willing to bet a quarter, if you offer him 800 for it, he might just take it.

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Rohm-8-6-JAW...:lQEAAOSw8w1X9ZYe:sc:USPSPriority!78750!US!-1

I bought the 6 inch version from him for a great price. I can tell you, the Rohm quality is typical of any German product. If I didn't have the 8 inch Bison 4J combination chuck on my SBL 13, I would buy this Rohm 8 inch 6J adjust thru in that link I pasted.

 

[alinwa]

If you are using them everyday the Aloris might be justified. For a hobbyist you can buy a Phase 2 and a bunch of tool holders for the same or maybe less money.
I have owned my lathe for about 10 years now and have never mounted the 3 jaw on it.
Here is a picture of my tool holders.
Joe Hynes

Yo Joe..... you an' me could swap and hardly notice the difference

One thing I did different though is a inch-by-inch-and-a-half rare earth magnet stuck to the back of the front so my wrench hangs vertically. I guess I'm too clumsy and too easily hurt cuz I got sick of pulling the wrench out and tumbling a tool with it! I never actually hurt anything nor nicked anything (except my own fingers) but hanging the wrench just saves me heart palpitations.....

 

[Zebra13]

Joe,

In our pic, one of your holders has a little 4 flute end mill in it. I got'sta know. Bushing bolts?

Justin

 

[Chip Burns]

3 or 4 jaw?

I am new here, but old everywhere else. After fifty...and still counting years doing anything needed on an engine lathe, my first choice is a damned GOOD four jaw independent chuck. You did not state the size of your new girl friend. Probably a nine or ten inch. Spindle nose size? The D series would be my first choice.
In a perfect world, all four jaw chucks would have available, a second set of American Standard top removable jaws. Then Alum./ Brass top jaws could be used.
After you use a four jaw for a while, it gets to be a lot easier. I have kept an AGD 2 dial indicator on a mag. base stuck to a 1/4x2 mild steel plate at the tailstock end. Mounted horizontally, not vertically. Now for the yelling...... It is always on center. I will return to the how part later.
As has been said by others, an adjustable three, or six jaw can come along later. If you are working where a runout of three or so is ok, get a three jaw universal for that work.
Remember to dismount any chucks on a regular basis for cleaning of the jaws, screws, and bodies.
Have a piece of .094-.125” steel sheet sheared and bent with two nineties down, to fit over the front and rear ways. Length ?..... Lay this on your machine when using any abrasives.
Best wishes and play safe. No jewelry, short sleeves. Google “lathe accident” . Pictures in gory color.
Chip Burns

 

[MilGunsmith]

Once you learn to use a 4-jaw and indicate in using two chuck keys, you won't put the 3-jaw on again. Even a set-tru needs to be indicated.

 

[Butch Lambert]

My Bison 6 jaw set true is just too heavy to fool with. I doubt I have an hours use on it. It needs a home. I have a 3 jaw, 3 jaw set true, 4 jaw, and collets. I can do whatever I need with what I have and don't need the 6 jaw. Mike Bryant is correct!

 

[Louis.J]

Butch I would tend to agree all I have is a three and a four jaw and neither one real fancy and for my own gunsmithing work they have been all I have needed for my 12X37. But I am also not in business and my time is of no concern so they both have been more than enough to get me by and without sacrificing any required precision.

 

[alinwa]

I am new here, but old everywhere else. . . . . .
Chip Burns

LO-freakin-ELL!!

Velkomen

 

[Chip Burns]

6 jaw chuck

My Bison 6 jaw set true is just too heavy to fool with. I doubt I have an hours use on it. It needs a home. I have a 3 jaw, 3 jaw set true, 4 jaw, and collets. I can do whatever I need with what I have and don't need the 6 jaw. Mike Bryant is correct!

Hello Butch,
Yes these chucks can be heavy. The major advantage to a six jaw chuck is when you are machining split part assemblies. I used a 8.5” with top jaws bored to hold neck finish tooling for blow molds. First steps still required a 12” four jaw.

 

[Mike Bryant]

My LeBlond has a 10" four jaw chuck and it stays on the lathe. Talk about heavy. The 8" three jaw that came with the lathe is pretty worn and was adjust "true" by tapping on the chuck jaw at the machine shop where I bought the lathe when it went out of business. A 15x54 lathe is just a little large for doing barreling work. Joe looks like I need to purchase a few more tool holders. You definitely don't spend much time changing tooling in a tool holder. I had thought of mounting a rail on the splash guard of my lathe to hold the tool holders, but thought that might not be a good idea if swarf starts spinning and catches one of the tool holders and sends it flying.

 

[Spot shooter]

Initially I’m going to go with a 4 jaw, the 6 jaws look interesting, but it’s more to screw around with and the 4 jaw I can get with the lathe is a precision chuck so no worries there.

I’m good on the lathe I want. On to the Drill / mill drill ...

 

[Tad.E]

With a lot of miscellaneous stuff you make in a lathe, it doesn't make any difference whether its running dead true in a 3 jaw chuck or not where it's being held. Once you start making cuts on it, that part is running true at the cuts especially when the part of the piece that is held in the chuck is going to be cut off anyway.

I make a lot of my parts from fresh stock and this is something that gets overlooked by newer people including myself when I first started. You start hunting for parts and tools with the best(low) runout repeatability and overlook this aspect. It is good to hunt for the best tooling and parts just dont out-spend yourself on something that really won't help you as much as something else will. As long as the part doesn't come loose in the jaws or you remove it, all clean cuts providing good practices will essentially be true to eachother. Just be sure to get everything you can do done before you remove it from the jaws or part it off.

On the chuck side the 14x30 lathe I share with my in-laws most of the time wears a 3 jaw bison adjust true. Like I talked about earlier most of out parts start from fresh stock so the adjust true feature rarely gets a screw turned but is sure nice when the time comes for it. All of my barrel work gets done in a shars 4 jaw that I have been very happy with especially for the price point. Most probably wouldn't use it and claim it to cheap made but mine has worked great with my spider setup on the backside.

The comment on the quadrupling of tool holders you think you will need is about as true a statement for lathe work as I have ever read. We have way to few of tool holders for this shared lathe and nothing gets you much more aggrivated right before you setup to do a job and the holders are all changed around and setup for tool bits you won't be using. Easy to fix and change but still very aggrivating to me.

Tad

 

[Spot shooter]

Tad,

I agree - which is why I’m planning on getting the PM 14x40 ultra precision lathe, with a DRO, 3 & 4 Jaw and drill chuck for the tailstock... all very high percision spec.

 

[alinwa]

Tad,

with a DRO, 3 & 4 Jaw and drill chuck for the tailstock...

When you say "a DRO" which axis/function gets the DRO?

I only have one DRO on my lathe (as opposed to 4 on my mill) and it's on the tailstock quill...... For my method of chambering it's indispensable.

 

[retired]

that setup, i'd like to see...the dro.

When you say "a DRO" which axis/function gets the DRO?

I only have one DRO on my lathe (as opposed to 4 on my mill) and it's on the tailstock quill...... For my method of chambering it's indispensable.

 

[R.G. Robinett]

Not a real machinist, but did make this gizmo.

Ripped some 2x4s and glued/screwed them to a plywood sheet, then screwed the whole thing to the wall. I could live without some of those insert-holders didn't know what I was buying at the time . . . and got some duplicates Just wish I had purchased a better lathe - the Grizzly isn't as well-made as my old worn-out SB. RG

 

[alinwa]

that setup, i'd like to see...the dro.

I snapped a couple pix tonite while making a lapping bar.... you'll have to excuse the work, I made the setup before I had a mill. That's a lot of drillpress and sawzall work......it's a little rough around the edges.

There are rollers and tensioners to eliminate flicker ..... they're out of sight behind the tailstock, but maybe you can get the gist.

 

[M995]

I snapped a couple pix tonite while making a lapping bar.... you'll have to excuse the work, I made the setup before I had a mill. That's a lot of drillpress and sawzall work......it's a little rough around the edges.

There are rollers and tensioners to eliminate flicker ..... they're out of sight behind the tailstock, but maybe you can get the gist.

View attachment 21430View attachment 21431

That looks awful busy, but creative.

 

[alinwa]

That looks awful busy, but creative.

Thank you. It offers two distinct functions, the second of which explains a lot of the busy-ness.

#1, a shrouded and vibration-free DRO setup for usefulness and long trouble-free life

#2, the framework incorporates a "limiter" or a stop which can be used for chambering. This limiting system will stop the quill advancement without deflection which is important to me because I use a pusher to drive my reamer.

I also just realized I mis-spoke, I have TWO DRO's on my machine. I also have a readout on the entire length of the bedway, the carriage position is monitored. This allows me to cut a tenon to length or cut the depth of a Rem700-style bolthead recess from a floating zero set...... also extremely useful. I forgot about setting up this one because it was a pretty simple bolt-on procedure, no vibration issues and easy to shroud.

I don't have DRO's on the cross-feeds.

 

[Spot shooter]

When you say "a DRO" which axis/function gets the DRO?

I only have one DRO on my lathe (as opposed to 4 on my mill) and it's on the tailstock quill...... For my method of chambering it's indispensable.

I’m planning on the Easson 2 axis DRO... that they sell with the lathe as a add on option.