# Chuck, Ways, and Fingers



## Foozer (Jun 24, 2009)

Read a lot about placing a board under the chuck when changing it out, see very little in use. General purpose is to protect the bed from the chuck falling on it. Now the chuck(s) on my small lathe weigh no more than a wet chicken, but when that chuck comes loose and your not ready for it, chuck, finger and edge of the way sandwich make for an interesting round of language  It just plain smarts

So Hey I got a saw, some MDF and glue later TADA. Such a simple safety item. Took an actually owie to glue one up. Well at least the next time the finger wont get wedged between the proverbial rock and hard place.


----------



## steamer (Jun 24, 2009)

Good for you Foozer!

Mine is a piece of 3/4 plywood kept in the chip tray and it has now well preserved in excess way oil

Dave


----------



## bentprop (Jun 24, 2009)

I use a polypropylene cutting board.Oil proof and cheap.Mine was free ;D


----------



## steamer (Jun 24, 2009)

Mine is a leftover piece of marine ply from my boat that although not free....at least wasn't wasted! :big:

Dave


----------



## mklotz (Jun 24, 2009)

If, instead of that board, you glued together some 2x4s and made a radiused cut to match the OD of the chuck, the chuck could fall only a tiny fraction of an inch and you'd have a rest to hold it at the right height when remounting it. Put a wooden key on the bottom so it aligns the chuck automatically when the key is between the ways.


----------



## steamer (Jun 24, 2009)

Great point Marv, that will take the guessometry flat fingers out of it ...I think I saw that one in HSM a few years back.....but never got the "roundtuit"...
Dave


----------



## cfellows (Jun 24, 2009)

Good ideas. I once dropped a 10 inch chuck from a 14" lathe and caught the tip of my index finger between it and the way. I never had anything hurt so bad in my life. Took almost a pint of Jack Daniels to bring the pain to a bearable level! :

Chuck


----------



## Seanol (Jun 25, 2009)

Chuck,
That's when you get out a small paperclip, heat up the tip red hot and poke it through the fingernail. Tthe feeling is bliss!

Watch out for the spray though...

Sean


----------



## shred (Jun 25, 2009)

These are what I use. Just some odds and ends of 2x6 (part of the lathe shipping crate) screwed together and rough profiled with a bandsaw plus a router cut on the bottom to clear the ways. Works great for installing/uninstalling chucks as well as providing a handy storage block for chucks not in use. That 4J is enough of a hoss I'd really not be keen on installing it without one of these.


----------



## Maryak (Jun 25, 2009)

Guys,

I like the board because it can still be used when transferring from one machine to another with something in the chuck and the jaws are past the chuck body. If you make the other type narrow enough to get behind the open jaws the chuck tends to overbalance off the block.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Wannabe2 (Jul 1, 2009)

Instead of a board I use the mudflap off a car trimmed up to a square. It's light, flexible, protects the ways and best of all it didn't cost anything as I picked it up off the side of the road.
I finally found a use for something off a Holden. Aussies here will understand what that comment means.


----------



## justlesh (Aug 2, 2009)

Tapped hole in chuck, eye bolt, jib crane or engine hoist and you have short work of it. I got engine hoist just to load 15" troyke rotary table on mill.


----------



## vlmarshall (Aug 2, 2009)

justlesh  said:
			
		

> Tapped hole in chuck, eye bolt, jib crane or engine hoist and you have short work of it. I got engine hoist just to load 15" troyke rotary table on mill.


We use an engine hoist for that at work, so often that we've installed bigger, lockable casters, battery, switchbox, hydraulic pump, and single-acting cylinder. I think it gets used more than the two jib cranes. ;D 

Shred, I like that wooden saddle idea. I'm going to copy it... at work and maybe even a tiny one at home... not that a baseball-sized 3-jaw is heavy, but I'd rather it didn't roll away. ;D


----------



## vlmarshall (Aug 2, 2009)

Diymania  said:
			
		

> Just put the chuck on its back so it cant roll @ all



Haha, I usually do, but at work I move that chuck with a 2-foot-long pipe through it, and there's those few inches of falling-room between the chuck mount and the mill table... 

At home, well, I don't _really_ need one... but I could make it out of popsicle sticks. ;D


----------



## tmuir (Aug 2, 2009)

I'm slack.
I just use a bit of 20mm pine offcut that as luck would have it was just the correct size. One day I will make something better but I've got so many other tools that I need to make this one is a low priority.


----------



## mikey00 (Aug 2, 2009)

Mine is a piece of 11/2" X 1 1/2" pine scrap I had laying around. It is for my 4 jaw which is bigger than the 3 jaw.


----------

