Make your own pot chuck

[mklotz]

One of the handier tools in the modelmaking arsenal is the "pot chuck". For those who don't know it by that name, an example is shown on the left in the picture below. Basically, it's a lump of machinable steel on the end of a 5C collet. One clamps down on a circular pin (recessed), then machines a pocket to accept the part. With the pin removed, the collet can then clamp on the part. Especially useful for thin, washer-shaped parts.

If you don't have a 5C chuck or can't justify buying a pot chuck, you can still have the benefits of a pot chuck. In the middle in the photo is a chunk of 1.25" OD aluminum that's been fashioned into a pot chuck shape, then slit with the dandy little woodcutting carbide saw shown on the right.

Gripping power is supplied by a hose clamp of the appropriate diameter. I've never had something clamped this way come awry. [Although, I don't try to hog out huge bites with it.]

 

[Bernd]

Marv,

Don't mean to hi jack your thread here Marv.

You might add that you can also mount that pot chuck in a three jaw chuck to hold that thin part. The jaws will do the clamping on the pot chuck. If you have a set of soft jaws you can bore them out to hold that thin part too.

BTW, I like that saw. I'm going to have to get one of those.

Bernd

 

[mklotz]

Bernd,

The saw is great. It's carbide-tipped and has a kerf of only 0.050". Much better than a slitting saw for this sort of work. [A slitting saw, after all, is meant for cutting shallow slots such as in screw heads. With no kerf and tiny gullets, it's not the right tool for this sort of job.]

Sadly, the blade shown has a propietary hole - 19/32" - so you'll need to make your own custom arbor. Not a big job but a bit of an annoyance. Note that my arbor has the 1/4-20 SHCS that secures the blade recessed so the saw can cut within about 1/8" of a surface. You might want to think about incorporating that feature into any saw arbor you build.