I know this may sound a stupid question, but how tight should the wood be thats held in the chuck, either by gripper or dovetail jaws?
How Tight
- Thread starter Waka
- Start date
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Woodchips2
Established Member
If it comes off and smacks you in the chops Waka it wasn't tight enough :lol:
If you watch the pros they seem to tighten it pretty tight, ie biceps straining and tightening on each keyway.
Regards Keith
If you watch the pros they seem to tighten it pretty tight, ie biceps straining and tightening on each keyway.
Regards Keith
Richard Findley
Established Member
Hi Waka
Not a silly question at all, but not an easy one to answer in words, much easier to show.
My best advice is to think of it like anything else you tighten- screws, nuts.... (Over reached myself now, can't think of anything else that does up!) If you under tighten then stuff comes off but over tightening is as bad and sometimes worse.
You don't need to strain yourself or use extra long levers etc. but it should be a good hand tight, just like all those other things that you tighten up!
Hope that helps!
Richard
Not a silly question at all, but not an easy one to answer in words, much easier to show.
My best advice is to think of it like anything else you tighten- screws, nuts.... (Over reached myself now, can't think of anything else that does up!) If you under tighten then stuff comes off but over tightening is as bad and sometimes worse.
You don't need to strain yourself or use extra long levers etc. but it should be a good hand tight, just like all those other things that you tighten up!
Hope that helps!
Richard
woodfarmer
Established Member
I think it may depend whether you are tightening down on a solid spigot or pushing it apart in a hollow mortice.
Some things are more delicate than others but I suspect the hollow mortices pose the greatest problem of the wood splitting and coming apart and out of the chuck.
Some things are more delicate than others but I suspect the hollow mortices pose the greatest problem of the wood splitting and coming apart and out of the chuck.
Dalboy
Established Member
As Richard's says. People tend to overtighten things a bit like router bits being tightened in the router to a point that when trying to undo it breaks something. So tighten as he says but check regularly while turning it may just need that extra tweek occasionally especially if you turn wet wood and it takes a little longer than normal to turn and yes it can shrink just enough to make it appear as though you have loosened the chuck.
chipmunk
Established Member
I think it also depends on which direction the grain is running.
Stuart Mortimer is a great one for extension bars for tightening his chucks down onto the spigots of his hollow forms. These have the grain running along the lathe bed and probably little harm can come of this, apart from damaging the scroll on your chuck! Doing this with cross-grain bowls would be asking for the spigot to shear off following the short grain.
My answer is along the same lines as Richard but use the chuck key as a guide. You should be able to do it up and undo it easily without straining using the leverage of the chuck key alone. My Axminster Clubman chuck has shorter arms on the chuck key than my Axminster SPC but I wouldn't adapt the Clubman key.
HTH
Jon
Stuart Mortimer is a great one for extension bars for tightening his chucks down onto the spigots of his hollow forms. These have the grain running along the lathe bed and probably little harm can come of this, apart from damaging the scroll on your chuck! Doing this with cross-grain bowls would be asking for the spigot to shear off following the short grain.
My answer is along the same lines as Richard but use the chuck key as a guide. You should be able to do it up and undo it easily without straining using the leverage of the chuck key alone. My Axminster Clubman chuck has shorter arms on the chuck key than my Axminster SPC but I wouldn't adapt the Clubman key.
HTH
Jon
Thank you for the answers much appreciated, sorry I didn't reply yesterday, I was away buying tools.
I've not experienced anything flying out the chuck to date, but I had an incident last week where I got a catch and it broke the tool rest and damaged the chuck. That chuck is now down at Axminster to see if it's possible to repair and re-true.
I've not experienced anything flying out the chuck to date, but I had an incident last week where I got a catch and it broke the tool rest and damaged the chuck. That chuck is now down at Axminster to see if it's possible to repair and re-true.
Wybrook
Established Member
Crumbs, that's a nasty catch :-(
Hope it was only the metal bits that got hurt.
Hope it was only the metal bits that got hurt.
CHJ
Established Member
Waka, If you use a bit of common sense as you would when holding finished pieces in your bench vice I think it's more likely for you to have a green wood cross grain spigot let go on you than chuck letting go completely. (something I never use as I've had too many failures)
If sound changes or 'knocking' suddenly develops then stop and check seating.
If working on something that needs the lightest of jaw pressure to hold rather than marking it then if possible bring a padded tailstock revolving centre up to stop it coming away from the chuck if it loosens.
I often do this when cleaning up the bases for instance, finish the centre of the spigot or recess before turning it round to core the middle out, that way any bruising right in the middle from tail stock rubbing is minimal when finishing the base and can be cleaned by hand off the lathe.
Same principle as working on the base of a natural edge bowl to finish.
If sound changes or 'knocking' suddenly develops then stop and check seating.
If working on something that needs the lightest of jaw pressure to hold rather than marking it then if possible bring a padded tailstock revolving centre up to stop it coming away from the chuck if it loosens.
I often do this when cleaning up the bases for instance, finish the centre of the spigot or recess before turning it round to core the middle out, that way any bruising right in the middle from tail stock rubbing is minimal when finishing the base and can be cleaned by hand off the lathe.
Same principle as working on the base of a natural edge bowl to finish.
Tazmaniandevil
Established Member
It's not just me then........Waka":2ti3fy4f said:
I destroyed the tool rest on my old Myford lathe when I got a catch turning a bowl. It was completely my fault, but what a shock it gave me. I had the piece mounted on a faceplate, and it bent the 8 No. 1" x 8 wood screws before the tool rest gave way.
Combination of too fast, wrong tool, and not enough experience in my case.
Hope your chuck is repairable matey.
Thanks for the advice Chas.
I guess it's a lack of experience, trying to rush thinking that I know what I'm doing and to cap that utter stupidity on my part.
But by making these mistakes in there early days of turning I'll learn. Luckily it was only the the equipment that was damaged, all my love;y soft features are still intact.
I guess it's a lack of experience, trying to rush thinking that I know what I'm doing and to cap that utter stupidity on my part.
But by making these mistakes in there early days of turning I'll learn. Luckily it was only the the equipment that was damaged, all my love;y soft features are still intact.
