Scroll Chuck Purchase: Three Jaws or Six?

A_Pmech · Jun 10, 2010

I need to spend some cash this week on a new scroll chuck for my Pacemaker.

Specifications I've decided upon:

8" chuck
Removable top jaws
Adjust-true style
Made in USA (If that's even possible. If not, Europe)

What I'm having difficulty deciding is whether to go with 3 jaws or six. Obviously, I've used plenty of 3 jaw scroll chucks. From what I've read, a 6-jaw is superior in all regards to a 3-jaw when it comes to workholding and can always be "converted" to a 3-jaw by removing half the jaws. They seem to shine when it comes to holding thin rings which would turn into a Wankel rotor in a 3-jaw. Are there any other advantages or disadvantages I should be thinking about? It seems to me a 6-jaw is more versatile save for a slightly larger minimum chucking diameter.

I'm currently looking at Buck Chuck BVC series, pending country of origin. Since Jacobs left the country, I've come to the conclusion an old-line US name doesn't mean anything anymore.

Thanks in advance.

acme thread · Jun 10, 2010

Just my $ .02, I've got a 6" Bison, 6-JAW, with reversable two -piece jaws, There's nothing wrong with it, But It's not my favorite chuck: Takes too long to reverse jaws. I solved that problem , By getting another chuck, Use one chuck internal, and the other external. I have a D-1-4 SPINDLE, and It's easier to change chucks than jaws.
I would also be hesitant to remove half of the jaws on a six jaw, You do that for a period of time, and your going to wear the jaws. You'll have three warn jaws and three good ones.
I've even gone as far as setting up two 4-jaw chucks the same way, internal-external.
The only advantage to a six jaw, is holding thin stuff, Mine sits, more than getting used,
Witch is OK, they're to darned expensive ,To use them for everyday BS jobs.
I also think the Adj-tru chucks are highly over-rated, they're ok for production work, where your gripping the same dia. part every day, But if you have to indicate everytime
you change to a differant dia. You would be time and money ahead to just use a 4-jaw to begin with. DAVE [ACME THREAD]

Ferrous Antiquos · Jun 10, 2010

The only advantage to six jaws is for reducing distortion on thin-walled parts. It does this by spreading the jaw force load equally in six places instead of three.

Do not be mislead into thinking that 6 jaws is more accurate than three. Accuracy of a self-centering chuck be it scroll, drawbar, air, diaphragm, or whatever, is dependent upon the design and the care in which the chuck mfgr makes and fits the components.

Here's an off-brand which I've used, and are decent: Komtas, made in Turkey.

Limy Sami · Jun 10, 2010

Go 3 jaw, save your $$$ and make up / buy full circle soft jaws for the thin ring work.

Bison (Poland) are exeptionally good value for $$ well regarded on this forum as well.

Ox · Jun 10, 2010

Limy Sami said:
Go 3 jaw, save your $$$ and make up / buy full circle soft jaws for the thin ring work.

Bison (Poland) are exeptionally good value for € well regarded on this forum as well.

There - fixed it fer yuh Limey. They haven't been such a good deal if you are actually shopping with $$ for a few yrs.

-------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

rockfish · Jun 10, 2010

In my opinion, I would go with a 3 jaw if I had to choose one chuck. It's the one you'll use most often. Go with an adjus-tru with bolt on jaws so you can use soft jaws. In my shop, I have both 3 jaw and 6 jaw adjus-tru chucks. I use the 3 jaw the most. Most of my 6 jaw chucks are solid jaw models, which I prefer. I use them for small parts and tubing. When you really need one, they are handy.

As far as a 4 jaw, I really don't know what kind of work most of these guys run, but I can't imagine trying to hold most of the work I do in one. I use them on occasion to hold odd shaped pieces or when I need an extra firm grip on some material for heavy hogging, but I can't imagine doing second operations or delicate machining in one. The only way to indicate parts in without marring the outside finish is to put soft shims in between the part and the jaw and I simply don't have the time to monkey around with crap like that. I'm trying to make money.

Frank

Limy Sami · Jun 10, 2010

Tried using the British pound

Ox · Jun 10, 2010

I have no idea what the exchange is between Pd and E. ???

I jist know that it has NOT been in the favor of importing from Euro countries for quite some time.

The price of a Bison has prolly doubled since most of the guys that say they are good for the money have bought one. Or more likely - since they have compared to anything else...

It's not 1999 anymore. (sorry to say...)

--------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

blake in spokane · Jun 10, 2010

If you already have a 3 jaw & a 4 jaw independant, get a 4 jaw scroll. Last week I got an 8" import with removable top jaws. The best thing I've bought in a long time.

Pierce Butler · Jun 11, 2010

I had a 3 jaw and 4 jaw that came with my lathe. Now I have a 6 jaw removable. The 3 jaw was not an adjust-tru but the 6 jaw is. I found that while the range of the 6 jaw isn't as great as the 3 jaw, the added clamping area and greater trueness of the chuck more than compensates for the loss of range.

Personally I like the 6 jaw much better than the 3 jaw. I haven't mounted my 3 jaw chuck in months. The 4 jaw even longer than that.

I went with a 6" 6 jaw. Most of my work is best suited to the 6".

My chuck is an Asian import. I just can't justify spending more on a chuck than I spent for the lathe. Is my Asian import as good as a high end chuck? I don't think so. I still think I got a lot of bang for my buck and my 6 jaw meets my requirements for accuracy, repeatability, etc . YMMV

SND · Jun 11, 2010

3-jaw chucks with soft jaws here

A_Pmech · Jun 11, 2010

Hi guys,

To update:

As you've probably already noticed my other thread Lathe Chucks: We don't make them anymore Buck Chucks are no longer US-made. In fact, I received a call from Michelle at Buck Chuck just a little while ago. She confirmed that their manual lathe chucks are of Chinese origin.

After a long conversation with Duane at Kalamazoo Chuck Company, I decided to purchase a 6-jaw model 2086R with a CD209 backplate. The 2086R is a semi-steel chuck with removable top jaws. I expect delivery in 3-4 weeks. Kalamazoo Chuck makes a 100% Made in USA product and that alone was a large part of my reason for picking theirproduct. In addition, their product is the old Buck Chuck design, before it was re-designed for Chinese manufacturing.

I decided on a 6-jaw partly because I have never used one before and I'd like to see how it stacks up. Additionally, it can be used as a 2-jaw, 3-jaw or 6-jaw scroll chuck so I can experiment with all three combinations with and without soft jaws.

Thanks again for the advice! I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Ox · Jun 11, 2010

3-4 weeks? :confused:

A 3 jaw was much quicker delivery wasn't it?

I am pretty sure that all of mine were no more than 1 week deliveries - and that includes a 6 jaw.

????

-------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

A_Pmech · Jun 11, 2010

Ox said:
3-4 weeks?

A 3 jaw was much quicker delivery wasn't it?

I'm told that HAAS bought them out of 8" chucks just recently. They're normally a stock item. 8" 3-jaw was the same lead time, I believe.

If it takes them a month to make it that's fine by me. Just so long as it's right.

A_Pmech · Oct 23, 2010

I'm glad I bought a 6-jaw chuck. It works great as a 2-jaw chuck.

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