Scully Jones Hydraulic Mill Chuck info wanted

I am tooling up a new to me Van Norman 1RU and picked up a Scully Jones hydraulic mill chuck for a pretty reasonable price off Ebay recently. It looks to be unused or if it was put to work it was done so rather sparingly. Which brings to mind the question why it wasn't used more. Does anyone have any experience with this model chuck? Does it work worth a hoot or is it a piece of crap?

I didn't get any paperwork with it nor have I ever used another hydraulic chuck of any kind before so I don't have alot of reference point.

I don't have the mill in place yet to use it and don't have NMTB 40 in any other machine spindles so I can't use it under power. I did fit a couple endmills into it at the bench and tightened the screw. It seemed to grip but I have no way of telling whether it is adequate for milling. It did seem I could turn the tightening screw all the way till it bottomed without an overabundance of resistance so that got me wondering if it was working as designed.

Thanks,
Dick

I bought one new with an R8 shank around thirty years ago. It is beautifully made, and so pretty I never put it in my mill. It is still new after all these years. So I can't say how well it works.

Larry

R8 Scully Jones hydraulic chuck

I used to work for Scully Jones Corp around 1992. Hydraulic milling chucks are not as ridged as roll lock chucks; therefore they are more prone to chattering. However they are very precise often times used for gun drilling applications. Holding power is not as great as roll lock chucks that is why many of them would have additional positive drive (tang drive or collets with the positive drive button). If you are not using reducer collet it is not recommend to use end mills (or ant other tools) with notches on the shank, like weldon shank (use only solid shank tools).
I also have on of these R8 shank hydraulic chucks for Bridgeport type machine; it has 5 or 6 reducer collets in wooden box. I think it was actually made in Japan for Scully Jones Corp. I think shortly after WWII these was a lot of cooperation and information/design exchange between SJ and Japanese companies. I am looking to sell it and will probably list it on Ebay, unless I can find someone on the Practicalmachinins website that may be interested in it. I am also looking for any suggestions/advise regarding the price for such an item.

Adam

I would like to keep this thread together, for the sake of future searchers. I also have this chuck. I also do not have literature, or even a catalog, if anyone is up for selling, or scanning pages referring to this chuck. I looks wonderfully made, but I made the same observations as the OP, not have a positive stop of some kind to know when it is "tight enough". I will report back with more info when I have tested more completely. I haven't experienced any chatter yet, but have not pushed it at all. I am using it on a nice Bridgeport.

L Vanice said:

I bought one new with an R8 shank around thirty years ago. It is beautifully made, and so pretty I never put it in my mill. It is still new after all these years. So I can't say how well it works.

Larry

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Any chance you have any paperwork on it? Anything to give away when to know it is locked? It feels tight by hand even when it is still possible to spin a mill. Turning the allen-key-lock a few more turns makes it hold fine, but hard to know when the happens by feel.

Bernie