Used Buck adjust Tru Versus New Shars China Made Chuck

Hi Everyone
I have decided to replace the 10" Buck Adjust Tru Chuck on my SB16. The chuck I now have has to much wear in the jaw slides. 5 thou wobble side to side and back and forth. Looking at a used but very clean 2103R 10" Buck just like I have now or a Shars China copy. The Buck is 750 without the L1 backplate the Shars is 600. As much as I like the thought of new and looking at the Shars along side tihe Buck I still lean toward the Buck. Just has a much beefier look. Yes I know pictures can be deceiving, but the Buck looks like new. The jaws show no wear and no signs of being run into by the cutting tool. I already have the backing plate for this model of chuck so going with a different brand like bison would mean a different backing plate. Since I have the 2/38 X 6 threaded spindle it is not easy. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts about this would be appreciated.



CLEAN! BUCK 1" THREE-JAW "ADJUST-TRU" LATHE CHUCK w/ L1 MOUNT - #213R | eBay

1" 3 JAW UNIVERSAL SELF CENTERING ADJUST TRU LATHE CHUCK.5"TIR 18.38%OFF NEW | eBay

Before I spent any money on any "set-tru" type chuck, I'd make very sure it can really be "trued" and it will stay "true." I've been down that path with a used chuck and while it seemed like a great deal, it could be trued once but it would not repeat within .005 - .010 which is worse than a decent standard 3-jaw chuck.

Who knows with the Shars...might be great might not.


The TMX I KNOW will be excellent...and is identical to a Bison.

A couple thoughts..

That is a much older Buck. I agree that it looks to be in very fine condition, but I would be reluctant to spend that much on an older three jaw chuck. It is over priced in my opinion, though I acknowledge I am probably cheap. Consider that a new Kalamazoo chuck is not a whole lot more cash, is American made, and uses the same back plate you have now. The former owners of Buck now own Kalamazoo, and make a model that is identical to the original Buck Adjust Tru.

There may be other chucks out there that use the same back plate. Most all the chuck catalogs I have seen list detailed dimensions. Might be worth a look at names like Bison, TMX, Gator. I even see deals on names like Rohm from time to time. I have no experience with Shars, so I can't comment on that one.

No one is better at finding value in chucks than Chad, iwananew10K. I am sure when he sees this he will be able to add something helpful. (On edit, he posted while I was typing)

I have in my collection of wayward chucks a 10 inch 3 jaw, and a 12 inch 3 jaw, both set up for my 16's (2 3/8-6). I never use them. I don't even want to think about picking up the 12 inch. On the rare occasion I use a three jaw anymore I use either the 7 1/2 that came with the lathe originally, or an 8 inch. I do, however, use the 10 inch 4 jaw a lot.

The only Adjust Tru type chuck I have is a 6 inch 6 jaw that came with an indexer. I can run it on my 10 and 14 lathes as well. The adjustment is handy for splitting hairs, but I think I really prefer a 4 jaw.

Last but not least, 2 3/8-6 back plates are readily available, and I still find direct mount chucks for sale too. Not just on eBay, but from places like MSC and KBC too.

I hope something useful comes out of this long winded mess I just typed.

Marc

My unsolicited opinion on set true chucks in general is they are not worth the trouble.

You can get a plain back chuck with front bolt mounting and do the "bump true" thing....it's actually more direct than "set true" as you "bump" directly opposite of the indicated high or low point....very effective on a relatively low powered machine such as SBs.

If you see the appeal in that(and you might not) then here is my choice of a good value chuck.

Atlas 10" Self-Centering 3 Jaw Universal Manual Lathe Chuck Plain Back 1034-2000

I'm going to look at the Kalamazoo. The atlas will check out also. I called shars to inquire about their chucks but it was like talking to a door knob.They did say it was Chicom made.
As for the used Buck it is advertised as in ecellent condition so if it doesn't true repeatable then back it goes as it was not as described. Truthfully though if I can afford new that is the way to go. I am trying to get my lathe working but the chuck is the only part remaining that I need to do some work with it....but I am new to all this so buying a chuck needing a different backing plate adds more cost. Probably would have to hire out the job because I have yet to gain the skills needed. The nice thing about working with the backplate I have I can just bolt on another chuck say the Kalamazoo and be operational. So I appreciate the knowledgeable input here and will hopefully make the right decision

Kalamazoo is awesome but brace yourself for the price.

iwananew10K said:

Kalamazoo is awesome but brace yourself for the price.

Click to expand...

The guy selling the Buck sure isn't bashful

no1boatguy said:

I called shars to inquire about their chucks but it was like talking to a door knob.They did say it was Chicom made.

Click to expand...

I think you will find that many chucks today are Chinese, or eastern European. Some of them are quite good for the money. Others, not so much. My favorite chucks are SCA, made in Sweden. Talk about expensive...

I know this is probably not what you want to hear.. If I were you, I would not worry too much about a chuck right now. If anything, get a 4 jaw. Learn to dial one in. It gets to be second nature. The chuck you have can get you started making chips, and will allow you to do accurate work if you are careful with your setup. The money you are talking here can go a long way in other areas. Is that a recent picture of your lathe? If so, I recommend you get some leveling feet.

I hope this helps.

Marc

I guess I hadn't read between the lines to discover that you may be new at this. The advice on the 4-jaw chuck is absolutely correct. A decent 4-jaw will be much cheaper than any set-true type chuck and will be a great deal more versatile. Even with a mediocre dial indicator, you can get round stock centered in a 4-jaw with less than .001" runout in almost no time.(Assuming, of course, that the stock really is round. A lot of mill-run stuff is not) You'll save enough money so you can buy a 3-jaw for times when centering of round stock is not critical.

I wonder if the Buck chuck had been gently bead blasted to give that "clean" description? Inside the bore in one of the photos is a bit of crap that suggests the chuck didn't always look that good. That said, much of the original grind marks are present, so it hasn't lived a hard life.

Soft jaws, bored to size, can be an even better option for repeat work that wants to start centered.

Like Marc said virtually all the "value" chucks are PRC or Taiwan...that does not make them bad...some of them are quite good....

And don't sell yourself short, it's not hard to fit a chuck to a backplate and the easiest IMO are the front mount ones....simply transfer punch drill and tap....you can make your own punch to a perfect fit.

The older Buck probably means it is made in the USA.

Call buck and ask country of origin and price for a new one--sit down before you ask.

I have a 8 inch 3 jaw sold by grizzly that has the South Bend label. In the Grizzly catalog they label them "high precision lathe chuck". The 3 jaw I have is excellent.

Lost

I checked with Kalamazoo on the same copy of this chuck and was quoted 1045 + freight. Not bad...I was expecting higher than that. There was mention in a earlier post that I get a 4 jaw. I have a Yuasa 4 jaw that needs a back plate it is an 8" though and it is in like new condition. I need a 10 for work on some WW2 M29 weasels. The 14" track sprockets will machine nicely in a 10" the 8 would be smallish.
Back to the Buck I don't think it was bead blasted and you can still see the crosshatch markings on the jaws. The seller has 100% feed back and seems to be OK to deal with. He knows that chuck is in nice shape and has priced it accordingly. Further I'm a guy that bought an older SB16 so I am getting use to throwing exorbitant amounts of money at an old lathe why not an old chuck
Maybe Lost in LA could go take a look at the buck its in Covina????

"looks good" is not much to go on...it would be as shame to pay a high price and find .005 or so wobble or run out.

I think the chuck makes the lathe so would pay extra bucks for a new chuck.. In a non production use with care would last a long time.

I say keep the worn 3 jaw, and get a 4 jaw and dial indicator. More accurate, rigid and can hold a wider range of work.

But your money, spend it how you want.

Buying "value" chucks made in PRC is a crap shoot, just as Chad stated. Some are OK, but not all. I recently bought a 4 jaw scroll chuck from Shar. It was out between .005 to ,012 depending on where you were on the scroll. The fault being that the boss that the rotates on was not concentric with the body itself. It was not correctable and found its way to the scrap bin in short order. On the other side, I bought a 10" 6 jaw that was within .001 across the scroll. In point of fact, if you do not do production work, the few extra minutes to adjust in a 4 jaw independent means nothing. Buying a scroll chuck in the US from the reputable suppliers is not a guarantee either. Make sure they will accept a return and replace if the advertised specs cannot be matched.

I like a scroll chuck for parted-off jobs because so quick.. most any job not parted odd needs between centers finishing or run in a 4 jaw...with practice one should be able to get .003 or better in less than 5 minuets with a 4 jaw..When my eyes were younger I would get .003 using eyeball off the bit in less that 5 minuets..

Still a poor 4jaw even indicating zero may have wobble a tad away from indicated zone..

Well I did it I went with the Buck. It really caught my eye, just had that quality American look and the Buck name. I know I probably over spent some on it but the seller will take it back if it doesn't meet my expectations. He claims he got it from an aerospace company and it was in a very clean environment and was a spare chuck for a Leblond lathe they had. Most of their work was all CNC so the Leblond was hardly ever used. I asked how much cleaning they did on it . He stated they opened it up and checked the scroll made sure it was clean and re lubed everything. The outside body they wiped off.
The only downside to buying it would be the hassle of boxing it up and shipping it back to the seller if it does not work as it should. So if it works out it will be a beautiful chuck on the SB16 after I get it restored.
In conclusion I weighed all the comments those of you posted and all were valid which I appreciate. I will post pictures and let you know how this works out. Good or Bad

Dan

let us know how well it runs to make this thread useful for advice and not just chatter.
Be honest and we wont rub your nose in an error.... if that should be the case..