Will a 3 jaw power chuck work on a Warner Swasey #3?

[1 Jaw Chuck (Chuck Evans)]

My current setup uses the factory collets that are actuated by a push tube.

Big hand lever provides the closing and holding power. Works great, but was
wondering if the geometry is enough to actuate a modern CNC type 3 jaw.

Thanks in advance.

Chuck

 

[4GSR]

Sure. May have to adapt the chuck to the spindle you have. If you have a A-series spindle nose on your W & S lathe, should be no problem. if you have a old threaded spindle, may not be able to do so.
Next question would be, can you get the hydraulic tension tube through the spindle and mount the hydraulic actuator on the back end of the spindle? Better yet, go with a SMW air chuck. I guess they still make 3-jaw chucks.

 

[1 Jaw Chuck (Chuck Evans)]

Ken,

Current setup is just a (aprox) 1.5" od tube in the spindle that is lever actuated to push the collet into the collet nose. Was hoping to use the existing lever system to actuate the power chuck.

Spindle nose is A2-6 so there are a lot of power chucks out there that will fit.

Chuck

 

[4GSR]

If that collet tube is hydraulically actuated, it would be a manner of making some kind of adapter that would go between the collet tube and the chuck. It's been many years, before the 1980's, since I've messed with this stuff and have not kept up with it since.

 

[1 Jaw Chuck (Chuck Evans)]

Anyone know if the CNC type power chuck demands more force than the Warner Swasey
manually operated lever system?

What kind of force is necessary to actuate a 3 jaw power chuck?

Chuck in search of a chuck

 

[DDoug]

Anyone know if the CNC type power chuck demands more force than the Warner Swasey
manually operated lever system?

What kind of force is necessary to actuate a 3 jaw power chuck?

Chuck in search of a chuck

Ask Worldwide chuck.

 

[Homeshopblob]

The issue is that the W&S closer pushes on the tube to close, and only pushes. A modern CNC chuck like a Kitagawa gets pulled to close and pushed to open. So you could make it connect by making some parts, but you could only grip on the ID of your parts, not the OD. The W&S actuator does not have enough travel to operate a power chuck through it's full travel..
This is why folks mounted air actuators on the rear end of the spindles, they both push and pull.
About force requirements - Kitagawa and MMK and others have charts and tables on their sites that explain how much drawbar force is required to make a given amount of clamping force with their chucks. No, I don't know how much the W&S closer will make, you'd have to measure it..

There are front actuated air chucks made, that would probably be the cleanest and easiest setup, they often get mounted on hybrid lathes like prototraks.

 

[jims]

I have owned machines that used air power to operate the chucks and they pulled the tube.
also when I bought a new CNC with a 8 inch Kitagawa chuck I think I just had to change the hydraulic fittings to hold on od or Id. Been about 40 years ago so not sure how I did it. Most of the time used air or hydraulic set ups sell for more than $2000. But I just looked on eBay and saw a set up for $500 bucks. See attached pic.

 

[EmGo]

Between air and hydraulic, hydraulic is nicer.

 

[jims]

But beware when I was shop foreman one of my coworkers came up to me and told his finger was in the way when he hit the close
button and the whole tip was gone.

 

[john.k]

Yes ,the 3 jaw power type chucks are kinda expensive ......the air cylinder to apply the chuck ,you can easily make yourself ........incidentally,if you have employees ,then likely WHS will require a fail safe of some kind ......but for a sole operator /owner ,you will be smart enough to know when the air has failed ................I got an intersting air 3 jaw on a machine that has 3 jaw ,and a full diameter hollow spindle bore .......Its worked by a donut shaped rubber air thingy inside the chuck ........no pull rod ,push rod ,or anyhting........just a rotary air distributor ring at the back of the chuck...........I havent seen another ,and they would be spendy new ,Id think.

 

[4GSR]

Dad used to buy the SMW brand of air chucks for the W & S SC-25's and 36's they bought new back in the 1970's at the plant he worked at. They had a piston type mechanism that activated the opening and closing of the jaws. They were the type for hollow spindle lathes.

 

[EmGo]

Dad used to buy the SMW brand of air chucks for the W & S SC-25's and 36's they bought new back in the 1970's

My american tool lathe came with an smw ... back in the seventies ... your dad, hunh .... I hate you.

btw, that's why I like hydraulic better. Air is okay but it is not as controllable, can't be dialled back as low, and also loses grip on long cycle time parts. They do make the front-mount ones tho that don't have drawtubes so that part can be better.

 

[4GSR]

Yeah, the SMW ones were front mount. They liked them over the hydraulic ones. Main reason, they didn't have to run a draw tube thru the spindle to take up the room needed to spin a 11" OD drill collar!.

 

[1 Jaw Chuck (Chuck Evans)]

I had tried a Superior brand power chuck but could not get it to work and saw how much it stuck out from the spindle face. Didn't leave a lot of space for the work.

I got the factory system to work and so far am very happy with the performance and simplicity. It did take a while to find the correct spindle nose and master collet but the effort was worth it.

Chuck