Chuck for A2-5 spindle nose

I have friend who is looking for a chuck to fit on his Hardinge HXL lathe. It doesn't have to be a power chuck he would be happy to use a chuck wrench for now.
Any suggestions where to shop?
Please correct me if the spindle nose is not correct. Thanks.

Ajax or US Shop tools have some chinese powerchucks, not the best but useable.
For manual chucks, I just looked in J&L book and could not find anything, not even adapter plates for any A2 nose.
Is A1 different than A2? Is A2 for power chucks only? Dunno.
One more thing though, if you get a power chuck you'll have to find out the thread on the drawtube before ordering.

I just bought a 6 jaw Bison Set-Tru from Enco with an A1-5 back plate. They were the cheapest I found. I'm sure they would have the A2-5 back plate. I had to call them for the back plate because they didn't list it in the catalog.

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPAGE=281&PARTPG=INLMK32

Mark Hockett
Island Tech Enterprises
Clinton, WA
360-914-6026

Try Small Tools
http://www.smalltools.com/
They had 5 power chucks listed when I looked. If you call, ask for Steve. They may have a used chuck to fit your needs. The best small power chucks made are Northfield. A new one that size is about $5K!. Most people go with a Strong or a Bison. You're in the $1.5-$2K range for a new one.

Just make sure that you get a steel chuck that is capable of the RPM that machine can put out. A lot of those small chucks are only good for 5K rpm.
JR

An A-2 nose has holes only in the outer face. A-1 should have them in both inner and outer. Noses for power chucks are typically A-2 because you want the bolts on the largest possible diameter. Engine lathes with A type noses are usually A-1's because a 3 jaw manual chuck has to have the bolts tight to the inside to clear the scroll ID while 4 jaws typically have them out on a larger diameter. The above is really only applicable to direct mount chucks. If a chuck uses a backplate, then an A-1 backplate SHOULD have 2 rings of holes to mount in either location.

6" A2-5 power chucks seem to show up regularly on ebay, and don't seem to ever bring nearly as much as chucks with A6 or A8 mountings. I bought a brand new A5 6.5" SMW with hard jaw tops and 1.5mm serrations a few months ago off ebay for $400. If that chuck had been for an A6 nose it probably would have gone near $1000.

I would somewhat agree and disagree with JR on the Northfield chucks. They do have the best repeatability of any chuck on the market, but they're delicate as compared to a Kitagawa. If you need a chuck that will repeat within a tenth or two, then the Northfield is the thing to have. But, if you can get by with 5 tenths then IMO you can't beat a Kitagawa. They're strong as a tank, and if they aren't abused I really have no idea how long they'll last. I've got a couple of them that are well past drinking age, and they'll still repeat to 5 tenths with properly cut softjaws, and about .001 with serrated hard jaws.

Added: If you buy a power chuck, try to get one with 1.5mm serrations. This makes the jaw tops interchangeable with Kitagawa, and they cost about half as much since they're so common. The worst thing to have as far as versatility is concerned is a power chuck like a Cushman which has ASA standard tongue and groove master jaws. There's no diameter adjustability, so every job has to have a new set of jaws cut for the specific size. Some of the Bucks and some Howas have a series of square grooves cut in the master jaws. They're adjustable, but not in fine increments like the 1.5mm's are. Jaw tops are much more limited in variety and cost a lot more too.

Hey Metl.
The explanation on the A1 vs. A2 makes perfect sense, but the question is should an A1 chuck fit on an A2 spindle?
I've just looked my 6" A2-5 MMK, and the bolts are smack through the middle of the chuck dia. at about 4" dia BC. On manual chucks that would be straight through the scrolls.

An A1 has both bolt patterns and will fit on an A2 spindle nose. An A2 will only fit on an A2 bolt pattern.

Seymour, a direct mount 3 jaw manual chuck to fit an A2 nose doesn't exist as far as I know. As you said, the bolts would go straight thru the scroll. You'd have to use a backplate mounted chuck to get the combination of an A2 mount and scroll operation.

I've wondered why cnc lathe builders always use an A2 nose. Obviously, some lathes with big spindle holes relative to the taper diameter don't have adequate material for drilling the inner circle, but, on the ones where there is room for the 2nd bolt circle it would be really handy to have it available sometimes. One of my lathes has a 10" power chuck on an A2-8 nose. Plenty of room on the nose for a 2nd bolt circle, but its not there. I've got a 15" A-8 direct mount manual 3 jaw that be worth using for some larger jobs if the holes were there in the spindle nose. As it is, I make do with the 10. At the going prices, I don't see a 15" power chuck in my future.