Can CNC Chucks be used on a Manual Lathe?

JJ0704 · May 30, 2019

I have a manual lathe with an A1-5 spindle nose. I have seen several decent deals on A2-5 chucks and collet chucks for CNC use. Since the A1-5 can also accept A2-5 attachments, are any of these "CNC" attachments worth pursuing?

I have never personally seen a CNC lathe and YouTube videos don't really show how the hydraulic actuation occurs. Do they have a hydraulic drawbar that pulls the jaws closed and collets back? If so, a 3/4 jaw chuck probably won't work for me, but would a collet chuck work if the drawtube was attached to a standard manual lever collet closer?

Thanks!
JJ

john.k · May 30, 2019

Usually used CNC stuff is ...stuffed.....worn out ........if the price is right ,get one....you have a lathe.....anything can be made to work with a bit of imagination.........a collet chuck wont work without collets...and these cost ....so without a few in the sizes you want......useless......you want to make collets.....it aint rocket science.

johnoder · May 31, 2019

A recent photo posted on this forum shows hyd. ports PASSING LONGITUDINALLY THRU SPINDLE PROPER, exiting at spindle nose

Could have fooled me

andrewmawson · May 31, 2019

That was probably me

That style is rather unusual, most of them have a draw tube and cylinder to the rear of the headstock, and in my experience the chucks need their tube pulling and the collets need it pushing.

The advantage of the hydraulics emerging through the spindle style with the cylinder integrated into the chuck is that the chuck can potentially pass full spindle bore rather than pull tube bore which is obviously less.

Garwood · May 31, 2019

Manual lathe = manual chucks.

I think this is one of those questions easily answered when you get the chance to look over a CNC lathe so you see how it all works. There's no way it makes any sense to adapt all that to a manual lathe.

Keep in mind hydraulic chucks have a small working range. You move or recut jaws to set diameter.

Limy Sami · May 31, 2019

What's a CNC lathe chuck, never heard of them, power chucks yes, but not CNC.

Some Power chucks can be used on manual machines.

bryan_machine · May 31, 2019

I'm with Limy on this. What's more, especially on larger CNC lathes, it's common to use manual chucks rather than hydraulically acutated - 4 jaws in particular.

As noted above most power chucks have an actuator that screws onto a hydraulic drawbar that pass through the spindle. The chuck neither knows no cares if the machine is manual or CNC - it just wants to see drawbar force.

JJ0704 · May 31, 2019

Yeah, I should have used the term "power" chuck instead of "CNC"...that shows how little I know about them. Since they apparently use a draw tube to engage the closing action of the jaws or collet, its certainly a less than ideal option for a manual lathe.

This is was I suspected...thanks for confirming it!

wippin' boy · Jun 1, 2019

if you wanted you could make up a draw bar for a power chuck from a chunk of threaded rod and a stop out the back end of your spindle

but why

it would be pretty cumbersome to use

edwin dirnbeck · Jun 1, 2019

Manual lathes are normally used for one or two pieces. You chuck your part up in a minute or less and start cutting. Power chucks have a limited stroke and the jaws must be moved to different notches if the stock size changes to much. This is not a problem on cnc lathes because you are quite often making many parts with the same stock size.I have been at it for 50 plus years. I have never seen a manual lathe with a power chuck and never seen a cnc lathe with a manual chuck. But I am sure some have. Edwin Dirnbeck

SBLatheman · Jun 1, 2019

FS: A1-5 Bison Set-Tru chuck back

jims · Jun 5, 2019

Power chuck
I used to run a tracer lathe that opened and closed a power chuck and also did the same
With collets. There is one on eBay now. It is a HES tracer lathe . I think the cylinder
Is run with air.

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Can CNC Chucks be used on a Manual Lathe?

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