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chuck lubrication

Chris Sandberg

Aluminum
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Location
Portland, Oregon
Hello Group,
I am getting close to finishing my SB9"A rebuild but still have a question. I have a 5.1/2" three jaw and 7.1/2" four jaw Union MFG Co. chucks that I need to disassemble, clean and lubricate. I was wondering what I should be using when I reassemble them. Is an oil all that is needed or will a grease of some type be better. please advise a newbie/beginner what to use and any other things to watch out for or that need to be done. Are these chucks good and what if any issues do they have.
Thanks in advance.:)
Chris a newbie/beginner
 
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don't use grease, it tends to hold the swarf in the chuck more. use oil, as to what kind i am not really sure. maybe way oil would be good. after reassembly before you turn the lathe on place a cardboard box on the bed big enough to cover the chuck to catch the flinging oil when first running the lathe.
 
don't use grease, it tends to hold the swarf in the chuck more. use oil, as to what kind i am not really sure. maybe way oil would be good. after reassembly before you turn the lathe on place a cardboard box on the bed big enough to cover the chuck to catch the flinging oil when first running the lathe.

I agree - grease is a bad choice. I know, because I've used it in the past and it holds the swarf like glue and jams up the chuck. I use way oil now and am happy with it. Do be prepared for some oil sling when you first use the chuck!

Blob
 
Yes -- oil is the thing. Stand aside when you first fire it up and let it sling out the excess for a while. (Try not to have too much excess....)
 
Oil the scroll/jaw interface, but grease the inside of the 3 jaw (the geared backside of the scroll). I used the best grease I have, Amsoil synthetic racing grease, probably overkill, but unlikely I will split the chuck again to clean it.
Joe
 
chuck grease

The manual for my Rohm 3jaw chuck says to use grease after cleaning the parts. Rohm 'special grease F80'. They claim this grease sticks well to the parts and does not deteriorate under high surface pressures, thus maintaining the clamping force of the chuck...

Regards HJ
 
I would NOT use grease on the jaws or the scroll. If you do use grease, I would only use it on the pinion gearing. For everything else, I recommend a mcahine oil. Way oil will work, but something even lighter will hold less swarf. And swarf WILL get into the chuck - count on it.
 
I grease mine with a toothbrush, spreading and scrubbing a good coat of the grease onto all internal parts. You don't have to pack it full, although obviously a chuck with a grease fitting is going to get packed full. Last time I used synthetic wheel bearing grease to lube my chuck.

I think swarf and crud will build up inside the chuck no matter what lube you use. You just have to take the chuck apart and clean and lube it every now and then.
 
Moly EP grease

I grease mine with a toothbrush, spreading and scrubbing a good coat of the grease onto all internal parts. You don't have to pack it full, although obviously a chuck with a grease fitting is going to get packed full. Last time I used synthetic wheel bearing grease to lube my chuck.

I think swarf and crud will build up inside the chuck no matter what lube you use. You just have to take the chuck apart and clean and lube it every now and then.

I use MOLY EP (extreme pressure) wheel bearing grease. Most of the turning I do is low-speed for the Gr5 titanium. All the swarf is vacuumed away after each operation (fire hazard). The chuck stays relatively clean and the tear-down interval is low. One finger on the T-wrench to size up or down this 10" six jaw. I can do high rpm (1000) to polish and not sling lube all over. When the chuck starts binding even the slightest, time for a cleaning. It's an expensive chuck.

IF you use compressed air to clean swarf, I'd use oil. One old machinist I knew used chain-saw bar oil because it clung to the gears and jaws so well. It was hard to fling off. He machined a fair amount of cast iron, so his clean interval was often. In hindsight, his lathe was always a mess.
 
I use a motorcycle chain lube.
Extreme pressure! Says so right on the can.
Drys waxy, and doesn't hold swarf

Comes in a spray can.

Doesn't fly off or smell too bad.

Happy me!

All thje chucks for my machines will be around and in good shape long after I'm gone.
 
I just finished disassembling and cleaning my 3-jaw chuck. I was astonished (and a little dismayed) at the quantity of the chips and dust that I found inside. A lot of the debris was "helped" being held in place by oil used to lubricate the scroll and jaw slides. So I would say that the best thing to do would be to use the smallest amount of oil that will provide lubrication and to use a light oil. Grease inside there would be a very effective chip magnet.
 
Man what an old thread revived.

I disassembled and cleaned my buck 6 jaw adjust true Chuck and it was filled with grease (very old and hard grease) and had no noticeable swarf in it so I went ahead and scraped and cleaned all that crud out and re lubed it with EP wheel bearing grease. Smooth as a baby’s bottom.
 
I use motorcycle chain lube on the scroll and gear track the rest is oiled.
When I put it back on I tape paper towel around it and let it run about 500 rpm for a while to avoid the oil stripe on me.
 
Ditto.
Grease on the pinions and back side of the scroll gear. That part of the chuck is sealed against swarf.
Light machine oil on the jaws and front of the scroll, you want a light lubricant that won't hold swarf/chips and be more easily cleaned.
 
What about Power chucks that are exposed to coolants? I have a 6” Powrehold that I’ve been running some light work on so I wasn’t too worried about it, but now I have a couple jobs that are going to be a bit harder on it. I was going to grease it, but the lube points are not standard zerk fittings. Maybe they could be oilers?
 








 
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