Workshop Practice Series 15 Workholding in The Lathe

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Workholding
in the Lathe
Tubal Cain
ARGUS BOOKS
www.EngineeringBooksLibrary.com
Argus Books Li mited
1 Golden Square
London W 1R 3AB
Eng land
ontents
5253074
7
~,ORDSI;I. REFACE
© Argus Books ltd 1987 ~ 'P<"
LEISURE CHAPTER 1 Between centres
SERVICES _ Principles - conditions for accuracy - types of centres-
C centring the work - driving - non-circular workpieces -
~ crankshafts - clamps and throwpieces - taper turning -
(O~ 6
mandrels.
3 0 \'1I\R 1987
CHAPTER 2 Faceplate work
Principles and clamping - dogs - adhesive fixing -
vee-blocks - fixtures-centring methods. 28
All rights reselVed. No part of th is pub lication may be
reproduced in any form, by print, photography, microfilm . CHAPTER 3 Chuckwork - General
or any other means without written permission from the Chucking principles - distortion - number of jaws -
publisher. chuck mounting. 41
CHAPTER 4 The Universal or Independent Chu ck

Gripping forces - setting-up - irregu lar shapes - ove rhang -
ISBN 0 85242 908 8 unorthodox methods- compou nd chucking . 47
CHAPTER 5 The Self-centring Chuck

History - types - strength of the scro ll - accuracy -
the 'Griptru' - errors and wear - eccentric work-
4- and 6-jaw types. 57
Phototypesetting by Photocomp ltd., Birmingham
CHAPTER 6 Unusual Chucks
Bell and cup chucks - master-and-sl ave chuck - wood-block
Printed and bou nd by A . Wheaton & Co. Ltd., Exeter chucks- the shellac chuck. 71
I.
CHAPTER 7 Collets
Draw-in collets - dead-length types - double-taper and
Schaublin collets - precautions - stepped collet chucks - auxiliary
co llets - arbors- adaptors-deadstops-the Myfo rd system. 78
CHAPTER 8 Work Steadies

Pri~cipl.es - ch.atter - overhang - setting the fixed steady _
bonn!,) In t he fixed steady - setting the travelling steady-
use with over-length work-the boring co ll ar. 90
CHAPTER 9 lathe Alignment

Preface
Principles - lathe bench or stand - jacking screws - setting
up with spirit level - th e dial indicator method - the tu rn ing test
m et hod - caliper metho d - making a test-bar - alignment of a The centre-lath e is by far the m ost M ost of the book is concerned with
worn lathe. 101 versa tile machine tool that we have - the actual holding of the workpiece, but
there is very little that it cannot do. , have added a short chapter covering
INDEX 110 Indeed, a considerable number of th e setting up of the lathe itself. No
books have been written - going back matter how carefully the workholding
nearly 200 years - explaining how to arrangements are made, if the lathe is
. fry out work other than 'turning' on not correctly aligned in the first place
the lat he, and ma ny of the now com- accuracy cannot be expected. Aga in, I
mon machine tools owe their derivation have tried to explain why th e machine
10 II. Even when using it for its proper must be set up as well as how, for there
purpose, howeve r, problems arise as may well be better and simpler
lOOn 8S we depart from pl ain turning methods come to m ind.
lIIIween centres - and difficulti es can Th ere is one area which I have NOT
.... even then. These are almost uni - attempted to cover - t hat of 'Orn-
wnally concerned with 'how to hold amental Turning'. This, the m ost highly
III work'. Th is book is intended to go developed form ofthe 'Art and Myslerie
..,e way to meet t hese problems. of Turning', stretches t he versatility of
Much th at I have writte n is 'well - the lathe right to the limit - some would
IInown', but I have included it because say well beyond that I The workh oldi ng
ryan e has to begin somewhere, and devices needed are specia l in the ex-
I n writin g a book the beginn ing is no treme ; if you are an Ornamental Turner
place to sta rt ! More important, you will have them or have made them ,
ny common practices are 'much but if you are not, the mere sight of
~ but little u nderstood' and I hope some of them would frighten you to
" " the explanations I have given as to death . So, I have di rected my efforts
WHv such methods are used may help solely to holding the work which any
reader to overcome the diffi cu hies jobbing or amateu r centre-lathe turn er
faces when the odd out of the may expect to meet. I hope that what I
·. ,Unary workpiece appears. If the have written will be of help 10 you .
.,enciples beh ind the various methods
Tubal Cain
, understood, then it becomes a
lilrnple matter to invent new methods to Westmorland, Cumbria
" the old jobs better. August, 1986.
6 7
c
CHAPTER 1 A
B
~
~
";!:, ,
I
-
,,
, ,
-_.........
~
I A
Between Centres Work c

Three degrees of f ree dom _ Complete constraint agains t
t ra nsl atio n or linear mavemenl linear move ment .
c
'The work should be supported bet- 1b. m ight preve nt this rotation, but in
ween centres' says one o f myoid text- fact it would be very unstable - es peci -
books. But w hat do we mean by ally w ith some m ore extreme shapes. A A
'support' - for this is the crux of th e So, we must provide supports in B
matter? See Fig. 1a. Here we have a addition t o those in Fig. 1b, as shown in
'so mething ' in free space. It ca n move Fig. 1d. You will see that t hree of each
in the di rection AA, sideways, 88, back- of the o riginal stops is opposed by two B
to-front, or ce, up-and-down. In techni - stops, in the same plane, but spaced.
cal terms it has 'th ree degrees of free- Thus A and a1, a2, prevent rotation
dom', It can be held still, of course, by about the axis CC as well as restraining
'g ripping ' it; in a vice or ch uck, or with lateral movement along the axis AA; c
clamps, but th is is not 'supporti ng ' it. and so on . We now have nine stops to c
This term im pli es NO grip. and it is constrain six degrees of freedom; this is Three mare d egrees of f ree d om - Complet e cans traint against rota ry
partly the absence of grip which ma kes the m inimum number of constra ints In ro t a t ion an d l inea r move ment.
between centres work so accurate. T o
'support' the work free from movement
w h ich wi ll hold a free body exactly in
place, and they can d o th is w it hout
.... '
we must apply stops as shown in Fig. exerting any p ressure at all (other than it. l et AA be the axis of surface on t he workpiece we must first
1b. If these no more than touch t he that due to th e body's weight. of DII,,;,)n;, very well - we must obviously machine it, and this we ca n not do until
work, then no translatory movement cou rse). Th e piece wi ll not be su bject to the constraints b1 , b2, c1 and we have 'supported' it.
along any of the three axes can occur. any distorti on due to clamping o r gripp- B and C as welt. It can now Fortunately a very elegant and math-
We have 'supported' it. Note that we ing - a property which jig & tool design - about AA, but unfortunately we ematical ly sound method was discover-
need six su pports to cope with the th ree ers make use of all th e tim e. left it free to move in translatio n ed many thou sands of years ago - long
degrees of freedom . To hold a body rigidly in place with- th e TWO axes Band C, and it ca n before the mathematicians had ana-
Unfo rtun ate ly this is not the whole out gripping is, therefore, simply a about C. Thi s clearly will not lysed the problem. (Before any such
story - see Fi g. 1c. As well as moving in matter of proper support. However, we mu st find a device which stit l existed, indeed, as so oft en happens in
'translation', as Fig. 1a, the object can what happens if we want it to move, bu t su pport against five of the six eng ineeri ng!) If we apply a pointed
rotate, and ro tate abut the three axes in one axis only? In lathe work we are of freedom yet which offers no suppo rt, engaging in a sma ll ho le in t he
we had before. It has yet three more not concerned with moving t he work in iii,"",;nl in the sixth - the axis AA. workpiece at each end of the desired
degrees of freedom with which we translati on - along the axes L but we d o a number such. Bearings, for axis of rotation - Fig. 2 - this will do the
must cope. At first sight the stops of Fig . require it to rotate or we co uld not 1Iii" ;';o,le:But if we are to use a beari ng trick. Th e two points - centres - acting
8 9
A _':"\':===_________~R:'.~.~2 replace it, true repeatability will be
Impossible. The problem increases con-
.Iderably in cases where both centres
revolve. We shall return to this again
- A
I.ter.
The important point to remember is
workl~,~'~"~,.~";":.,:----------==r
(O)
A thot the centres should be no more than
TM two
hOle~ IIolnts a ll
constrain mo~ m ent '.u pports' as defined earlier, exerting
,,"eepl rotol lon a bout A'" pressure only when the machine is
B ~C-+-- - B
cutting and the tool-force has to be
together can, without exerting any Dead Centres resisted. Care and judgement is needed
force, effectively prevent translation in This is the term given to an arrange- when adjusting the fixed centre at the 'L-----,=::I2.
any direction, and resist the rotation of ment where both centres (points) are 1.lIslock; the work must be free, but (b)
the workpiece on the other two axes. held stationary in their supports - head- with na shake. If pressure is exerted in
Further, provided the points fit the stock and tailstock. Th e work revolves the axia l direction (in th e absence of Fig. 4 Effect of an untrue live centre. (a) The
holes in which they are engaged, the about both, being driven from the head- cutting load) then the workpiece will be headstock centre is offset, but the work is
work can be rem oved and replaced with stock end by means of a driver which , 'rossed axially. Inevitab ly some dis- still truly round about the axis AA
absolute exactitude - the setting is rotates on a bea ring surround ing the tortion will result, especia lly if the work (b) Transferred to the tai/stock the work
'repeatable', and a lmost perlectly so. rotates about BB, and is eccentric.
centre. Fig. 3 shows an early exa mple, II . Iender. Now, as the machining pro-
More than that. Provided the two points with the cone pulley rotating on a fixed ceeds, work is done on the metal and a
are identical in shape, and fit the holes spindle. (Note that - as was common on ,.Ir amount of heat will be generated, eccentrically at the tailstock - see ' b'.
properly, the work can be turned end- early machines - the centre is screwed 10 that i I expand endways. If This being so, the fixed centre is always
for-end in th e machine and it will still in place instead of having the now more th. af 'sup part' is ta be main- unhardened, and it must be corrected
revolve about exactly the same axis as usual taper socket.) This system, much must be compensated far - for truth every now and again - they
before. The problem is solved. refined, is used today on all precision readjustment of the taitstock. If this always suffer some damage, if only
cylindrical grinding machines, and for not done there will be two con- from storage. It is also clear that the
very delicate work on watchmaker's M.uence,s; first, the work will tend to accuracy of the centre will depend on
lathes, but seldom on the ordinary the shape of a bow (very the accuracy of the taper hole in the
engineer's lathe. A very high degree of De,h"D'S, but this is a common headstock spindle. The lathe manu·
both accuracy and repeatabi lity is tool and, second, th e facturer can be depended upon to see
obtainable, but th e complexity of the "".,"e on the tailstock centre will t hat this is right (if not, then do not buy
drivi ng arran gement at the headstock out the lubricant and, in the that sort of lathe!) but the user must
makes it very expensive. case, overheat and draw the play his part. The taper socket must be
kept scrupulously clean and no, abso-
The Live Centre lutely no, accessory should be fitted in
In this arrangement the centre rotates OICIhl,ons For Accuracy the headstock taper which can rotate
with the work. In the normal centre- or Headstock centre. Thi s must within it and so cause scoring. A draw-
i\
I .•.. .. ,"
lathe (with a few specia l exceptions,
where the work is very heavy indeed)
only the headstock centre revolves, that
at the tailstock still being a 'dead' or
as has already been men-
.4 shows the effect. The work
rotate together, and the
of an offset centre will be as
bar should always be used with, e.g.,
boring heads, drill chucks, and so on. If
by some mischance the taper socket
has been so damaged - with a very old
stationary cent re. We immediately at 'a'. The work will still be truly lathe, for example - then it must either
Fig. 3 An early form of "Dead Centre" come up against the fact that (a) unless but the centre of the workpiece be reba red or, as an alternative, the
headstock drive. The pulley (A or AI) runs on the live centre runs exactly true the I not coincide with the axis of the headstock centre must be ret rued every
the pin (8) wh ich carries the centre (C). work will rotate eccentrically; further, itself. If we now turn the work time it is replaced. It is fairly important
(HoJtzapffel Vol. IV fig. 39) fb) if we take it out of the machine and 1Id· lo,,-e,nd , then the work will rotate that the angle of the point of the centre
10 11
t' _ ----m
be correct - or at least uniform from Opinions differ as to the best lubri-
~L----_
one to another. As we shall see later, cant. For over forty years I used
almost all such are made with a 60 deg. common tallow - cheap and effective.
included angle, and some lath es I have When heavy cuts were expected I used
seen had dowel pegs for setting over to sprinkle powdered graphite on as
the topsl ide to exactly the right angle. well, to give some additional 'dry' lubri-
Most modern machines have a scale of cating qualities. More recently I have .... I Effect of offset tailstock centre. The work is round, but taper, so that 0 = d + 2e.
degrees which can be used instead, but been using the molybdenum disulphide
some care is needed in the setting. 'additive' which some misguided vertical error of '/64 in . may cause a of the axis of the workpiece in the
The headstock centre should always people put in their car engine sumps, ..per of about 0.0004 in . per foot on a process will be corrected as the
be very slightly oiled when fitting, and it used neat. I am not sure that I have , In. dia. workpiece. Th ere is, however, machining proceeds (we shall deal in
should be pressed home, not d riven in noticed any advantage! The main point enother consequence of misalignment, more detail with this later) . However, on
with a mallet. The first application of the is to keep the centre well lubricated - equally serious whether lateral or repair work - e.g. trueing up a worn
tailstock pressure should be used to after all , it takes only the odd second to vertical. If the taitstock axis is not shaft and similar - it is desira ble to
drive home both centres - it will be relax the tailstock between cuts and ".ctly in line with that of the head- check that the centres match. My own
found that they almost always retreat apply a little more oil; this is also an ttock, any combination centre drill practice, if in doubt, is to use fema le
a little when pressure is applied; a opportunity to adjust the tailstock Cltocombe drill) used from the taitstock cen tres and to fit a hard steel ball
movement axially of about a sixteenth pressure . In which connection, note that It likely to be broken off at the point, between them and the workpiece
of an inch is needed to squeeze out an it is just as necessary to close up the end normal drills will tend to 'wander'. centre.
oil film half a thou thick on a No: 2 tailstock if the work cools down - say .., F,r of centre profile. The last of the Given the above precautions, work
Morse Taper. when changing from roughing to finish - IOndll lons required to ensure accuracy turned between centres must be round,
(2) Dead, or Taifstock centre. This is, ing cuts. II thet the shape of the centres should truly concentric to the axis of rotation,
of course, ha rdened, to withstand the (3) Centre Alignment. Th is is a matter to that of the holes into and the work can be turned end for end
wear involved. like the headstock for the taitstock, but I am going to deal operate. This is much more as often as the need may arise. Providec.(
centre, it must be truly axial, and the with it nevertheless. When handrest when doing re-machining bearings are in order, the bedways are
same remarks apply so far as the taper turning it does not matter very much if when starting ab initio; a 90 accurate, and the saddle properly
socket is concerned. Here, however, it is the head- and tailstock centres are not for example, will soon ' bed adjusted, it should be possible to turn
a comparatively easy matter to replace, truly aligned to the axis of the bed, but into a 60 deg. hole, and any shift the full length of a shaft with no detect-
so that drill chucks and even drills may when the tools are held rigidly in a slide
be used without drawbars. On the other rest which is guided by the bed, then it
hand, it is not easy to re-form a is imperative that they be true. See Fig .
damaged centre point unless one has 5. If the two centres are not in line in the • 9
./ ~
access to grinding equipment. Careful horizontal plane the effect is to t urn the c d
centre, with spanner b
storage to avoid chipping the point is, work taper, the taper on the diameter removal. b. Normal
therefore, essent ial. More common
causes of damage, however, are over-
being twice the offset of the two .•"0" c,n'·".c. Square
centres. We can make use of this w hen 6f1'
heating and grooving. The former kind we want to turn a tapered workpiece, of
of damage can be reduced by using which more later, but it is otherwise a
Hi gh-speed Steel centres - my own nuisance. I sha ll deal later with the
practice - or even those with tungsten methods of setting up a lathe to turn
carbide tips. HSS is not harder than truly, (See Chap. 9).
hardened carbon steel, but it does with- Misalignment in the verti~al direction
d';.11 "m be passed
g. Prong or
stand heat better. Scoring is almost is very uncommon indeed, but I have for wood-
always caused by dirt in the centre hole, met this case in a very old machine. It is Home-ml.d, pipe
though it can be the result of lack of difficult to correct but fortunately has fits over the
lubrication. little effect on the diametral accuracy; a
12 13
Fig. 7 Half centre in use, facing the . . . . Jacobs No. 100
end of a bar. -t.ntre·chuck". The end of
.,. dynamo shaft has been
.maged, but the
..",mutator still can be
lfI"..d true.
able difference in diameter along the CENTRE, (Fig. 7) is used to enabl e th e bulklor and can get in the way of the Centring the Workpiece
length. topaUde at times. Most importa nt - it is When starting from th e ro ugh ba r exact
end of a shaft to be faced whilst still
between centres. The flat does not quite • live centre and as has already been centring is not (as a rule) essential, as
Types of Centres go to the centre of the point, so t hat at ....n1ad out it will cause eccentricity if it the part is to be machined, but reason-
The earliest type (so far as meta l turn. the last there is still a small su pport to II not absolutely true; there is now a able truth saves unpleasant machining
ing is concerned) was a 90 deg. cone the work. Th e PIPE CENTR E is, as its ....ible source of error at both head- of an eccentric object as well as avoiding
engaged with a punched hole - hence name implies, a large cone, usually at Iftd tailstock ends. Those made by out-of-balance running . Old books
the name 'Centre-punch'. If a 60 deg.
=
90 deg., to engage within large hollow
punch is used this will give quite satis. workpi eces. A useful variant has a slot :;~:i'::!f:i~rm
if not s will be found
perfect, but ittomust
be very
be
always gave a number of methods of
marking out the end of the shah - see
factory resu lts on modern centres down one side, thu s enabling the end of that if, for any reason, the Fi g. 9. M ost of these are se lf-
provided the centre itself has no true a pipe to be machin ed completely. go out of t ruth it is almost explanatory, but note that it is not
'point' ; if it has, this will certa inly However, it is an awkward device to
bottom on the punched hole. The use, as t he tailstock barrel must be
~~;:,?" e, to correct; the part must be necessary to adjust th e scriber or
dividers to strike t he exact centre. The
SQUARE centre, still listed in advanced as metal is machined away , a centring devi ce which is crossed lines form a little enclosu re and
catalog ues, was used as a crude cu tter f rom the poi nt of contact between work seen - I am not even sure of its the eye is so precise a measuring
to form a deeper centre once t he and centre. name - I call it a CHUCKIN G instrument that no difficulty is found in
punched one was established in the REVOLVING CENTRES (som etim es Fig. 8. This looks like a drill· setting the po int of the centre- punch
co rrect position . I still use it. It saves a called ' running centres') are arranged the 'jaws' are made of bronze. fairly accurately. Once the centre so
lot of fuss trying to centre·drill awkward so that the centre itself revolves w ith to support shafts which have found is lightly punched the work is set
objects! Those sold today produ ce a the work - it becomes a ' live centre'. centres or no centre at all. in the lathe and checked for truth. Any
p roper 60 deg . hole. The FEMALE The cone is supp orted on a more or less case is the lawn mower ad justment can then be made by
centre is used for workpieces which sophist icated bearing system f rom the Naturally, the other end of the 'drawing' the punched hole. Not,
have a male point on the end (a nd with part which fits into t he tailstock. Their be held in the three· or four· however, as recommended in some
steel balls, as mentioned earlier). This advantage is that th ey need less adjust- as even if it has a usable books, by knocking the workpiece with
applies m ain ly to watch and clock work, m.ent than the normal cehtre, an d wi ll work must be constrained a mallet I This is certain to damage the
v.:here spind les tend to have pointed Withstand greater end-loads. Time is . That shown in the photo is centres. The punch -hole is then deep-
pivotS. Its limitation is that it is not easy saved in readjustment and they need no I~~,~;"a~t(:b~ Company (their No. 100) ened and if a 60 deg . punch is used this
to ensure aCcuracy of the hole and a lub rication. However, they do put more III work from % in . up to % in. may well su ffice for lig ht work or where
worn centre cannot be rect ified w ithout stress into the workpiece with con- are adj usted to a close slide fit extreme accuracy is not needed. Other-
a great deal of trouble. The HALF- sequent risk of distortion . They are shah and can then be locked. wise, a hole is first drilled , either with
14 15
Fig. 9 Centring .... 11 Bar set up on vee-
methods. a. Jenny f)Iocks, centred using a scribing
calipers. b. Dividers. tlock.
c. Dividers and flat
plate. d. Metal strip,
sbout half the work
dismeter, and scriber.
e. Bell centre·punch.
Fig . 11 shows a bar being centred using the FIXED STEADY - Fig. 12. This
ullng vee-blocks and a marking -out needs care in setting up - the bar must
gauge or scribing block. This is an be truly co-axial with the lathe centres
.aboration of method 9d and is as or the dril l will be broken. I shall have
the hand-~ri l l or in the machine, using a punch wi ll be off-centre. The VEE - Quick a way as any if the tools are to more to say about this matter when we
short %2. ln. drill followed by a 60 deg. SQUARE (Fig. 10) is, of course, part of hend. Sma ll bar stock can, of course, be come to deal with the steady in general.
counterSink cutter. Alternatively, the the normal Combination Square outfit ..ntred on the lathe itself if it has a
wor~ may be set in the lathe and each (t~at shown in the photo is a small one) . hollow mandrel and the work will pass Size of Centre Hole
end In turn t reated with a combination It IS ~a~dly worth buying one specially through. Held in the three- or four-jaw As I have said, the odd job can be
centre-d rill held in the tailstock drill- for this Job, but centring is easily done if lIhuck, a combination centre-dri ll is machined with no more than a punched
chuck. you. have one already. Specia l, similar, IPplled from the tailstock. Indeed, work centre, but a properly proportioned
Th ~ re are some specia l tools for devlc.es were sold solely for bar . . .ny shape may be so t reated if it is well-fitting centre is essential for
centri ng the ends of round bars. Of centring at one tim e but are seld om tint set up at the headstock end - a accurate work. The size of the centre
thes~ the B~L L CENTRE-PUNCH - Fig . seen nowadays. Industrial shops where Nner which wi ll be dealt with when must be proportioned both to the size of
ge - IS the Simplest to use and is cheap a lot of centre-lathe work is done wil l .... eOIT'. to consider chuck-work. Large the work and the depth of cut expected.
or can be m.ade. The bell must, of have installed special bar-centring will not pass through, can Whilst a small centre can support quite
course, be QUite upright in use or the machines instead. centred from the tailstock by large jobs, and there are cases where a
12 Bar held in the lathe

Fig. 10 Centring with a and supported by the
Vee ·square. roo """'tv for centre·drilling.
16 17
deep hole cannot be accepted, this does an electric motor with hemispherical .dlusting this so that the indicator still
need more attention to lubrication and centres to the spindle - no doubt there ,.ads zero. To make su re that the
greater risk of sco ring or seizure at the was some production reason for this. Meady is actual ly bearing, a trace of
tailstock. The heaviest load comes on Some early machinery has been found marking blue is used. T.he second
the ha rd centre w hen m achining at that w ith pointed ends to spi ndles, needing method applicable to the fIxed steady
end, and if most of the cuttin g will be the use of th e female centre. Wooden only is' to release the tailstock cent re
done at t he headstock end then a objects may be found w it h what .nd ' then check that, w ith the . stea~y
smaller centre hole can safely be used. appears to be a point within a ring on engaged, the centre-hole is coaXIal WIth
With careful attention to lubri cat ion , a the end; t his is from the use of the CUP 1he centre itself. There are oth~r
1/. in. outside diameter centre w ill wit h- CENTRE, Fig. Ge. Returning can safely methods - my only purpose at th~s
stand the forces involved in ta king a full be done using a normal centre instead. Ilage is to emph asise that great care IS Fig . 13A A set of Siocombe drills from '16 in.
roughing cut on a 3 1/~ in . lathe - say 0/16 needed on this matter. . to '17 in. dia, with a 6(1' centring cutter on the
in. cut at 0.004 in./rev. in steel. However, Steadies The travelling steady is used maInly
right.
I tend to proportion the cent re to the I shall be dea ling with th ese in detail when screw-cutting long shaft~ and
work diameter, and checking up find later on, but wi ll mention j ust a few here a second point needs attention .. If
that the drill diameter is equal to ¥J2 in. points now so far as they rel ate to work tho shoes are of brass or sO.ft matenal
Driving the W ork .
+ 15% of the work diameter! Thank between centres. The main object is to thore is a risk that these WIll becom.e
The soft centre in the headstoc~ ~s
good ness it is not that criti cal I It is, of provide support to slender work, where rooved by the embryo thread . If thiS
cou rse, important that t he combination the tool forces might otherwise produce ~appens it will be found that th e sadd le incapable of driving the work, and It IS
usual to fit a DRIVER PLATE or CAT~H
centre-dril l is properly depth ed - see bowing. Th e emphasis is on the word continues to traverse even a~er the PLATE to the mandrel nose, engagIng
Fig. 13. If location only is required, then 'su pport' and the pri nci ples mentioned half- nuts are disengaged; qUIte ~m w ith a CARRIER cl ipped to the end of
even a 1/16 in. dia. centre will serve. Fig. ea rli er must be borne in mind . If t he b.rrassing! Hard steel or cast Iron the work. Fig. 14 shows a number of
13;A shows a fair range of sizes. The steady shoes exert any pressure w hen .hoes are better for this type of wo~k.
dimensions are the overall diameters. the work is ru nning free., then bowing
w ill be in evitable, and this side pressure
Unusua l Centres is inevitable, if t he points of the steady
I have already referred to th e use of a sho es are not concentric with the line
steel ball and a female centre. This had between centres. This applies both to
to be used when I was resto ri ng a 17th fi xed and travelling stead ies . I use two
century chu rch clock, as every arbor methods. First, by setting a dial in-
seemed to have a different sha ped hole dicator against the workpiece, to read
in it. But si nce then I have co me ac ross zero without the steady, and then
8 -[30 -8u-~9.13 ,.
o ® (9 0
C,n",/oo d"p.
b. Very bad c~ntre
mismatch. c. Mismatch
which is tolerable. d. Plain .... 14 a. Driver or catch-
drilled centre - acceptable ,a'.' b. Bent form of
for light work. e. Optimum work-carrier or dog.
depth of centre-drilling. Straight carrier.
f. Approximate proportions __ Clamp carrier for
of combination centre- ."u.re or similar work.
drills. ("Slocombe drills") • Forked carrier.
19
18
Fig . 15 A collection of carriers " These two exa mples
or driving dogs. a. Malleable b8 regarded as normal
iron. b. Hot-pressed brass n centres" jobs in the
c. Forged steel and machined. In (a) the shaded bosses
d. A very small, but not the ,..d to take the centres, and
-.
smallest sizel e. Forked carrier. 011 afterwards. In (b) a
, f. A small example of the clamp
type. g. Ring carrier. This dates
piece is clamped on to
'fIB taitstock centre white
\ ! from 1805, and all the screws II the upper parr of the
seen were turned between
centres.
'-g.
seen nowadays, is shown in t he tiny ones no more than 0/16 in. dia., on
Fig. 15g. It has the virtue of being my Holtza pffel lathe of 1805 were
balanced than others, and is turned between centres.
hoza rdo us. It ca n easily be made,
• si ngle carrier will do for a fair Non-circular Shapes
types. The driver, (a), is provided both (c) com es in many forms - forged , This includes eccent rics, cran kshafts
of work diameter. Finally, Fig. 16
with a peg and a slot ; in more con- ma lleable castings, or cut from pl ate, a method described in an old and so on, for t hough the parts may be
venient designs th ere are severa l holes but all follow th e same princip le. (Fig . driving hexagon bolts. I make circular the parts do not revolve around
so that pegs of different sizes can be 15 shows a few examples). Those used identical axes . To illustrate my point 1
•• cuse for drawing examples from
fitted at va ri ous radii of acti on. It is a for - or on - f inished work may be of show Fig . 17, again from an old book on
books, by the way, for the
firs t principle that both peg and carrier brass or bronze. Even so, it is desirabl e turning written in laal . Faced with
used then are often far more
be as sma ll as possible, as these parts to use soft packing between the screw _k~'-b·'le to our work than are those of eith er of t hese jobs most present day
become almost invisible in work and and the work. The screw must have a turners would have to scratch their
Production Engineering
can cause Quite serious injuries. (All my tight grip when rough ing and a flat on Many readers, of course, heads a bit, but 100 years ago they were
ca rriers and pegs are painted bright the work helps. It is good pract ice to t ie the head of the bolt in t he taken as a matter of cou rse. Today the
orange). (b) shows the classical bent the carrier to the catchplate peg, too. but this device was not 4-way cock would p robably be turned
~a rr ier, which engages in the slot, but it Fig. 14d shows a CLAMP carrier, often from a chu ck, using chucki ng-pieces in
use until quite late in the
IS to be recommended only on rela- made to suit the work, and at 14e is t he place of centre-bosses, but I have
Iio,.menl of the lathe. (Besides, at
tively heavy items, as the carrier wi ll forked type, w here the peg engages ma ny beginners may find included it 'to give you some ideas'!
exert a bending force on the workpiece between the arms. This is the preferred a t hree-jaw more than they The CRANKSHAFT is probably the
as well as driving it round and, type of ca rrier, and some variant is All the screws, even q uite most common 'eccentric' turn ing m et
especia lly if th ere is an interrupted cut, always used on precision grinding
can cause trouble. The straight carrier, machines. Finally, the RING ca rrier,
o © 'C
20 21
Bolancing ",.tensian 10 In this case the thrust
I nre toolmaker's jacks.
I.<I ""'''''(
. r" ·1. 'haft is 'h-inch
ter.
dju!tab le tn,u~t packing
. . I I
I . i
Thro w p iece
Fig. 19 M achining the crankpin. See a/so Fig. 20.
with by model engineers. I do not important that th e offset on each size at each end to fit the throw-
propose to deal with the actual throwpiece is the same, and m y own Any machining needed on the
machining, but only with its 's upport', practice is to use 'Co-ordi nate setting ' also done to within a few thou
and will, at this stage, confine my to ensure accuracy. The throwpiece is r.;il':;;e~';i~'~. The throwpieces and
attention to between-centres work. Fig . set up on the vertical slide and th e fitted and the crankpin
18a shows the fu ndamentals of the centres spaced using the cross-slide ·.;;~"i~t·.d web flanks are brought
problem. We have two axes, AA and index as a micrometer. The cent re hole size. Fi nally, the journals and
Be, separated by a distance eq ual to the ca n be cut with a Siocombe dri ll, and machined to final size - with
throw, 't'. Axis BS appears to present the hole for the shaft either drilled and _ • . . . thrust piece and clamp sti ll in
few problems; we can simply centre the reamed or, preferably, bored with an This procedure ensures that any
distortion which may occur Fig . 21 Throwpieces for a three -throw
ends and turn the shaft in the normal offset boring head from the head stock. crankshaft. Note the scribed and punched
way. However, if we do this the end- Though the two throwpieces are made Oo':i."ly with a heavy forged steel
lines, used in the initial setting up.
pressure from the tailstock will distort separately they will, if care has been worse, one chewed from
the shaft. We must apply thrust packing taken to allow for backlash in the feed · c~n be corrected in the finishing
the mainshaft. See Fig . 20. throwpieces need some consideration
as shown in Fig. 18b. This must just fit - screw nut, be identical. The throw·
shafts the need for also. You can use single ones as shown
no more and no less. If too tight it will pieces must also be accurately align ed
packing is even more important in Fig. 19 and readj ust them for each
spread the webs outwards; if slack, the but that is beyond the scope of th is
ere slender enough as it is. The crank, but I prefer to use ci rcula r discs
centre-pressure will not be relieved. book. We need thrust packin g here
of some thickness with all three centres
(Not only the centre-pressure, either, aga in and this time there are two, both
for in machining there will be tool - being adjustable. Note the pointed
forces as well.) So, the best practice is ends, which engage in small centre·
first to do some preliminary work, fi ling pops in both throwp iece and web, to
smooth th e inner face and sides of the prevent them from comi ng adrift. For
webs. The packing can th en be fitted la rg er shafts it pays to extend the
properly, and I always advise fitting a throwpieces, as shown dotted, to
clamp also - Fig. l8c. This not only provide some small degree of balance
retains the packing, but also stiffens up and so enable a higher cutting speed
the weakest part of the system. when finishing the crankpin. Set-up for machining
To machine the crankpin AA some M y procedure for such shafts is fi rst
means o f offset centring is needed, and
this is usually provided by THA OW-
PIECES , Fig . 19. It is, of course,
to rough out the webs by milling or
filing . Then mach ine the journ al. ~~:;~:':~'.:.'n:~k"~p~i.n:;.
/n webs
the this case
before each
was turned.
almost to size with j ust sufficient to
23
22
I~;~~~'~ CENTRE.
the phase angle is very importa nt may be avoided by using an
indeed. The throw can be set out with These ca n be made or
1~;f~!;S;~:~
reasonable accuracy by co-ordinate but whose who own a
methods but though the co-ordinates head w ith a taper shank which
•j I • , can be accurately determined for the tailstock socket can make use of
angles, the slides (especially the vertical instead . This requires no more than
slide) cannot be set to the tenths
thous required. For this reason those
0' m"m,fac"". of a hard centre to fit in
of Ihe normal boring tool. Fig. 24
who have a dividing head will find t hat my own - the well known ABC
it pays to set this up for the purpose. head. It use makes things a great
The throw is set using the cross slide easier. Not only is there no need to
" ..
Fig. 23 Web clamps and thrust packing for
the shaft shown in Fig. 22. The threaded
index, and the relative
the same throw piece is used both for

angles
determined using the division plate. If
the crank throws and for the eccentrics,

then accura cy of phasing between
cranks and eccentrics is assured. It is a
fairly time-consuming set-up, but the
the tailstock, but the head itself is
in thousandths so that the
trial' oHset is usually the last. It is,
cou rse, necessary to establish that
lera on the boring head scale does,
lact, bring the centre point truly
I My own has a zero error of
jack-screws had to be reduced (oeafly to clear on ly way to establish correct valve- 0.003 in ., a fact which is noted on Fig. 24 An offset boring head can be used as
adjacent webs. timing when the a set-over tai/stock centre for taper turning.
adjustable. offset centre method cannot be
cut on each. This means that once right steep tapers, for if the offset is one (the actual offset depends, of
for one throw they will be correct for all. Taper Turning the centre will not engage course, on the length of the workpiece)
Figs. 21 and 22 show such a pair. These As has already been pointed out, if the 25. This shows the eHect then it is inadvisable to use the offset
were drilled by co-ordinate methods tailstock is not disposed truly axia l to it will be noti ced that method and either the topslide must be
ensuring both proper phasing of the the lathe centre the workpiece w ill be bears on the outer end of the set over and the taper 'picked up' if its
cranks and the correct throw. By t he turned taper. This is put to use when one side and on the inner at the travel is not long enough , or a taper-
time the final, finishing, cut is made on need a taper shaft. The tailstock is sel The hole will wear to a more or turning attachment must be used. In
the journals the shaft as a whole is very over, towards the operator if the tai l end shape in time, and readjust- passing, Fig. 25 shows that it is
flexible. As well as using clamps on the is to be smaller and vice versa, t he the centre will be required desirable, where possible, for the
webs the use of a steady is almost amount of the oHset being half t he ",,",'Iy at first. If the taper is a steep tai lstock to be set over away from the
imperative. Work from the tailstock end, requ ired diametral taper. Thus if a taper operator, thus ensuring that tool thrust
so that the 'drive' section of the shaft is of Va in. per foot is required on wo rk 6 is taken on the large diameter of the
as stiff as possible, and fit the steady to in. tong, the tailstock must be set over centre-hole.
the journal nearest to the saddle, being by V32 inch. This oHset must be checked
moved to the next one when machining with a dial indicator or similar means, M andrels
the intermediate journal. Then turn the and it is important to check this wit h the A mandrel is a device whereby bored
shaft end-far-end and repeat the tailstock locked to the bed, as the workpieces can be turned between
process. Fig. 23 shows the thrustpieces locking device may cause very slight centres. They are taper, about 0.0005
and the web clamps used in machining movement. An important point is thai in./inch, as opposed to an ARBOR,
such a shaft. the offset must be calcu lated on the wh ich is a similar but parallel device.
The machining of ECCENTRICS on a actual length of the workpiece, Commercial mandrels are hardened,
solid shaft - a rare occurrence - can be including any waste which may be Effecr of attempting to turn too steep
usually right t hrough in sizes below an
done in a similar manner, though there turned or parted off from the ends later by rai/stock offset. The same inch or so, larger ones being case-
is no need for web packing and seldom The trouble of altering the tail slooll will apply to the headstock hardened and ground. The small end is
for thrust rods. In the case of eccentrics and subsequently resetting to turn usually about one thou below the
24 25
nominal diameter, but this does vary. '" many fo rms and Fig. 26 shows three turner's cement or held with a locknut
laid down. The who le is then set
Hom e-m ade mandrels can be finish between centres, in such a way that the types. That marked 'A' is a very early on a threaded end. All have the same
turn ed and polished - hardening is not tool forces will be towards the larger type by BIRCH & CO., comprising a split object - to enable work wh ich might
essential and can, indeed, be a dis- end, for obvious reasons. The work may 118t iron sleeve fitting on a taper arbo r. otherwise have to be chu cked to be
advantage at times; th ough t he now be treated like any other ' between The amount of adjust ment on each turned between centres, with all the
mandrel may be damaged if the tool centres' operation, except t hat cuts may lIeave is sm all. (severa l are provided) advantages that gives. The major
cuts into it th is is often less serious than Ind in industrial use the sleeve wou ld limitation has already been mentioned;
have to be lighter than usual. First
rubbing off the point of the tool. and be machined to suit the work in hand, the arbor presents a relatively slender
because the grip of the work on t he
making a new mandrel when the o ld mandrel is li mi ted, and second, mounted on th e arbo r. It is robust and support and du e allowance must be
one is scored beyond furth er use is no because th e mandrel itse lf presents a will stand fairly heavy cuts. The centre made for this fact.
great matter. relatively slender section of th e .xample, 'B', by the C.W. LeCount
In use the mandrel is sl ightly oiled assembly an d if care is not taken chatter Corp., U.S.A, has three stepped Between Centres - Conclusion
and the work pressed or 'ja rred' onto it may occur. Tools should always be members sliding in grooves with a There is one aspect of work between
by bumping the large end onto a piece especia lly sharp. teper base. The work is butted up to the cent res on which I have not touched -
of lead or wood. Great force should not Ihou lder and then jarred home on the the case where t he work is held in a
The EXPANDING, or adjustabl e,
be used , but there must be sufficient mandrel is a very usefu l piece of teper. The range is large and the grip chuck at t he headstock end, but on a
grip to prevent the work from turning equi pm ent, as it can be used on non- from the relatively narrow members is centre at the tail stock. This was very
on the mandrel. This is very much a quite good. However, in time these common in the 19th century, when
standard diameter holes - when work is
matter of judgement and no rule can be p art machined, for example. They come ,lIdlng parts get worn, and accuracy round or square cup-chucks were used
to drive the work, which was just
I,:~;~e~~,,~(~Tlhey can, of course, be re-
Above is a set of unk nown roug hly shaped and hammered into the
covering the range from just cup. It is quite legitimate to support one
3fa in . to just over' in. diameter. end of long work thus, but using the
sliding sleeve and the arbo r are t hree- or four·jaw chu ck, an d I shall be
of hardened and ground steel. the dealing with th is when we come to
being in the form of a chuck work.
;;k: spring. They are
To sum up, provided the centres are
.. C
::~~.~~:;~;;,~' the
accu rate and give a good
tool th rust must be
correctly shaped and truly aligned (and
all else is in order) between-centres
!too,."d, t he larger end of the taper. tu rn ing produces the most accurate and
are many other forms of most repeatable of all methods, even
MANDRELS, inclu ding those when the workpiece is so short that it
I an accurate thread is sc rew- could readily be chuck held . Further, it
that work can be screwed on up is possible to contrive to hold the most
B shoulder; parallel mandrels or unlikely objects between centres. The
with a threaded end and locknut th ree-jaw self-centring chuck is by no
squ are or polygonal ones, on means an essential accessory; a set of
work is either secured w ith hard and soft centres most certainly is.
!?g. 26 A ~!ustable mandre~s. a. Split. cast-iron sleeve on a taper mandrel by Birch. b. The
LeC:,unt type. c. Three sizes o f ad/ustable mandrel which will cover from 0.36 inch to
1.05 Inch between them.
26 27
CHAPTER 2 EMI
III.
29 Faceplates for
watchmaker's
. On the left is a
ndrel": on the
.", three sizes of
""sc chucks. All are
Moullted on collet
"ptors.
Faceplate Work
Very early in the history of the lathe it drilling clock plates or large wheels, and
was realised that the machine could be early in the 19th century 'facing an d
used to face across objects of large boring' lathes of very large size were
diameter as well as turning between built, again with no provision for work
centres. ' Facing Chucks' consisting of of any great lengths and havi ng no leon what looks like a chuck back- re fl ection will show that if there is to be
discs drilled with many holes or, as tailstock. The perforated faceplate, but is, in fact, one to which thin an error it is better fo r th is to be such
seen in Fig . 27, tapped to receive often with more holes than plate, gave attached by soldering or that the surface will be faced concave
screws, were 'optiona l equipment' to way to the slotted type with w hich we Cement' . Alongside is a rather than convex. so that two mating
most lathes, to be screwed onto the are familiar - not always an advantag e from my Lorch, with a set of surfaces will not rock when fitted to
mandrel nose. In the watch and clock- - and Fig. 28 shows some from my own I clips holding a t hin disc for each other. The headstock/cross sl ide
making industry a speci al lathe known machines. Two are from the Myford , Further types are alignment is. therefore, always set up
as the ' Mandrel ' was a standard the smaller one being that supplied as 29, from a small Boley so that this feature is built into the
machine designed solely for facing and standard equipment. Above these can machine. The concavity will be very
:C::::~~~:~:~t'athe; the small ones are
-.-•
chucks, whilst on the left
true 'Watchmaker's Mandrel' r-~~ Foco".:'" --~r--,
to that in Fig. 28. but fitted with a

centre'. With such a wide variety
devices the turner must
- -- - --ic
~ ...• •
carefully which to use
important, how to use it. For.
faceplate was first introduced
facing work, its advantages for
of turning were soon
~P ... 01I"'"
•
an important point about the
ope ration itself. We are \
to think of the faceplate as
• but this is not the case. All
,., '"
Fig. 27 left, faceplate from d lathe made in '805. The screws have deep rectangular threads, are subject to some degree of Fig. 30 The effects of concavity.
and all have been screwcut. Fig. 28 right, a group of faceplates. Note the setting rings. even if perfect when new will (a) Workpieces set around the rim of the
(See text). from wear in due course. A little faceplate. (b) Across the centres.
28 29
small; on a good quality commercial faceplate will be much larger than the ;".Qul,,,";.' . It also improves
machine the maximum allowance will cutting forces. As we shall see later, w e -:~~~;~.~~~~~' grip. Incidentally, when
be about one or two thousandths of an can combi ne clamps and stops, but • faceplates (and this is
inch per foot of tool travel, whi lst on my
:
l arch precision lathe the concavity is
some form of clamping will be required.
The important point to note is that as 5:~:i~~~:;n,~.:~e,~essary, andmachine
from one essential
to
less than B tenths foot. Naturally, the soon as any force is applied to the work a dead smooth surface is not
less this is the better, but any machine some distortion is inevitable; you red , still less a highly polished
which showed the slightest amount of cannot apply a force to anythi ng A 'fine machine finish' will give a
convex error would be rejected on without causing a deflection . In ma ny grip.
inspection, and sent back for rebuilding. circumstances this deflection is not • ••;o,.d factor must also be borne in
(In passi ng, this 'concavity' is the important, but in others it can be fatal. machining rough castings
reason why large diameter flycutters In Fig. 31, at (a). the flanges may be of an irregular shape. This is the
suffer interference on the back half of compressed a little but the top face w il l I of 'three-point support'. No
the revolution.) Reference to Fig. 30 will be unaffected. However, a simi lar w ork- how carefully it may be packed it
reveal that if a number of workpieces piece shown at (b) would certain ly difficult indeed for anything with
are set around the faceplate as at (a) deflect and, after machining, th e top (or less) than three legs to be
they will all be turned sensibly parallel.
~
but any set across the centre, as at (b)
face will almost certainly be found to be :~~~~:'e:inplates
a stable manner. That is
have on ly three pads
Fig. 32 A nine-inch flywheel set on the large
convex. How much this matters faceplate of fig. 28 for remedial work on the
will be concave. On my 9 inch faceplate depends on the nature of the job, but a Even if a machined surface bore. The chalk-marks indicate the position
the concavity amounts to less than % of better arrangement for (b) would be to another there is risk of rock of the packing - see text.
a thou over the full diameter. have forked clamps, gripping at the ""eh,IIy if any dirt be there) and any
ends of the bridge section. , will then cause distortion. have been better had the packing been
Holding the Work directly under three spoke ends, and
Reference back to the first chapter will
Th e apparently safe condition of Fig. a:la~~!;~;f,;;,'~:',~egu l ar work to the the clamps across these spokes, but
31 (a) may inadvertently be translated It I it is important to
show that it is not possible to hold a to that of 31 (b) if th ere is any particle of so that the piece is here we run up against a difficulty
workpiece to a faceplate using the ' no swarf between the work and the face- at points only; and, common to most faceplates. Manu-
grip' technique. If we are to have but plate, or if there is a burr on either mind what has already been factu rers appear to be ignorant of the
one degree of freedom (in rotation) workpiece or faceplate. Absolute clean· clamps as near to this 'th ree point' principle and always make
then the stops needed to effect restraint liness is important, and the faceplate as possible. It is, of course, not the plates with four or eight slots! 12
wi ll lie in the way of th e tool. We must, must be examined periodically for practicable to achieve these would be better, as then there would be
therefore, rely on clamping, and the dents and burrs. It is good practice to (we may need three pieces of the choice, but there it is! With eight
impl ication s of this must now be set a piece of paper between machi ned but have room for but two slots it just was not possible (on this
considered . In effect, a clamp is a device work and the faceplate, too. This nOI but they should always be job) to arrange clamps across the
which applies so much force that the only reduces the risk from sma ll burrs mind. spokes. However, the job is reasonably
friction between (e.g.) the work and the but, in additi on, compensates for any shows a flywheel attached to stiff, and the clamps are as close to the
le,!plat. for remedial work on the rim as possible. Had the work been
packed away from the plate to slender I should have drilled and tapped
the boring tool to pass through the faceplate to suit.
fouling the mandrel nose, but
I~:;~~~~:~n~ would have been used Faceplate Dogs
III rough casting, so that The problem with clamps is that they
traverse across the tend to project above the work - if they
Fig. 31 (a) Clamps do not, then the bolts may do so. See
correctly applied, to
when machining . The
cause little distortion. ii are marked with cha lk Fig . 33. The dog is a device which
(b) Clamping here w ill are set across the pairs of enables the work to be clamped
••• ". distort the top face. to the packing. It would laterally, and they are easily made. Fig.
30 31
faceplate with a rawhide mallet. These naturally and quite accurate thi ckn ess-
dogs do have other u ses, one of w hich Ing can be achieved. Accurate centring
is to act as a stop when the workpiece is I, not so easy, as this must be done with
such that the cut is interru pted, th us the assembly hot. If done on the lath e
causing a shock load, yet too frag ile to mandrel there is risk of finding the plate
damp w ith any force. In circula r work 'shrunk on ' when all cools! However, if
th ey have the advantage that they make you h ave a dummy mandrel nosepiece
the centring operation much easier. you can arrange this in a loose bea ring
In the vice and spin it round, centring
Attachment with Adhesives the work with a wooden skewer or
Woodturners are quite accustomed to similar tool . As a rul e, howeve r, I
gluing work to their faceplates, and it is seldom solder-fix when accurate
surprising that more metalwo rkers do centring is needed, preferring the use of
Fig. 33 A tricky clamping job - the clamps not follow their example. It was very glue.
must be set to clear the tool. The designer Fig. 37 A ring attached to the faceplate with
has provided packing lugs on the casting in turner's cement - partially machined, with
this case, which can be filed to make a secure the saddle retracted for clarity.
bed for the work.
anae robic adhesives (Loctite etc) are
34 shows my set , but if I were making equal ly useful , but you must leave them
another o utfit I wou ld not have the under pressure from the tailstock whilst
shanks rectangular as seen, but simply curing, as they may slide off.
a circul ar stem so that the dog could be Turner's Cement is an old - very old-
rotated in the slot. Fig . 35 shows these concocti on. I have ha lf-a-dozen
dogs in use. They are insid e the work- varieties here, all home made . The
piece, which is not typical, but this strongest is a mixture of powdered
f rame was the only example I had by pumice stirred into melted shell ac, but
me wh ich I could use to illustrate the it is a pig to make ; for general purposes
point . The d ogs are in t he corners, so a mixture of three parts common resin
Fig . 35 Faceplate dogs in use. Though it
that th ere is no bending stress in the might have been possible to set clamps in Ag. 36 Portface for 8 beam-engine cylinder
frames and after t ightening - not too the slots of the workpiece the bolts would being soldered to the faceplate - actually a
much - the work is tapped back to the almost certainly have projected and fouled spare chuck backplate.
the tool.
If there is no hurry, then 'Araldite
common 100 years ago, but seems to Rapid' is excellent . The tubes should be
have been lost sight of. I have used the warmed to about 100 deg . F to reduce
term 'adhesive' but this Idoes include the viscosity and the tailstock used to
soldering. Fig. 36 shows the loose po rt- exert slight pressure to squeeze the
face of my beam engine 'MARY' bein g gl ue into a uniform t hickness. You then
soldered to a sma ll faceplate. This plate have about 3 minutes during which it is
is cast-iron, but has been tin ned all over possible to ajust the sideways position;
(though it does not show) and th e the work must then be left to cure. I find
workpiece is being sweated to it. If the half an hour on my storage heater gives Fig.37A A set of washers being thinned.
work is tinn ed also, and both work and adequate strength. The adhesive is They are attached to the "temporary
plate heated together, the thickness of quite brittle, so that a sharp blow with a faceplate" With turner's cement. Esch
Fig. 34 A set of faceplate dogs. the solder film w ill tend to equali se wooden mallet will detach it. The washer touches i ts neighbout.
32 33
with one part beeswax - melted held a tolerance of ± 0.001 in. See Fig . In shea r and tension (I often have to
together and cast into sticks - serves 37A. lOak in meths to get the stuff to un stick)
well, with a shear strength of about 200 The watchmaker makes much use of but the ' peel' strength is low. On VERY
Ib.sq.in. (Do not overh eat in the mixing, plain shellac, on the littl e 'chucks' thi n work, therefore, light cuts are
by the way). Thi s can be used in two (really tiny fa ceplates) seen in Fig. 29. Imperative otherwise the tool may lift
ways. If truly centralised work is not The techniqu e is th e same - either th e edge. (e.g. if machining 10-thou
needed one j ust holds the stick on the using f ricti on or heating with a spirit shimstock down to eig ht-th ou , two cuts
plain facepl ate until friction melts it and lamp, the latter when centring is wou ld be prudent I ) Fig s 37 and 38 show
gives a good cover; t hen hold the work important. If there is a centre-hole, t hen machining work this way, the first two
against the plate until friction again th e rest is brought forward and th e with turner's cement, the other w ith
melts the wax - and let go! As soon as work centred with a cocktail st ick shellac.
all has cooled the work wi ll be held applied to it, the lathe running slowly t ill Ag. 39 Faceplate of a 20 inch swing
quite firmly. For more accurate work the the shellac set s. If there is no cent re- FiKlures on the Faceplate Britannia lathe of about 1890. Note the three
plate is heated and the work may then hole, then a piece of pegwood is By 'f ixtu re' we mean any device which parallel slots for attaching an angle-plate.
be quite accurately centred. Fig . 37 . In applied to th e outer circumference. The Is attached to the faceplate to hold the
thi s case there is less ri sk of sh rinking proced ure is quick and very effective. work. The most common in early times
th e plate onto the mandrel, as a (Fig. 38). In fine work it is important that was the angle-plate, an d in those days
tempe rature of little more than 150 deg . th e thickness o f t he wax or she ll ac be all fa ceplates had a set of slots specia lly
F is needed. Again, the job may be uniform, and light pressure should be for this attachment. Fig . 39. (The angle-
detached with a blow, but warm water applied. Resi n alone is a substitute for plate was often part of the outfit). Fig.
will do just as well. In facing a number shellac, but rather more brittle. 40 shows one example of this in use.
of rings to th ickness these can be set in A fina l ' adhesive' method is to use Here, a cross-dril ling jig is being
a circle on the faceplate with t his dou bl e-sided tape - a modern develop- machi ned. It is important that both the
cement ; the trick is to have all the rings ment. I make a great deal of use of this longitudinal hole and the cross-hole be
tou chi ng each other round th e plate, so in wood and ivory turni ng. Th ere are on the cent re-line exactly. The
that the shock load of th e interrupted two types of thi s tape - the very thin procedure is to drill and ream the larger
cut is taken by the rings in series, as it materia l, and a slightly th icker, but bore with th e work set on the angle- Fig . 40 Use of an angle-plate to ensure that
were. I have machined as many as 24 somewhat spo ngy material. Th e latter two holes are exactly on the same centre.
plate, then rotate the work setting this
Note the offset balance weights .
rings at once, %2 in. th ick, this way, and is stickier, and w ill accommodate to hole parallel with the faceplate; finally
rougher surfaces, but naturally will not dri ll and ream the cross-hole. The two
be so accurate as it is not so uniform in are then bound to be correct. Fig . 41
th ickness. The thinner variety is on ly a show s another applica tion of this same
few thou th ick and very uniform, better type - in this case the crosshead of a
for accurate model engineering work. model eng in e. Th e angleplate can also
However, a few points must be be used effectively for cyl inder boring
watched . The concavity I p ave already and, one end having been faced, can
mentioned means that the thin materi al then be set upright to machine the
will only grip at the outer part of the portface and finally the back end
work. In fact, th is is no disadvantage, as cylinde r flange ca n be faced . This was
a strip round the edge of the work will the normal method of boring model
hold so firmly that it may be difficult to cylinders at one time, and very effective
remove the job! Neither type will too, before all lathes had boring tables.
adhere to an oily surface and Vee-blocks are another very useful Fig . 41 Setting up a model enginecrosshead.
degreasing of both work and faceplate type of fixture. Fig. 42 shows an After machining the piston-rod hole the work
Ag. 38 Brass ring attached to the faceplate is vital; fin ger-marks also will reduce awkwa rd workpiece (not a model, but a will be rotated to get the crosshead pin hole
of a watchmaker's lathe w ith shellac. the sticking power. It is very st rong both repair job) which could scarcely have square, and on the same centreline.
34 35
is just an example, for if actually doing Ihe relation of the bores to each other
the job I would have removed the .nd to the holes forthe engine columns
piston rings first, but I have rebored and w.s important. The jig is arranged so
bushed a gudgeon pin hole this way a Ihat it can be used first to drill the
fair time ago. column holes. It is then set on the
Special jigs are frequently well worth I.esplate with these in correct relation-
while. (The two tapped holes in th e ship to the first cyl inder centre; when
small plate in Fig. 28 are for one such) Ihls is bored th e casting is reversed on
Fig. 46 shows an example. Here we the jig and the second cylinder is bored.
have a twin-cylinder block to bore, and As the same jig is used to drill the
column holes in the bed and to set out
tho main bearing centres the final
ollgnment of the engine was straight-
forward.
Fig. 42 Machining a pump air-vessel
connection using a vee-block. This job could
not have been held in any other way.
Fig. 48 Machining a m odel loco motive

driver, with a Morse taper stub m andrel
spigot in (he mandrel bore, shown above, to
ensure concentricity. (Photo - Martin Evans)
Fig . 44 Keats angleplate used when boring Fig. 47 shows another jig. Two triple
an engine cylinder. expansion engines were needed for a
twin-screw boat. This involved the
boring of 8 main bearings, and this
Ag. 46 Cylinder boring jig on the faceplate.
could not be done by 'line boring' in
rhe Jig is hollowed out to receive the boring
'001 at extreme travel. place on the bed -the best method. The
Fig.43 The "Keats" Vee-angle plate. brasses (actually gunmetal) were made
of two pieces soldered together in the
been machined in any other way. Oddly usual way, and machined all over
enough I had had this 'double' angle- externally. The jig was then made as
plate for many yea rs but until thi s job seen in the photo and carefully centred
cropped up never appreciated t he on the faceplate. The pairs of brasses
usefulness of the twin supports! A were dropped into the rectangular slot
specialised form of vee-block is that and held by the top clamp. They were
known as th e 'KEATS', shown in Fig. 43, then bored and sized with a reamer in
being a combination of angle-plate and the usual way. As all the slots in the
vee-block. It has a variety of uses, beds had been milled at one setting the
Fig. 45 Using the Keats angleplate with th e
though it was originally designed for Vee transversely, re-machining the holes were bound to be accurately
cylinder boring , as in Fig. 44. However, gudgeon.pin hole for a gas engine piston. aligned and, in this case, it was found
it can be used in many ways, Fig. 45 Note the use of the special clamp giving .... . 7 Ma in bearing boring jig on the that the brasses were interchangeable
being set up to show an example. This access to the hole. Ikepfate. to the test mandrel.
36 37
As a final example, Fig. 48 shows a everythi ng from a piece of old scaffold- .... 49 Setting central to
loco motive driver being turned on t he plank to a chunk of lignum vitae. If • machined bore. The
rim. The usua l practice of machining using a softwood, however, it is ,ylinder is due to be faced
the back and boring for the axle is important to get it dry first, and to try to " the end and then
counterbored. No te the
followed, this work being done in the get whatever job is in hand completed UItJ of three clamps only.
four-jaw chuck. A fixture comprising a in the one day. Softwood can move
No. 2 Morse taper plug with a peg a quite a lot with changes in humidity.
push fit to the wheel bore is fitted in the
mandrel (with a drawba r, please!) and
the wheel is then held to this with a nut Centring W ork
on the spigot . Normally, friction w ill We shall have more to say about this
give sufficient drive to the wheel, but I when we come to chuckwork, but a fe w
prefer to fit a small driver peg between words now will not be out of place. With
a couple of the spokes. The great virtue rough castings such as f lywheels and
of t his method is t hat the mass of the the like the initial setting can be done on
faceplate acts as a very efficient damper the bench using the setting rings on the
and prevents chatter. (I must add that it faceplate. After fitting on the lathe the
is nearly 35 yea rs since I machined a use of chalk and slow ro tation enables
large locomotive driver, and I am th e work to be set to about 1/64 in.; closer
indebted to Martin Evans for the if a felt pen is used instead. However,
photo!) • the error made by many is to set such a closer than the roughness of the dull blow with a lead ham'ier cannot
wheel to the outside of the casting. The casting . If centring to a previously shift the work. Most people clamp up
Temporary Faceplat es best place to set true to is the inside of drilled hole is needed, th en it wi ll far too tig htly, and it is only when there
I have in the past, frequently made the rim - i.e. to an unmachined part, usually suffice to bring up the tailstock wi ll be a vicious interrupted cut that
reference to what is almost the best w hich will show when the model is cent re to the hole, but if a bored hole is really tig ht clamps are needed. Indeed, I
friend the machinist has - the 'block of finished . In some cases it is necessary to be picked up, then a dial indicator prefer, in such cases, to use my normal
wood'. All the faceplates on my main to effect a compromise between truth of must be used. clamping pressure, but add a stop peg
Holtzapffel lathe are of wood, some the inner rim and that of the boss, but in For setting previously machined work (one of m y faceplate dogs as a rule) to
with a metal insert to fit the mandrel general an out-of-true boss is less on the faceplate the normal dial take the shock thrust.
nose. They have the great advan tage important. Once reasonably true the Indicat or method is used, (Fig. 49) It is sometimes necessary to set work
t hat I ca n mach ine right into them if slide-rest can be used; advance the though I always precede this by usin g true to the face - i.e. across the bed - by
need be, and they can be turn ed with cross slide till the tool just touches, then the cross slide index as previously adjustment of packing behind the work.
spigots, recesses, or whatever is rotate the work half a revolution and desc ribed . For much work t his will be This is a tedious business, the more so
needed to accommodate t he work in repeat. If the index reading is noted at sufficient in itself - I find I can set to two as the packing always falls out at the
hand. I use the same device on both each trial the amount by wh ich the work or three thou runout this way. But do critical moment! Large packing pieces
the Myford and the Lorch, but attach a must be m oved can be estimated. If t he not use a sha rp pointed tool as t he can be induced to stay put by magnetis-
blank of wood to the standa rd metal work is still only lightly clamped and a 'sensor' as this will dig into the surface, ing them, but an equally effective
facep late from behind. I can then 'blunt instrum ent' used instead of a tool not only giving a false reading but also expedient is to coat them with Evo-stik
machine right into the temporary face the work ca~ be eased over by using th e leavi ng marks on th e job. For setting to or one of th e other similar glues. I have
with no damage. More important, if I cross slide hand-wheel, but I prefer to a marked centre, of course, the old som e stuff called 'Cow Gum' which
have a workpiece which has just a use a light rawhide or plastic mallet. estab lished 'centre-finder' or 'wobbler' works well provided there is no oil
singl e projection on the back face which Note that th e work will often move Is standard practice. about.
makes holding awkward I can carve out sideways as well as in th e' desired Whatever the nature of the workpiece Adj ustment in this plane can be done
a cavity to receive this and then clamp direction - one of the clauses of that it is important that a check be made using the slide index method, but with
or screw th e work to th e wood. The famous law ! Th ere is no point in after the final tightening o f any clamps. the topsli de index or the leadscrew
material is not critical - I have used attempting to get t he work ru nning These need seldom be so tight that a hand-wheel as the indicator.
38 39
Preca utions w ill spoil it. I have al ready referred to
Work running above about 150 r.p.m. t he need to remachine if transferred CHAPTER 3
must be ba lanced. If the workpiece is at from one lathe to another (I have had
all weighty and we are (say) boring a my 9 in. Myford for nearly 40 years, on
sma ll hole therein at the proper speed, three lathes) and though not likely it
then the out-at-balance forces wi ll not MAY be necessary to remachine a new
on ly rock the ma ch ine on its bench, but plat e after a year or so if the original
also put a hefty load on the mandrel casting missed the ageing process. If
bearings. These have an oil clearance, machining up a casting for a replace-
and the out of balance can easily lead to
dimensional errors. In a number o f the
ment, rough it out and leave it for as
long as you can before taking th e
Chuckwork - General
photos you will see odd weights finishing cut. Now, just think a little.
attached to serve this end . T otal When you do take the finishing cut, this
accuracy is not essentia l, but it the is t he one which determines the final
machine shows any signs of vibration. accuracy. If you use the classic 'two
look to this point. (Not forgettin g t hat thou per rev' and a shaving depth of In earl ier days the word 'chuck' was The main characteristic is that the
too much balance weight is as bad as cut, the tool is going to run about 800 used to describe anythi ng that drove chuck 'g ri ps'. The work is held between
too little!) yards during th e process, and an inter- th e work. What we call a 'catchp late', jaws or screws (or both ). Th e simplest
rupted cut across the slots at that, and tor example, was known as a 'd river type is the screw bell chuck (Fig. 50)
Inevitably in faceplate work there wi ll
some slight wear is inevitable. So much chuck'. Their names were legion ; J. J. comprising a metal cup with screws-
be bolts, lugs, dogs, and the aforesaid
so that if the cut is only a thou or so you Holtzapffel takes 64 pages to describe usually eight but sometimes four -
weights p rojecting. All too often these
may well find it stops cutting altogether them in his book on 'Plain Turning', and passing through the wall to hold the
foul the gap in the bed! Or t hey may
when part way across. The trick is to he did not include all the 'Ornamental' workpiece. A device not to be dis-
foul the tool holder. So, check by hand
use a somewhat coarse r feed - I would types. I myself have over two dozen dained, as experienced users of both
rotation that everything w ill clear with
suggest 6 to 8 thou/rev, or even ten different sorts of chucks, ranging from watchmaker's lat hes and the old ADEPT
the saddle in the extreme working
thou - a very sharp tool with a fairly plain wooden blocks to very complex lathe (price 75p!) will know. We will
position. Worse, however, is the ris k
large radius at the cutting edge, and a devices indeed. All have their uses, and have a look at thi s one later. Most
that these projections may foul you,
cut sufficiently deep to prevent any risk I will deal with some which have a readers, however, will know only those
and you will fi nish with a visit to the
of rubbing; not less than three thou . general appl ication to model engi neer- w ith three or four jaws, working in
casualty ward. It may break your heart
Work from th e inside outwards, so that Ing in a later section. However, let us sl ides machined in a substantia l body,
to do so, but it is best to saw off any
any tool wear produces concavity. - the tirst look at those which we should and operated by screws or a scroll
excess projection of bolts - better saw
reverse traverse could make it convex. recognise as chucks in t his day and age. engaging with the back of the jaw. All
them off than have the vet saw off a
Then, when finished , use a pointed tool
finger. I t ry to paint all such hazards
to cut a number of concentric circles at,
with yellow cellulose, so that there is a
say, half-inch intervals, to help in rough
visual warning.
centring. For some reason lathe manu-
A final point ; the faceplate is, when facturers never do this, and it is always
new, an accurately-machined access- the first machining job one has to do on
ory. Take care to keep it so, for burrs a new lathe after the initial setting .up.
Ag. 50 left; A 4-screw bell

chuck dating from 1805.
right; A modem 8-screw bell
chuck.
40 41
exert sufficient pressure to overcome Indeed, be possible to break a spoke if
t he reactions from the cutting tool. 100 great a force were applied, even
There is absolutely no way in which the from the 'light' pattern chuck shown in
work can resist the jaw pressure with - the photograph .
out distortion, for that is one of nature's Clearly, it is necessary always to
laws. And, by the same token, no way in consider the cutting forces which may
which the chuck can exert this force be applied, especially when roughing -
without itself suffering some degree of these heavy cuts do need a secure grip.
distortion , too. As we shall see later, But my own practice is, where at all
this is most unfortunate, as in the most possible, to relax slightly the grip
commonly used type - the self-centring between roughing and finishing. There
three-jaw chuck - this distortion occurs
just in that element upon which we rely
'I a great deal to be said for leaving
roughed-out castings or forgings for
for its accuracy. lome tim e between the two processes,
In Fig. 51 I show a ring, of 0/16 in. 10 all ow locked up stresses to be
square cross-section, held in a self- relieved, and then rechucking for the
centri ng chuck. It has been 'reasonably' fJnish in g operation. However, if a tight
Fig. 51 Checking the effect of jaw pressure gripped and th en bored true. A dial test grip is likely to cause distortion beyond Fig . 52 Even a stiff workpiece may be
on a ring. indicato r app lied to the inside of the an acceptable limit it is always prudent affected by jaw pressure.
ring showed negligible deflection. The 10 reduce the cutting rate to permit a
too often miscalled solely by the jaws were then tightened in a 'casual' lighter grip. here is that we must be able to move
number of jaws, an error which can fash ion - just a twist with one hand, t he axis of t he work relative to the axis
sometimes lead to confusion! with no excessive force. The dial How Many Jaws7 ot rotation - sometimes to get the two
First, let us get down to a few basic indicator then showed the ring to be Most writers seem always to refer to the to coincide, sometimes to provide a
principl es. All these devices grip. An 'lobed', having sprung inwards in way 'Independent' (or 'Universal ' ) chuck as a given degree of eccentricity. Consider
immediate consequence is that the of the jaws and outwards in between 'Four-jaw' and the 'self-centring ' (or Fig. 53. At (a) there are two jaws, and if
workpiece has lost all the 'degrees of them. The total runout was then about 'concentric') chuck as a 'Three-jaw'. I do these can be moved independently we
freedom' which it might have possess- 0.005 inch . Fig . 52 shows anot her case. myself! But 1 have, as it happens, selt- can move the workpiece laterally but
ed on its own . It shares only that Here we have a substantial flywheel , centring chucks with two, three, four not up and down. However, at fb) where
en joyed by the chuck itself, and as t his previously machined on the faceplate, and six jaws, whereas all my Independ- we have four opposing jaws in two
is attached securely to the lathe so that we can assume that the rim is ent chucks have four. So, how do we pairs it is possible by working first on
mandrel (we hope) it can on ly move in true. It has been set in the four-jaw decide? let us look at the independent one pair and t hen the other to bring the
rotation. We can, therefore, forget all independent chuck and centred, using or universal chuck. The requirement centre of the work 0' to the centre of
about this aspect, knowing that come just sufficient force to hold it. The d.t.i .
what may the work will rotate about the showed a very sma ll deflection - a total
lathe axis. (Though whether this coin- run out of about 0.0005 inch. The jaws
cides with the axis of the workpiece is were then carefully tightened to provide
another matter, as we shall see). a grip which I would have considered a a
However, we pay for this advantage. In proper for rough machining the casting .
gripping the work we must inevitably The dial now showed a lobed runout of
cause some distortion. The forces about 3 thou - and this despite the fact
exerted by the chuck jaws can be very that the chuck jaws are adjacent to th e o
large indeed if care is not taken, but spokes. Th is rim is V4 in. wide and '17 in .
, (01
even with reasonable ca re (and radial thickness, with spokes ave rag ing
'reasonabl e' means different things to % in. diameter. There has been some Ag. 53 Jaw operation for a "universal" chuck. 0 is the centre of rotation, 0' that of
different people!) the jaws must a/ways distortion nevertheless and it WOUld , Ihe work.
42 43
" Imed that greater accu racy is
_ieved. This may be t rue when the
thuck is new, but the probl em arises
tlmen any wear takes place. A chuck on
In adaptor (or 'backplate') can be
Idiusted, but nothing can be done with
the direct fitting type. I prefer to use
'h l ,,, '"
backplates, but this is a matter of
opin ion and preference.
Fig. 54 Jaw configurations for a "Self Centring" or "Concentric" chuck. It is worth while obta ining the
backplate, usually (and preferably) of
cast iron, with th e thread and register
rotation 0 without difficulty. At (c) the (a) the chuck is made so that the jaws al ready machined - all lathe manu-
work is gripped in three jaws. It doesn't start off concentrically, and Ib) the f.cturers provide these. The user then
take long to see that to bri ng 01 down to mecha nism will move all jaws the same has on ly to machine the face to suit the
o we have to slacken jaws 1 and 3 amount. Fig. 55 shows a SIX-jaw self- recess at the back of the chuck. The
before we can tighten No.2, and if we centring chuck, known as a 'Bezel mandrel nose must be carefu ll y - and
do th at the work will fallout. It woul d be Chuck', as it is used chiefly for the I m ean 'carefully' - cleaned and th en
wo rse wit h five or more jaws. So, for machining of watch or clock glass lightl y oiled. The backplate, similarly, Fig. 55 A large 6-jaw Bezel chuck. The jaws
the independent chuck, four jaws are bezels, though it has other uses. Clearly mu st be scrupulously clean and if it is are detachable, and a second set with
essential; nothing else wi ll do. such a chuck must be made with great the first time that it has been fitted to opposite facing steps can be ri rred.
Now consider the requirement for precision, and must be used with even the lathe a fairly close exam in ation of
'self-centring'. The need here is for a set greater care, if the six jaws are to work the threads and register shou ld be the sma ller un iversal chucks may not
of jaws which are (a) equally spaced in harmony. These chucks are, today, made to ensure that there are no burrs. allow th is, and the boss must then
from the axis of rotation and w hich (b) very expensive - the one shown in t he h may fit rather tightly to the ma ndrel, project backwards. For this reason it is
can be moved simu ltaneously so that photo cost something over £5 in 1939. but provided the tightness is uniform - wise to specify the type of chuck for
they remain equ id istant from that axis. From all t his we see that th e only I.e. no tight spots - th is is an advantage wh ich the ad aptor is required.
See Fig. 54. At (a) there are two jaws. combination for 'un iversality' is a chuck n lher than otherwise. If the backplate is The backplate carries a spigot which
These would hold the work centra l in wit h four jaws, and the ideal for self- home-made from a casting a check engages with a recess on t he chuck and
one plane, but would need a shape at centring is three jaws, though others ilhould be made to see that it beds is attached with setscrews or bolts -
the ends (say a vee) w hich was may have t heir uses. I find my self- uniform ly over the should er on th e usually the same number as there are
inherently self ce ntri ng to locate the centring four-jaw very useful indeed, mandrel. It goes without sayi ng that jaws. In ma ny books you may find the
work sid eways. Such chucks are used in especially when much wo rk has to be equally scrupulous cleaning should be ru le that the fla nge shou ld bed outside
repetition work, the chuck jaws having done on square bar stock, but we will be the order of the day when fitting ch ucks the spigot on the universa l type, and
loose pieces attached which are shaped looking at that point later. Cor any accessory) to a lathe mandrel if inside for the self-centring . This is not
to receive th e work. At (b), with three eccu ra cy is to be preserved. necessarily true. The requ irement is
jaws, concentri city is assu red (within Attaching the Chuck In the case of the universal ch uck th e that the flange should bed flat down on
the li mits of accuracy of the chuck) and, The fixing of the chuck to th e lathe hole through the body is usua lly larg e that part of the chuck through which the
moreover, we are also assu red of an mandrel is clearly of paramount import- enough to accept th e screw ed boss bolts pass, so that if on, say, a four-jaw
equal force on each jaw, even if they get ance if accuracy is to be achi eved, and Within the chuck body, with ju st chuck the P.C.D. of the bolts lies within
worn . At Ic) there are four jaws. Again, this is just as important forthe universal . ufficient of a boss on the other side to the sp ig ot recess, then the fl anges
concentricity is assured, but not as it is for the self-centring chuck. Many bed on the register col lar of the mandrel should bed there, with a clearance of
equality of force, for the result of wear of the latter are supplied with the body (Fig. 56). This reduces the overhang on say 0.005 in. elsewhere. Thi s is to
on any part may mean th at one jaw may already machined to fit the particul ar what is normally a fairly heavy chuck, ensu re that no distortion is caused
not quite reach. Similar considerations lathe. The user is saved the work of and is the preferred arrangement. Th e when tightening the fixing bolts. Note
apply to any number of jaws, provided machining an adaptor plate, and it is holes in the body of self-centring and the recesses and clearances shown on
44 45
BockplOI. ,"~._ argum ent in the case of the unive rsal
chuck; th e spigot shou ld fit and fit well, CHAPTER 4
so that the outside diameter of the
heavy chuck runs true. For any self-
centring chuck, however, I believe that
t he balance of the argument is in favour
of a little clearance on the spigot - just a
fe w thousandths of an inch - so that the
chuck can be set with work in the jaws
to give the least amount of runout. A ll
chucks are made to a tolerance,
The Universal or
typically 0.003 in. to tal ind icator
reading, and a 'dead true' chuck can be Independent Chuck
no more than luckl
Once fitted, the jaws must be
removed and the face of the chuck
checked for accuracy. This is very
important, whatever the type of chuck,
for we rely on the face (and sometimes
on the faces of th e steps of the jaws) for This is a development from the use of often of vee form. More usually the
setting up work in service. If there is any dogs on th e faceplate and is ill ustrated screw is captive in the body ofthe chu ck
error then the face of the backplate In books on turning going back for and the thread, of square form, engages
must be scraped to correct it - always centuries - see Fig. 57. Th ere are two with part threads on the back of the jaw.
assum ing that the machining has been alternative types of construction on the Fig. 58 shows the two types, one a 4 in .
Fig. 56 Backplate adaptor with register correct in the f irst place. The check must m odern version . Some have threaded an d the other 6 in., both of which are
thread within the chuck body. be made by rotating the ch uck und er adjusting screws worki ng in threads in termed the 'light' pattern. The captive
Fig. 56. It is most important that the the dial ind icator, not by traversing it the body which move with the jaws, t he screw type is much stronger and is
chuck body can sit down on the face of across the face, as the machine shou ld Icrew being removed entirely w hen preferred for genera l work, but the
the backplate. be arranged to turn sl ightly concave the jaw is to be reversed. This other type is both lighter and cheaper
There is always debate about the f it when facing, as we noted when dealing construction is confined to small , very and takes up less room - it is shallower.
on the spigot itself. There can be no with faceplates. . light pattern ch ucks, and the screws are The ca ptive screw type can be had in
Fig. 57 Illustration of a lathe

Of sbout 1780, showing a
'our-jaw independent chuck
Just to the left of the bed.
46 47
Fig . 58 Left: A 6-inch chuck with extremes. On the one hand it can that the parts which will remain
captive screws. provide a secure hold of heavy unmachined run true . On a flywheel this
Right: A 4-inch chuck, the screws Irregularly-shaped workpieces, while might be the inner circumference of the
travelling with the jews. on the other it is the only workholder in rim, or the boss (or compromise
which previously turned pieces can be between the two). On an engi ne cylinder,
reset axially true with precision. It is not the outside of the bore - the boring tool
a device 'for rough work only' and it will look after the inside. At the same
should be treated with the respect it time, it is always prudent to lay a few
deserves. In far too many cases an dimensions over the rough casting to
examination of a second hand lathe ensure that the machining allowances
outfit reveal s damaged chuck screw are fairly shared out. Taking an engine
sockets or twisted square ends on the cylinder as example again, the amount
key - all evidence of misuse. There to come off the flanges at each end
sizes from about 2 in . dia. upwards (Fig. sure that no large or relatively heavy should never be any occasion to use should be balanced so that they end up
, 59), but the othe r is seldom made above work is to be done, the sma ller size will enough force to cause either. The more or less the same thickness. Fig. 61
4 in . dia., Fig. 60 shows another type. be adequate. Chuck bodies may be of relative sizes of chuck key and the shows the rough casting for a brass
The normal or preferred size as steel or H.T. cast iron . There is little diameter and pitch of the screws are cupchuck for my Holtzapffel lathe sel
standard fitting for a centre lathe (other point in a steel body for amateu r work, such that, were there no friction in the up, and it can be seen that the boss and
considerations apply to capstans) is and the 'heavy duty' chucks ,are guides, the jaws of a light 6 in . chuck the 0.0. are not co-axia l (look at the
that which will permit the chuck to hold designed for work heavier than the could exert a force on the workpiece of chalkmarks). Th e chuck was adjusted to
work equal in diameter to the chuck lathe will take, so far as the average about 8 tons when applied with reason- ensure that there would be both
body without the jaws fouling the lathe amateur machine is conce rned ! able hand pressure. By setting a piece sufficient metal to form the boss, and a
bed. (Few chucks will hold work in the of mild steel of known cross-section wall thickness adequate for the duty.
normal gap). For a 3% in. lathe this Gripping Force between one pair of jaws I was able to It saves a lot of time if the work can be
implies a body 6 in. diameter. The 4 in. The Universal chuck - or whatever measure the change in length when the 'rough set' first - I often do this on the
size is half the weight and about half the name you care to give to it - acquires grip was increased from 'just holding' bench before mounting chuck and work
price of a 6 in ., so that, provided you are merit from its ability to w ork at the two to what I would regard as ' reaso nab le'- together on the lathe mandrel. To this
the key being turned with one hand end most universal chucks are
only. The deflection corresponded to an machined with circular setting lines on
axial load in the test piece of 3430 Ibf -
just over 1% tons ; quite enough for
most purposes! Th ere is no need to
extend the key with bits of pipe, still less
to do what was suggested a few years
8go, adapt a belly-brace to fit the screw
sockets!
Setting the work

The variety of shapes which are held in
the universal chuck make it difficult t o
l uggest any rules, but there are some
which may help, and I hope that the few
examples which I shall illustrate may
Fig. 59 A small - 2-inch - independent chuck Fig. 60 An independent chuck with non- Issist further. The first point to observe
with captive screws. reversible jaws; there are steps facing both II that when setting up castings or Fig. 61 Centring a casting, using chalk
ways. The machine is a 6Smm "LORCH". forgings the work should be adjusted so marks.
48 ~ .. 49
the body. If t hese are not th ere, then on a rough casting, but its use is almost are to be machined from square stock. If
they can be machined in with a pointed imperative when resetting previously Ih ese two jaws alone are re leased when
tool after the chuck is first set up. In turn ed work. Th e test pin method (or chang ing workpieces the next will be
many cases - the casting in Fig. 61, for even the use of the tool point in the held pretty close to the previous
exam ple - it is sufficie nt to set up the same way) wi ll give results as good as setting, though again, for accurate work
work using chalk held against the resetting in a standard self-centring It is prudent to check. Here a word
rotating workpiece; the jaw opposite chuck - or better - but for exactitude about holding square work may be
the mark should be slackened and then you need a very sensitive 'feel' and a /ltpposite . Look at Fig. 63. It is quite
its opposite m ate tightened. It is quicker very easy-running cross-slide. It is possible t o get a good grip, as you may
to work on one pair of jaws at a time important to check both axial and radial believe, with the work disposed as
rather than to hop from one pair to the truth. In the case of a wheel, the OTI. shown. There are two hazards. First,
o ther. On a 6 in . chuck a 45 deg. tu rn of m ust be appli ed b oth to the circum- the work may shift under the successive Fig. 63 Cutting tool forces on the w orkpiece
the key w ill move the work about ference and the face of the rim, and for blows from th e tool during what will be corners m ay cause the w ork to rotate within
0.015 in. - equivalent to a runout of 'h2 a cylinder, on the diameter and length an interrupted cut. Second, if anot her the jaws which may then lose their grip.
inch . of the bore. Work held within th e jaws piece is the n set up it w ilJ not run true.
If great accuracy is required (and can be very difficult, and on occas ion I The trick is to apply very little jaw
some shell-mou lded castings are so have found it necessary to use shim- pressure in the first in stance and to
true that very little machining is steel at one end or o ther of one or more 'wobble the work abou t' until you feel
needed) use a round -end rod (or even a jaws; a tediou s business, but the only that the square is held in the centre of
tool) in th e too l post and read the setting way if real accuracy is req uired . Bear in its fl ats. (The same co nditi on can apply
of the cross-sl ide index when it touches mind my previous remarks about jaw to hexagona l stock held in a chuck with
the work on the opposite side. The point pressure - it is always tempting to three jaws. l
shou ld be app lied in line w ith the chuck m ove that last ha l f-thou by tightening
jaws, of course. The difference between just one jaw, but all t hat has been done Irregular shaped work
the two readings is twice t he amount is to squeeze in the workpiece! It is in the nature of model eng ineeri ng
th at the jaws must be moved. With this You m ay notice in some of my phot os t hat many of the castings we handle are
procedure (Fig. 62) a very rapid setting that two jaws ad jace nt to each other an awkward shape, for we use th e
can be achi ev ed, though I usually use are marked with yell ow paint. This is to cent re lathe t o machine jobs w hich , in Fig. 64 A tender-pump casting on which the
cha lk in the first instance. I need not say aid repetition work in the 4-jaw, fo r Industry, would be dealt with either in chucking piece is askew.
that a dial indicator should NOT be used example, when a num ber of columns special machines or in expensive
fixt ures. In many cases these castings
are provid ed with 'c hucking pieces' _
projections w ith whi ch to hold the w ork
but w hich are fina lJy cu t away. It is
unfortunate t hat the casting process is
such that the bosses are frequently not
true to the workpiece proper, and often
inadequate in size as well. Fig 64 is a
case in point, th e chucking piece lying
at an angle to th e main body. In most
cases I set up the wo rk so that the fi rst
operation is the machining of the
chucki ng-piece itself; I then have a
Fig . 62 Centring work using a reasona ble chance of setting the work
contact pin in conjunction with later. However, in this case the casting Fig. 65 The casting in Fig. 64 held without
the cross-slide index. can be held without using the ch ucking using the chucking piece.
50 51
flanged bend and there was no chance book - I haven't made a 5 in . gauge to give any ' rule' in cases like these;
of getting a casting in reasonable time. locomotive for over 30 years, but can't judgement - and, perhaps, courage! -
So, a commercial bend was machined bring myself to melt down th is casting !) must be applied. If the initial cut must
so that flanges could be brazed on and To attach a balance weight I have one or be heavy, or the cut irregular, a dummy
then the flanges themselves machined . two flat strips of steel with tapped holes centre is usually prudent, but on the
Holding such a bend in a chuck is in them. These strips fit in the sli de other hand too light a cut may resul t in
d ifficult. as the jaw on the back of the grooves in the chuck body, and weights chatter. Fig. 70 shows the means
curve tended to slip. A piece of scrap can be attached wit h Allen screws. adopted for the other end of the same
steel was brazed on and this solved the Fig. 68 illu strates a problem which casting. A steel blank is held in the
difficulty. arises when ci rcular work is held off chuck and machined with a spigot to fit
The jaws of universal chucks can be centre. This is a 'variation' of the case t he column, and with a hole through the
reversed, and t here is no reason at all shown in Fig 53/c). Any adjustment in centre. The casting is drawn back on
why all should point the same way; one the vertica l direction requires attention this with a drawbar th rough the
or more may be reversed to 'hold a to jaws 1 and 3, as well as the other two. mandrel, with a c ross-bar through the
Fig. 66 A piece of scrap has been brazed to difficult workpiece. Fig . 67 shows the If the offset is considerable the set up
the heel of the bend to assist in providing a pump body of Fig . 64 set up as it wou ld will be unstable; pressure on jaws 1 and
better grip. be for machining the valve cavity. One 3 is magnified by the geometry and
jaw is reversed . Had the casting been could be enough to reduce th at exerted
held right back against the face of the by jaw 2 t o zero. There is also risk of
chuck this jaw would have fouled the marking the wo rk and packing is
lathe bed. so the flange rests on one of desirable und er jaws ' and 3. There is
the steps. Obviously care m ust be taken no way out of this problem other than
th at all is square. Incidentally, this set ma\king a fixture (though I do show in
up is badly out of balance for the speed Fig . 75 an unusual exped ient, laterl) and
at which the machine ought to be run, as long as th e situati on is recognised it
and at least partial balance shou ld have need not be serious.
been applied. (The photo was, of
course, 'set up' for the purpose of this Overhang
I find that many model engineers are Fig. 69 This tall casting has been
apprehensive when holding work with successfully machined despite the overhang.
any degree of overhang from the chuck.
-1- Fig . 69 is a case in point. Here the

column of a vertical engine (the
-r
Fig. 67 Chucking work with one jaw reversed.
Williamson) is being machined
piece at all (Fig. 65) provided a check for and bored to fit the base spigot. It looks
square ness of the base flange is made formidable, though the length/diameter
both ways. A square held on the chuck ratio is only about 2%/1 . More
jaw will serve, sighting the blade and Important, there is a robust flange at the
chuck end on wh ich a good grip can be
the flange 'by eye'.
Chucking pieces can be added to Obtained. Ha d this not been so, a
dummy centre - wooden or lead -
castings (or even bar stock) to aid
holding, if need be. I have used soft
• would have been fitted in the hole for
Fig. 68 Circular work held eccentrically in a
solder, Araldite, and brazing - or even four jaw chuck. Any movement of th6 work, .. lIstock support while the outer
drilled and tapped a hole for a screw on centre 0', upwards requires all thre6 jaws " diameter wa s turned, after which the
small jobs. Fig. 66 is an example. A 2,3, to be slackened. Movement downwards end could be supported in the fixed Fig. 70 The casting of Fig. 69 secured to a
model required a 'scale' cast iron causes 2 and 3 to lose grip. ..eady for b oring. It is just not possible spigot-block using 8 crosspiece and drawbar.
53
52
trates again the point already speeds is more than made up by the
mentioned - it is im perative that both laving in setting up time. As a matter of
ends of the casti ng be checked for truth interest, combined self-centring and
otherwise th e bore will be 'slanten - 'universal' chucks are available - at a
dicular'. Th is type o f m achining would price! - commercially, but these have
perhaps be best d one w ith a boring bar the self-centring facility behind the
between centres, the casting on the universal jaws. I haven 't priced one for
cross-slide, but my bori ng bar was just a long time, but they were roughly three
too large to enter. Once the outer flang e times the price of a 3-jaw self-centring
had been m achined th e steady was chuck of the same diameter. I have on
again used for both boring .and facing, occasion used a machine vice held in
the problem being that chatter the chuck, and Fig. 75 shows an
developed at the final boring cuts . application of vee-blocks in the chuck
which I have seen used in industry on a
Fig. 71 A tall cylinder gripped by the barrel Unorthodox arrangements repair job, but never used myself. It
using packing under the jaws. Care must be Fig. 72 shows a set up illustrated in does offer a solution to the problem of
taken to avoid distorton due to jaw pressure. almost all books on turning, where a Fig. 68, perhaps!
slab of material is to be reduced in .---.-, Fig . 74 A self-centring chuck held offset in
the independent chuck.
apertures of the column. This is a very width. Current practice would be to use
useful arrangement, and one which I the vertica l slide and an endmill, but
use when re-machining pistons, the there are occasions where this is not self-centring chucks. I shall be dealing
eye end of the drawbar engaging with a possible. The arrangement is perfectly with this in the next chapter, but the
dummy gudgeon pin. legitimate and despite the interrupted short point is that the 'three-jaw' is not
Fig . 71 shows a long beam engine cut the grip will be adequate . However, intended to be a precise accessory; it is
cylinder set up for facing and boring . To care must be taken not to overtighten meant for convenience when holding
reduce the overhang the jaws grip the the jaws. And on no account should th e circula r or hexagonal barstock. The
cylinder body, not the top flange, with work be held at the extremities of the independent chuck is much underused
packing pieces interposed. This illus- jaws - it should bed down on the chuck Fig. 73 End view of a chuck jaw. A force at A
face. Fig. 73 shows the reason. The jaws Imposes strains at faces Band C and across
feel considerable side-pressure and, if the section between.
this is applied towards the top of the
step, there will be undu e strain on the Universal chuck - Conclu sions
lip of the jaw guide in the cast body. Fig . The Universal or Independent chuck
74 is a set up which I have found very Ihould be the 'first buy' so far as lathe
handy when a number of eccentrically accessories are concerned (after the
turned or bored workpieces are need ed. cutting tools, of course!) . It can do all
A small self-centring chuck - three or that the self-centring chuck can d o
four jaw, depending on whether the except centre automatically. It is true
stock is round or square - is held in the that centring will take time, but it will
universal chuck and set eccentri c as be more accurate and, what is more, the
needed. Thereafter, all changes o f very act of centring will indicate the
workpiece are made on the self- error, if any. It can hold a very wide
centring chuck. There is, of course, variety of shapes and, where necessary,
considerable out of balance, so th at uet a really good grip when such force
Fig. 72 A slab held between the angles of the speeds must be kept within reason, b ut I. necessary. I hear many and read even Fig. 75 Vee-blocks can be used to hold offset
jaws. Th is can strain the gu ides. the time lost in using low cutting more complaints about 'inaccurate' work in the 4-jaw chuck.
54 55
by the amateur engineer. 'steps facing both ways' (the jaws do
In choosing a chuck, regard should be not reverse) have little application CHAPTER 5
taken of the average class of work likely outside their specia list field, but I DO
to be underta ke n. For a 3 112 in. lathe the regret the fact that no manufacturers
6 in . 'light' pattern with iron body is the now supply chucks w ith four steps on
general choice. There is no point in the jaws ; all seem to have but three. My
going for a 'heavy duty' chuck on a 'grandfather' four-jaw, supplied with
lathe which will not take sufficiently my first Myford (No. K3020, if anyone
heavy cuts to load it fully. However,
both the 3 in. and t he 4 in. dia . chucks
cares to date it!) had four steps, and I
have had many occasions to congratu-
The Self-centring Chuck
have their uses. The small watch- late myself on keeping it when the lathe
maker's independent chucks, with was sold.
The name is a misnomer, for the chuck workpiece. The worm seen in the right-
does not centre itself, but rather holds hand view rotates a plate cut with three
the work concentric to the lathe axis - grooves in the shape of part circles,
within the limits of accuracy of the these grooves engaging with pins on
device. This is why early works on the the back of the dogs. As this plate is
lathe refer to 'Concentric' chucks; how- rotated by the worm the dogs move in-
ever, usage must have its way, and in wards or outwards in unison . Another
what follows the current name will be form, dating from 1818, is seen in Fig.
used. Abbreviated to Sic, perhaps, but 77. The idea is similar, but the 'jaws' are
for reasons already given it is unwise to also restrained by radial arms, thus
use the term 'Three-jaw'; it may have doing away with the necessity for the
more and can have less! vee-grooves of the previous example.
The device is very old, and chucks
resembling those of a carpenter's brace
are described in very early books. These
were later developed into quite sophis-
ticated forms and became known as
~~
'Die-chucks' - 'Die' being the term used
to describe the moving gripping jaws, tr/\
and w ith no connection with the mod-
ern threading die. These all held rela-
iV, \ I .~
"
~
tively small work pieces, and it was not
until the beginning of the 19th century,
when more or less repetition work ')' 1,\ .,
appeared on the scene, that a truly
concentric chuck appeared. This is seen
I
,
\ , ' .
In Fig. 76. The view on the left shows

the front of the chuck, with three dogs
l liding in radia l grooves, these dogs
being so arranged that they can grip Fig. 76 A very early self-centring chuck. The
either on the outside or the inside of a right-hand view has the backplate removed.
56 57
brought into play by rotating the block.
This had the advantage of givi ng a fairl y
accurate centring of square workpieces.
Th e Scrol l chuck - the type we know
today - was invented by a Scot, Jam es
Dundas, in 1842, in the form shown in t ooth
""own v><>cIod
Fig. 79. The rear plate, carried on the
mandrel nose, is machined with a con-
tinuous spiral groove, and the backs of
the jaws are made with teeth which
engage with this spiral . The front part
has three grooves in which the jaws fit
and is arranged so that it can be rotated
relative to the backplate. This rotation
Fig. 77 Another early chuck. The workhofding
dog (one of three) is shown shaded, with a
causes the spiral to move the jaws in or
out. The jaws are made with steps to
,., '"
detail at th e bottom right hand side.
Fig . 80 Engagement of jaw teeth with the
scroll. A tooth which fits properly at (a) will
(The milling machine had not been
suffer interference when at (b) and the edges
invented at this time.) of the hard jaw teeth will dig in. This has
Th e self-centring two-jaw chuck has been overcome at (c) by providing more
already been mentioned. Fig. 78 shows clearance, but results in two-point contact at Fig. 81 Jaw teeth of a modem chuck. The
my own, dated about 1825, in wh ich the "x" changing to single contact at "y". The curvature is such that single·point contact is
jaws are moved by action of left- and jaw would "fit" at one point only. maintained throughout.
right-hand threads on a central spi ndle.
The jaws are removable and different handy may care to take out the jaws and Fig. 81 shows the shape of the teeth
shapes and curvatures can be fitted to examine th em, but Fig. 80 will show the on a modern chuck. It will be seen that
suit different work. In a later type of the main points. It is immediately apparent the outer face is machined to a radius
sa me sty le the jaws were in the form that as the scroll is a 'spiral' - a curve of slightly smaller than the sma ll est radius
of square blocks with a different size Fig. 79 One of the earliest scroll chucks. The continuously changing radius - it is of the scro ll, and the inner to one
of vee on each face, which could be grooves are hidden beneath the jaws, which quite impossible to machine a series of slightly larger than the largest. The
"face both ways". teeth on the back of the jaws which will thickness of the tooth at its centre is a
properly fit the scroll if the jaw is slide fit to the groove in the scroll. so
grip both inside and outside the work- to move across the radius. On early that backlash is almost absent - when
piece as needed, th e jaws not being chucks by Cushman and others the new. Examinati on of a chuck jaw wilt
reversible. shape of the jaw teeth was such that show that contact with the scroll always
This principle is the basis of all man- tney 'fitted' reasonably well over a jaw occurs over a small area at the centre of
ually operated concentric chucks today, travel corresponding to the distance each tooth. (After some time for the
the main difference being that the scroll between the work-holding steps, and teeth to bed down .) The backlash in-
is rotated, rather than the chuck body, the workpiece ought to have been creases slightly (which is not important)
when effecting movement of the jaws. It moved to the next step if greater jaw and over the most commonly used
is as well, th erefo re, to examine the movement were required. Even so, it is range of work-piece size contact is
action of this mechanism, so that the evident from Fig. 80 that the teeth distributed over this bedded area. At
Fig. 78 A Holtapffel2-jaw self-centring chuck limitations (both as regards accuracy would jam unless considerable clear- extremes of jaw travel - right in or right
of about 1830. The jaws can be exchanged and strength o f grip) can be under- ance or backlash was provided and this out - there will still be no more than line
for others of different shape. stood. Readers who have such a chuck was a feature of t he early scroll chucks. contact between scroll and tooth.
58 59
tough steel scroll. Both scroll and pin- Ilhough not necessarily less accurate)
ions are retained within the body by the than the set of ten step-chucks which
cast-iron retaining plate seen on the provide the alternative.
right of the photo. I have set a pinion in Fig. 85 is a derivation of the Hand-
place against each of th e three compon - grip chuck, known as the 'Lever Scroll
ents to make matters a bit clearer. Chuck'. The difference is that the oper-
Operation of any of the pinions will ating ring can be turned by applying a
cause the scroll to rotate and so move lever in one of several holes on the
the jaws. This type of chu ck usually ha s periphery. This gives a stronger hold ,
two sets of jaws, for internal and exter- and such chucks can be had in much
nal gripping. larger sizes - up to about 4 in. diameter.
Fig. 84 shows the ' Hand-grip Scroll Another difference is that they are
Chuck', much used on watchmaker's usually provided with two sets of jaws
lathes. In this case the scroll is rotated In the same fashion as is the geared
Fig. 82 A geared scroll self-centring chuck. by the knurled ring. The front part is scro ll chuck. Though providing a
separate from the back, with th e scro ll, stronger grip than the hand-grip type
Tvpes of Chuck which runs on a centre stem as before, they cannot compare with the geared Fig. 84 A 2-inch hand-grip scroll chuck, for a
Figs. 82 to 85 show the three common sandwiched between. Naturally, the scroll, and their main application is watchmaker's lathe. The jaws are held to the
forms of the scroll chuck. Fig. 82 is the grip obtained is much sma ller, but is where rapid changes of workpiece are sliding members by small screws.
'Geared Scroll' type, shown dismantled more than adequate for the class of needed in very light turning or in grind-
in Fig. 83. (The latter is my fairly old work involved. With these chucks the ing operations. and jaw teeth very high indeed . The
'Burnerd' ready for its annual clean-up.) jaws are attached to sliding members strength of the normal pattern self-
The cast-iron body has a centre core on by small screws, and the jaws can be Strength of Concentric Chucks centring chuck used by the model engin-
which the scroll can rotate with the detached and reversed as needed. (Or Th e torque magnification provided by eer is quite adequate for the class of
minimum of bearing clea rance. This top parts of a different shape can be the bevel drive on a geared scrol l chuck work for which it was designed, but it
core also has three holes in which th e fitted .) The operation is much quicker is about 3.7:1 (most have th e gear ratio does have its limitations and these
pegs on the in ner end of the three (in and, though most small lathes of this arranged to give a 'hunting tooth ' on should be borne in mind. It may be
this case) ha rd steel bevel pinions are type are designed for use with collets, the scroll, to equalise wear) and the
located. These sma ll pin ions engage t he chuck has the advantage that it can effective wedge/ang le of the scroll on a
with a larger bevel on the back of the hold ri ng s or discs and is cheaper 4 in. chuck varies from about I/~ to VIO.
Despite this variation, the force on the
jaw teeth is sensibly constant over the
full travel - the cha nge in wedge effect
is compensated for by the change in
Fig. 83 Parts of a geared scroll radius of action of the applied torque.
chuck. Top left, scroll, with Friction takes its toll , and will absorb
pinion engaged with the bevel some of the torque applied to the chuck
on the back. Centre, top; chuck key, but with 'reasonable' force app lied
body. The scroll rotates on the w ith two hands the thrust on each jaw
centre column. The body is held could be of the order of one ton. The
to the mandrel backpl8te by 'thread' of the scroll of th e norma l 4 in .
II~
three setscrews in the holes on
\]J I
its periphery. Top right, pinion
chuck is about 0.085 in. wide and no
retainer, which 81so serves to more t han three threads are engaged
hold th e scroll against the front w ith any jaw. Even with ' norma l' tight- Fig. 85 A lever-scroll chuck. Similar to that in
inner face of the body. Below, ening, the stress in the scroll is high and Fig. 84 but larger and provided with holes for
-=- - - the two alternative sets of jews. the contact pressure between scroll a tommy-bar on the scroll.
60 61
th read
taken as a universa l truth that if work carried out on a 'second operation' available where the actual construc-
slips in the jaws, then the cutting forces machine. tion of the standard and the preci sion
are too high. The correct remedy is to The model eng ineer has no such chucks is identica l. But each chuck is
reduce these forces, not to apply a piece second machine. Further, the 'scale given an individual test (and a certificate
of pipe to the chuck key - nor to use effect' means that his components are provided) and those which pass out
m ore ' heft'. Quite apart from risk of so small that there is often no cha nce of with a T .I.A. better than 0.001 in . are
damage to the chuck the workpiece finishing all at one setting . So, he looks classed as 'precision'.
may well be distorted jf too much force for a degree of precision from his
is applied. For the majority of turning workholder that is not there . All chucks The 'G riptru' Chuck
co ne .
jobs a 'one-hand' application of the key are made to tolerances. Jaws are made The practice of mounting a concentric
should suffice. in one section of the works, scrolls in chuck in the jaws of a four-jaw in-
This point about 'reasonable force' another, and bodies elsewhere again. It dependent chuck in order to achieve
cannot be too strongly emphasised. is true t hat 'selective assembly' is prac- absolute repeatability has already been
The weakest part of the chuck is the tised, to eliminate gross errors, but the mentioned. Later, a 'Combination
scroll; there can be no force applied guaranteed centricity of a standard 4 in. Chuck' was introduced which was, in Dugl purpos..
without some deflection, and too much chuck is no better than about 3 thou- effect, the same thing, but all contrived OPtI rQl ing key - __ ,c\
may result in uneven deflection of the sandths of an inch T.I.R. (Total Indicator in the one unit. This was expensive and
scroll so that concentricity is lost. If so Reading.) The repeatability wi ll be really only justified where repetition
much force is applied as to cause a better than this - that is, the change in eccentric work was in hand. It was far Fig. 86 Diagram iffustrating the operation of
permanent set in the scroll then accur- T.I.R. on stock o f the same diameter is too complex and costly a device to be a Griptru chuck. The back body is attached to
acy is lost for ever. The re is no way of acceptable to correct a TIR of the order the lathe mandrel nose. The front body can
usually better than 0.0015 inch. But if
of 0.002 in. To meet this need the move vel)' slightly in the radial direction
rectifying it. the workpiece is turned about, and held relative to th e back body. Mo vement is
at a different chuck jaw setting, then Griptru chuck was introduced, and is
controlled by the cones. The arrows show
Accuracy you may well be finding your D.T.1. shown in Fig. 86. (The photograph, Fig.
the direction of movement of the work when
Just as most model engineers expect indicating a total runout of more than 87, is of a six-jaw chuck, but shows the the adjacent cone is screwed inwards.
their lathe to do work far in excess of 3 thou , even on a new chuck perfectly
that for which it was designed, so th ey acceptable to British Standard No. 1983.
seem to expect qu ite unreasonable deg- (Most will, by the laws of chance, be
rees of accuracy from their chucks! The better than this, but none worse, when
main pu rpose of the self-centring chuck new.) To make standard chucks to closer
is to hold round or hexagonal stock tolerances wou ld add so much to the
reasonably true with the minimum of cost as to make them prohibitive.
effort. It is a 'tool of convenience'. The Precision chucks are available. These
'no rmal' workpiece envisaged was one have nitrogen hardened and ground
which would be finished and parted off scrolls, the jaws are ground on th e
at one setting but which was too short teeth, jaws and on the slideways; the
to hold between centres. Some pieces body also is ground on the sl ideways. Ag. 87 Photo of a
might have unmachined parts - hexa- sectioned Griptru
The performance is not only better -
chuck. showing one of
gon bolts, for example - but in this case 0.0015 in . T.I.R. - but will also remain so the three cones. The
a slight eccentricity of the unmachined for much longer. Further, there seems photo also shows the
part would not matter. In normal manu- to be less variation in the eccentricity scroll and one of the
facturing neither the Designer nor the over the range of grip. They are, of pmions. ( This is a six-
Production Engineer would expect to course, more expensive than the 'Stan- J.w chuck, but the
reverse t he work in the chuck - apa rt, dard' but not that much more so. It Internal arrangement
perhaps, for a simple end-facing opera- shou ld be noted that there are some Of a three-jaw is the
tion ; and even this would normally be continental ch ucks of reputable make Nme.)
62 63
mechanism just the same.) The body, and cleaned, and the screws then re- lOCket with paint rather tha n with a ments with a DTI at three different
carrying the jaws, is free to move on the adjusted to give firm, but not tota l number st amp. It is then an easy matter settings of the jaws, say about half an
backplate by a very small amount restraint. change the mark should this prove inch apart, and using the same socket
radially, but is restrained in the axial Care must be taken when using the necessary. I always check the 'prefer- for each. Now change to the much less
direction . The photograph shows a Griptru at high speeds - 2000 r.p.m. or .nce' at each annua l check-over on the used outside jaws and do the same. The
conical wedge adj acent to the jaw in the over. The body is necessa ril y out of lethe, and occasionally in between as jaws shou ld cover roughly the same
foreground. There are three of these, balance, and it may be found that well. part of the scroll in each case. If the TIR
one between each pair of operating chatter can develop due to the con - at each setting is markedly better with
pinions. (See Fig . 87.) Each wedge can sequent vibration . Sources of Error, and Correction the less-used jaws, then it may be
be advanced or retracted under the The most common source of error is, as assumed that jaw wear is the culprit. If,
influence of the thread on the end, The Nomi nated Key Socket has already been suggested, overstrain- however, the difference is sma ll then
when operated by a key. If, after chuck- All chuck makers guarantee t heir accur- ing of the scroll . Once this occurs noth- the scroll is worn. If the readings show
ing, the work is found to run out, two of acy only when the ' nominated socket' is ing can be done to effect a permanent no consistency at all - some better,
the cones are retracted and the third used for the key. A simple test w ill serve cure. Even a fractional change of jaw some worse, then it must be assumed
advanced to correct the runout. Once to show that the degree of concentricity position will result in a considerable that both scroll and jaws are at fault.
this has been done the work can con- achieved does vary according to which change in concentricity. New jaws will Replacement jaws can be obtained
fidently be expected to show a repeat- pinion is used to tighten the jaws. Th e not help, either. If the chuck is backplate for most chucks, but it is hardly worth
ability of 0.0005 in . and individual set- reason is simple. The scroll rotates on fitted, then the best expedient is to while until the gripping faces them-
tings to 0.0002 in. are possible. It should the centre core of the backplate and machine t he spigot to provide a clear- selves have become worn beyond
be noted, however, that the scroll is not must have a slight clearance there. ance to the recess on the chuck. The reason . (A good indication is that when
hardened or ground, and the cone Further, there must also be a slight w ork can then be brought concentric, parting-off close to the chuck jaws the
settings have usually to be altered if the clea rance between scroll and body in after tightening the jaws, by careful work shows signs of 'workpi ece rattle'.
diameter of the grip is changed; co rrec- the axial direction. Thus the scroll can blows of a rawhide mallet on the chuck This shows that the stock is being
tion at one jaw setting is not necessarily move relative to the axis of rotation of body. A crude form of Griptru! This is a gripped o nly at the back of the jaw.)
maintained over the full range of jaw the chuck. The pinions themselves are a method not to be disdained and all my However, both the mechanics of the
travel. fairly free fit in the body and of a backplates are so arranged. This en- ch uck and experience suggest that
It is important to remember first, that relatively coarse pitch. In service, there- ables me to set up my chucks, so that though the scroll may wear it usually
if one cone is adjusted to move the fore, each pinion is likely to displace the the TIR at 1 in. work diameter when does so fairly evenly over the length
body inwards, then the other two must scroll radially by a different amount . using the nominated socket is better provided it has never been overstrained,
first be retracted to allow the body to The 'Nominated' pinion is that which than 0.0005 in. and I must confess that when I have
move. It is, in fact, preferable to start the has the least effect - as measured by a However, if the chuck is made to been able to check I have usually found
adjustment with all three cones in the dial indicator on the workpiece. Icrew direct onto the mandrel nose this jaw wear to be the cu lprit. The alterna-
'slack' position. In other words, the Interestingly enough, the precision cannot be done . The only solution then tive to replacing the jaw is, as above, to
practice should be the same as would chucks on my Lorch lathe have but one II to app ly shims under one or more use shims under one or more jaws, or
be used with an independent chuck. pinion. There is, therefore, no possibility Jaws of the chuck. Again, a perfectly to adjust the chuck on its backplate each
Secondly, the front body is, of course, of variation of error between pi nions. legitimate procedure, given that the time it is used.
held to the backbody or core by screws And once one knows the degree of error chuck has an error. Indeed, it is a Wear in the jaw slides is unlikely to
as on a normal chuck. These are, as a this can be corrected when mounting means I use when deliberately needing cause rad ial error until the slides are so
rule, adjusted to be tight enough to hold the chuck (o r, as in this case, at the an eccentric workpiece, as 1 shall des- bad that the chuck is, in fact, worn out,
securely, but not so tight as to prevent inspection stage when the chuck is cribe later, so why not use it to turn true but a troublesome and erratic error can
the cones from performing their office. made). as well? arise from the presence of a burr on the
The cones will hold the body radially It must be remarked that the 'Nomina- An error due to age may be due to slide in the body. The very sli ghtest
when all are bearing . In time these tion' will not remain the same through ICroll wear (as opposed to the distor- m ovement of the jaw in the region of
screws will 'work tight' and the adjust- the life of the ch uck, and may not app ly tion ment ioned above) or to wear on this burr will give a startling change in
ment may be difficult. When this hap- to the alternate set of jaws either. My the jaw teeth. To determine which is the concentricity - or lack of it. Similar
pens the chuck should be dismantled own practice is to mark the preferred most likely, make a series of measure- effects will result from trapped swarf or
64 65
even hard dirt. The remedy is to stone in., (Fig. 88) but the scroll engagement machined ri ng on the inner of the out- Where E = required offset
off the offending burr in the first in- is then limited and the risk of distortion ward facing of the jaws - I suggest of T = packing thickness
stance, and to keep the chuck clean in is increased. luch a diameter that the outer ends of 0 = Oia of work gripped in the
the second! Soft jaws are much used for repeti- the jaws are flush with the body - and jaws.
tion work in industry, the faces bein g tighten the jaws against this before It is prudent to use a shim right round
Chuck Jaws machin ed to su it the work in hand . grinding. The operation does demand a the machined surface under the jaws,
Two sets of jaws are normally provided, These are usually two-part jaws, a per- tool post grinder of reasonable quality as they may be holding the work by
one with the ground gripping faces manent hard piece with flat top sliding and some care in use. It is helpful to set their corners and could mark the sur-
pointing outwards, but with a gripping in the body to which the soft working the topslide over at an angle of about 5 face. The value of '0' must include twice
face at the smallest diameter as well. top can be attached with bolts. They do deg. to the lathe axis and use this to set the shim th ickness. This formula w ill be
These are often regarded as the 'normal' have their uses fo r model engineers, on the 'cut'. One thou travel of the within one part in 800 - i.e. an error of
jaws; both barstock and rings or hollow and a suggestion is shown in Fig. 89. topslide will then give one tenth thou about 0.0003 in. when E= 0.25 inch. This
workpieces can be held. The other set The soft (steel) adaptor must be held depth of cut on the grinding wheel. It is is better than the chuck accuracy, so
has all gripping faces pointing inwards, firmly by the grubscrews, must fit well to be observed that it is very unlikely that use of a dial indicator is needed for
for use on large r diameter material - on the sides of the hard jaws, and have that the accuracy can be improved final check to take account of chuck
and, of course, for rings gripped on the a recess as shown in which a disc can above that which the chuck possessed error.
outside diameter. In both types, how- be gripped to hold the soft jaws in firm when new, but the pestilential nuisance
""ver, the outer extremity of the jaw is contact with the hard ones when boring of jaws which will grip even long bar Chuck and Centre Work
NOT intended for use. It is not ground, them . I have used such once or twice stock only at the back can be abated! There was a time when the use of the
and although it may hold large, hollow over the yea rs, but would not find them tailstock centre in conjunction with
work it will not do so accurately. In worth while making up unless several Eccentric Work in the Concentric Chuck a self-centring chuck was disparaged;
judging which jaws to use, the rule dozen identical workpieces had to be . To the 'Ornamental ' turner an eccentric a relic, no doubt, of the days when
should be that at no time should the machined. If it is likely that such repeti- chuck is a normal piece of equ ipment, normal chuck run -out was far higher
scroll be disengaged from any of the tion work will be frequent, then it is best and there are many occasions when than it is today . With work of reason-
jaw teeth. With the normal 4 in. chuck to buy the chuck with soft jaws in the such a device would be usefu l to the able length , however, no harm at all can
this limits the jaw travel to an extension first instance. The replacement jaws are model engineer. I have already men- result from supporting the tail end of
outside the body by about V4 in . or a very cheap indeed (relative to the cost tioned one method - to set the self- ,-
little more. A light grip may be applied of the norma l ones). centring chuck in the jaws of the inde-
with the jaws projecting by perhaps '12 pendent chuck and adjust the latter to
Rectifying Worn Jaws give the required offset. The only dis-
In time the inner face of the barstock advantage is that the out-of-balance
jaws ('normal' jaws) will wear, especially is co nsiderable and it is difficult to
if a great deal of work has been gripped attain normal cutting speeds (needed
at the extremity instead of full length . for reasonable finish) even on quite
Most articles describing the regrinding
of these faces require a ring to be set at
small offsets. For machining the boss
and bore of a steam engine eccentric '~q!
the back of the jaws (as recommended the necessary offset can be obtained by
Recess
above in relation to the soft jaw) to setting packing under one (or, if more
ensure that the jaw is hard up against conven ient, two) jaws. The necessary ------'-'-
the scroll during grinding. This is not thickness can be ascertained by using a Sect.on on AA
necessary. The outer gripping faces are, Dial Indicator or by ca lculation . If one
Fig. 89 An improvised "soft jaw". The jaw
Fig. 88 How to ruin a chuckl Only two teeth when new, concentric to the inner faces packing is used then the thickness is must be a good fit on the sides of the hard
of the scroll are engaged and the force within the tolerance of the chuck, and given by:- jaws, and is retained in place by the pointed
needed to hold a workpiece this size will these faces are not subject to any grub-screws. The jaw is tightened onto a
distort it. A 4-jaw "universal" chuck should
be used.
appreciable wear. It is, therefore, neces-
sary only to chuck a substantial truly T= 1.5E [1 -~5-~ (5r] ring set in the recess when machining the
profile.
66 67
the work in this way, and there are work - may be thrown awry if the work redial faces). However, the very fact that
many circumstances when it can be a is thrust further into the chuck jaws. the chuck is so easy to use readily leads
great help. Trouble is often experienced to its being badly treated.
when turning slender workpieces bet- Four- and Six-Jaw Chucks First, only when quite unavoidable
ween centres, with chatter especially. If The virtue of the four-jaw 'concentric' .hould work be held in the jaws as
one end is held in the self-centring chuck is obvious; it can hold square Ihown in Fig. 90. It IS sometimes im-
chuck (or in a properly set-up independ- stock, and model engineers are fre- possible to avoid when carrying out a
ent chuck) the work is stiffened, the quently faced with the job of turning lecond operation on a small workpiece,
natural frequency of vibration is altered, square material for columns and the but should never be necessary when Fig. 90 Not good practice I Holding a very
and chatter may well disappear. Hold- like. They cost about 50% more than machining raw stock. An extra inch of short workpiece like this puts excessive
ing one end in a chuck may enable their three-jaw counterparts, and the material to give a good grip may cost strain on the jaw guides, as well as being
heavier cuts to be taken when part of guaranteed accuracy is about the same. another penny or so; a new set of jaws liable to cause wear at the front of the jaw
the piece has to be roughed down to a However, the consequences of jaw can cost £25. And this practice does surface.
much smaller diameter. And, of course, wear are more serious, as while a worn lead to irreparable jaw damage unless
there are cases where it is not easy to fit three-jaw will still grip on all jaws, one no more than the very lightest pressure Store chucks with the jaws down-
a conventional carrier dog. I never have with four cannot do. For all that, I find I, exerted. The effect is to wear the jaw wards, so that swarf does not fall into
any hesitation in using this combina- the one I have to be invaluable, despite uuides so that they can never again grip the mandrel nose fitting. Various devices
tion, with one proviso: that it is possible the wear. (It was bought second hand, full length and if the practice is habitual have been described from time to time
to cut an accurate centre in the end of and is very old!) Fortunately it is rare the face of the jaws themselves to remove swarf and dirt from the fitting
the workpiece. that absolute concentricity between th e II suffer. threads; the point of a bent scriber is as
There are certain limitations. A piece square and the turned part of a work- goes without saying that the chuck good a tool as any, but a double one,
machined entirely in the chuck will be piece is important. should NEVER be left in the jaws, made up from steel wire is better. Fig.
true; a piece machined entirely bet- The purpose of a SIX-jaw chuck may for a second. To enforce the habit of 92. Note the double turn on the 'sp ring'
ween centres will be true also; but a be obscure! It has two main uses. First, out the key, fit a spring as shown part. Naturally, the mandrel nose thread
piece machined using both may not be. for holding soft or easily marked mater- 91. This will expel the key must be equally clean and have a trace
If the chuck is running out by, say, 11/2 ials. The grip is distributed over twice ~hett'"'. you like it or not! The spring
thou, then the chuck end of the work- the area of the work and can be lighter. be slightly conical, so that it
piece will 'orbit' by that amount while Second, when holding delicate rings or the shank near the handle but is
the tailstock end can rotate only about cylinders. Even the normal six-jaw will elsewhere. (I believe that Pratts
the lathe centres. Fortunately the error- introduce less distortion, but the 'watch- supply their keys like this.) It is
on the sort of work demanding this maker's' type, which has very wide jaw as great a crime, and one which
treatment - will be very small, but it can faces, introduces practically no distor- equally expensive damage, to
be there. tion at all. (See Fig. 55 page 45.) Such tubes or other extensions to the
There is a risk that as the work heats chucks are expensive, and hardly worth key. It is the right length for the
up during cutting it will be thrust further the cost unless the specialist work need- if the chuck won't grip, then
into the chuck as it expands. This must ing them is undertaken. lmeUlina else is wrong.
be taken care of, and although the ';~~~:~~;I~~DIRT is the greatest enemy.
'ru nning centre' has certain advantages Use and Abuse ~ i chucks are expensive, and Fig . 91 The safety chuck key.
I prefer to use the ordinary pattern in The self-centring chuck is very easy to complicated. They cost much
:
most cases. This gives a 'witness' of use - that is the point of it! One simpl y than a micrometer, so treat them
expansion and warns that the tailstock
pressure must be eased. The second
problem which may arise from the
same cause is that feed-dial readings
enters the work in the jaws and tightens
them with the key. If rings, or solids of
large diameters, are being held then it is
necessary to tap the work back so that it
same way! Keep them clean, and
sure that the scroll and the pin-
lubricated from time to time. (I
heavy Molybdenum-based oil on
( i) -
used for locating shoulders - i.e. for sits on the flat face of the jaws (whi ch 'Precision' chucks usually have Fig. 92 Backplate thread-cleaning toof. 3mm
dimensions along the length of the are ground to similar limits as are th e point, and this should be used. BDMS is suitable material.
68 69
of oil on the bedding surfaces. Opinions insert jaw No. 2; and so on for jaw No.
differ on the wisdom of dismantling 3. The one thing to avoid is to try to CHAPTER 6
chucks to clean the interior. Some peop le insert the jaw if ANY of the scroll end is
hold that to do so may upset the initial showing . To do so may burr the scrol l
accuracy. However, as we have seen, and thi s will throw concentricity awry.
the runout even on a new chuck is Never try to remove a stubborn chuck
measurable and if the backplate is by belting the key with a mallet. Set the
machined as already suggested, can be machine in back-gear, and with a piece
put right. I would hesitate to dismantle of wood between one jaw and the
a Griptru unless it is essenti al - and as I
haven't got one, never have done sol
lathebed pull the belt backwards, Fig .
93. This will loosen the stiffest chuck. As
Unusual chucks
But I do take down all my chucks and a general rule it may be taken that stiff
clean them periodically. The rule is to fitting is a sign of something wrong,
put all parts back where they came from usually a tiny piece of swarf in the
and if the pinions, for example, are not thread causing it to bind on the nose
marked to their holes put this right. radius. It follows that a stiff chuck wil l As I said at the beginning of this book, on the right in the photo) very often, but
There is no other difficulty and once the usually lose its concentrici ty as well , the number of workholding devices when I do it is because nothing else will
chuck has been cleaned and re-oiled and immediate attention to the fault is contrived for the lathe over the last serve. The setting up procedure is the
you will be surprised how much better called for. couple of hundred yea rs is legion. Most same as for an independent chuck with
it performs I have been replaced by more effective one difference; the work is first centred
Th e point about 'putting things back Self-centring Chuck - Conclusion modern types, but some have si mply roughly using all eight screws, and then
where they came f rom' applies, of The self-centring or concentric chu ck forgotten, and others disdained fine set with the d.t.i. close to the chuck
cou rse, to the jaws of any scroll chuck. provides a convenient means of hold - because they are not 'up to date'. In using the front screws only. The
They are numbered, and so are the ing circular or hexagonal work with a this section I hope to bring to your indicator is then moved further along
grooves. The drill is to turn the key until reasonable degree of accuracy (o r Ittention a few which ' may come in the workpiece and the rear set of screws
the outer end of the scroll just appears square work if the chuck has four jaws). u.eful'. It is not, however, my intention adjusted, the process then being
in groove No.1. Turn back till it has just It is subject to error, which is likely to deal with the 'exotics' - Eccentric, repeated until the desired concentricity
disappeared and then insert the jaw. increase with wear, and for really accur- I I 'turning, Uprights, and Recti· - or eccentricity - has been achieved.
Pressing this inwards t urn the key for- ate work the independent chuck should to say nothi ng of the cycloidal
wards until the scrol l end just appears be resorted to. Provided it is reasonabl y geometric chuck. These, the The Cup Chuck
in groove two, then back slightly and treated, and that the limitations are IOm,non tools of the 'Ornamental' This takes many forms, the com monest
recognised, however, it will give ma ny littl e place in the model being seen in Fig. 94. The interior is
machined to a very slight cone, so that
o'~;;.~~~~ '~'~~:!c~i' though
years of good service. If the chuck is
backplate mounted, rather than screw - chuck toI do useoval
turn my work driven into it is wedged in place. It
ing directly to the mandrel nose it is finds its greatest use when machining
possible to set it to give a T.I.A. averag - blocks of wood, plastic, or similar soft
ing about 0.0015 in. over t he wh ole material. If held in the modern chuck
range of movement of both sets 01 has already been mentioned and is the material is inden ted by the jaws and
jaws, with a figure for the 'most common .".",d on page 41 in two forms (Fig. after a time these lose their grip. With a
setting' of less than 0.001 inch. I have been replaced by the modern cup chuck it is on ly necessary to rough
no hesitation in recommending the ind e- independent chuck, but does shape the wood with an axe (or turn it
Fig . 93 pendent chuck as the 'first buy' when advantage that it is small, and using the four-jaw if you are unskilled
Removing a fitting up a lathe, and always regard it a-screw form ca n not only hold with the axe!) and then drive it into the
tight chuck. as the 'best buy', but the 'three-jaw' i. .mall diameter work but can also cup. Provided the wood is not wet (and
Pull the belt so convenient and saves so much timo to set work of larger size at a hence li able to shrink when dry) it will
by handl that it must come a good second. angle. I do not use mine (shown not come loose. An advantage not to be
70 71
in the same way. They resemble the cup FIg . 96 The Master and ;";':~"~;~.. ,. ,
chuck, but are sha llower, and are used Slave chuck. (A) is the
a
to hold irregularly shaped workpieces. master, and (B) & (e) two
r~_
The piece is set in the cavity, and typical slaves. Note the
tommy-bar hole in (A )
adjusted more or less to the correct
position, where it may either be
used when removing it
from the mandrel nose.
I
--H-l-I- - - - wedged temporarily or held with
clamps. Wax (or plumber's solder, as ,
, the case may be) is then poured into the
,
Fig. 94 Proportions of large fA) and small
(8) cup-chucks. Note the wood-screw holes
cavity and will be found to hold the
work quite securely. I have also used
Wood's Metal, which melts at below
boiling water temperature, when
holding (e.g.) part of a diecast toy
-
-'-
-ffil
"" ,
~ - ""~
,
-
in (A), useful when a softwood block is to be needing repair. Another interesting
held for any length of time. example was the machining of the
handles of the plugs of a number of gotten. Fig. 96 shows the arrangement. perhaps, worth mentioning that the
dismissed is that the body of the chuck model drain cocks. These, commer- Normally made to screw onto the master chuck is far better for holding
is very little larger than the work - it cia lly made,. had taper handles, but I mandrel nose it can also be arranged to slot drills than is the normal self-
may even be smaller - un like that of the needed them to be covered with horn . fit the mandrel nose taper, but in that centring chuck. The inherent error in the
four-jaw independent which might be The plug element was set in a small cup case a drawbar is essential. The hole in latter will always cause such a cutter to
the alternative. I have a number of with sealing wax, with the handle set as the master-chuck is accurately bored to cut large, but a carefully made master
these, all made to fit the Holtzapffel, but vertical as might be. The cup was then a standard diameter, and has (as a rule) chuck will hold it dead true. (The well-
which can be held in the self centring held in an a-screw bell chuck, which a smaller hole bored right through. The known Autolock FC3 'Throwaway'
chuck by the boss when needed on the enabled me to set the handle both 'Slave' is made to suit the work in hand cutters are normally held in such a
Myford . Fig . 95 shows a number of central and truly upright for turning - it may be a screwed socket to accept a master, but of the type which is set in
them , all of brass, though I do have a down. union body, a short mandrel, or any the mandrel nose taper).
few in iron or steel as well. fixture you please. The shank is a close The body may be made of steet;
A useful variation is the wax cup The Master-and-Slave Chuck fit in the bored socket and has a flat to though cast iron is kinder to the
chuck (made of boxwood) or the solder This is a very useful accessory indeed, engage the grub-screw. I usually make mandrel nose there is just a risk of
cup chuck (of brass or steel). Both work yet seems to have been totally for- a shoulder to bed down on the face of stripping the thread for the set screw.
the Master. The Slave will thus always The size depends upon the class of
be concentric and set exactly to length work normally done in the shop, but if
every time it is used - far more accurate the bore is 0.75 in dia. by 1 in. long this
than using a similar device set in the will meet most needs. The machining of
self-centring chuck even if it is marked the register and thread to suit the lathe
'to No.1 Jaw' in the classical fashion . is done in the same fashion as when
There is a further use, too. On the odd machining a chuck back plate - a good
occasion it happens that work set in the fit to the register and face, but not too
no rmal headstock centre is too close to tight on the thread. (t bore the threaded
the headstock. True, you may have a part to a diameter about 0.25 times the
'long centre' just for this eventuality, pitch less than the diameter of the
but the Master chuck will serve instead screw; this ensures that bind ing on the
- the 'S lave' is simply a steel centre. I crest of the thread cannot occur). After
Fig. 95 A group of brass need not go into detail on the various ensuring that the face does bed
cup-chucks. I laves which can be made up but it is, properly on the shoulder of the lathe
72 73
c 0
ff
Fig. 97 Part of the author's
I
To ra __ ,.........
-t
' ..tii' Master-and-Slave chuck system.
K A. The master chuck for Myford
~- . lathe. B. Master for the Lorch
machine, with one of the plain
UI I •
E __--.:=::.-__~.. arbors (e) fitted. Slaves fit both
B_'
masters. C. Four plain arbors,
F' G~ H
• t t ...
I11'
I L
I
•
w ith cap washers and setscrews.
D. Arbor for machfning eccentrics,
made up specially when 12
identical eccentrics were required.
£. Double-ended female thread
slaves, one of which carries a
male adaptor, J. F. Slave adaptor
M to carry Fe3 or other endmills
~_Io_
Fig. 98 A lan tern-chuck for use with Fig. 96. -

I!
Fig. 99 Lantern chuck on Bmm collet-
. .
J t t
• having 'I. inch shanks. G. Centre-
setting poin t, for setting up
arbor, seen holding a TBA bolt. Below
are two alternative heads, with smaller
work on the vertical sltde. H. Lantern chuck. Several different sized lanterns can be litted to holes.
the same screw. J. Male thread adaptors. Afl have -v. x 26 bases to fit one of the female
arbors seen at E, and each carries a female SA thread as well as the male thread at the
working e.nd. ~. Plai,} blank slaves, made from "h inch ground mild steel stock. L. Stepped Fig. 100 (left). A lantern chuck as used to
blanks, With 7 Inch diameter heads. M. Blank for type J, ready threaded one end to "Is x 26 tPI: face the ends of 16BA bolts or studs. The
Most of the components have been heat-blued as a precaution against rust in storage. cap could be knurled if desired, rather
than hexagon.
mandrel, the 'business end' is mach in- work by Percival Marshall, published in
ed with the Master screwed onto the the days when Model Engineer cost The set on my Boley has th ree inter- but wood blocks screwed onto the
mandrel nose. Note the recess on the twopence I W.8p new money!) Fig. 97 changeable lanterns, covering the mandrel nose are equally useful. The
end in Fig. 96 - this reduces the risk of shows part of my own outfit, the range from about 7BA down to '2BA, 'Ornamental' turner regards them as
burring the edge of the bore. Th e 'slaves' being interchangeable to and I also have a very small one for standard, and their use is not to be
setscrew need not be large - 3f16 in. BSF 'masters' on three lathes. 16BA. This one (Fig. 100) has no disdained. They provide a useful
or M5 wil l be adequate - but it should apertures in the side of the lantern so method of holding delicate work with-
be of a length which ju st does not The lantern Chuck that the cap must be removed to out distortion . We have already seen
project from the surface when tightened. No, not to hold lanterns, but so named change workpieces, but I judged that that no chuck of the conventi onal type
The 'Slaves' are, of cou rse, made up to because it can, in one form, look like the extra time here would be less than can hold work without causing a de-
su it the job in hand, and can be of any one! Its purpose (Fig. 98) is to hold that needed to make the apertures in flection -even a six-jaw bezel chuck will
material you please. The flat to engage small headed components while the side of the cap . The device ca n be set up distortion if not carefully used.
the setscrew is an imperative, for machining the shank. I suppose th at used to hold stud s if a nut is screwed on But work set on a spigot, or in a recess
w ithout it burrs will develop and everyone has experienced the frus- the stud end first. It shou ld be noted machined on a wood block, and held
accuracy will suffer - or you may even tration of trying to hold a small screw that is not a precise chuck; there is thereto with glue, double-sided tape, or
find that you can't get it out! Bushes by the head in the normal chuck, and bound to be a small clea ra nce in the (if convenient) woodscrews, can be
ca n, of cou rse, be used should it be the lantern provides the alternative. hole. But it does serve its purpose and held with much reduced risk. The
necessary to hold a slave or a work- Usua lly found with an Smm collet holds small screws with no risk of common objection is that 'You can't
piece smaller than the bored hole but, if arbor, but I have several which fit the damage to the head. If the screw is take a decent cut'. ' It all depends on
used, shou ld have a hole through for master chuck previously mentioned . inserted head outwards, with a nut what you mean by Decent'l Some time
the setscrew, so that the latter bears on They are not intended for large work - inside the lantern, it makes the po li sh- ago I read a description - I think o f a
the part that matters. The loss of which can, in any case, usually be held ing of screw-heads an easy job. new type of cutter - where the writer
accuracy is slight. in the self-centring chuck - but rather explained that he couldn't load it fully
Th e device is incredibly useful and it for reforming t he ends of screws which Wood Block Chucks as the machine had no more than 120
is surprising that it has been forgotten h ave been shortened, and similar work. I have al ready mentioned the use of a h.p. ava ilable at t he machine spind le!
for so long. The latest mention I have The hole in the lantern is not tapped, so wooden block attached to the faceplate, Horses for cou rses - a 'decent' cut is
been able to find is in a book on lath e that plain work can be held if need be.
75
74
one which removes metal at a rate of metallised putty. The trick is to drill a
which strains neither the work, the tool, tapping hole (not forgetting to enlarge it
nor the machine, and if the workpiece at the top if the shank of the screw may
fixing is the limiting factor one must enter) and then tap it out. I have a
adjust depths of cut to suit. number of good woodscrews, gauges
Th ere is no problem machining 8,10 and 12, which I have first gashed,
blocks of Boxwood or Lignum Vitae to as on a tap, and then casehardened. By Htlid in colle! or
suit any type of lathe mandrel, and as using the appropriate 'tap', not quite to mo"er chuck .
the block is usually machined on the full depth, the insertion of the ordinary
face to su it each individual application screw is relatively easy. '.m
operc!ion .
extreme accu racy of f it is not essentiaL I have already remarked on the use of
However, if the turner already has a cup tape and 'Turner's Cement' in the
chuck the wood block can be set in this section on faceplate work. Fig. 101
and then almost any piece of hardwood shows a wood block in use as a wax
will serve. I have, in fact, used boxwood chuck. The irregular piece of ivory,
'slaves' in a master chuck before now. sawn from the side of the hollow part of
And some years ago rechamfered haif- a tusk, is to be machined to a flat slab .
a-dozen brass nuts when screwed onto The cavity in the wood block has been
a wooden dowel! Once the use of wood machined flat and en larged as need be Fig. 103 Top. Typical shape of a balance-wheel staff, which might be 12 or 15mm long.
is accepted as 'normal' it is just a case with a chisel. The flat side of the piece Below. The partially machined workpiece held in a conical chuck with shellac. The workpiece
of using the most suitable material for has been set in the cavity and plain malerial is hardened and tempered carbon steel.
the work in hand, wood, metal , or candlewax poured in .
anything else. The main problem for Fig. 102 shows machining in pro- There are many other chucks or turn by any standard. After machining
many is the setting of woodscrews in gress, the cuts being about 1/32 in. deep holding devices which may be classed one end held in a normal collet the work
Box or Lignum. These are tough at each pass. No trouble was experi- as 'unusual' but space won't permit is reversed and held in the conical
materials - Lignum has an ultimate enced, and after facing the outer side dealing with even a tenth of them. The cavity shown using a small globule of
strength of 11 tons/sq. in . - and some the piece was reversed to machin.e the model engineer has become so accus- melted shellac. After centring (using the
modern woodscrews seem to be made sawn face. tomed to his self-centring three-jaw and simple methods of the watchmaker,
th e independent four-jaw (with an which need not concern us) the material
occasional , tentative, recourse to (about 54 Rockwell hardness, and
turning between centres) that alter- perhaps of 100 ton/sq. in . tensile
natives are seldom considered. So, as a strength) is turned to shape with a hand
tailpiece, I show Fig. 103 which shows graver. A different class of work from
one method of machining a watch ou rs, no doubt - you need a magnifying
balance-wheel staff (spindle). These are glass for one thing - but nevertheless
made of high carbon steel , hardened shows what can be done with no more
.nd tempered to blue ; tough stuff to than a piece of hole and a blob of wax!
Fig. 101 A fragment of ivory held in a wood- Fig. 102 The ivory in process of machining.
block chuck with candlewax. V32 inch cuts were taken without slippage.
76 77
Fig. 105 The "Draw-in" type of lathe mandrel Key
~~~ [:mmr:tg:l~t
CHAPTER 7
collet.
Drawbar
externa l taper at the collet nose. The

Collets collet itself beds back onto a shoulder at
the point 'X'. Th is ensures that the nose
of the collet always projects the same
amou nt from the lathe mandrel,
whereas with th e draw-in type there can Fig. 106 The "Dead Length" collet. This type
be a slight variation. The p rin ciples is usually operated by power closing
The coliet, or split chuck, is a develop- have a range of sizes (I have about a involved are the same for both types, systems, but a manual nut has been shown
ment from the wood-spring chuck used dozen) but the chuck can easily be and as the dead-length type is rarely for clarity.
by ornamental turners for several rebored to suit any special size or, to found and even more rarely needed for
hundred years. Seen in Fig. 104, this hold short work, have a step turned in ou r class of work I will concentrate on dia. and 'No. 40' 4.0mm dia., but both
comprises a block of Box or similar the bore against which the workpiece the almost universa l draw-in type. fractional and decimal inch sizes may
hardwood bored out to form a cavity of can be located. Once the walls becam e be found occasionally, especially on
depth about equal to its diameter, and too thin to hold securely, the chuck Draw-in Collets George Adams' machines. Thi s dia-
the exterior machined to a slight taper. is discarded and a new one made; th e The size of the collet is designated by meter, if quoted as 'th rough chuck', will
Th e walls of the cavity are slit and a ring walls are thick enough to allow this . (I two figures. First, the size of the shank, be the largest size of rod which can be
of wood or metal will, when driven onto have one 4 in . diameter dating from 'A' in Fig. 108. This can range from passed right through . However, the
the taper, close the wa lls of the chuck 1847, unused so far, with walls % in . 6mm for small watchmaker's lathes up 'largest bore' means that which a collet
onto the workpiece. The turner would th ick.) to 30mm, w ith 8mm and 10mm being of body diameter 'A' can hold, the nose
In the modern collet the sam e the most usua l in our class of work. So, being bored as seen in the inset deta il in
principle is applied, but as a rule the an '8mm collet' is one which is 8mm Fig. 108. For an 8mm size collet the two
taper is formed in the lathe mandrel and dia. on t he body. The size of the work figures are, typically, 41/2mm and
the workholding part of the chuck either aperture, 'd', is usually quoted in tenths 7.0mm, and 6mm/8mm for one with
drawn into or driven onto it using of millimetres, a 'No 8' being O.8mm 10mm dia. shank. Th e smallest size I
drawba rs, closing rings, or simila r
devices. There are many variations,
some of which I will deal with later, but
Figs 105 & 106 shows the two types
most commonly found in small lathes.
Fig. 105 is the well-known 'Draw-in '
type, in which the collet is drawn ba ck
by the screwed drawbar to close th e
nose onto the workpiece. The collet
may have an interna l thread on the tail ,
but is usually external, as shown . Fig. Pig. 107 Above; a TOmm
106 is the so-called 'dead-length' collet ; collet from a LORCH
Fig. 104 A wood spring chuck, made by the here the nose is closed by a sc rewed precision lathe. Below; an
author for his Holtzapffef lathe. ring pressing a closing piece onto the Imm Wolff-Jahn collet.
78 79
Fig. 108 Leading dimensions of Ag . 109 Diagram
a draw-in collet - these are showing (exaggerated)
defined in the text. The inset the effect of the closing
shows the end of a collet in forces on the collet body
.....-:1'/\,- U which the work diameter is

greater than the "right through"
and head. At (a), touching
the work but not drawn
Ai\l~DI[.~~~~~0'~'/:;~/J~c d;men,;on.
back. (b) After tightening
the drawbar.
tp lK
B b
have in 8mm collets takes work O.2mm thread form is different, the former pressure on the workpiece, while the correct diameter is gripped the
dia., and as a rule the diameter 'd' rises being 55 deg. Whitworth shape and the angles of 60 deg. or more may need taper beds over the full area. The walls
in increments of O.1mm up to about latter 60 deg. metric. It IS possible, with excessive drawbar pull. (The situation is of the collet body have flexed a trifle,
4mm, after w hich it may go up by a slack drawbar, to accommodate both, different on 'Production' class lathes, and, of course, there is sli ght deflection
O.2mm steps; this varies with different but only if care is used not to over- where the coll ets are operated by cams both of work and collet under the
makes. For larger collets the steps are tighten. Even more care must be taken or air cylinders). Note that some lathe influence of the gripping forces.
usually at O.Smm intervals above, say, with Geo. Adams 10mm collets, as and col let manufacturers quote the half- Consider now the effect when a
7.5mm bore. these have a buttress thread. angle - their 20 deg. will be § = 40 deg. workpiece slightly oversize is gripped.
The other important dimensions Keyway, K. This is the dimension in Fig. 10B. Fig. 110. The contact between work
indicated on the sketch are: Head which usually prevents comp lete inter- and collet is at 'Y', but that between
diameter, 'e' Slight differences do not changeability of collets of the same Workholding in a Collet collet and mandrel is at 'X'. There is a
matter, but if 'e' is much smaller or nominal diameter. The purpose of the We have already noted that the coll et is considerable bending force and, in
larger than standard the taper may not key is to prevent the collet body from closed by the backward pull of the addition, magnification of the gripping
bed properly. Most 8mm collets are rotating when the drawbar is tightened drawbar and the wedging action of the effort owing to the small area of contact
around 12.Smm, but those by Adams - it is not a driver key. Each lathe-maker taper. The collet itself is of hardened at 'Y' . The result is twofold. First, the
are only 10.7mm diameter. Body seems to use a different width and an d tempered steel and so manufac- grip will be insecure, there being a
Length, 'B' There is usually a sufficient projection, and if an attempt is made to lured that it will spring open when the
tolerance on the length of the drawbar use a collet with a small keyway in a drawbar is slackened. Thi s means that
to accommodate small changes here, lathe with a larger size key irreparabl e the wall of the collet body must be
but in the particular case of 15mm dia. damage can be done to both. However, relatively thin - perhaps 1%mm for an
collets there were two common sizes- it is possible to alter the keyways if th e Bmm collet. Even though the work-
44mm and 72mm - and these clearly number of odd collets justifies this and I aperture is accurately sized there will be
are not interchangeable, so that a described a method in my book Simple a slight backward movement of the
separate drawbar is needed for each. Workshop Devices, by Argus Books Ltd . collet as it grips. This means that the
Thread diameter 'D' and Pitch 'P' There is no harm in us ing an oversize relati ve angle of collet and holder will
These do vary in diameter, pitch, and keyway. change. See Fig. 109. To allow for this
thread form even though the shank Cone Angle §, I shall have more to say the manufacturers of the lathe will have
diameter 'A' may be the same. A full list about this in a moment, but for the applied a correction to the angle of the
is given in the Model Engineer's Hand- present it should be noted that the most socket in the mandrel. This is quite
book for Bmm collets. The main point to common figure is 40 deg., though this is small - on my 10mm Lorch the socket Fig. 110 Colfet asked to hold an oversize
note is that though the two common by no means universal. If fa ced with a angle is 39% deg. as near as I ca n workpiece. Accuracy will suffer, as it is not
pitches on Bmm collets (40 t.p.i. and CHOICE of collets, anything much less measure, but this may vary from make firmly gripped at Z, and it may mark the
0.625mm) are almost identical the than 30 deg. may exert too great a to make. The effect is that when work of surface at Y.
80 81
so serious, but you must not be collet, shown diagrammatically in Fig.
surprised if you find that both accuracy 112. It has a closing cone at both ends,
and repeatability are poor when and both ends are split, with the slits
holding 'B.D.M.S:, especially in t he running alternately. This will accom-
smaller sizes. (In passing, it is worth modate va riations from the nominal
noting that the sma ller the cone ang le diameter, for t hough it cannot grip full
the greater will be the effect.) The length it does hold the work at two
lesson for us is that when doing work points far enough apart to overcome
w hich demands the accuracy provided the problem we have been discussing .
by a collet workholder we should use A sim i lar approach is found in the
ground stock- either mild steel or silver Schaublin collet, one type of which is
Fig. 11 1 Collet asked to hold work which is steel - or, if none is available, carry out shown in Fig. 11 3. It was introduced as
undersize. Clearance at Z results in insecure a preliminary sizing operation from a toolholder - for parallel sha n k cutters
grip and loss of accuracy. larger st ock. The problem is acute when - but I understand that it has been Fig . 113 A Schaublin collet.
attempting to hold inch size material in appl ied to workholding as we ll. It will
clearance (albeit, perhaps, a small one) metric collets or vice versa. Compa ring accommodate variations of the order of (5) Use the minimum drawbar force
at 'Z'; and, second, th e collet will tend the usual metric equiva lents with the ±0.5m m on sizes over 4mm dia., but which wi ll hold the work. If it needs
to mark the work. The same consider- nearest sta ndard sizes of Smm coll et requires fairly heavy closing pressure great force, then eith er (a) the stock
ation applies if undersize work is the errors are as unde r: - and there is some tendency to mark is t he wrong size for the collet, (b)
gripped, as shown in Fig. 111 . The unhardened work. th e key is binding, (c) the collet is
positions of the points 'X', 'V' and 'Z' Stock Collet error Befo re going on to consider other over long (o r there is dirt in the
have changed, that is all. In either case dia. size mm in. matters a few hints on the use of the drawbar thread) so t hat it is not
the concentricity is bound to suffer. V16 , .6 0.0008 most common type of col let (Fig. 107) pulling up properly, (d) there is dirt
This second case is the more usual ,/" 2.4 0.0008 may not be out of place. in the slits of the collet.
when we are machining from barstock. '/0 3.2 0.001 (6) Select the stock you use with collets
For obvious reasons bright drawn steel o/n 4.0 0.0012 (1) Make sure that t he collet fits the - ru n the micrometer over it and set
has an 'undersize' tolerance and may be ,/" 4.8 0.0015 lathe. Some may be marked with a aside that which is closest to size.
as much as a couple of t hou down on '/3~ 5.6 0.00 16 sym bol, two letter 'e' back to back; Use metric stock in metric collets
the nominal size. The tolerance on V. 6.4 0.002 these are made by Crawfo rd Collets and vice versa. Always clean stock
ground silver steel is closer (+ O.OOOmm ltd, Wit ney, Oxfordshire, and bear a before using it.
to - O.OlOmm) so t hat th is may not be The collet is quite rightly considered as se ri al number by which they m ay be (7) Do not use the collets 'just because
the most accurate of the chucking-type identified. you have them' Reserve them for
workholders, but it can be no more (2) If the collet 'doesn't want to go in' work which justifies them - they are
'accurate' than the work it is hOlding. To the keyway is probably undersize; precision tools for use on precision
expect a collet to give perfect repeat- check this with a collet of known work.
abi lity on bright drawn steel (or, worse, provenance. (S) NEVER overtig hten the drawbar. If
brass) which is neither true to (3) Lubri cate the outside of the collet more th an light handgrip is needed,
dimension nor perfectly round is asking and the th read with thin machine something is wrong - at least so far
too much. oil; I use Tellus 11 . as 6, S, or 10mm co llets are
It is perhaps, worth mentioning that (4) T ake the greatest care that both concerned.
severa l designs of collets have been mandrel and coll et are perfectly
devised to ove rcome this problem; clean before fittin g. After use both Stepped Coll et s
Fig. 1'2 Principle of the double-taper c'ollet, obviously production machines, wash out and blowout t he hole and Fig. 114 shows an external step chuck
which can hold work slightly under- or over- especially automatics or N.C. type, are especially the slits in the co llet, as fitted to the Boley watchmaker's lathe.
size. The closing arrangements are not limited to using ground stock! One dirt can collect there. Oi l we ll before Th e steps are at 2mm intervals on the
diagrammatic only. approach is that of the 'double taper' putting away. diameter and it will be appreciated that
82 83
11 .4mm up to 25 mm internal w o rk normal collets apply, but owing to the
diameter in steps of O.4mm . A simitar many sharp corners cleaning can be
set of five chucks has internal steps, rather difficult. An old toothbrush and
covering discs from 5.6m m up to 23.2m clean pa raffi n form an essential
these being closed by the normal accessory!
internal taper in th e mandrel bore. Fig. Fig. 117 A watchmaker's "Button Chuck". It
115 shows such an internal chuck, with The Button Collet w ill hold work larger than the normal collet.
8 steps, but in this case on the larger Th is may be met w ith if a second-hand
Lorch lathe. These take from 6mm up to set of watchmaker's equipment has in mind when making any such - the
something over 40mm diameter in 40 been purchased - Fig. 11 7. These are angle of the taper in this case must
steps and are too large to be controll ed intended for holding the winding coincide with that on the mandrel nose.
by tapers on the mandrel nose itsel f. buttons of pocket-watches whilst There is no 'correction ' needed here as
Closing pieces are used instead, remachining the stems. They are th ere is for the closing of a split collet.
screwed onto th e mandrel. (This usually in sets of ten, with diameters Care must be taken overthis if the arbor
from 5 up to 14mm, but few watch-
Fig. 114 An Bmm step-chuck collet, on a makers would have a complete set.
small Boley watchmaker's lathe. Their use is somewhat li mited, but they
are handy for holding, e.g., bronze balls
in this case the collet must expand to whilst dri lling.
grip the work. The lath e mandrel is
made with an external taper to all ow Brass Auxiliary Chucks
this, in addition to the internal one. . These are no more than small brass
There are five such collets to a set, and split collets, w ith no d ra wbar th rea d,
each has the array of six steps O.4mm usually 5mm outside diameter (though
larger in diameter than t he next. Th e full they can be found larger) an d run from
set, therefore, covers 30 diameters from about O.2mm up to about 3mm
diameter in th e bore. Their function is to Fig. 118 A small milling cutter fitted to an
hold del icate screw threads w h ich Bmm arbor.
Fig. 116 Closing piece screwed onto the would be damaged by the ha rd steel
mandrel nose, for the step chuck seen in collet. They are simply inserted in the is to seat properly. Some machines
Fig. 115. . tanda rd Smm (No. 50) collet and when have the correctio n applied to the
the drawbar is pulled up the larger mandrel taper; others (Geo. Adams is
machine is arranged both with a co ll et . teel collet tightens the sma ll brass one. one) appl ied it to the angle of the collet
bore and a screwed nose, the latter Such co llets ca n easily be made - they itself. To make such arbors it is, there-
taking chucks in the usual way.) Fig. 11 6 need no taper, j ust a shou lder to butt fore, necessary first to make a gauge
shows the arrangement. .gainst the face of the stee l collet - and
This type of collet is invaluable. The If made with a threaded hole will secure
most delicate ring can be held without . mall screws with no damage and with
undue distortion, and the grip is quite the certainty of running true .
adequate - obviously one does not take
heavy cuts when machining such work- Iolld Collet Arbors
pieces . The repeatability is not quite as Many devices can be held in th e
good as that achieved with the ord in ary mandrel of a lathe equipped for collets
Fig. 115 A rOmm in tern al step-chuck on a split collet, but is well within the limits - Fig . 118 is one example, and perhaps Fig. 119 Type of blank arbor made up by the
Lorch precision lathe. The largest work held needed for most model engineeri ng the small drill chuck is another obvious author, for subsequent machining to suit the
is 40mm diameter. applications. The remarks on the use of Dne. One important point must be born e work in hand.
84 85
which must be matched with marking adaptor to screw onto the mandrel Fig. 121 Adaptor to carry Bmm
blue to the machine and then make a nose, and the othe r an adaptor which collets in the author's -¥.. inch
~~. ~2~
'
fema le gauge from this to use when fits into the Morse socket. Th e first wil l master chucks. 09Ahe 2 ,
machining the arbor. For this reason it permit the use of 10mm (or even larger)
is worth making a number of blank collets, but the latter is usua lly limited ",,,d "
~~ ..
arbors (Fig. 119 is typical of mine, for an to 6mm and Smm sizes. The screw-on collet .-l.: i"
Smm lathe) which can then be
machined to their final shape when
type is made just like the master chuck
shown in Fig. 96 page 73, but bored to ~, '
needed. If there is to be any error on the suit the co llet. A drawbar is needed t o
taper at all it should be such that the reach to the rear of the mandrel to effect and the closing nut tightened before second split bush 'D' so that it grips the
arbor bears more at the larger end of the closure. (Note that you may have t o fitting into the lathe mandrel. inside of the main collet. It is, of cou rse,
the taper than at the smaller. work with the change-wheel guard There is a further alternative, and one necessary to adjust the whole before
open, as if th e drawba r passes through which I tend to favour. This is shown in the collet is set in the lathe, as it is
Collet Adaptors this it will prevent access to the change- Fig . 121. It is a simple adaptor to make inaccessible inside the drawbar in
6mm and Smm collets are coming onto wheels.) The Morse taper type is shown and fits my Masterchuck. As I have such service. It is easily made, the taper of
the market second-hand in increasing in Fig. 120, and is made from a No.2 a chuck for several lathes, all bored to the cone being about 10 deg. but care
numbers as we enter the era of 'throw- M.T. drill -c huck arbor. Note that in this the same diameter (0.750 inch), I can must be taken that the outside diameter
away' electronic watches, which case the drawbar shoulder beds on the use this where I please. True, the 'Slave' of the knurled nut 'C' can pass inside
cannot, as a rule, be repaired and which end of the adaptor, not on the tail of th e has to be removed from the Master in the thread of the drawbar.
don't need lathes even when they can. lathe mandrel. I give full details for its order to get at the closing nut, but that
The larger 10mm collets are less often manufacture in Simple Workshop doesn't take much time. Larger Collets
met with. However, it is a bit f rustrating Devices (by Argus Books Ltd.) but the The main problem with collets so far
if a set of such collets is knocked down construction is fairly clear from Fig. 120. length Stops described is that the size of stock
to you for a song at the local sale and I use an identical device for holding In semi-production work, where a accepted is limited, and in many cases
then you find th at your lathe has a milling cutters though in that one there number of parts of the same dimen- they cannot hold work ' right through'.
No.1 or No.2 M .T. taper! There are two is no drawbar - the cutter (on an Smm sio ns are to be made, it is a great help to The Myford collet system takes
usual approaches. One is to make an arbor like Fig. 11 S) is set in the arbor have means of setti ng the work in the barstock up to % inch (12.5mm) and can
collet in the same axial position. This pass up to this size righ t through the
can be effected by using a length stop mandrel. (With a special attachment it
as shown in Fig. 122. It is a standa rd can also be used as a ' bar feed' ,
accessory for all but the t iny 6mm dia. operated with the machine running).
1--"":-'7i ''Ii collets, sometimes listed as an ' Inside The closing taper is the No .2 Morse
drill\· ~ Stop'. The stop rod 'A' is gripped by the Taper of the mandrel nose itself, and
·~~~.i.mm 10 '",' inner split collet 'B' when the nut 'C' is operation is effected by means of a
~b=ZZ2jl!;tz~
-lbore collet tightened. Th is also expands the screwed ring fitting the mandrel nose
\, '<
?""o, "collet
All. 122 Length stop for use with

draw-in collets. The nut and head
Fig . 120 An adaptor to of the screwed member must be Split sleeve
carry 8mm collets in No.2 ,mafl enough to pass inside the grips inSide
*to suillQthe Morse taper sockets. drswbar. collel
86 87
Fig. 123 shows a collet with its closing to within a few thou of th e collet face
ring, and Fig . 124 shows a section of the with most types, and incredibly delicate
headstock with all in place. Th e very work can be done given sharp too ls.
small overhang compared w it h that The inertia of the rotating mandrel is
from a chuck is immed iately apparent . reduced a great deal com pared with
A complete outfit w it h 16 co llets, when using any type of chuck. It is
closing ring and fitting tool is seen in possible confidently to remove work
Fig. 125. from a coll et and replace it again with
Collets are available from VlIl in . dia . negligible loss of concentricity (subject
upwa rds at intervals of V64 in ., or th e to the tolerance on the stock itself if not
equivalent metric sizes. It is a neat a mach ined surface) and, if need be, to
sol ution, but there are two snags, transfer work from one collet-lathe to
already hinted at. The ta per is very another . The accuracy and repeatability
fierce, so that if used on under- or is only exceeded by working between
Fig. 123 The Myford No.2 MT type collet oversized stock marking of the work is centres.
with its closing ring-nut. alm ost unavoidable. And this type of However, the limitation mentioned
collet can only be as accu rate as the above does have serious con-
thread which presses the co llet back- bore of No.2 M.T. socket - typically sequences. There are no 'stand ard
wards. A special tool, part of the outfit, 0.001 to 0.002 in/foot. sizes' in model engi neering, and to
is used to fit this ring to a recess in the There is a furth er Myford type, in cover the sizes of work we do needs a
nose of the coll et so that it also acts as which an adaptor is screwed onto the comple te range of collets, and at close Fig . 125 Myford No.2 MT collets in case,
an extractor. mandrel nose and made to accept ' dea d intervals. too. The incremental step of with the closing rings in the centre-front.
length' collets up to % in. diameter. A 0.1 mm will scarcely cover the range of
'Home Made' device of th is type was sizes from one collet to another, so that invaluable and I wouldn't be without
described by Lawrence Sparey some 35 to cover from V32 in. up to 1/4 in. we them, but for the rest - they come in
yea rs ago in his book The Amateur's should need no fewer than 60 collets! useful at times, but I doubt if I wou ld
Lathe and is available from the M.A.P. If the class of work you do is such that miss them all that much if I hadn't got
Plans Service as drawing number M M collets are needed, then they are worth them already.
136. (Fig. 126). The limitation here is th eir weight in gold (cost almost that,
that unless you have both a proper heat too) and if you make a good deal of
t reatment furnace and cylindrical your parts fr om just a few sizes of stock.
grinding machine the collets must of then t he few collets needed will pay
necessity be soft and will lack 'spring' . If their way. Otherwise. t think not. I
you do set out to make such an outfit confess that though I have something
remember to apply the small 'angl e like 120 Bmm collets forthe little Boley I
correction' already referred to. I suggest tend to do most of the work in t he
a difference of 0.75 degrees. chuck; and of the 30 odd 10mm size for
the Lorch I use about half a dozen. My
Collets - Summing up 'Collet Adaptors' are very seldom used
The major virtue of the collet is its for workholding; their principal job is
inherent accuracy; its major drawback holding little cutters, slitting saws and.
is the extremely limited range it wil l occasionally, the lantern chucks . The Fig. 126 The Sparey collet design for Myford
hold - a tolerance of +0.000 in. to collet devices I DO use a great deal are lathes. The adaptor screws onto the mandrel
-0.00075 in . for diameters of 0.3 in. and the sets of step-chucks; these I f ind nose. Though "front closed" the collets are
Fig. 124 Section of the Myford headstock below if repeatability and accuracy is to not of the "dead length" type. (From "The
with collet and closing ring in place. be mainta ined. Work can be machi ned Amateur's Lathe, LH. Sparey)
88 89
Fig. 128 (a) Deflection
CHAPTER 8 will be large at (2j and
small at (1).
(b) Deflection is large at
(21. small at (1) and (3).
Note that (2) may not be
in the centre of the
workpiece - see text. 101 Ibi
The magnitude of these forces need zero - or a very small - deflection at
not concern us, except to remark that it point Ill.
Work Steadies is good practice to keep them small -
e.g. by keeping tools sharp. But the very
Clearly, if the work deflects away
from the tool in varying amounts along
fact that they are there at all is import- its length we cannot hope to get the
ant. For, if we impose a force on a work turned to a uniform size. One
workp iece there is bound to be a deflec- reason for using the steady is to prevent
tion ; the 'immovable post' just cannot this from happening. In effect, we pro-
The work steady can range from a com- will point at an angle downwards, back- exist. This means that the work will vide a support behind the work which
pl icated frame carrying slides, springs, wards, and away from the headstock. bend away from the tool , by an amount exerts forces equal and opposite to
rollers and adjusting screws to a chunk 'When the horse pulls the cart, the which depends on how great the forces those at 'V' and ' Hb'. Yes, I know that
of wood or even the odd finger. Before cart pulls the horse', or so the horse are. For a given force the amount of the this ignores the axial force 'Ha', but the
dealing with even part of this great believes. Or, to be technical, 'Action and deflection will depend on the stiffn ess cases where this becomes important
variety let us first have a took at what reaction are equal and opposite'; if of the work and the workholder, and, in are very rare indeed and most of these
the steady has to do, and why it is there is a force on the tool there must most cases, on where the forces are affect only the lathe mandrel thrust
necessary. be an equal and opposite force on the applied to the workpiece in relation to bearing. So, a steady may be necessary
In applying the tool to the work a workpiece, and this will lie in exactly the its support. Fig. 128. At 'a' we have work to prevent work deflection so that we
force must be applied so that the tool opposite direction to that on the tool - held in a chuck or collet; the deflection can turn parallel. But there is more to it
point remains immersed in the work- upwards, towards the back of the lathe, will be least at (1) and greatest at (2) . At than that.
piece. The direction of this force will and towards the headstock. 'b' we have work between centres, and
depend on the shape of the tool in plan, This slantendicular force can be 're- we find the deflection least at (1) and Chatter
the f ront and side rake, and the depth of solved' into three forces at right angles (3), and greatest at (2). However, in the In Fig. 129 (a) is shown a tool taking a
the cut, and its magnitUde depends on to each other, as shown in Fig. 127. 'V' latter case the point of greatest deflec- cut of depth 'd', and as a result the
the feed -rate, depth of cut, rake angle, is the upward, vertical component; 'Hb' tion need not necessarily be at the forces V and H are applied to the
and the material being machined. In the backward horizontal one; and ' Ha ' centre if the work is taper, or has steps workpiece. These forces cause the work
general, however, the force on the tool the axial horizontal component. Equal on the diameter. Further, if the work is to deflect, as shown at (b), reducing the
and opposite forces are felt by the tool held in a chuck at the headstock end depth of cut. The forces immediately
v point. For a given rate of feed, rake and in a centre at the other there will be diminish, to v and h. The stresses in the
angle, and depth of cut 'V' will not vary
much whatever plan form of tool we
use, but Ha and Hb are greatly affected .
y
v
With a knife tool, for example, Hb will Fig. 129 (a) The depth of cut
be very low indeed, and Ha large, but "d" sets up forces which cause
II movement more or less in
,
with a large radius round -nose tool Ha
tends to be small and Hb large. If such a
tool be even slightly blunt, then Hb can
same direction as "y".
(bj The movement shown in faJ
fflduces the depth of cut, the
H
-"-tr-+
h ' ,
'.,,'!'-d7, -
Fig. 127 Forces experienced by the become very large even with light cuts. forces diminish, and the
workpiece under the influence of the cutting (With a blunt knife tool, Ha will be workpiece deflection (now 10J 101
tool. Tool moving from right to left. large.) "y") changes.
90 91
A
B Fig. 130 Effect of an incorrectly Ag. 133 Travelling steady on the
B
Lorch, machining ¥~, in. dia. stock
~
C set steady. The centre of
~====::::===~:::==~~
9 in. long down to 3'hmm in a
o ~ =+"'y"WIEl---'
L_-4 .' X a'may
rotation of ,ha'
"Y", '0 the end
be broken off.
of the"c"
'he po;nt bar is single pass. Depth of cut, 0.009 in.
feed, 0.006 in/rev; speed, 750 rpm.
This steady has hard steel jaws.
workpiece. previously induced by V and that a small variation in a small force is

H. now cause it to spring back towards more serious than a large change in
th e tool. This restores the position large forces, so that while a steady may
shown in (a). If this process continues be necessary during roughing, to ensure
the work will tend to vibrate and if the parallel cutting, it will be even more
forces and the deflections d and d' are necessary when making light finishing
'favourable' to the natural frequency cuts, to avoid chatter.
of either tool or workpiece we shall
experience the phenomenon known as Overhanging Work
'cratter', To go into the mechanism of There are many cases where the cutting
chatter in detail would need a book in forces may not be very great but the
itself, even more so if the many causes workpiece overhangs from the chuck so an additional preoccupation; the forces are likely to be found in model engin-
and remedies were to be explored. far that its own weight may cause may not be very great, but it is abso- eer's workshops. The 'Three-po int' or
However, it is evident that if we can problems; or, alternatively, the over- lutely essential that the workpiece be ' Fixed' and the 'Two-point' or 'Travel-
avoid the deflection of the work in the hang may result in such a loss of held true to the lathe axis. Consider Fig. ling' steady. Th ese are shown in Figs.
first place there can be no variation in rigidity that chatter is likely. This can be 130. This shows work held in a chuck 132 and 133. The three-point has, as its
deflection, so that t he application of a met by the use of the steady. A similar at A and supported by the steady at 8. first name implies, three supporting
steady to take up t he cutting forces is an situation arises when we need to centre Th e true axis of the lathe is OX, but the ' points' and is, as suggested by the
obvious course to take. Before leaving the ends of a bar too large to pass work will rotate about OV, because th e more common name, fixed firmly to the
the subject, however, it is worth noting through the chuck. In this case we have steady is not truly set up. Seve ral con- shears of the lathe bed in use. The
sequences arise. First, the work will be upper part of the casting is hinged and
bent, and if it is stiff enough will 'wo rk' carries one of the three work supports,
in the chuck jaws - it may even work its the others being carried in the lower
way out. Second, if a centre-d rill is half. The three supports are set in
presented as at C it will be offset from guides as a rule, so arranged that the
the centre of rotation of t he work. At points of the supports will meet at the
best it will drill a poor centre, untrue to lathe axis centre when fully closed in.
the axis, but more frequently the point They are usually made of gunmetal or
will be broken off. Third ; suppose the brass, the idea being that this is less
work to be bored or drilled. Then the likely to mark the work, but for many
bore cannot be true to the outside of the purposes ha rdened steel is better; it is
workpiece. Fig. 131 shows this situation, less likely to wear during service, and a
where a long cylinder, previously mach- steady support which 'wears loose' is
ined on the flange to provide a seat for worse than useless.
the steady, is being hored. The two-point steady (Fig. 133) is
Fig. 132 Fixed steady in use when
machining a bar 18 inch long which proved normally attached to the saddle, and
Fig. 131 A model engine cylinder of some to be subject to chatter. The steady has Types of Steady t raverses the work with it. It is set just
length being bored whilst supported by B bronze jaws. Setting aside special-purpose and im- ahead of the tool, though for some
steady on the top flange. provised devices, two types of steady applicat ions it may be set up so that it
92 93
bears on the newly turned work. Two to the tai lstock end, tighten down and PIg. 134 How to
,tit a liKed
points are set, one vertically above and
one horizontally beh ind the work, with
the gap at the front to accommodate
d ose the top frame, with a piece of
cigarette paper between the two halves.
At this setting, face the end of the bar.
".8dy an work
01 stepped
'--J /d
any projections around the toolho lder. Now bring up the tail stoc k with a sharp
dllJmeters. See
I .Kt(or details.
I 0 11
Clearly it has to be reset after each
traverse of the tool.
centre fitted. Com pare the positi on of
I I
the 'pip' left on the end of the bar w ith
Both types serve the same basic that of the centre; this will show whet her
purpose - to resist the effects of the the steady is truly set or not. Adjust as
cutting forces - and in many applica - need be . Remove the cigarette paper the eccentric error of the chuck. This is likely to be affected by the chuck run-
t ions either wi ll be sat isfacto ry. (Very and then tighten down the top half unti l may not matter, of cou rse ; an offset of, out, then it is best to rotate t he work by
occasionally it may be necessary to use you feel that the steady has a 'sl iding aBy 1'h thou will be of little importance hand and take the mean of the readings.
both!) In general the fixed, t hree-point hold' of the workpiece. Check the p ip It all yo u are doing is turning a short
steady will be of most use when a long and the centre again and then , if all is part in the middle of a long bar. The Setting up for Boring
or slender workpiece is to be machined well, drill your centre-hole. You can w ork will be round, and your micrometer This is always a difficult one. Referring
over a sma ll part - e.g. it can be set up then reverse the shaft {assum ing it to will ensure that it is the right size. If, back to Fig . 131, the work will be held in
on the centre main bearing of a cran k- be unmachined, and thus the sam e howeve r, you are machining the length, the 4-jaw chuck and th e first operation
shaft whilst machining the other jour- dia meter full lengt h ) and centre t he then the work will come out taper by the is to fit and centre a . ead plug in the
nal s. Th e travelling steady is, however, other end at the same setting of the amount of the ch uck error. The proper bore, after which the tailstock can be
much more effective when machining steady. Naturally, if the steady is th en way, therefore, is to set the steady at brought forward to support it . Machine
the length of long work than is the fixed . required in the cent re of the same ba r it the tai/stock end - if necessary revers- and face the flange.
It resists the forces very near to the can be moved to its new position ing the bar in the machine. Set up the steady with cigarette paper
point at which they are generated, and without alteration of t he jaws. This is, If the workpiece is stepped so that the under t he top frame closing face and
its use is almost an imperative when by the way, the 'preferred' method of diamete r at the steady point does not between the two lower jaws and the
mach ini ng long screws - feedscrews dealing with barstock. Since both ends correspond with t hat at either end, then work. Advance t hese jaws (one at a
and the like. But it cannot be used when have been centred using the steady th e Ihe dial indicator method must be used. time) unti l the ciga rette paper just tea rs
the work has projections or shoulders. centre-hole will be as true as can be Fig. 134. Measure the two diameters, 'd ' when withdrawn. (This with the tail-
In short, both must be regarded as achieved. .nd '0'. Set the dial indicator at the stock centre in place.) Now do th e same
essential parts of the Turner's equip- Let us now suppose that we have a tallstock end and adjust the cross slide for the top jaw, and then remove the
ment. part-machined piece to set to. If held 10 that the indicator reads zero. Wind paper from the frame clamp and gently
between cen tres the n the steady can be back the cross slide by an amount equal tighten down . To check that all three
Setting t he Fixed Steady set up in the desired position and a di al 10 half the difference between '0' and jaws are properly adjusted apply a little
Setting up the fixed steady is not as indicator used to see whether or not the 'd', move the saddle to '0' , and adjust marking bl ue to the f lange and rota te
easy as it looks, but let us take th e steady is throwing the workpiece over. the steady so that the O.T.I. again reads t he work - on ly a few degrees; t here
easiest problem first - th at of setting up The indicator must be used both at the ,.ro. Th is sets the steady so that the should be a witness of contact behind
to centre the end of a bar held in the front and on top of the work. Again, I work is held paraliel in the horizontal each jaw. If one does not mark, adjust it
chuck. Assuming the chuck is reason- use the cigarette p aper technique to plane. To set in the vertical di rection, very gently.
ably true, start by setting the steady at ensure that the jaws are, in fact, properly find a piece of packing that is nearly half In many cases the exact adjustment
the headstock end with the fixing bolt contacting the work. If one end of th e D·d (or use feeler gauges) and use the of the steady may be less important. If,
tight, and adjust the three guides or workpiece is held in the chuck the usual dial ind icator on the top of the bar, for example, a bar of fair diameter
rubbers so that they all touch the bar. It procedure recommended in 'the books' making allowance, of course, if the needs steadying (because of chatte r, for
is no use having the work rotating, for is to set up the steady close to the c huck ~cking is not exactly half the difference example) it may be sufficient simply to
even if the chuck is true within 0.001 in. and the n to slide it along to the requi red between the two diameters. Fortunately set up the steady and press down each
this will be enough to give a false position. Unless t he chuck is absolutely the vertical setting is not too important, jaw by hand pressu re - you wi ll not
reading . Once the three are touching, true t his wi ll mean that the steady w ill alve or take a couple of thou. J ust one move a 1'h in. bar very much, and if by
undo the top frame. Transfer the steady hold the work offset by the amount of qualificatio n, th ough . If the diameter '0 ' chance the jaws ARE pulling it over the
94 95
Fig . 137 Procedure
at th e very ends. See Fig. 135. The two Steady ot en d
used in machining the
jaws of the stea dy and th e po int of t he ends of a sha ft to fit
01 bed
tool form a 't hree-poi nt support' - one
v of w h ich is t he cutting tool. But the
bearings.
geom etry is such t hat provided the

cutting point lies on t he work centre- Bot~s
line and the two jaws touch at this reqUIred
ihus
centre, only one diameter will fit. T he
cutting forces wi ll (u nl ess the steady is
wildly mis-set ) ensure t hat t he work
Fig. 135 Setting up (he travelling steady. See makes contact with the steady jaws.
text. The qualification about the ends of the matter too much, t herefore, if the steady ca rriage moving before the half-nuts
~ork is, perhaps, o bvious. If the steady loses contact at t he ends. Th is leads to were engaged. Remove all burrs from
first measurement made with t he micro- Jaws are so set that the centre of the the obviou s concl usion t hat if we set t he t hreads as you go along and, if you are
meter after the cut wi ll reveal this. work does not lie on the centre-line of jaws at the end of t he workpiece - wise, substitute harder jaws for this
!ndeed, the final arbiter of ANY setting the lathe then, when the tool reaches again, using the torn cigarette paper ope ration.
In t he lathe, whether of topslide, tail- t he end of the work they w ill eith er force as ou r measure - then it shoul d per-
stock, chuck, or steady, is whet her or the wo rkpiece off the tai lstock or head - form its office w hen th e cri tica l pa rt is Stretching the lathe
not the work is turned parallel. stock centre or there will be a ga p reached. And so it does . The jaws may The fixed steady can be used to extend
between t he jaws and the wo rk. be set by finger-pressure alone, without the 'between cent re' distance of the
Setting the Travelling St eady Fortunately it is, as a ru le, only in the the ciga rette paper in most cases, but I lathe, as shown in Fig. 136. The bar
This is far less difficult. Even if the jaws centre half of a long workpiece that a always use it, just to ensure consistency shown is 36 in. long, and t he between
are not exactly set the work will still be t~avelling steady is needed. (Thoug h o f 'feel'. centre distance is only 19 in . on this
turned parallel, except as we sha ll see, Fig. 133 is an exception.) It does not It appears that there is some un ce r- mach ine. However, the fu ll length can
r!1
, ta inty as to w het her t he t ra velli ng steady
Jaw s shou ld be set to t he work ahead
be machined except for the short length
actua lly withi n t he chuck jaws. In Fig.
01 the tool or opposite the too l. The ' 37 I show an example of this type of
(~
'ahead' setting is the preferred one, for job. The main body of the shaft did not
a nu m ber of reasons. Fi rst, the obvious need machining - it was for a counter-
one that the setting ca n be made before shaft and t he 1 in. bdms was good
the tool cuts! Second, there is a little enough as it was. The ends, however,
less risk of swart getti ng between the had to be reduced to fit the available
jaw and the wo rk - tho ug h care m ust bearings. The stock was cut off about
always be taken to avo id t his whe rever 2'/2 in. longer than needed, and set up
the steady is set. T hird, it is possible to as in Fig. 136. One end was held in the
remove any burrs from t he work bet- 3-jaw with a bit of paper under one jaw
woen each pass, which migh t ot herwise to correct the slight runout. That end
Intorfere with the proper action of the was then machined to diameter and the
stoady. Here a specia l point should be shoulder formed with a knife tool. It was
mode. When using the steady on long pa rted off at the chu ck face and the
8crewcutting ope rat ions (a nd this is shaft then reversed and t he operation
where I find it comes in most useful) the repeated. In that case the steady was
stoady - if it has bronze jaws, as most of set 'near enough' by adjusting it near to
thom seem to have these days - may t he chuck and then sliding it along; but
'pick up' on t he t hread. In an extreme if t he full length is to be machined then
Fig. 136 Use of a steady when machining work which is long er than the lathe bed. case I have known the steady start the it must be set using the dial indicator on
96 97
Fig. 138 A boring collar in to reduce chatter, then my experience is or two of my remarks in earli er sections.
use. The stock will not pass All machine tools are made to 'Toler-
through the lathe mandrel.
that it is prudent first to try other
expedients, and especially to look to the ances'; they have to be, for if everything
The device is not as accurate
as the fixed steady, but is tool point and to the fit of bea rings and were to be guaranteed 'spot on' you
much easier to set up. slides. The test-bar seen in Fig. 132 would need to put in your Rolls-Royce
suffered chatter when used in an old in part exchange for a Myford and still
Drummond lathe I was overhauling write a hefty cheque. The guaranteed
until I diagnosed a springy gib-strip in truth of a fi rst-class 3V2 in. centre-lathe
the topslide, but it could be cured by is 0.001 in. on the headstock centre, and
setting a wedge of wood between the 0.002 in . in 12 in. length for the truth of
lathe bed and the workpiece. If, how- the headstock taper. They usually come
ever, the problem is one of undue out better than that, but a machine
deflection under cutting forces, t hen having this order of runout would be
si mple wooden devices will seldom passed by the inspector. (Even my
the front face and the top as previously faced - or at least reasonably true - and serve; a proper travelling steady is Lorch precision lathe is guaranteed only
suggested. The re is, of course, a lim it to for small bars it is far easier to run the usually needed. However, there is no to 0.0004 in. on the collet socket, though
what can be done in this fashion, but it stock back through the hollow mandrel. harm in trying - rather the reverse, for it in fact the runout is half that.) So, a first
comes in handy on the odd occasion But for work which is too large for this is on ly by experime nt that any true class machine may be 0.0002 in. out in
when extra long jobs turn up. the device has its points; not least that it knowledge can be obtained I Just one the headstock taper, 0.001 in. in 18 in.
takes far less time to set up than does final warning; the finger CAN be a most out on the bed, and have the tailstock
The Boring Collar the fixed steady. It is hardly a piece of effective steady (damper, really) w hen poppet runout by 0.001 in. in 12 in. as
This is a form of steady wh ich is stan- equipment that one would go looking incipient chatter is experienced in slen- well, when new. If you weigh it up you
dard equipment to the Ornamental for, or even worth making, but those der work pieces. But it is very susceptible will realise that these tolerances are far
turner but seldom met with elsewhere. readers who have really old lathes may to puncture by chippings, so interpose a easier to keep than those on a self-
However, I found one with my Lorch well have one in their outfit and not piece of wood or leather between your- centring 3-jaw chuck with its scroll, jaw
precision screwcutting lathe and it does rea lly know what it was fori Th e 'Holtz- self and the work! guides, jaw teeth, and all the other
appear in a number of continental lathe- apffel Addict' of cou rse, will have a discrete parts involved.
maker's catalogues, so perhaps it is couple of really large ones, and be Conclusion For the type of work for which it is
worth a mention . See Fig. 138. It com- usi ng them all the time! I have tried in this book to cover the intended a self-centring chuck could run
prises a plate mounted by a centra l basic elements of workholding in the out by Va in. and still serve, though it
fitted bolt onto an angle-bracket mach - Miscellaneous lathe. (I do not regard holding jobs on would be wasteful in material. I am
ined to fit the lathe bed. Around the As I suggested at the beginning of this vertical slides for milling operations as afraid that we model engineers tend to
plate are set a number of tapered holes chapter , it would be quite impossible to true ' Iathework' - we have merely con- use this chuck far too often, and expect
(included angle about 90 deg.J - in that describe al l the devices which have verted the lathe into a milling machine!) far too much of it most of the time. A
shown in the photo they run from just been used, or suggested, as work stead- 1 am well aware of the gaps I have left; new lathe will come with a set of
below VB in. up to o/a inch. They are care- ies. Wood blocks set on the boring table why nothing about wood-prong centres, centres, catchplate and a faceplate, and
fully machined so that when indexed and bored to suit the "York (a!ld pre.s um- or rubber bush collets, or divided driver ought to have a fixed steady, too,
round they wi ll lie exactly at centre- ably set to leave room for the tool post) plates for cutting multi-start threads? though this may have to be an 'extra'.
height. When set up, therefore, a piece a similar block bored and attached to However, these are but special applica- With this equipment ONLY you can set
of barstock held in a chuck can be the lathe bed by through bolts, and so tiona of either devices or principles 1 to and make a model steam engine.
centred in the taper of the hole, and the on; you will find them in all older books Nve covered already. One can fill the However, I would start by making a set
end can be drilled and bored truly on turning. Most have their points and workshop with lathe accessories - and of screw-dogs for the faceplate and a
concentric. (The hole is set true by some are very effective. The important then Ipend a lifetime in using them to taper mandrel to suit the bore of the
entering the tailstock centre w hile the matter to be decided when consideri ng mekl more; it is that sort of machine flywheel etc first. You are then in real
retaining bolt is tightened.) Its use pre- any such unorthodox device is the t001l But there is one matter I have left business, and can make a master chuck
supposes that the end of the bar is purpose which it is intended to serve. If to the end - though it is implied in one and a few slaves, which can be added to
98 99
as time passes. Still study ing 'what can direct fitting to the mandrel, what then?
be done' rather than 'conveni ence' I I hope by now that you will be ab le to CHAPTER 9
would next buy a 4·jaw independent distinguish between repeatability and
chuck. With the additi on of a tailstock accuracy. If a chuck is 0.005 in . out it can
drill chuck you ca n now undertake hardly be ca lled 'accu rate'; but if it is
almost every job of work that can be 'always' 0.005 in. out and always in line
done in the way of turning - with no with No.2 jaw, then it is 100% repeat·
self-ce ntring chuck at al l! able; you know where you are, and all
Why, then, all the fuss? The 3-jaw y ou need is a piece of 0.005 in. shi m
self·centring chuck will save a great deal
of TIME. You ca n grip a bar, d o all the
steel handy to set under th at jaw every
time you use it. ' Know your Chuck' - it
Lathe Alignment
machining, and part off the finished may be repeatable by differing amounts
workpiece, all at one setting , draw out at different jaw setti ngs, but if you have
another length of bar and make another; a note of the va rious errors you can
and so on. If the chuck is running out cope.
0.003 in., what does it matte r? If it runs For all that, the inescapable truth The burden of the argument in the book of the feet will have special ca re to
out by only 0.001 in., then th at is remain s; for accurate baHurning you so far has been to achieve the best ensure that they are flat and lie all in
probab ly as g ood as you could manage must w ork between centres, or on the degree of accuracy obtai nable in the one plane. The bed will then be set in a
between centres, anyway, and as good faceplate for fachlg work; if the work is holding of th e work . Clea rl y, all this w ill ma chi ning jig on the table of a gri nd ing
as or better than you could manage such t hat it must be gripped, then the be wasted if the machine itself is not machine and the greatest care will be
wit h a collet adaptor in the headstock independent chuck must be used - and properly set up, and I propose to devote taken to ensure that there is no dirt
taper. (Even collets are made to toler· if it must be re·gripped noth ing else will this last chapter to th is aspect of the 'Art between the feet and t he table. Th e
ances, too.) But the independent chuck assure accuracy. A master·an d·slave and Mysterie of Turning'. That some clamping arrangements witl follow the
will get the work spot on every time - jf chuck outfit will, if ca refu lly made in the discussion is needed is without doubt, principles which I have outlin ed in
you take the time to set it properly. first place, ass ure accuracy also, but lor there is a considera ble degree of earlier pages to ensure that they
If you have a 'Griptru ', well and good only on th e work for which you have misapprehension shown in many impose no strain into the casting. The
- though you do have to set it up like made slaves to fit. I have no doubt at all quarters - even in quite reputable bedways will then be ground - in the
you do a 4-jaw independent, after all! that you w il l conti nu e to use the 3·jaw books on lathework. There seems to be case of ra ised vee·ways, with special
If you have a good ch uck and have for most of your work, but please don't a general impression that the object of wheels. Under these circumstances if
machined the backplate as previously lose sight of the fact t hat though it may lathe alignment is to set up the machine the bed is now taken off the machine
suggested, then you can adjust this to be the most used wo rkh oldi ng device it .0 that the bed is without strain. This is and set on an equally flat surface plate
run dead true - so long as it is new. But is not, and ca nn ot be regarded as, an quite wrong - at least so far as small th e In spector wi ll find that the ways are
if you have the usual standa rd chuck accurate one. t3 1h inch to 5 inch) bench lathes are perfectly true within the limits of
concerned - though it is fair to say that accuracy laid down by the qua lity
I bed without strain is better than a controllers. The fallacy in the 'No Strai n'
mlChine which has just been dumped method of setting the machine to work
on • stand and set to work after simply arises because those advocating it have
bolting down I forgotten what happens next.
To understand the matter, consider After the inspection process the bed
whit happens when the lathe is being will be asse mbled with the headstock;
MIdi. The bed casting will, after the mandrel and other parts will be
.ng. be rough machined and then,
.....bly after a further ageing period,
added - sadd le, leadscrew, gua rd s and
all else. (I am afraid that I don 't know in
I I ,he working surfaces and holes what order this is donel) All of this adds
~ the final few thou on t he bed masses to places where, when it was
. . .,. will be machined. The underside being machined, the bed had none. But
100 101
worse is to follow, and YOU are The lathe Bench act alters the readings across the shown is for a timber bench; if you rs is
responsible I When you get the machine What we have to do in setting up th e sea ti ngs on which the lathe is to sit. If it a metal one, then the wa shers 'A' and
and have degreased it, almost the first lathe is t o introduce a stra in in the does, set packing under one or oth er of ' 8 ' can be much smaller - indeed, 'A'
th ing that you do is to hang a huge machine which wi ll counteract the the feet of the stand unt il tightening it could be turned from the solid - and,
(relatively) mass of metal on the back of effects of all the disturbing forces, and down makes no difference. Note that of cou rse, the distance between them
the headstock in t he sha pe of an electric t his we d o by adj usti ng the clam ping you are not looking for 'split t hou' should be adjusted to take account of
motor. At a guess it will weigh about 25 bolts w h ich hold it down. That is why accuracy at this stage, but t he nearer, the dimensions of the stand top. For a
LBf - more when the supporting we have (as a rule) four such bolts, not the better. If, during the process, you timber bench make the washers about 2
bracket, countershaft etc is added - and the three which some misguided find that walking about on th e floor in to 3 in diameter. Th e main body of
its centre of gravity lies perh aps 9 machine desig ners have used in the alters the readings of th e spirit leve l, th e screw ' H' should be about % inch
inches behind the lathe centre. (One of past. But we should start by using such then you must do something about diameter for a timber bench, and at
my lathes, a 3% inch centre-lat he, means as we can to minimise th e that. In one workshop I had 40-odd feast 1/. inch larger in diameter than the
topples over backwards if not bolted problem , and pay some attenti on to t he yea rs ago I had to set a couple of part which passes through the lathe
down, and it has only a % HP motor in stand or bench on w h ich the machine is lengths of 6 in. x 3 in . scaffold planks foot. The t hread at '0' shou ld be the
place of th e more usual %HP). Th is to sit. Fi rst, th e top shou ld be set as on t he floor to spread the load ove r normal coarse BSW or 'M' thread, that
'twisting moment' of some 250 lbf.ins is level as ca n be managed. Th ere is, in several floor joists. Th is is important - if for ' E' and ' H' t he fine BSF or Metric
applied to the bed via the headstock fact, no virtue in ' level' so far as the floor moves un der your feet it is Fine thread. The washer 'A' shou ld be
an d is bound to twist it. If you don't accuracy is concerned , but it does make quite possible to take off the odd ha lf- not too tight a fit to th e thread so that it
believe me, ju st lean on the tai lst oc k matters very much easier when using thou just by shifting your weight from can level itself; and note the two bosses'
when you are taking a fin e cut between the lathe, especia lly for mill ing etc, if we one foot to th e other! on 'A' and ' B' which locate in th e
centres and see if this does not affect can set workpieces to a spirit level and If the lath e is to go onto a wooden enla rged hole in the bench .
the chip; then consider what might be assured that they are t hen pa rallel to bench, again, get the top as level as Mark out for the holes in the bench
happen if you were able to exert the the lathe bed . If the stand is a metal may be. If you are starting from scratch, from th e lat he and then drill them, after
same degree of leverage as is exerted fabri cation, bolt it to the flo o r, and take ca re that the wood is well which fit the washers 'A' with Loctite
by the lathe motor and countershaft. check with th e level to see whether thi s seasoned and has laid in the sho p for and tig hten up '0' and 'B', checking that
some weeks to 'acclimatise'. M ake the bolt ' H' stand s vertical. As soon as
proper woodworking joints, well fi ttin g, the l octite has set, slacken off '0' again
and use glue as well as coach-bolts. to be finger tight only. Run on the
And give several coats of varn ish after j acking nuts ' E' and mount the lathe,
you have f inished it, to prevent it from with the nuts ' G' run on enough to
uow l/a.h~~""w"'-~
moving with changes of humidity. ensu re t hat nothing fall s over. Adj ust
...Cle.o.RANCE Frankly, I find that a timber bench made the jacking nuts ' E' so that they take the
In this w ay is actually superior to any weight of the lathe, and then pull u p the
+ - - 1- metal st and, as the intern al damping nuts 'G' really tight. Make su re that this
qualities of wood both absorb vibrat ion has not caused th e reduced stem at ' H'
and lead to much quieter running. to bind. (Incidentally, some users prefer
to tap the top of the. bolt 'H' and use an
BENCH TOP Jacking Screws allen screw in p lace of the arrangement
Now, having got the sub-base prepared shown). Leave this set-u p at least
you need something to hold down the overnight, so that all can sett le down
lathe. Four dirty great woodscrews, under th e weight of the lathe - th is
w ashers, and a few wedges W ilL do, applies equa lly to metal stand or
but far better to do the job properly and wooden bench . Then check that the
Fig. 139 Jacking
screws for setting up make up some jacking screws. Secu re machi ne can rock about on the stems
the lathe, shown here Ihe lathe temporarity and make up four ' H' reasonably freely - if not, then you
for a timber bench. terews as shown in Fig. 139. Th at may have to ' bump' t he bolts at ' 0 ' a
102 103
level along the bed and adjust the every 9 months or so, as the floor is the tool post with the absolu te
tailstock screws until the bubble is liable to movement. minimum of overhang. Apply the DTl lo
again central - adjust on t he fro nt If your machine has raised vee the bar as close to the chuck jaws as
ta ilstock end jacking screw, following guides, then you can eit her use you can, disengage the bu ll-wheel from
with th e rear screw just to take up slack accurate parallel st rips under the level the pulley and rotate the chuck slowly,
at this stage. During all th is the holding - or, perhaps better, set the level on the observing the dial reading. If it moves
down nuts 'G' shou ld be slacked off and saddle, for it is the vee-guide that you m ore than 0.003 inch send the chuck
followed up wit h no mo re th an really need to check. In eit her case, if back, for it is out of tolerance - but first
Fig . 14t1 Spirit levels. Behind - Semi- sufficient contact to stop the lathe f rom you find inconsistent results first, check re-clean the th reads and make sure
precision type with graduations on the glass. walking about. Repeat th e process once t he level itself by using it both ways there is no dirt on the scroll either. Now,
Front - Good quality carpenter's type, again. round. Next, check that the level does sl acken t he jaws sli ghtly and retighten
suitable only for rough setting. Now tighten d own all four holding not show a displacement when you at No.1 hole, noting the dial va ri ation as
down nuts to ' light spanner tight' - just w alk about - you may have an unsus- you then tu rn the chuck. Repeat, tight-
little to free it. You now have a machine finger p ressu re on th e standard pected looseness in the floor. And, of ening at No.2 key-hole and then again
support which gives you complete spanner. Set the level across at th e course, that the level does not alter if for No.3. The key socket which gives the
control over the alignment of the lathe; headstock agai n, and ad ju st the front you lean on the bench or st and I In both smallest runout should be marked as
no packing, no wedges needed and you nut 'E' to get the bubble dead central ; cases you wi ll h ave to stiffen things up th e ' preferred socket'. Th is shoul d be
can re-adjust at any time if need be with you will, or course, have to slacke n and a bit before you can set th e lathe up used in all future work w ith the
no more than a coup le of spanners. retighten th e nut 'G' as well. Th e properly. mandrel. (However, you may have an
Those who own MYFORD lathes can reading must be taken with this nut old , tired, self-centring chuck. Never
obtain these jacking screws ready pulled up. Set the level along the bed, (2) The Dial Indicator Method mind . Set the mandrel up with the faur
made, and incorporated in the standa rd and repeat the previous exercise; then For this you need a dial indicato r jaw, with sh im between it and the jaws
'raising bl ocks'. We ca n now proceed. again across the bed at the tailstock reading to 0.001 inch or O.02mm; there and set the mandrel run ning dead true
There are several methods which can end, each ti me taking the reading w it h is no need for one reading to tenth s of in the usual way).
be used, and I will deal with them in the holding-down nuts reasonabl y tho us. You will also need a parallel test Now reset the OTI as accurately as
turn . tight. but with them slack when bar, about 1 inch di ameter and about 8 you can at centre-heig ht where it
adjusting the jacking screw. You will inches long with accurate centres. touches the bar. Feed in to give about
(1) The Levelling M ethod soon learn how much to adjust to move These can be bou ght - and they are half the indicator travel. Wit h the OTI
For this you will need a spirit level with the bubble a g iven amount. This very much cheaper t han t he spiri t level close to the chuck, rotate the work and
a sensitivity of about 0.003 inch/foot. process should be repeated at lea st of Fig. 1401 - and you really can not d o note the 'h igh' and 'low' positions with
That shown in my photo Fig. 140 has a twice and you may have to do it several without one for checking tail stock chalk on t he chuck. Repeat this about 4
bubble move ment of V,o inch at 0.005 times. Once you are satisfied, t ighten settings etc. However, you may find or 5 inches away from the chuck. The
inlft, and is well within this; the the holding-down nuts full y and check that the local Tech nica l College actually ' high ' and 'low' positions should be
carpenter's level also shown is not quite again, readjustin g if need be. makes these as exercises for th ei r fairly close to the same points. If not,
good enough, as the bubbl e shows Your bed is now in exactly th e state it Technician and Craftsmen's cou rses then the bar is bent and you w ill have to
barely discernible movement at 0.009 was when on the fin ish grinder, and you and w ill have one they can spa re even get another - a bent bar is useless for
in/ft. lfyou have a leve l already, check it can't ask for better than th at. However, cheaper. Failing t his, use p recision this job. If all is well, then mark the
with feeler gauges at one end and if the do remember that there is a tolerance ground mild steel, th ough you will have chuck midway between ' high' and 'low'
bubble movement is definite at these on t he flatness of the bed when it w as no centres in it then. as being th e 'Correct Test' posit ion .
limits, w ell enough; otherwise you wilt made which is typically 0.00075 in ch! Thoroughly clean the mandrel nose With the bar in this position the OTI
have to borrow one. Clean the bed and foot. You should now use the machine and t h e thre ads on the self-centring rea ding shou ld be t he same at the
the foot of th e level, and then adjust all for about a week and then re-check. chuck backplate and fit the chuck ca re- chuck and 41/~ inches away. It won't be,
the jacking sc rews 'E' until the machine Especially if it is mounted on a tim ber fully. If you don't know which is the and you must adjust the jacking screws
is free from rock. Set the level across bench , or on a metal stand on a ti mber 'preferred so'"cket' for th e ch uck key, until it is.
the bed at the headstock end and adjust floor, you may find that it has settled a check this now. Set the test mandrel in So, the procedure is as follows. First,
the screws at this end to level. Set th e bit. I check my own lathes about once the chuck and th e Dial Ind icato r (DTI) on using w hatever level you have ava il -
104 105
able, get the bed level lengthways and (3) Turning test method Fig. 141 Test mandrel. 1;;a '"" .""
-'lQ ",aOUT S' -'IV
crossways at the headstock as near as This is the final arbiter, of course, and I See text.
you can judge as previously described.
Then use the DTI as I have described . If
the free end of the bar lies away from
always use this method after applying
No.' with th e level. After all, no matter
what my instruments may say it is the
~=1£p..t1~~=fI'''+J=I.=-1~
the DTI bring the tailstock front jack
UP; rear jack UP if it lies towards the
result on the workpiece that matters.
But it is rather more difficult to use as a
•
DTI. Note that in this case all the work is setting method, though dead easy as a • ~OUGH IAACHINE
done with the tailstock end jacking check. You need a micrometer reading .... FINE IAACHINE TO
IDENTIC'll DI...
screws; those at the headstock shou ld to 0.001in. or 0.01mm and a piece of
have been tightened down with the mild steel, prefera bly not BDMS, not
holding down nuts after levelling. The more than 1 inch diameter (unless you prefer to cut dry. My own tests are done munitions shop had girl inspectors who
main problem with this method is that have a 0-2 inch micrometer) about 6 on a piece of 'black' mild steel bar could detect a taper of less than 1 thou
unless you are very ca refu l and delicate inch long. You ca n use smaller, but I wh ich cuts much more freely than per foot with their fingers. Note that I
with your adjustments you may find wouldn't advise anything less than % bright drawn. Free-cutting mild steel is, say 'detect', not 'measure', but that is all
that you have been raising the tail stock inch. Set this well back in the chuck of course, the ideal. One final point - we are really concerned with . However,
end of the machine repeatedly, so that jaws and tighten well on th e preferred keep your hands off the machine while you must use a good pair of preferably
the bed is no longer level. Don't chase socket - or set up in the 4-jaw if yo'u it is cutting, for if you as much as lean firm-joint cal ipers - not those with
skylines; if the final reading suggests like; it makes no difference. Take a cut on the tailstock it will upset the adjusting screws. If you don't believe
that the test bar is leaning towards the along t he length of the bar leaving two readings! me, take a fine cut over the bobbin, and
DTI by 0.0003 inch in 4 V2 in. this is as it short barrels as shown in Fig. 141. This set the calipers to it in the proper
should be. On no accou nt, however, need not be a fine finish. but reduce the manner. (I will expand on this in a
should it lean away. (Actual tolerance diameter by about V1R inch. Now (4) Using Calipers momentl . Measure the diameter with
on a new machine here could be as high resharpen the tool and. und er power This will probably upset those readers your micrometer. Now just give a
as 0.00075 inch in 4112 inches - 0.002 traverse and fine feed, take off just who spend their time making workshop GENTlE tap to the cross-sl ide feed -
inch/foot, bar leaning towards the DTI). sufficient from the two test barrels to equipment, and who habitually use screw handle and take another cut. It
This method can be made even more clean them up. Touch the tool with an micrometers reading to 'tenths', but will be less than a thou, but I warrant
accurate - and simpler, too - if you oilstone and take a cut of 0.003 inch you can carry out test No.3 using a that if you now offer your calipers you
have a test arbor with a Morse taper deep across both. again under power good pair of ca lipers ! It is quite possible will be able to detect the difference in
shank at one end to fit the lathe mandrel feed. Note, if you experienced ANY to detect a difference in diameter as 'feel'. The ' proper' way to set them is as
nose taper. This obviates all the risk of signs of chatter on the initial cleaning- small as 0.0005 inches with calipers . follows. To OPEN the blades, tap the
error which can arise from the toler- up cut, reduce the speed. Measure the Indeed, during the 1914- 18 war one heel of the hinge gently on some hard
ances on the chuck jaws. Such arbors two bobbins with the micrometer. If the
ca n be bought - again, cheaper than a free end is large, jack up on the front
precision level - and can, of course, be screw at the tailstock end ; if it is small,
made. However, it IS imperative that then jack up at the back. As before, if the
the taper. be accurate. Any. error. here free end is less ·than say 0.0003 inch
will be magnified and will give a false large at this light cut, perhaps it is best
reading to the dial indicator. This is not to leave it as it is. Tighten up all the
difficult to ensure, but the fit of the test- holding-down bolts and recheck. Fig .
bar to the mandrel nose socket should 142 shows this in progress.
be checked before you start. It shou ld , It is not essential to use steel, but
of course, have centres in at each end - brass is expensive. A luminium and its
it can only be made properly between alloys tend to build up on the tool point.
centres - so that it can be used for re- There is no reason why you should Ag. 142 A machining
setting the tails.t ock if need be. not use cutting oil, of coursq, but I test in progress.
•
106 107
~t.l • I
SADIll£ ON LESS WORN
, 10· OR 12" TESi ""R
_ l" RT OF 8(0
rj I
0-.:V'" "
~+=I=-_~_II
•
!M0
MA.CH IN E FRO M b ·
r
DIA SEE TEXT
Fig. 143 Mandrel for re-setting the tai/stock after taper-turning. The
diameters 0, and DJl are machined to identical dimensions by
measurement. See tex t.
-f- l TTACH DIAL INDICATOR ' U·
CI..l MP TO CROSS SLIDE
sa ""R OR AS AVAII..lIL E
,.,. 144 Arrangement for aligning a lathe having a worn bed.

BOTH ENDS
surface - I use the top of my 4-tool diameter for the 1 inch length . Again Align ing a worn lat he as previously described . Note, how-
turret; to CLOSE them, tap the back of between centres all except the two None of the methods so far described ever, that the bar should be long enough
one blade against the same hard sur- 'barrels' or bobbins is reduced by about cen be used on a machine with any- to be clamped in the middle so that it
face. You can 'set' to better than half a 1/8 inch on the diameter, and with a Ihlng but slight wear on the shears, as does not tend to rock the saddle and
thou in this fashion if you have a clean, but not necessarily a fine finish. It you cannot know whether the differ- bring the unde r-shear guide face into
delicate enough feel to the job. Having is worth making the distance between ences in readings observed are due to work.
reassured yourself on this matter you the two bobbins a definite length - say misalignment or wear. But there is a
can set up the lathe with calipers in 10 inches. way out. It is in the nature of things that
exactly the same way as just described Now take a fine cut with a well the amateur seldom uses this lathe for A f inal note
using the micrometer. sharpened tool over one of the bobbins, 'between centres' work - though I hope Throughout the book we have noted
using power traverse and aiming at the that one effect of this book may be to that even quite lig ht clamping force s
Ma king a Test Bar finest finish. Measure this diameter Increase such usage. But most work is can affect the accuracy either of the
I referred in the first section of this very carefully. Turn your attention to done from the chuck or faceplate, and work holding device or even the lathe
chapter to the use of a test bar which the other bobbin and taking even greater thl, means that almost all the wear will itself. Every applied force, no matter
had been ground between centres. care, machine this to an identical dia - lie in the six inches of bed adjacent to how slight, MUST cause a correspond-
However, it is possible to make one meter. If you go too far, then you must the headstock. This being so, we can set ing strain. Every force. Including th at
even on a worn lathe which will serve return to the other bobbin and re- up the lathe by using the arrangement caused by your elbow when you lean
for many purposes, especially the vital machine that one to match . The actual "'own in Fig . 144. The test bar is set in on the tailstock, or rest your weight on
ones of resetting either the topslide or diameter doesn 't matter (though it may the chuck as before, but the DTI is the belt-guard whilst reaching behind
the tailstock after turning a taper. See help later to have a note of it stamped mounted on a substantial bar held in the machine. I hope that this may
Fig. 143. I have one to these dimen- on the bar) but they MUST be exactly the taolpost. This allows the saddle to persuade you to avoid such practices
sions, made from 1 inch diameter bar. the same. You now have a test bar be moved over the unworn part of the and, if your years weigh heavily (a s
The piece is chucked at one end and the which can be used for resetting at any bed. Otherwise the procedure is exactly mine do sometimes) then buy a stool!
other held in the fixed steady for facing time, and which can be used for all
the end and making the centre-hole. resetting purposes. Note, however, that
Note the profile of this, the little recess it cannot be used for setting up the lathe
serving to protect the edges of the in the f irst place unless you are QU ITE
centre- ho le from burrs. The other end CERTAIN that the tailstock is correctly
is treated the same way. It is then set set. However, you can make a test bar
between centres and a cleaning-up cut for use with the DTt by machining a
taken over the whole length - reversing mandrel identical to that shown in Fig.
it to dea l with the part under the carrier, 141, but between centres and using the
but this being reduced to about ¥.. inch procedure outlined in making Fig. 143.
108 109
"Keats" ang leplate 36 Six-jaw chucks 68
Squa re centre 14
la the alig nment 101 Steadies, general 18, 90
levelli ng 104 setting 96
lante rn chuck 74 Stepped collets B3
Live centre 10 "Stretching" the lathe 97
Mandrels 25 Taperturning 24
M aster-&-slave ch uck system 72 Test-ba r, making 10B
Index Nominated chuck key 64
Tolerances, self-centring chuck
lathe
62
30,106
Travelling steady 93
Overha nging workpieces 53 setting 96
Turner's cement 33
Raising blocks 104
Accuracy, conditions for, 47 Revolving centre 14 Wax chuck 76
tailstock centre
lathe
"
13
101
Universal (independent) chuck
Wax chuck
wear in chucks
76
65 Scroll chuck, errors 59
W ood, use offorworkholding
Wood-block chucks
3B
75
se lf-centring chu ck 62,65 Clamping work 31 strength 61 W o rkl ength stop B7
Adhesives, use of 32 Collets, general 78 Schaublin collets B3
Alignment, lathe 101 adaptor, N o.2 morse ta per 86
Auxiliary co llet chuck B5 dimensions BO
double-taper B5
Backplates 44 Myfordtype B7
Balancing 40 stepped B3
Bell-chuck 71 Crankshaft turning 21
Bell punch 16
Bo ring collar 9B Dead centres 10
Boring jigs 37 Dogs, faceplate 31
Button collet B5 Draw-in collet 79
Driver-plate 31
Calipers. setting 107
Carriers 19 Eccentrics, machining 67
Centres
types of
Centring work 15,38,49,93
"
14
Expanding mandrel 26
Chatter 91 Faceplate, general 2B

Chucks, general 41 dogs 31
attaching 44 fixtures 35
Bell chuck 71 Fixed steady 93
Cup chuck 71 setting 94
irreg ular shapes in 51
Lantern chuck 74 Gripping in a chu ck 4B
Master-a nd-s lave chuck syste m 72 "Griptru" chuck 63
Self ce ntring 57
tolerances on 62 Jacking screws 103
110 111
"
~e" ''':~6SIIre's on
~~~
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Workshop Practice Series 15 Workholding in The Lathe

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CHAPTER 4 The Universal or Independent Chu ck

CHAPTER 5 The Self-centring Chuck

CHAPTER 8 Work Steadies

CHAPTER 9 lathe Alignment

Between Centres Work c

12 Bar held in the lathe

Fig. 19 M achining the crankpin. See a/so Fig. 20.

the same throw piece is used both for

the crank throws and for the eccentrics,

to that in Fig. 28. but fitted with a

Fig. 48 Machining a m odel loco motive

Ag. 50 left; A 4-screw bell

Fig. 57 Illustration of a lathe

Setting the work

-1- Fig . 69 is a case in point. Here the

In Fig. 76. The view on the left shows

Fig. 98 A lan tern-chuck for use with Fig. 96. -

externa l taper at the collet nose. The

.....-:1'/\,- U which the work diameter is

All. 122 Length stop for use with

workpiece. previously induced by V and that a small variation in a small force is

geom etry is such t hat provided the

,.,. 144 Arrangement for aligning a lathe having a worn bed.

Chatter 91 Faceplate, general 2B

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