What kind of wood do you use for jam chucking? Any good cheap ideas?

[Joshua Dinerstein]

So I was out in the garage/wood shop tonight turning a small lidded box. It is for my Mother-in-law as a get well present. She had a knee replaced just a week or so ago. For Christmas I made her a bowl out of African Mahogany. It is beautiful wood but hard to work with in many ways... So I wanted to make her a matching set of lidded boxes. I was working in my usual way and finished the lid first then the rim of the base then hollowed it and finished the outside.

It came time to flip it around and finish the bottom. I fear that because I was trying to save the expensive wood I didn't leave myself enough to length to make a jam chuck out of. I just don't like working that amazingly close to the flying jaws of death.

So I started searching my shop for a small piece of wood to make a jam chuck out of. I didn't really find anything. Now most of what I have is exotic wood I bought off of the big auction site because I am weak and the vortex is strong. I don't particularly relish the thought of turning any of that into a jam chuck for this one piece. So I got to thinking about what might work. I have 2x4 material out in the garage but I worried about it being to soft to get a good solid fit out of to finish the bottom.

So I thought I would ask what you guys do. And clever approaches?

Thanks!
Joshua

[Gilbert Vega]

I have 2 large jam chucks i use. One is made from a pine 2 x 12" scrap I had left over. The second one is actually made from a piece of 2 x 14" African Mahogany that will eventually become a platter or shallow bowl.

I've thought about glueing up 4 layers of 3/4" MDF and using that for a jam chuck. The only problem I see is the excessive dust wwhen turning off the MDF.

[Don Carter]

Joshua:
I have used pine many times to hold lidded boxes. Most times it is a cut off from a 2x4. Depending on the size of the box, I have wrapped Foamies(Walmart) around the jaws of my chuck and used them to hold the box inside expanding into the hollowed box. Good luck!

[George Guadiane]

You could use a piece of the exotic that will eventually become a bowl, as a jamb chuck. I did that for a while with all of my wood when I was starting out. The 2-by ? is also a good alternative.
Now, after blowing up a big piece (that I should not have lost), using a jamb chuck, I'm building donut chucks so that I don't break anything else.

[Rex Guinn]

I have used any wood laying around the shop chuck it up and turn a hole in the bottom just smaller than a 1x8 or 1 1/4x8 nut press the nut in and glue. Now when it's dry just screw the nut onto your headstock and turn the end to fit your needs. Jam chuck, glue chuck, snug fit for turning the bottom of your box. You can also just chuck up a piece of any wood and then use an old carpet pad in the bottom our your bowl to keep it from slipping.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Joshua - I have used scraps of pine/fir 2x materials and they work just fine! Looking forward to seeing the finished boxes!

[Kirk Miller]

My favorite is cutoff 4x4 posts from a deck project. I shall never want for a jam chuck.

[Rich Souchek]

Joshua,
On small boxes, I usually use my Talon chuck to turn them. The bottoms get finished several wasy:
1. I thow a flat piece of whatever in the chuck, center the box bottom, then bring the tail stock up and align to the previous center mark on the bottom of the box. Tighten the tailstock and cut with good small guoge so the support column in front of the tailstock is down to 1/8" diameter. Then sand and remove. A chisel is used to remove the last of the tailstock support.
2. Get about 4 layer of papter towels and cover my chuck jaws. Then, the bottom box openning is chucked in the expanding mode, with the paper towels cushioning the box. I still bring in the tailstock, untill/unless it is not needed. I also keep some small stubs that fit the tailstock centerpiece so the stub can bear against the box bottom instead of a steel point.
Try all of the ways you can think of and then you skills will grow.
Rich S.

[Rich Boehlke]

I have only turned one lidded box so dont claim to be an expert but I used common construction lumber for the jam chuck. It worked well and was cheap as well as disposable.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Thanks for the advice guys. In the end I just use some of the 2x4 pine material I had in the garage. It worked. It isn't my favorite as it did start to collapse and let things get loose at the end but it did work.

The for the second piece I did I took the advice of those here and just used the center of a hardwood bowl blank. Worked out amazingly well. A clever trick in my mind.

Thanks guys. I got the box and pencil cup finished in short order! :)

Joshua