New Donut Chuck

[John Altberg]

I finally got around to making the donut chuck that Alan Lacer wrote about in the Spring '08 AAW Journal. I have only used it provisionally, however, since I need to extend the spindle on my Jet 1442 so that the bolts and wing nuts will clear the motor on the backside. I refuse to use this beast with the wing nuts on the business side! Any thoughts on the best way to go about this?

John

[Richard Madison]

Easy John. I have several sizes of doughnuts and several lengths of bolts (hex cap screws) including some allthread for tall stuff. Just mix and match.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Same as Richard. I have a small and large donut with several sizes of donut holes. I also use several different lengths of bolt so they just come thru the back side.

[Bill Bolen]

Probably too late now but a 2x4 sized spacer block on the back would have extended the chuck out to the distance you need...Bill..

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I used T-nuts instead of wing nuts and epoxied them into the holes.

[Mike Lipke]

I have and use sets of bolts from 3" to 6" in 1/2" increments. I also have threaded rod that I can tack weld nuts on if I need to go longer than 6".

[Doug W Swanson]

Looks nice. I like the circles in the base so it's easier to center the bowl. I may have to use that idea when I make my donut chuck....

Like the others have said, I would just use different length bolts.

I bought a pack of twelve 6" bolts for my donut check. I plan on cutting them into 3 different lengths so then I don't have to worry about them hitting the headstock.

Doug

[Steve Schlumpf]

I do the same as Richard. Great to have options so you can just pick the size ring and bolts for the project. Only thing I do different is I have a sheet of closed cell foam (thin) glued to the surface to cushion the rim of what ever I am finishing. It firms up nice when you tighten the donut and I don't worry about marring the rim of the turning.

[Thomas Canfield]

Tractor Supply or similar have the bolts in bulk by the pound and you can get sets of different lengths cheap. I bought in 1" increment from 2" to 6" and have some allthread and coupling nuts for longer needs such as a vase or other hollow form. I made a rack to hold the bolts, wing nuts, and washers.

[John Altberg]

Thanks, Bill. Wish I had asked before I finished the chuck!

[Rob Cunningham]

I use t-nuts in the donut plate and threaded rod cut to several different lengths.

[scott schmidt grasshopper]

to increase the clearance on my donut chuck. I put a tenon on it and then use my talon chuck to hold it. this puts the back of the donut about 3 inches from the headstock, and the mounting of it is pretty fast , i can semicenter the bowl and snug the bolts then toss it on the chuck for exact trueing of center. also , I made a set of blocks to place the donut chuck on while installing the bolts so they all clear and I can rotate the chuck to bring the bolts closer to me. good turnings, scott