Shop Made Rubber Chucks

[Ned Gatewood]

I am looking for a way to shop make some rubber chucks. Neoprene stoppers, like I find in a chem. Lab are okay, but a #14 stopper is expensive. So, I'm looking for another solution. If I could buy a sheet or block of neoprene, say 2-3" thick, that would work. Can't find any yet. Any thoughts will be appreciated. Ned

[Brice Rogers]

I looked on ebay and I see the HUGE # 14 stopper (3 to 3-1/2" dia x 1.5 inches thick) for around $10 including shipping. You might also want to consider getting a hockey puck. They are 3" dia x 1" thick hard rubber and somewhat machinable with the right tools and technique.

I'm curious about how the rubber chuck is intended to work. I am unfamiliar with them. Are you going to use it like a jamb chuck or slip it into a larger metal chuck to make a non-marring hold? Or do you want to use it like a vacuum chuck?