how do you store your chuck jaw sets?

[Stuart Kent]

I am looking for a new solution for storing multiple sets of chuck jaws and hoping some of you have come up with good solutions and are willing to share some photos.

thanks!

[Steve Doerr]

I keep each set of jaws separate in a zip lock plastic bag and store them in a drawer in my tool chest. Nothing fancy, but it works for me.

[Alex Zeller]

I have a cheap 5 drawer "pit" box from Harbor Freight. I have a drawer that I keep my chuck, all the jaws for it, and the face plate. The drawer is large enough so even my 20" cole jaws easily fit. I also keep the T-handle allen wrenches and a small container with spare screws. I've seen others who have things like pegboards and hang stuff on but the cart is on wheels and I can roll it out of the way when not needed and position it close to me. I have all of my turning tools on the top shelf and a foldable table on the side that I have my grinder on. I expect when I get too much stuff for the box some of it is going to be not used often they will get hung on a spare wall somewhere.

[Karl Koch]

I just have a series of 4 finish nails in line vertically. They are spaced for each set to hang in a vertical column. Each set/column is labelled, eg, "EW2" (easy wood2) or "O5" (Oneway5). I always know what's being used because that column is empty. It's fairly space efficient.

[tom lucas]

I'm getting ready to build drawers under my lathe and am considering these for storage of small items, including jaw sets
https://www.amazon.com/RUSPEPA-Recycled-Corrugated-Box-Mailers/dp/B072TVFQ2J/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1549477176&sr=8-16&keywords=4x4x2+boxes

I'll probably also put the jaws in zip lock bags with a squirt of WD-40, and place that bag in the box. Write on the box to ID. I'd also like some larger and smaller sizes, but the minimum lot sizes start to get expensive.

[Stuart Kent]

I've used most of these kinds of things up to now, however I am trying to figure out something for the school. We have in total 20 lathes, each with a chuck, and each chuck has multiple sets of jaws. I am going to build a dedicated wall rack for all of it. I would like to come up with something that looks good and functions well.

[Dick Mahany]

I used some Kaizen foam to outfit a drawer for jaw storage. I'm fortunate to have several chucks and so I keep different jaws set up on those separately. If I had more drawers available, I'd get rid of the boxes and use the foam to make more storage cavities, but this will have to do for now.

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[Rick Brantley]

Harbor Freight has the 18" magnet bar tool holders on sale occasionally. I found 2 bars hold all my jaw sets in groups pretty well.

[Bob Coates]

Dick,
Kaizen foam is new to me, how do you cut it for each tool and get the correct depth?
Bob
Ps
Watch youtube to see how to cut. Pretty neat.

[Dick Mahany]

Dick,
Kaizen foam is new to me, how do you cut it for each tool and get the correct depth?
Bob
Ps
Watch youtube to see how to cut. Pretty neat.


Kaizen foam is sold by Fastcap. They have a couple of videos on their website that show the process. It is quite simple to cut with a razor knife and the material is layered such that different depths can be cut and pulled out as needed. I simply traced the outline of the tools I wanted to organize and cut that outline with a small utility razor knife. I have been organizing all of my tools and like the idea of "a place for everything and everything in its place". It also is easy to spot when I haven't put something back where it belongs.

[Tony Joyce]

402898
This is mounted on the wall behind my lathe.

[Dick Mahany]

402898
This is mounted on the wall behind my lathe.

Very nice!

[Tom Wilson66]

I keep my jaws in a plastic box. To keep the sets together, I use a section of bicycle inner tube cut about 1/4" wide, to make a rubber band. I put this around the jaws before taking them off the chuck, which keeps them in order. Also, when putting them on, this automatically has them in the correct order. Makes changing the jaws a little quicker.

[Joe Bradshaw]

I store my Oneway chuck jaws on a Oneway chuck. I like to have a chuck for each set of jaws.
Joe

[Stuart Kent]

402898
This is mounted on the wall behind my lathe.

now that's a step in the direction I'm looking for! thanks

[Brian Deakin]

I simply use a magnetic tray
This enables me to place the tray and the chuck on a workbench then as I change jaw sizes by placing the components of the jaws directly in the tray this prevents me from loosing or misplacing parts

A small drop of nail varnish on each of the 4 parts of a jaw set enables me to quickly select a different set of jaws

[John K Jordan]

I've used most of these kinds of things up to now, however I am trying to figure out something for the school. We have in total 20 lathes, each with a chuck, and each chuck has multiple sets of jaws. ...

In a school situation with lots of the same jaw sizes you might also think of some way to mark each set so a wayward jaw can be easily reunited with its mates if needed, perhaps engrave a code letter/number on each jaw. I don't know if all jaws are made the same way, but the way the some jaws are made a jaw from one set might be a problem if used in a different set.

Also, most jaw sets I have are numbered on the bottom with stamped 1-2-3-4 while others don't have numbers but dimples made with a punch, (. .. .. ....). To make these easier to see I used a vibrating engraver to write the jaw numbers on the tops.

I personally don't have any ideas for you for storing multiple sets of jaws in your school situation. I keep the different jaw sets on separate chucks and only change jaws when I need a rarely used set, keeping those quickly accessible in a drawer. The spare jaws go into plastic zip-lock bags in a container on a shelf. It would cost a fortune to equip the school with new chucks for every set but it sure makes things quicker and easier - grab a chuck and go! Maybe a wealthy benefactor will stop in one day...

JKJ

[Stuart Kent]

thanks all for the suggestions, please keep them coming. We have 20 total chucks, one for each of our lathes at the North Carolina Furniture School. Each chuck has multiple jaw sets, so the solution I am trying to work out here needs to keep all of that tooling organized and accessible for each student station. Ideas like chuck bodies for each jaw set don't work. Additionally, we are designing cabinets for the space below the machines so i want to incorporate them into those cabinets.

[John K Jordan]

... Additionally, we are designing cabinets for the space below the machines so i want to incorporate them into those cabinets.

Stuart,

Earlier you mentioned planning a central rack for the jaws. Storing the jaws in a shallow drawer at each machine might much be better. That would certainly keep individual jaws from getting mixed up with other sets.

I keep the extra jaw sets laid out in a drawer like that and they are easy to identify and access.

BTW, I also like shallow drawers right at the lathe for small tools, calipers, hones, hand scrapers, taper shank drill bits, pencils, etc. For example, I make metal handle inserts so I can keep a bunch of tools at hand in a small space in one very shallow drawer. This picture shows my spindle gouges and one of the inserts not yet mounted into a handle.

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I don't like anything under the machines except a big tub to catch most of the chips, but in my case several wide, shallow drawers in the workbench just behind me keeps many things within reach. (Small "class" in progress in my shop.)

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BTW2, I make the inserts from 1/4" to 5/8" diameter from aluminum, brass, and steel. I don't know if it would work for your school, but it's easy to make such an insert from aluminum on the wood late with standard woodturning tools. Perhaps it would be a good exercise for the students, and it's certainly a way to get high-quality handles for almost zero cost. If you are interested I can provide detailed instructions, or the next time I get over that way I'd be glad to stop in and demonstrate (probably June or July).

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JKJ

[Alex Zeller]

If you're going to do cabinets then I would go with ones that are on wheels and can be rolled around so the student can put them in a place that feels comfortable while turning. It would also make cleaning up easier and then rolled under the bed (if there's enough room) when not in use. Foam in the drawers cut out in the shape of each jaw, a small clear plastic box with spare screws, and the tools seams like a great idea. It would allow the teacher to quickly look in each drawer to see if something's missing. I would even think about making the top of the cabinet not a drawer but a lid that when opened would have a way of holding all the turning tools.

The idea would be at the start of the day the student could roll the cabinet out, open up the lid, and place the tools on a rack mounted to the lid (unless they can be stored there). But I'm envisioning the class room is one where the lathes are separated by temporary walls that aren't able to support anything. When the day is done the cabinet would be dusted off, rolled out of the way, and the area cleaned up.

I know everyone is different but I like to position my body where it feels most comfortable depending on what I'm turning. When doing the inside of a bowl or a platter where I'm not using the tail stock I'll position myself up against the bed. Having cabinets mounted below the lathe could interfere with that.