Making your own "jaws"... Have you done it?

[Hank Walczak]

I'm thinking of making my own version of a "Cole"/"Jumbo" jaws for my scroll chuck. I think I'd like to do it out of Aluminium. Has anyone had any success? Any problems with the project? Like balance, hole alignment, size, etc? I know that they aren't that expensive but it might be fun to make... Thanks.

Hank

[Gary DeWitt]

I made some out of 1/2" baltic birch ply. Marked out a disk the max swing of my lathe with a compass, divided the circle in quarters, then the quarters in thirds, and drew several concentric circles for placement of the holes for the posts. Marked and drilled the holes for attaching to my chuck, using the chuck as a pattern. Test fit to chuck. Finish turned the disk. Drilled remaining holes for posts. Numbered quarters to corespond to chuck numbers. Cut disk in quarters. Added posts, using a machine screw through conical rubber bumpers. Wing nuts on the BACK of the jaws for safety.
No problems with fit or balance, but I also don't run this setup very fast, 3-600 rpm, just to finish bowl bottoms.

Since I built a vacuum chuck, havn't used it much. Like the vacuum better.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Hank, I've not done it, but once I get a chuck, I'll be making up a set as well, and I'm thinking of doing it with 6mm thick aluminium as well. You know you can cut the aluminium with most WW tools, carbide tipped saw blades and router bits, go slow, and make sure you wear glove, and keep that collar on your shirt buttoned up, as the little chips are HOT, and of course good eye protection and hearing protection is needed, as it is often LOUD too :D

I've got a lot of other stuff on my plate right now, so I don't expect to get to this until maybe summer, but if you do start, please take lots of pics, so I can learn from you.

Cheers!

[John Hart]

Here's a couple of links to several homemade chuck projects. Some are cool....mine is sort of a caveman approach.:o

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=21578&highlight=%22longworth+chuck%22

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=30450&highlight=longworth+chuck

[Dennis Peacock]

Just be careful if you make them out of wood. There have been stories of them coming apart while spinning. I am thinking about a set made from aluminum as well. I just need to find a machinist that can do it for less than $45 an hour!!!!! :eek: Sure wish I was back in Alabama where I have a buddy that has a machine shop. Oh well...leave me room for maybe buying a small metal lathe one of these days and figgering out how to make something with it.

Let me know how you come out as I'd like to make a set that would be better than the store bought cole jaws. Cast Aluminum just makes me nervous.

[Raymond Overman]

If you're really ambitious you may want to investigate a Longworth Chuck configuration instead of the Cole jaws. It basically has the same usage but isn't in four seperate pieces. You would dedicate a faceplate to it so there isn't any problems with lining things up and balance. I don't have a router available to make the arcs but a friend of mine is making one to fit my lathe for me.

Here's a link to one of many instruction sets:

http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/turning/articles_485.shtml

[Lee DeRaud]

I see another "laser flatwork turning widget" in my future...:cool:

[Sparky Paessler]

I have made a set out of aluminum. You can see them here http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=6718.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Super Freaking Duper Sparky!! :eek:

Man that is just what I envisioned!

Cheers!

[Hank Walczak]

Thanks to all who replied and gave me some good ideas. Sparky, I hadn't thought of tapping the holes. Fabulous idea. I have a friend who has a laser engraver and thought of using him to make/mark the layout of the blank. Less likely to make a layout mistake that way. When I finish it I'll let everyone know how it went. May even try to document it. Thanks again.

Hank