Okay Newbies..........Unite! Here's my hastily made compression chuck

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The bottom of my first bowl I had to carve a way the "nubbin" left when I turned it off..........So for the 2nd I created my own cheap, hastily manufactured compression chuck. In the attached photos, you can see that using a couple of pieces of scrap plywood, lining contact points with some rubber using doublesided carpet tape, I made my own compression chuck. It worked well for turning the tenon off the bottom of the bowl; finishing the bottom of said bowl; sanding and finishing. You could place a piece of wood between the two halves of the chuck and turn whatever size hole you need. I put the bowl in the chuck so you could see what it looks like when it 's being used.

[Corey Hallagan]

That looks good Ken! Looks like it will do the job.

Corey

[Raymond Overman]

Yep, that's the way it's done. Looks good ken. So do you have multiple outside rings so you can work on different size bowls?

By the way, don't try to grab one of those wing nuts as it passes by on the backside of that chuck. It'll let you know it's there the hard way and will make you say ugly words.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Not yet Raymond. But I will........I made this to finish the bowl I was working on.......I've got plenty of scrap plywood and it's just a matter of rough cutting a new circle....drilling the appropriate holes....bolting it up and turn it to size..........

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ken great job. That looks like the one I built. I made a donut for each inch from 4" to 11". They work pretty good. I lined mine with a shelf liner that had some foam inbetween so it would mar the bowl. I also got bolts from 3" to 6" with wing nuts to hold different size bowls.

[Barry Stratton]

Nicely done, Ken. I like it.

Bernie - I like that magnetic strip behind that new lathe as well to hold your tools.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Looks great Ken and Bernie, any reason for only 3 bolts instead of 4 (bedsides one less to tighten and untighten)...?

Cheers!

[Andy Hoyt]

Bernie - Get those tools off the magnetic strip. I've heard from folks who have done the same and they report that the tools will acquire their own charge resulting in two problems:

They get really messy at sharpening time.
They don't slide along the tool rest too well; causing you to push harder than you should; and in turn this can cause an "unscheduled event".

[Tyler Howell]

Is that shop finished yet :confused: :mad:
In addition to the picture police (which I may add your probationary deputy status is in jeopardy:mad: ) We may have to organize an Ethical WW Militia, to route out WW evil doers that shirk other essential flat work duties for such frivolous spin head tangents:mad: .
On your Grave stone they will write, "He Filled His Unfinished Shop with Spin Crack Shavings.:( "

[Andy Hoyt]

.............On your Grave stone they will write, "He Filled His Unfinished Shop with Spin Crack Shavings.:( " Because he spent so much time sitting there .................... looking down at the floor............. shaking his head wondering ............... when Tyler Howell The Third (late of the SS Minnow) would get his thong in gear so he could rock and roll with the rest of those crazy spinsters.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

This is Ken in Idaho.........just looking at the floor...........shaking my head!:D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

You did note Tyler that I took FLAT pieces of plywood.....cut them roughly ROUND using a jig saw(that's a flatlander tool TYLER) and finished turned them round on the lathe........See I'm combining the best of both worlds!:rolleyes: :D

[Erin Raasch]

Add to Erin's list of projects:

48. Make compression chuck for lathe

With all the auxiliary activities related to woodturning . . . when am I going to find time to actually turn? :confused:

Erin

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Good lookin' jigs folks. Now I NEED to make one of those, too.

Bruce

[Curt Fuller]

That's a good looking donut chuck Ken. Be careful with those wing nuts. They'll take the hide off you knuckles so fast you won't feel it (for a split second at least). I replaced mine with those threaded inserts, you can get them at most hardware stores. It also helps to center the piece in the donut by lining up the tailstock with the center of the tenon on the bottom of the bowl.

I can't believe how much stuff you can do in a day. Every day there's more things you've done.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Curt..........I didn't even think of using T-nuts! Thanks for the idea!

[Barry Stratton]

I can't believe how much stuff you can do in a day. Every day there's more things you've done.

I agree Ken, you move and produce pretty well for a geezer!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Not to brag but.........I finished mowing the yard, trimmed.....put down dry weed killer/ soil sterilant and made my 2nd bowl and that jig....the same day.........I will admit to......doing most of the "Honey Do" list before I got to the lathe things.....:o :D but I finally got there!:D :D


What amazes me is ............I finally got there about 7:00 that evening having already eaten supper......I finish the bowl...make the jig....finish the bottom of the bowl..........Come inside to show the LOML....it's 11:30 pm and I am not going to awaken her! When I'm turning time seems to go too fast!

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

........When I'm turning time seems to go too fast!

Try the lathe on a slower setting Ken...... :p ;) :D

[John Hart]

....
With all the auxiliary activities related to woodturning . . . when am I going to find time to actually turn?....

Well...there's the problem Erin. Once the vortex has you....there's little time left in the day. You sorta integrate your tool making and lawn mowing into the time slots while the finish is curing or alcohol soaking. Learn to turn with one hand so you can have a sandwich.....That way, you won't starve to death.:D

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Learn to turn with one hand so you can have a sandwich.....That way, you won't starve to death.:D
Now here is a diet I can stick to!!! :D



I replaced mine with those threaded inserts, you can get them at most hardware stores. It also helps to center the piece in the donut by lining up the tailstock with the center of the tenon on the bottom of the bowl.
Ah........Huh?

If you replace the wingnuts with T-nuts, how does that work...?

36399

If you put t-nuts in the back piece of plywood, how are you supposed to turn the carriage bolts?

I'm missing something here.

And.... ANy reason for 3 bolts instead of 4?

Cheers!

[John Miliunas]

Well done, Ken! As a few of the others have said, I need to make one of those myself. I had intended on going the vacuum chuck route, but alas, funds are dictating I follow your lead! :) :cool:

[David Fried]

And.... ANy reason for 3 bolts instead of 4?


Why four? Three points define a plane.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Hey Stu............simple answer on the why 3 instead of 4..........I bought 4...........Didn't make the compression chuck until about 9:30 at night....1 bolt was shorter than the other 3:o NO hardware store open at this time..........So I redrilled for 3 and went with 3....:D 3 works well...........On another note......I'm not using carriage bolts just 1/4x20 screws with round slotted heads so T-nuts would work for me but I'd have to use a screwdriver with them......

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Thanks Ken

I would think that it would be easier to get 4 bolts in exactly the right spots for keeping things balanced, rather than trying to figure out the placement of 3 bolts.

I'm going to make one of these units too.

Cheers!

[Lee DeRaud]

I would think that it would be easier to get 4 bolts in exactly the right spots for keeping things balanced, rather than trying to figure out the placement of 3 bolts.About the same actually, using just a compass and a straightedge:
1. Mark your center and draw the outer disk circle.
2. Set the compass to the radius of your desired bolt circle and draw another circle.
3. Pick a point on the bolt circle and mark it: that's bolt #1.

For a triangle:

4. Leaving the compass at the bolt circle radius, put one leg at bolt #1 and mark where that distance intersects the bolt circle in both directions, call those points A and B.
5. Move the compass to point A and mark where that distance intersects the bolt circle: that's bolt #2.
6. Move the compass to point B and mark where that distance intersects the bolt circle: that's bolt #3.

For a square:

4. Draw a diameter from bolt #1 through the center to the other side: that's bolt #3.
5. Set the compass about 30% larger than the bolt circle radius and strike an arc across the circle, using bolt #1 as the center.
6. Repeat step 5 using the same radius and bolt #3 as the center.
7. Draw a line through the intersections of the arcs from steps 5 and 6: that line will intersect the bolt circle at bolts #2 and #4.

Or you can cheat and use a framing square...it'll be good enough, but it won't be perfect.:p

Geometry 101.:cool:

[Daniel Heine]

Hello,

I figure the legs on that lathe are about 4 feet high. If you look, it appears the shavings are about 6 inches from the top of the legs. Is it harder to turn in 3.5 feet of shavings????????? LMAO!!!!

I have to make myself one of those jigs too, thanks for the tip.

Happy Easter,
Dan Heine

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Actually the legs are about 3" high......But 3.5' of shavings would provide a good safety net should you have to fall out of the way of a "launched bowl"!:D

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

I found that after pushing the carriage bolt through the outer disk that running a nut up the bolt and against the disk that the doughnut was much more rigid. I lost one or two turnings because the unfastened bolts let the bowl move just enough to cause catches and destroy the curve.

[Curt Fuller]

If you put t-nuts in the back piece of plywood, how are you supposed to turn the carriage bolts?

I'm missing something here.



Stu, on the donut chuck I made I didn't use carriage bolts but round headed slotted screws. But I originally used wing nuts. I have a bad habit of grabbing what I'm turning to stop it when I turn off the lathe and got smacked pretty good with the wing nuts. With the t-nuts I can use shorter or longer screw depending in how deep the bowl is that I'm finishing.

[John Hart]

I found that after pushing the carriage bolt through the outer disk that running a nut up the bolt and against the disk that the doughnut was much more rigid. I lost one or two turnings because the unfastened bolts let the bowl move just enough to cause catches and destroy the curve.

That's an excellent idea Don. I can see why that would make a huge difference.