Bison 6 Jaw Set-Tru Chuck - Setup to 0.0002" TIR!!

Major chuck upgrade time for the Monarch lathe. I purchased a brand new 10" Bison Set Tru 6 jaw chuck. In this video I take it apart to clean and inspect it (and smash my thumb), then get it set up on the lathe.
Contact me:
[e-mail]

[@BruceBoschek]

There isn't a piece of machinery that I find as magnetically attracting as a 6-jaw chuck. It reminds me of a vault door in a bank. And, they hold tighter than anything except a collet. Bison chucks are top quality. Thanks for letting us watch.

[@vincentguttmann2231]

I was wondering about your use of "magnetically", but I guess magnetic is also okay, at least if you are fully vaccinated. \s But otherwise, I'd guess it's your little troll bait, right? Foot note about the first paragraph in case you didn't understand the joke: There is the joke going around that the Covid vaccine makes you magnetic, "proven" by photos of keys sticking to one's forehead.

[@BruceBoschek]

@@vincentguttmann2231 No, even though I am a virologist, I had not heard of that. Here in Germany we haven't gotten past the aluminum foil head ware yet.

[@vincentguttmann2231]

@@BruceBoschek Well, I guess it depends on where on the internet you spend your time, since I'm a German as well. And that's actually just a parody of the usual conspiracy theories, but I guess considering flat earth is a thing it could very well be mistaken for a real conspiracy theory.

[@danielboom26]

👌

[@dmadere1]

Very cool not too often we see quality and brand new in the same sentence!!

[@accuracymark]

All I own are Bison chucks until recently I was spoiled! Great machine great chuck

[@Unrivaledanime]

Hey AAron nice addition to the shop. Hoping to see more content from you. Keep them coming.

[@tda2806]

New, shinny things always make me happy, even if they aren't mine. Thank you for taking the time to make the video, if you get the opportunity it would be good to know what the run out is with a larger diameter stock.

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

I have one Bison chuck, was a NOS purchase. Just a basic 3-jaw. I was blown away by the fit and finish after the full clean up from sitting on the shelf for 10 years. Very good quality !

[@brownh2orat211]

I've never in the last 35 years had to worry about leaving the T-handle in the chuck, when I went through machine school in the Navy back in 1979 our instructor walked around with a chalkboard eraser that he could throw like a professional softball pitcher, and he would watch and the second your hand lifted off that T-handle that eraser would be sailing across the machine shop and making contact with your head, usually only took one time.

[@skyhooklifting]

I stopped by the Bison booth during a trade show a couple of years ago. We use their equipment on our manual lathes as well. Great product, great service and amazing results! Nice addition to the shop Aaron! I hope all is well in your world my friend! Dusty White

[@bostedtap8399]

Excellent chucks, I have four in my shop, three from brand new, and last one is a 3-jaw precision. I have quite a lot of Bison tooling, lathe tool holders, boring bar holder's etc. Great addition to the shop. 6 jaw chuck's are great for medium wall thickness jobs, as you are well aware of. Best regards from the UK.

[@macsmachine2609]

Totally agree on the chuck key. I was probably in one of the last mechanical engineering classes that required two semesters of machine shop(‘78/‘79). Zero tolerance rule “never take your hand off the chuck key while it’s in the chuck”. No need for a spring if you follow that rule. Enjoyed the video and thinking I might to have ask Santa for a 6 jaw.

[@bcwrangler]

That's a great new addition to the shop Aaron...cheers Wayne

[@deemstyle]

Anyone who complains about NOT getting moly grease on their hands has clearly never had moly grease on their hands. That shit doesn't come off easy at all.

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday Aaron, this certainly is a beautiful lathe chuck and I’m sure it will serve you well in the future, I think the only 6 jaw I’ll ever have will be a cheap import model, the chuck really suits your lathe well, thanks for sharing mate and there your hands so clean them when ever you want, cheers

[@sethtromburg1589]

Great video. I love the attention to detail.

[@TheKnacklersWorkshop]

Hello Aaron, A great looking chuck for a great looking lathe... Take care. Paul,,

[@roylucas4414]

Great new toy. Best of luck with it.

[@MathieuThomachot]

Hi Aaron. I just discovered your channel from your Instagram page. I really like your lathe, the color and the shiny handles. This new chuck is a super addition to it.

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Nice thanks for checking out the channel!

[@Amaysing79]

Good for you Aron. you made my happy cause you got a new toy. Thanks

[@silverbullet7434]

You will love it , I got one forty years ago and it was used but still its my favorite chuck . You can use it for two ,, four ,, n six jaws . And you can see precision over chiniesium in that chuck.

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Ooh, that's a great thought I hadn't had yet- 2 and 4 jaw! I was limiting my imagination to 6 and 3, but there's no reason I can't put square or rectangle stock in there too. Thanks for your comment!

[@bcbloc02]

That is a pretty polish piece of steel! I would have liked to have seen you try a few different diameters to see how it varried. the higher quality chucks like that Bison should be usually don't vary much.

[@tinkermouse-scottrussell3738]

You won't be disappointed, enjoy. Play safe from Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada.

[@danneumann3274]

I always use adjust true chucks- nothing but. I always leave the front chuck mounting bolts relatively tight. I never loosen them when adjusting the radial adjust true bolts. Its so fast to adjust. I have a little monarch 10ee. ( it is your lathes long lost baby brother).

[@kimber1958]

I’m so damn jealous. Nice to see you making videos

[@joell439]

Congratulations 👍😎👍

[@AlmostMachining]

Awesome new piece of equipment Aaron!

[@infoanorexic]

A major chunk of change their, and they are worth every penny. A 12" 3 jaw came with my lathe. I got the rig home, got it unloaded, got the numbers from the chuck to research it. I found one, it sold new from a supply house for nearly 3 times of what the lathe, tooling, and moving expenses were ... I didn't feel quite so bad about dropping that amount on something when I didn't yet have a place to put it.

[@ophirb25]

Very nice part, looks very high quality. Hope you will enjoy it.

[@jpsimon206]

I absolutely love my little cast iron wedges. I end up using them for so many things besides disassembly. I've tried brass and aluminum, but did not like how they stood up to the job. I don't know why I never considered making delrin wedges. That's a damn clever idea.

[@shortribslongbow5312]

Glad to see you back and really like that 6 jaw. :o}

[@37yearsofanythingisenough39]

By now I suppose you have realized that an improvement to that Skyhook chuck hook, is to remove that solid piece of tubing that goes into the chuck you are trying to mount and replace it with a piece of bar stock on ball bearings that will allow you to rotate the chuck to line up with the cam locks rather than trying to revolve the spindle nose by hand. Best improvement I’ve ever made to mine. Especially important if you want to line up a hash mark on the spindle with a hash mark on the chuck to retrieve the critical alignment you preformed in this video.

[@clintchapman4319]

Nice chuck Bud!

[@outsidescrewball]

Nice addition

[@jeffanderson1653]

I’ve been dreaming about one of those. $2,300 or so with adapter? Hey, my wife wants to go back to London, I can buy several of these in exchange for the trip. Oh life’s choices. Nice chuck man!

[@chrisstephens6673]

London has been here over a thousand years and is not going anywhere any time soon, so get your priorities right.😉

[@jeffanderson1653]

I like the direction you’re going

[@chrisstephens6673]

@@jeffanderson1653 the misses might not though.😉

[@fasousa4798]

I do not use grease on scroll or jaws i use gear oil. Grease grabs chips and grit more.

[@andyb7963]

Graphite powder works well, use it in locks too, stops them getting all gummed up

[@WhoFartedSeriously]

I cussed for you when you hit your finger with that mallet. 🤣

[@tadas8146]

I think you could use bolts from the chuck. To separare back part. They should be same size.

[@johnfriend240]

Looked like the jack screws were smaller...

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Unfortunately they are quite a bit smaller- not sure why they didn't use the same size, but oh well.

[@johnfriend240]

@@AlwaysSunnyintheShop Actually surprised that the jack screws weren't supplied with the chuck...

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Yeah me too- would have thought those would be standard to supply. Oh well.

[@Ropetangler]

@@AlwaysSunnyintheShop That's what you have to accept when you buy such cheap chucks.😜

[@razorworks9942]

Hey Aaron, Just saw your vid here and thanks for posting as I am looking to buy a six jaw for my newly acquired 13" Southbend. I'm looking at the Pratt-Bernerd and the Bison, but maybe I can only afford the Shars..😳 I'll post a vid when I get one.. Take care, Razor!

[@Gary.7920]

Nice Chuck Aaron... Don't let the jerks get you down. Gary Home-Shop-Machinist in The-Beautiful-Ozark-Mountains of Northwest Arkansas

[@johnfriend240]

Nice chuck! Your video pointed out that I'm lucky with my South Bend 13": the 5" 3-jaw and 8" 4-jaw Skinners and my Polish (Old Bison?) 6" 3-jaw all use the same chuck key as my D1-4 camlock. But probably inevitable with larger lathes that the keys will be appropriate to the size of the various chucks...

[@piteralvarado1028]

Amigo que plato más bueno yo e trabajado con esa marca Bison pero a Sido el normal de tres garras es perfecto 🙏

[@tunafish3216]

Looks like a great chuck to me.

[@zachaliles]

I believe the spring would be for legal reasons. Either to protect the manufacturer or the employer of the machinist. It's one of those easy solutions that can be brought up during an investigation and keep them from having to pay out when someone gets hurt. "Oh, it appears you took the spring off the chuck key? Looks like you're paying your own medical bills now" type of situation.

[@chuirios365]

Nice chuck!

[@metalworksmachineshop]

beautiful chuck.. I got lucky and found for 50.00 a 3 jaw adjustable Buck chuck .. and Bison 4 jaw for 125.00 on FB marketplace

[@georgegeorgiev2610]

When will we see more videos?

[@ryebis]

Bison also make combination chucks, scroll and independent jaw combination that could possibly function the same way as an adjust tru / set tru chuck. I'd like to get my hands on one of those :)

[@6NBERLS]

Most excellent, and beautiful too.

[@billstanley4819]

Nice bit of kit! Shiny and new, get some chips on that bad boy…please.

[@ypop417]

Nice Chuck Aaron

[@elpatosilva]

I don't always use moly grease, but when I do, it get all over de camera. I personally don't use grease on that side of the chuck, just light oil, grime sticks everywhere

[@robineanes1489]

Amen on the Grease ! Back of scroll fine, NEVER on exposed scroll teeth or Jaw slides , Machining Hardened steel, cast iron ect. form grit from normal machining mixed with grease will turn it into valve grinding compound and will prematurely wear out the chuck . Oil will keep grit washed out . 50+ years experience

[@sierraspecialtyauto7049]

Jack screw holes are usually threaded to accommodate fasteners from the component itself. Did you try the screws you had just removed?

[@andyb7963]

From looking at the video it looks like the threaded holes are smaller, maybe m6 or m8, hard to tell

[@FinnoUgricMachining]

Very nice looking chuck. I personally like to use an independent 4-jaw for precision work or alternatively plan the work in such a way that runout does not impact the product. I have a 250 mm Bison 4-jaw and that chuck is awesome. Actually it is not a bad idea to keep diverse workshop chemicals off from Your skin. Some of those might penetrate Your system right through the skin. Examples of stuff one should handle with care are Methanol and Xylene. Both get sucked tyhrough the skin and are quite poisonous or allergic. I usually wear nitrile gloves when handling shop chemicals I'm not sure of.

[@Randallvgc]

Nice chuck! It’s good to see another video from you. Can you tell us where you bought it? Thx.

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Thanks! I bought it from MSC.

[@richardbradley961]

HI ARON, THAY ARE YOUR HAND'S SO CLEAN THEM AS OFTEN AS YOU WANT. TRY REPEATING THE TEST WITH THE CHUCK , BUT ALWAIS DO UP THE SAME PINION FIRST AND SEE WHAT HAPENS. REGARDS RICHARD..

[@ryebis]

Bison chucks are bloody expensive, but looks very well made. Zentra make similar chucks though they may be actually manufactured in China and costs half what Bison charges for these. If you're on a budget (like me), you're better off with 4 jaws for large stock and ER40 / 5C for smaller ones.

[@slypig24]

A very nice chuck, did it say in the instructions about recommended hours between oiling with that oil fitting in face of chuck?

[@jamieschwarz]

Per the BISON manual, It is recommended, at least once a week, to remove the jaws from the chuck body; clean the working surfaces (guides, teeth, and threads in the case of independently set jaws) and lubricate them with grease according to Table 6. In the case of heavy operating conditions of scroll chucks it is recommended to lubricate them with machine oil type „16” through the lubricating nipple located on the chuck body face, every 8 hours.

[@vincentguttmann2231]

...and we can get the little bit of debris from manufacturing out of it. In other words: I have a new toy AND an excuse to take this apart. I fully approve of this.

[@platin2148]

Has anyone ever rebuild the groves on such a jaw as i got a chuck but i can’t buy a new jaw for it as it’s not available anymore.

[@MF175mp]

The repeatability should be even better when you use always the same marked pinion and don't touch the others. That's why people do it, the different pinions will give slightly different runout probably even on a new chuck.

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Good point!

[@bearsrodshop7067]

That's a beauty for sure. My 12in 4 jaw needs a new make over, but the ugly duckling is waiting on me to do so :-)

[@chrisstephens6673]

Lovely chuck but, certainly on first fitting, i would not yank on any of the cams till all of them were partially tightened in sequence first. Even when you are sure the backplate fits properly it is considered bad practice to fully tighten one cam before the whole set are pinched up. You dont want to risk distortion if you can help it by being sympathetic to your machine. If you find your 6 jaw doesn't close small enough you can reduce it to a three jaw and it will close up more. Jealousy is not a nice thing but luckily at my time of life i can live without one.😢

[@jpsimon206]

For the sake of us poors, can you elaborate on the Chinese six jaw? I've seen enough videos to know that you have to completely clean and deburr them, but how bad was it? A rough average of the run out? Did you try regrinding the jaws? Sorry for the interrogation, I've been eyeing those sanou six jaws for over a year. I know you do a lot of precision work, I'm wondering if it's acceptable for a shop that works in plus or minus 5 thou?

[@georgegeorgiev2610]

I wouldn't be slamming on a brand new chuck like that, especially if I hadn't taken it apart before. But nice video, thanks for sharing!

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Hmm, don't think I slammed on anything. I was (and will continue to be) very complimentary of the quality of this chuck.

[@leathermanTK55]

Well Arron. This video has proven to you and indeed all Americans that it is time to switch to metric. The whole world (almost) is metric except the USA. come on mate get real and forget inches, feet, yards and gallons (and all the ridiculous fractions of inches that are used in the English imperial system), once and for all. You will never regret it. Start by buying yourself a set of metric hex keys, then progress to some metric rulers etc etc. Nice METRIC Chuck Arron. its a start haha

[@dannywilsher4165]

Metric sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

[@keithhansen3963]

Better yet, take a math course. Metric was designed for the mathematically challenged. America has done pretty well for itself, why would we want to be like the rest of the world??? I'm sure you'll call us as soon as your country needs help. Please!!!!

[@buslife8076]

What is the sherwin Williams paint code for that color on your lathe?

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

I don't have it handy, but I made a video titled "What color is my Monarch?" that has all the paint info in it.

[@cavemaneca]

Say what you want, I'm still gonna be screaming internally about you hammering on the chuck to get it apart. I don't see why it was so important it couldn't wait until morning to get the correct bolts. On the same note but from a different angle, I'm genuinely surprised the bolts holding the plate on the back weren't the correct thread to jack it out. You see that on Chinese chucks so why not on something better made?

[@kanoa9321]

Agree, chasing a little bit of dust but proceed to beat it with a hammer.

[@patrickbeaumier8616]

Nice chuck. Are the top hard jaws numbered like the carrier jaws?

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Yes the top jaws, master jaws, and the chuck body are all match marked.

[@patrickbeaumier8616]

Thanks. Great vid as always. 👍👍👍

[@WilliamTMusil]

Hiya Aaron

[@petermurphy3354]

Love my Bison😊

[@MCEngineeringInc]

Nice! 👍🏻

[@BruceBoschek]

I guess you feel the Skyhook is reliable enough that you don't protect the ways when you change chucks. I'm such a ham-fisted old geezer I'd be afraid of an accident.

[@satguy]

There's always going to be haters, ignora or block them.

[@cuttingtooldesigner]

Nothing makes you feel more alive then a new Machining tool. Other than of coarse smacking your fingers with a hammer!!!

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Lol a wonderful moment and then coming back to reality within a few minutes with a purple thumbnail.

[@michelvidal7666]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@adamsblanchard836]

That's a nice center there brother.... if it isn't real then it should be restored to that...😉... i don't understand why people have issues with cleanliness, i think some people have mental issues or something and just have to be noisome....

[@chromelleader21]

Hey with all that bronze you’re working with you get some trepanning tools. Ox has some vids on trepanning too. Might save you some money down the road. P.S. Turquoise with the shiny sex jaw... six jaw. Nice!

[@tomk3732]

By comparison cheap cheap Chinese 6 jaw is TIR 0.0015 after jaw grinding. About the same as 40 year old Bison 3 jaw. Of course price is kind of low.

[@Blejzzz]

Polish chuck?

[@jamieschwarz]

All BISON chucks are produced in Bialystok, Poland.

[@Blejzzz]

@@jamieschwarz I know, I'm from Poland.

[@heinstrydom864]

NICE

[@MortimerKadaver]

Country of Origin - Poland

[@theessexhunter1305]

Two things....is it METRIC GREESE lol Why didn't you buy a made in the USA 6 jaw?

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Ha they even make grease in metrics! To my knowledge there are no 6 jaw manual chucks made in USA.

[@theessexhunter1305]

@@AlwaysSunnyintheShop Yes the US is way behind in lb & oz's

[@jeffanderson1653]

Way too much lubricant. You’ll find chips and Debrecen in there. Use 90% less! A few drops of way oil would be better. That’s a quality chuck. It’s got hardened well fitting jaws. It’s not going to wear unless you cause grit and chips to stick to the grease.

[@34k5]

Anti-Seize on my camera is the worst!@

[@olitomesek9677]

Chuck made in Poland

[@russ4570]

watching you wreck that chuck was fascinating. NOT

[@yak-machining]

My tip for you americans: Just surrender to the metric army and be freed from the imperial forces

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Lol I wish we had done that 100 years ago. My brain is wired for US customary units though so I feel like it's hopeless without converting everything.

[@barrygerbracht5077]

@@AlwaysSunnyintheShop Stop converting and in a few weeks your brain won't be wired for imperial anymore. You simply need to re-establish your reference point. 10mm is 10mm not 3/8". I use both units all the time as a Canadian (metric country next to USA) and have switched to work in metric as much as possible. Note that you do not need to use metric fasteners and threads with metric. 3/4" bolts at a 100x100 spacing work just fine. No need for new taps etc. Just buy an all metric tape measure and hit the mm button on the DRO.

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Wish it were that simple- my day job is all in inches and gallons. That would help me get better with metric, but it wouldn’t change my world- still surrounded by our system.

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

Were slowly converting..one inch per year..Lol

[@yak-machining]

@@TheAyrCaveShop 😂😂😂

[@richardandrews6754]

sorry cannot watch you ruin a new check

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Lol in what way did I ruin a new 'check'?

[@OldIronMachineWorks]

@@AlwaysSunnyintheShop I think I spent more time reading all the comments than I spent watching your video. There were clearly some good points made that in time you will find out for yourself, but I would also love to hear how you ruined the chuck? It was quite obvious how you ruined your finger, but not sure about the chuck. Sorry Aaron, but I even had to rewind and watch it a couple times. I did get a chuckle, only because I took some hide off of both my hands today. Back to the chuck, if what you did to the chuck ruined it in any way then I would toss it in the scrap bin now cause its not work having. With that being said Great looking chuck. The only thing that would make it better looking would be if it were on my Monarch :) Thanks for sharing the video Aaron.