A Simple Chuck Modification to Improve Parallelism of Your Parts

[@marcosmota1094]

Not a machinist, just an IT guy who likes to learn from smart people. Started watching AvE, then Abom79 and after poking on other videos that the algos suggested, I finally landed here. Your efficiency of delivery, techniques, and talent are top-notch. When I go back to tech, I'll be working in data centers, so I welcome these lessons mechanical and verbal competency.

[@joepie221]

Thank you very much for the compliment.

[@joshuac6796]

Joe and This Old Tony do some pretty neat stuff.

[@sharkrivermachine]

Even though I am strictly a manual machinist, I did enjoy watching the CNC series. The chuck modification is a great idea. and beats fumbling with loose parallels when making a set-up. Thanks for sharing.

[@rjupa22]

Great solution for this problem. Thank you Joe.

[@mackasack]

Job for the weekend. 1. drill and tap holes in my chuck. Thanks Joe! The AR milling was very satisfying to watch :)

[@BluesDoctor]

Old Dog learns new trick..... Thanks Joe, I will be doing this mod myself at first opportunity.

[@rysmith9433]

Yep.

[@stuzeller3245]

Joe, I've been a Tool & Die Maker for 45 years and that by far the best lathe tip ever. I'm heading out to the shop now to drill and tap my 3 jaw chuck. Thank you very much Sir!

[@joepie221]

I appreciate the comment. I just got tired of fighting jaw movement on older chucks, bored or not. This is bullet proof. Enjoy.

[@4ampaul]

Our shop closes down between Christmas and New Years. I came across this video while I was off. Yesterday was our first day back. The first job they gave me was 4 saw cut pieces just like you had in the video. Work's little slow lately, and the parts weren't due out for a few days, so I decided to try this setup. There's a bit of time in the initial investment, but now that everything is set up I can use this again and again whenever I need to

[@andrewlaub4739]

I am new to this and spend a bit of time reviewing KZbin clips. This is fantastic I like the no fuss attitude the factual commentary well backed up by expert experience. Keep uptake good work. Your threading tip is also inspiring.

[@philrueff1402]

I love this trick!!! Thanks Joe!

[@SamGlasser]

Both my chucks have received this modification. It really makes a difference now I am getting the kind of results that I have wanted all along. Thanks Joe!!!

[@southtoledobendla]

Once again Joe knocks it out of the park... Thanks

[@davethrussell6794]

Thank You that a great Idea.

[@joepie221]

I use it all the time.

[@Jacob-64]

Wow..... Simplicity .... Thanks Joe , appreciate your hard work and presentation of your channel . Sean

[@mattpolitzer2920]

Thanks. I'm returning to metal machining after a 45 year hiatus. These techniques will make easier when I start creating custom dies for my bead roller.

[@АндрейЗаярнюк-и3ь]

Very technological technique, concisely and efficiently. Thank you!

[@DCT_Aaron_Engineering]

Great tip Joe. We made a similar tool that attaches to the tail stock drill chuck. However, this only helps with parallel alignment. Your idea keeps both parallel and offset. Much better idea. Cheers, Aaron.

[@joepie221]

I've seen those too.

[@cogentdynamics]

Always some of the most practical machining tips anywhere, I often watch some of your videos a couple times.

[@joepie221]

I appreciate that! Thank you.

[@dkbjanquart]

Great treat, I have been using my set of parallels, now will be modifying my chucks.

[@joepie221]

That parallel trick does work, but it can also scratch delicate surfaces pulling them out. This standoff way never let me down.

[@timmer9lives]

I remember watching this a while back and I’m finally caught up with all my other projects and repairs to my machines to where I’m going to do this next. Parallels work okay, but I’m always left with impressions that this is the way to go. Stephan also has same sort of modification to his chucks, but your design is soooo much easier in my opinion. And at this stage of my life, I’m all for easy. So...I searched for this video....found it and I like it. Thanks Joe. I always love seeing your solutions and practices because they are just spot on.

[@joepie221]

Thank you very much. This simple modification has served me well. Combined with a non-shouldered, bored soft jaw, the parts come out amazing.

[@mikemerritt8496]

Thanks Joe, great tip. I'm not a machinist but I have fun with my mini mill and old craftsman 101 lathe. Thank you again for all your informative videos. Mike.

[@ellieprice3396]

Great modification, especially for repetitive parts that must be parallel. For only one part I face the second side, mike near each jaw, tap the thin area for slight movement, face again and continue until sides are parallel within .001. Usually doesn't take long but light taps for fine adjustment are needed.

[@duanesammons9242]

I have enjoyed many of your videos. This old man has learned a lot that I can use as a hobbyist.

[@ironhorse1888]

Great method Joe. I have been using parallels with varied results. Next I will employ your method. Thank you.steve

[@karolstruck9822]

Just another reason why I love your videos. Please keep up the good work.

[@johndonlan5956]

That's a great idea Joe. It takes three points in order to establish a plane..... And those three standoffs tend to minimize any parallelism error induced by jaw gripping misalignment. Good job!!! And I like your mentioning that you tend to orbit the part as you put it into the jaws as you're tightening them. That's a very subtle procedure that greatly enhances the accuracy of how the part is mounted.

[@1stMrSceptical]

Hi, Sorry about the rant, god knows how my comment about our dodgy police force ended in your engineering dept., I am a retired Millwright ( maintenance engineer )from the UK, I still make/repair the odd thing in my small shop in the garage, these tips and tricks are a great help when the memory is past its sellby date. 👍😎

[@joepie221]

I'm actually doing them so when my mind takes a shit, I'll have someplace to refer to. I just hope I remember I posted them when the time comes. I am glad you get something out of them. Thanks for watching.

[@OldIronShops]

Man that's so dam simple it's genus.

[@skiptracer8703]

Nifty little trick for the mental toolbox thanks Joe jim

[@joepie221]

Hey Jim. This works like a charm and also helps to reduce chatter because its now 6 points of contact.

[@danelobe2524]

been running a mill and lathe for 35 years, first time i've seen bolt on blocks, I just use parallels then remove them once the piece in in place. love your trick. thanks !!

[@joepie221]

I've done a lot of parts that had critical rear surfaces, and dragging parallels across them wasn't an option. I actually used to do that. This setup was conceived to specifically eliminate that drag situation.

[@danelobe2524]

Intetesting. . . All my critical surfaces are done under a grinder wheel. I don't do much soft material. Brass or bronze occasionally. I will put 9 holes in my 24" lathe chuck next week .... thxs.

[@markrichardson239]

Done that too.

[@murdoch817]

Sweet, simple and quick nice job. I can see this saving me time already thanks for sharing.

[@joepie221]

I like this better than soft jaws for parallel facing because it can cover such a wide variety of diameters.

[@BobBurnsView]

Very nicely done! This method allow for repeatable accuracy without adding Kentucky windage. I'm impressed.

[@joepie221]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@TactlessWookie]

Pure gold Joe. Thank you.

[@paulgreenlee190]

Genius video Joe, I was thinking to myself who in their right mind would take a high dollar chuck and drill holes in it? I would in a heartbeat as soon as I can get a small mill or find someone with a mill nearby. Thanks so much.

[@joewhitney4097]

Joe, This was another very interesting and educational video for me. As always your narrative video are great. Thank you for sharing.

[@jamicat]

Its a good idea for some circumstances you may encounter, on a recurring basis. I use a butterfly type stop for facing (using your gripping style on a saw cut also), then a collet or soft jaws for the other side. It's all relative and depending on what ya got to do with what you got to work with. :)

[@joepie221]

At the very least, its good to see an option to soft jaws.

[@jakestrom4906]

I use the same consept but with rectangular stops.That way I can even do smaller diameters than the chuckhole.😎

[@jkdwayne]

Another great piece of knowledge from you Joe ! Thanks Again

[@3rcamera]

Very clever Joe. Thank you for sharing

[@MrRctintin]

Thanks Joe

[@Alanbataar]

I think I'm drilling holes in my chuck this weekend!

[@rcflyingisfun]

Simple and awesome at the same time, wow! Thanks

[@joepie221]

Quick to setup

[@dr7615]

As usual, I am impressed with these ideas of yours. I am apprehensive about drilling into a scroll chuck. How do you measure the allowable depth for such a chuck? Ah, there is nothing like that mirror-like finish on a faced part!

[@MrCrispinEnterprises]

That's a good straight forward method. The highly sophisticated chuck stops are great but what you have shown is more doable. Plus you can't beat the accuracy of stops that have been faced in situ. Are you going to plug the tapped holes with something when they arnt in use? Cheers. Crispin.

[@joepie221]

Hey Crispin, Good to hear from you. These holes won't introduce debris inside the chuck, so there is no good reason to plug them, but for convenience, I suppose some grub screws wouldn't hurt. Hows that new shop coming along?

[@MrCrispinEnterprises]

Yes I was thinking grub screw but I don't know if they would wind them selfs out. The Worksop is not too far off now. Just need to sort doors out and insulate/ board the ceiling. Have a look on my channel for a video called 'Workshop Update' cheers.

[@richardvanhuisstede5525]

Top Stuff...Mod is happening tonight...Thanks for sharing

[@oleringstad6615]

This is somthing I am going to do with my chuck tomorrow! Thank you Mr. Pieczynski, and a happy easter.

[@joepie221]

Thanks. You'll like the ease of use and super results.

[@billgreenwood8979]

Something I did, years ago, to improve longitudinal parallelism, was to make a lapping tool for honing the chuck jaws. It went into the tail stock, and you slathered it with coarse lapping compound. Then you ran the tail stock up so that the tool was inside the chuck. Tighten the chuck enough to create some pressure/drag, and run the lathe at around 50-60 rpms or less. Cycle it like a hone, and you get real nice parallel shafts on those times when you have to have a long overhang with no tail stock support.

[@bbarker5766]

Thanks Joe! I love simple and effective which this is playing right out of the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) book.

[@innovativecnc3928]

Nice job Joe, very innovative of you!

[@kucci8157]

We custom made stops that pass through the spindle, with a 1/4-20 thread on the end that we made different size plates for it. We use these to achieve the same concept, and its adjustable so you can retract it should you have a longer or shorter part.

[@joepie221]

I've used 'thru spindle' stops before, but never had the accuracy a setup like this will offer.

[@TangentJim]

Kick Ass Idea ---- Two thumbs up -- Jim Enos Freetown Ma . For many years I placed parallels between the part and the face of the chuck. The old parallel trick is not very accurate and doesn't fit all circumstances. If you're not thinking -- you can get a face full of parallel I was to lazy to think out of the box . I will be making a few sets of standoffs . Thanks for taking me off of the merry go round.

[@joepie221]

I got tired of the parallel and soft jaw route for facing. This is so much quicker. And safer.

[@johnc7863]

TangentJim my shop hot the magnet parallel set made to fit between the jaws. They work ok, But expensive.

[@tedfarwell9812]

Another great tip! Thanks, Joe.

[@TheGUITARDJ]

Brilliant and easy. Excellent information. Thanks!

[@rom14141]

I'm surprised you didn't need to turn the OD on the first op so the jaws didn't squeeze it off the standoffs on the second op since it was stock OD. Pretty cool idea! Thanks for sharing! 👍🇺🇸❤

[@katskratchkustumz]

Fantastic video, cheers from Canada!

[@desertforgeknifetool2142]

Joe, you are amazing ! Thank you!

[@BrianRushka]

Brilliant! Thanks Joe!

[@erlingweiseth2774]

Exellent tip! Subscribing from now on!

[@amphib0410]

Absolutely brilliant!!

[@dmcarpman]

great idea

[@SupraSmart68]

Well, every day is a school day! I've only ever seen Tom Lipton's spider method and of course outside jaws which aren't always accurate enough, as you say.

[@noe179]

Big Thanks… from the island of Malta

[@joepie221]

Thanks for checking in. Someday I hope to visit Malta.

[@pg9112471]

Great simple idea. Thanks!

[@joepie221]

Quick and cheap too.

[@tj9382]

I like it, thanks for sharing 👍

[@gmckinney626]

Cool tip Joe

[@robmckennie4203]

What's your take on the stops made by Robin and Stefan? Yours wins on simplicity, but Robin's design really tickles the tool lover in me

[@joepie221]

I watched both of them. The quality and skill level of those guys is undeniable. As simple as my solution is, I have to say that since these are not adjustable, the possibility of them slipping out of adjustment is eliminated. My other advantage is that my 'Between the jaws" placement distributes part support at every 60 degrees. Some of the others that hug the jaw still leave a large gap between contact points. This makes a huge difference on thinner parts that can flex or chatter.

[@AnthonyGriz]

Awesome idea. Thank you Joe!

[@joepie221]

It works better than soft jaws, any day.

[@AnthonyGriz]

It certainly looked like it, and it seems like it would provide a way more even bite all round to hold your part whilst working on it. I was picturing doing a mazda rotary eccentric shaft whilst you were doing that crankshaft!

[@EZ_shop]

Asome mod Joe! I never had to turn to those specs, so what I usually do is stick two identical parallels between the chuck face and the part during setup, then tighten the jaws, and slide the parallels out before running the lathe. Probably not as good, but close I'd think, though I never thought of measuring it. Thanks for the tip.

[@doright6461]

Done it many times for the quickie jobs for within .002 to .004 or 5 type jobs. Just keep in mind that some chuck faces do actually have a convex face even thought they are ground. Meaning if the parallels and there ends do not line up with the same diameter of the chuck face some slight variation can occur. Just saying. Usually the most I have seen on chuck face concave at worst in about .003-.005 on a 10" chuck. Not to step on Joes toes, of course ;- )

[@EZ_shop]

Much appreciated. I guess I should be facing my cheep Chinese chuck just in case.

[@doright6461]

That's an idea!. I like to be very clean with tool type surfaces like that. If I were to go that extra mile I'd be sure to stone the chuck and spindle mount surface to get nearly full contact between the spindle face and chuck mount surface before skimming the face. yeah it kind of blew me away when I saw taper on the chuck face the first time. Not al. But some do. I've used horizontal rotary grinders and to get concave face on a chuck would certainly have to be intentional. I just can't think of any reason why a chuck mfg. co. would desire this? Good luck.

[@doright6461]

ps. may want to clean (stone) and degrease the surfaces before mount and just sweep the face with the indicator in the 3 clocked 120 positions to see if this is the case with your chuck. regardless, Joes Idea is handy for having 'sets' of standoffs for general increments to tru up faces with various part thicknesses. Enjoy and leave the gloves at home when on a machine.

[@EZ_shop]

Good tip, I'll look into it.

[@bobbugatti7334]

Great tip. Thanks

[@joepie221]

You bet!

[@taurusdragon5479]

Great idea Joe. I'm going to drill my chucks this weekend. I'm wondering about repeatability. Do you mark the standoffs and always reinstall them in the same position on the chuck? Do you reface the standoffs every time you reinstall them for subsequent use or are they still as accurate after removing and reinstalling them? Love your work and the knowledge that you share. Michael

[@Hossein_Ash]

Very Nice trick thank you.

[@26anor]

thank you

[@BigHWorks]

Joe, you marked your chuck jaws with a "safety index mark" to know at what point they are no longer safe when opening them up. What is a good guide for scroll engagement?

[@joepie221]

You can get away with 1 tooth engagement, but don't abuse the chuck with that minimal grip. If you need to really crunch down on a part, I'd go with at least 2 teeth mated between the scroll and carrier.

[@BigHWorks]

Thanks Joe, your videos are very helpful and I appreciate the thought, content, and work that you put into them.

[@joepie221]

It can be time consuming. The comments, subscriptions and view count make it worthwhile. Thanks for watching.

[@xmachine7003]

Thank you Joe. You kick ass😉

[@freddyrosenberg9288]

So I have been doing it right all my life, I thought everybody did that. I also make parallel thin brass pieces .040 to .080 with another jig I made that takes seconds. The trick is to always have the lathe true the surface you work against, not the tool itself regardless of the application.

[@abengineering9954]

Nice idea sir

[@Stefan_Boerjesson]

Thank-s for another fantastic lesson. When preparing the chuck, drilling the holes, why not strip the chuck, as one does when cleaning a new chuck? Then there is no risc of drilling into the carousel moving the jaws. Drilling all the way through ought to work, making the tapping more easy.

[@joepie221]

Through holes would be easier to tap, but would also allow debris to get into the body of the chuck if not plugged when not in use. Bottom holes don't require any additional attention.

[@kevinbrady75]

i wish i had that kinda extra money for a set up like that .. just simply awesome

[@tricky6902]

A shout out from the UK nice one 👍

[@barrygerbracht5077]

I still think I like the jaw spider Tom Lipton made/uses (not likely to be as accurate as this). I don't like the thought of drilling holes into a brand new forged steel chuck. Not that I have one yet... but soon.... it's still a great idea for those that aren't too chicken to modify their chuck. Question though, can you not turn the jaws and simply use the steps on them or are they not accurate enough?

[@JaakkoF]

I would drill and tap those just after unboxing, they do not damage the chuck in any way or form. Besides, why use inadequate tools when you know of something better, especially in terms of price like drilling and tapping a few holes :) And no, you can't turn the jaws and use them, as the jaws deflect when they squeeze a part. If they can be moved in their slots, then there is play and that play allows the jaw to cock and throws your part of parallel. Besides, you would be modifying those brand new jaws and "ruining" them in the process, not to mention that doing interrupted cut turning on a case-hardened parts is fun.

[@CompEdgeX2013]

Good stuff Joe. Gonna Try to remember that. :-)

[@kj55]

Learn something new everyday, love my job. This for video

[@anne7606]

The metal MASTER! How do you come up with all this amazing stuff?

[@joepie221]

I spent many years making cooling plates and such for the semi-conductor industry. they need to be very flat and parallel. I just got tired of fighting soft jaw movement. If you use these standoffs with soft jaws, your parts will be amazing. Soft jaw establishes the concentricity, and the standoff handles the parallel. Perfect combination.

[@armenbagdasarian6144]

gonna drill those holes in my chuck and use them to hold 1/2" keystock which extends far enough to hold small washers to enlarge their holes

[@mikethemaniac1]

So I suspect what I've seen is down to the issue of rigidity and wear resistance, but recently when I've started turning parts with carbide, I've had less trouble setting up the tool accurately, resulting in much less difficulty turning right down to dimensions with error of only a thousandth or two, where I used to have problems consistently with high speed steel cutters. Is it rigidity? Was I not screwing down the hss cutters enough? If it helps assess the situation, the carbide cutter wasn't in a tool holder, like an HSS cutter, it was a part of the tool holder.

[@imysteryman]

As Tarly at "Tarly Fixes All" would say "And Theirs Your Dinner"

[@MrSailbadthesinner]

Great tip. I just wondered how much engagement you have in the scroll for your jaw safety mark?

[@joepie221]

1 tooth + 1/2 turn of the scroll

[@tedswimerr34]

Another good one.

[@petefletcher]

Brilliant!

[@mxtommy7752]

Great basic machining tutorials!

[@gabiold]

One could make standoff with bigger inner threads on the part side then drive in three hex head screws. The flat surface of the hexagon should be machined sligtly round. This way you will get adjustable standoffs, which is wery useful if you have to set up an already existing part which has a reference surface to indicate to.

[@timmer9lives]

Gábor Móczik ... but then one has to adjust the standoff using a dial Indicator. Joes method is easier in my opinion because the aluminum is a disposable item. We’re talking about 1” aluminum rounds. Just face them and we know they are dead nuts on the money.

[@ninalli]

Hey Jo, another great film. I would really appreciate any advise you can give on drilling deep holes in steel? I want to drill a bunch of 3mm plates (steam loco frames) 8 bolted together (4 locomotives) with a series of around 100 holes with 3-5mm. Whats is the best technique to make sure I achieve accuracy through the entire plate set? Cheers Dave and Son UK.

[@jamiebuckley1769]

stay off the vodka lol.

[@tomharrell1954]

Thanks Joe!

[@thomaslamora1679]

great tip.

[@peterc4450]

Great tip

[@spilamigre2360]

Thank you!

[@Pushyhog]

thanks joe.

[@joepie221]

You bet

[@gg48gg]

I didn't understand at the end, what you said about concentricity and soft jaws. Can you please elaborate?

[@joepie221]

Sorry I missed this comment. Concentricity is established with a soft jaw, but the soft jaw pocket is bored deeper than the plane established by the 3 standoffs. This way, you get the guaranteed concentricity from the soft jaw locating the OD of the part, and the parallelism from the part nesting on the standoffs.

[@kevinmullen4352]

I will do it

[@manuelhidalgo8245]

Muy bien Gracias Thank's you this is a good hepl

[@joecallaco6264]

great idea joe !!!!