Making Camlock Studs for a Lathe Chuck Back Plate

[@Mr7yhnmki8]

For those who will use a mill to cut the relief, be aware you will need to feed the end mill in at a 45 degree angle to the axis of the pin to form the angle at the non threaded end of the pin. The cam locking action occurs on the angular cut. Not on the radius of the notch. If you have access to a commercially manufactured pin, place a 3/4” diameter rod in the notch and look closely at the shape of the relief.

[@mikelevyonline]

That’s a good point. I didn’t have that option so I used a file to create the angle.

[@christopherbill8537]

The drawing spec I was able to pull up for D-type studs (D1-3 thru 20) calls for a 40-deg relief, but specific to the D1-3 also calls for a 1" radius cut that's just past tangent with the r=3/8 cut. Is this second feature not necessary? I had thought it was for clearance with the cam shoulders.

[@stewartfrye]

THANK YOU SHOWING HOW TO TREAD THE CORRECT WAY!!!!!!! subscribed instantly

[@rdavidw3517]

Creative! I'm going to use your process to make studs for the backplate on my new collet chuck.

[@shaunadams2143]

Very clever well executed thanks for sharing kind regards Shaun

[@mikelevyonline]

Glad you liked it, thanks for stopping by.

[@dannymaciejewski]

Subscribed! Good dense content. You are obviously a creative guy! Well done👌🏻

[@paulperotti3946]

Nice work Mike. Love it.

[@mikelevyonline]

Thanks.

[@ab-shop]

A great job: nice and nice idea! I am curiuos to know, because My Colchester Bantam have a D1-3 Camlock chuck, on the stud Is not a cam? Is It only a part of a circle? Because you use a drill bit to obtain the hole on the 4 jaws chuck! Thank you in advance for your answer! Alberto

[@samjenny1496]

Beautiful work

[@paulgreenlee190]

I enjoyed the video Mike you shared a lot of information for those of us that don't have experience with the D1-4 setup. My 1960 South Bend has a threaded nose. I had thought about pinning the chucks I have to the spindle with a dog-point Allen screw used on holding cutting bits on quick change holders. It's difficult for me to change out chucks because of my physical issues. I thought a D1 setup would make it easier is all. When you finished did you have to set the thread depth, so the cam locks are all facing in the same direction? On the spindle for a D1 I noticed additional Allen screws at 90* to the cam lock studs, could you explain what they do. Many thanks

[@mikelevyonline]

Paul, the studs are screwed into the backplate until they properly engage with the locking cams. The Allen screw adjacent to each stud keeps the stud from rotating out of the correct angular orientation. I haven’t installed those screws on my backplate, so I have to make sure the studs haven’t rotated out of position before mounting to the spindle nose.

[@cat02791]

Nice, clean and perfect job. 👌

[@ikkiiiieee]

What steel did you use? Don't these studs need to be hardened?

[@mikelevyonline]

The studs were A36 hot rolled--perhaps not the best choice, but that's what I had on hand. I doubt the studs should be hardened, as I believe they need some compliance to interface properly with the hardened camlocks.

[@ikkiiiieee]

I haven't found much information about it. I don't have camlock or bayonet, i just need to bolt the chuck onto my spindle. However I was looking into making some kind of studs for it to make it easier. Have no idea whether I can just use regular unhardened steel for the bolt-studs

[@mikebarton3218]

Bravo! Ingenious.

[@mikelevyonline]

Thank you, and thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@37yearsofanythingisenough39]

I just wish someone would make the cam lock spindle nose so that you could mount cam lock chucks to a rotary table or mill table.

[@mikelevyonline]

There's a video on youtube somewhere showing just such an adapter being fabricated.

[@37yearsofanythingisenough39]

@@mikelevyonline Andy Pugh makes one using a casting he had cast at a grey iron foundry, but also mentions that the quantities have to be much greater to get them to do it again. I wish someone would come up with one using a slug cut from thick steel plate. I can’t believe it would not be a seller for machine tooling suppliers (KBC,MSC, and etc.) to offer them with all of the D- chucks out there. Surely the Chinese would be interested in making them for them. They make everything else. Thank you for responding.

[@darrenfloen2693]

nice work. subscribed

[@justtim9767]

Very nice.