Author Topic: Chuck wobble  (Read 1149 times)

Offline skelly369

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Chuck wobble
« on: March 08, 2021, 12:50:35 PM »
Hi everyone. I recently acquired a lathe from a friend to begin turning. The lathe in question is a draper wtl30. I recently bought the Rutlands 100 precision chuck kit in the hope to make bowls etc. It started off fine but i have noticed there is a lot of wobble sometimes, i say sometimes as sometimes there is none or very little. I have found that by moving the chuck up and down the thread and tightening with the locking nut will dictate how much wobble there is but cant find a sweet spot and I'm perplexed as to why this happens? I've tried threading the locking nut all the way to the headstock and tightening the chuck onto that but the wobble is there. The thread on the spindle is 3/4" 16tpi and the chuck comes with an adapter going from 1" 8tpi. Does any body know what might be happening here?

Offline jay

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2021, 07:38:58 PM »
   Chucks reley on the the back register to be clean  not the thread  So check all the back register surfaces on the mandrel, lockring, adapter and its seating on the chuck for any smutz . That can cause wobble  often randomly 

Offline GordonSkipper

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2021, 10:17:55 PM »
These chucks don't use a locking nut to vary their position on the headstock thread. As the previous reply has intimated, they have to be fitted all the way down the thread. so the back of the chuck is tight against the face of the headtock shoulder. What you are referring to as a locknut,  is actuall the thread adaptor which also must be fitted all the way into the chuck body. The fact that you managed to mount the chuck only part way onto the spindle thread and got no wobble was pure luck and I am amazed that you were that lucky. That said, if you are running the lathe with the chuck only part way onto the spindle, you are running a real risk of things bending or even coming off the lathe.
Do it all up properly and your wobble woes will disappear (unless of course, the previous owner was doing the same and managed to bend the spindle! I hope not.) Hope that helps.

Online Wood spinner

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2021, 12:14:29 AM »
On my lathe I use 8mm steel spacers with some chucks as they won't contact the main shaft stop without the spacer
If you need me to do a photo just ask

Offline skelly369

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2021, 10:29:54 AM »
Thanks for all your replies. On investigating the web I have found exactly what you all have mentioned that i need to go all the way to the headstock. The previous owner told me about this nut and the faceplate that came with it and told me it was to secure the faceplate. after trying the faceplate with and without the nut i found it alot smoother without the nut. Only problem is when i thread the chuck all the way it tightens against the body of the lathe and therefore stopping it rotating. I tried to make some wooden spacers last night but where just too soft and too thin to be any good. Washers sound like a good idea, please could i have a picture... thanks again for all your replies

Offline skelly369

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2021, 12:53:13 PM »
Here are some pictures for clarity. The first pic is the spindle bare, the second is showing the locking nut i'm referring too which i've now found out is in actual fact for removing the drive centre, the third pic shows the nut with a faceplate (the one included with the lathe) and the fourth showing the faceplate with no nut. When i turn on the lathe with just the faceplate (pic 4) it seems to run smoothly but when i turn on with the nut aswell (pic 3) there is some unsteadiness. (I'm not sure if this is because the nut is not meant for this purpose and so is not accurate enough so wobble occurs or the spindle is out and being further away would cause the wobble?) Now for the chuck which when threaded all the way tightens up against the body of the lathe like i mentioned before and wont rotate, so with the chuck threaded on with the nut threaded on too allows the spindle to rotate but there is wobble. My question now would be would this nut act in the same way your spacer does or is it not accurate enough?

Offline skelly369

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2021, 02:25:31 PM »
And here is the chuck with and without the nut

Offline Dancie

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2021, 02:47:53 PM »
Isn't Chuck Wobble a woodturner in the states ?  ;D
Mistakes are proof that at least you're trying

Offline Valkrider

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2021, 02:49:57 PM »
It looks to me that the adapter from Rutlands is too large in diameter. Find a local machine shop to turn it down in diameter for you so that it fits inside the bearing on the headstock. It needs to be no larger in diameter that the mating surface (see attached image).

The faceplate does not seem to be the correct one for this lathe as it won't seat against that mating surface.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2021, 02:57:10 PM by Valkrider »

Offline John D Smith

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2021, 03:30:54 PM »

 I would say Colin (Valkrider) is spot on Regards John
John Smith

Offline skelly369

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Re: Chuck wobble
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2021, 03:56:27 PM »
It looks to me that the adapter from Rutlands is too large in diameter. Find a local machine shop to turn it down in diameter for you so that it fits inside the bearing on the headstock. It needs to be no larger in diameter that the mating surface (see attached image).

The faceplate does not seem to be the correct one for this lathe as it won't seat against that mating surface.

Brilliant idea