How-To: Center Stock in a 4-Jaw Lathe Chuck

CNC & Machining Education Workshop
How-To: Center Stock in a 4-Jaw Lathe Chuck
YouTube player

Quick, handy video tutorial from Jeremy Bloyd-Peshkin of tiny workshop, demonstrating a fast method of centering a piece of round stock in a 4-jaw chuck using a magnetic-mount dial indicator and a pair of chuck keys. If you’ve never seen this operation before, Jeremy’s video makes it clear and simple to understand. [Thanks, Jeremy!]

8 thoughts on “How-To: Center Stock in a 4-Jaw Lathe Chuck

  1. Bob says:

    Centreing the work is going to be the least of your problems with the whole lathe moving about like that!!!!!…..next video;  mounting a lathe properly (?)

    1. Baldrick Balls says:

      you have no idea what you are talking about do you.

  2. Evan Zalys says:

    I don’t understand MAKE’s recent interest with four jaw chucks. They’re quite frustrating for beginners, and don’t have much benefit. I rarely do eccentric turning, and most 3 jaw chucks center stuff reasonably well. Also, the previous article I think missed a certain detail. Certain 3 jaw chucks have a secondary key that allows you to nudge the stock to center if necessary with a separate series of screws around the circumference… so they are almost as good if not as good (in certain circumstances) as 4 jaw chucks when not doing eccentric turning (which is done SO rarely). Most machinists keep a 3 jaw chuck on their lathe anyway. Actually no, most precision machinists buy a lathe with a collet closer and leave the chuck off. Much more needed are videos about how to grind a lathe bit properly, how to harden drill rod, etc.

  3. Stuart says:

    I liked it. My 3 jaw centers +/- 0.003 which is not as good as I want for press fit parts. Normally, and I’ve had it for about 7 years, the 3 jaw is good enough. However for parts for the single seat helicopter that I’m building, I feel better at +/- 0.001. But then I’m not a machinist but just a retired electronics engineer.

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK