Surely on a independant 4 jaw it does not matter which goes where

You only need to number the jaws on a self centering chuck, whether 3 jaw or 4. I do tend to keep the jaws of my 4 jaw chucks in the same positions out of habit, take it out, turn it round, put it in, next jaw and so on.

Ian S C

You can mark the body (usually) with a series of 1, 2, 3, 4 centre-punch marks on the cylindrical surface.

Cheers, Tim

Just mark 2 opposing positions with a center punch mark,. no need to mark all 4 positions, unless you really struggle to remember the last jaw you adjusted.

Nick

Edited By Nick Hughes on 24/10/2016 12:39:05

most 4 jaw chucks have a manufacturers label on the face of the chuck.

Use the jaws adjacent to the label if you are doing repetition type work. Maybe mark the bit of work with felt tip to coincide with the label, if it has to go back after another operation.

Yes you wear two jaws out quicker than the other two. And in my life time, i dont think i will notice.

Nearly all chucks have a logo, which is 12 oclock

Then I line up my jaws on the cross slide and enter the first one at 10 o'clock(smallest tooth) and engage it, insert the second at 7 o'clock and engage it, then the third at 5 and the 4th at two

So you don't really need numbers, just the order of engagement in relation to the logo and the first jaw (smallest tooth one) progressing clockwise to the largest tooth size

Works for 3 and 4 jaw chucks, you only really need to know where number 1 goes in relation to the logo and the rest fall into place

simples!

Edited By Ady1 on 24/10/2016 15:21:54

You could even have playstation markings with triangle, circle, x, square. I saw a kid with that tattoo once.

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 24/10/2016 17:34:34

Now, just think. If a 4 jaw chuck was invented today, every jaw would have to be a different colour. wouldnt that make life easier

Not one of my chucks has a distinguishable logo. (They may have done 80 years ago, who knows?) But I do like the idea of number stamping 1,2,3,4 on the body next to the jaws, just for keeping track of where the high spot is when truing up work. Sometimes I lose track of whether I am sneaking up on true, or have gone past it and the high spot has now moved to the other side "over centre". Chalk marks and pen marks all seem to get wiped off by greasy mitts during the process.

Just pulled apart my 1920's Burnerd 4-jaw and found it has the jaws numbered as well as the slots. Makes a big difference to the ease of use, as after first cleaning i mixed up the jaws without realising it and couldn't understand why some were so stiff. Now i know, works a lot better now.