Need help choosing a lathe chuck

[th1980Participant @th1980]

I have a mini lathe with a 80 mm 3 jaw chuck that came with it. I’m in the process of buying a 80 mm 4 jaw independent chuck but I’m between two choices. I was hoping you could give me some advise about choosing the better one. Or if I should go with some other direction entirely. I have checked so far that both of these should fit my lathe.

The contenders are:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/297112062969

https://www.ebay.com/itm/376237975028

 

The latter looks a bit nicer and it has 2 sets of jaws while the first one has reversible jaws that seem a bit clumsy but I’m not an expert about this. All help would be appreciated.

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

Both of those brands are generally okay.

I think the Sanou looks a bit chunkier and personally I don’t mind reversible jaws – ‘both’ sets are always in the chuck, that way.

The Soba looks to me like the central bore is smaller? ..does anyone here have one?

Whereabouts in the world are you?

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

My immediate thought is that the Soba jaws have only one small lug which the screw bears on to move the jaws in and out, I’m thinking that is a weakness.

Tony

[Stuart Smith 5Participant @stuartsmith5]

Whichever chuck you buy, make sure it has the correct sized recess and number of fixings to fit your lathe.

The first one looks like it has 3 fixing bolts and the second has 4.

If you are in the UK, I would suggest buying from one of the established UK suppliers. If there any problems, you will then be able to return or exchange without any hassle.

Stuart

 

 

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

My advice would be to consider going up a size to 100mm. I think this would be well within the limits of your lathe. The extra capacity could be really useful, as this type of chuck can be used for many shapes and sizes of work-piece.

[Tony Pratt 1]

On Tony Pratt 1 Said:

My immediate thought is that the Soba jaws have only one small lug which the screw bears on to move the jaws in and out, I’m thinking that is a weakness.

Tony

Hi Tony, can’t see any real problem, here’s a photo of my fathers 4 jaw, which is older than I am, and I’ve used this very many times, let alone the number of times my father must have used it. This is a 3 – 1/4″ one.

Regards Nick.

[jamesp1Participant @jamesp1]

Both Sanou and Soba are reasonable quality at a reasonable price. But as with much hobby equipment from over the distant horizon to the east, quality control can be rather erratic. Best to buy from a reputable supplier with a good record for refunding/replacing if you get a substandard item.

[michael mParticipant @michaelm]

Hi

I recently had need of an independant 80mm 4 jaw chuck and bought a similar one to your first example. Mine was not of the same brand but it’s a generic design with different badges, available from many sellers and possibly from the same factory. I have a TOS 80mm three jaw and had expected something of similar scantlings; but no, as you say it’s very clumsy. The jaws are massive with coarse serrations and hardly suitable for the normal size of work for an 80mm chuck and I would also have preferred them to be a better fit on the thread. I wonder if the jaws are actually designed for and used on larger chucks and have been used in this case as a cost reduction exercise? The chuck body seems unnecessarily deep too. Counter intuitively for a four jaw chuck, it has 3 fixing holes

In retrospect I wish I’d gone for the Soba which is available from Chronos. It’s of Indian manufacture I believe, rather than Chinese, but I do have a couple of Indian “Zither” chucks which are excellent but seemingly no longer available in the UK.

Michael

[Clive Brown 1]

On Clive Brown 1 Said:

My advice would be to consider going up a size to 100mm. I think this would be well within the limits of your lathe. The extra capacity could be really useful, as this type of chuck can be used for many shapes and sizes of work-piece.

I agree. My lathe came with a 100mm chuck but I managed to get a 125mm four jaw independent for it and it’s been invaluable.

The problem is 80mm chucks normally have a 55mm register and 100mm chucks have a 72mm register. The bolt spacing will also be different. I was lucky with my Elliott 125mm chuck, it had a removable back plate I was able to machine to fit my lathe.

[VicParticipant @vic]

These always seem to be good value?

https://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Chucks/Lathe-Chucks/3-Jaw-Self-Centring-Cast-Iron-Lathe-Chucks-Chinese-Origin

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

The Sanou is a standard 4-jaw design, robust, but they take up a fair amount of bed space.

The Soba is a low-profile 4-jaw, which creates more bed length, but is less robust.

Which is ‘better’ depends on what the lathe is used for.   Unless the extra space is needed, avoid the low profile type.  Apart from being a little on the weak side, having a low-profile won’t help much if the saddle design stops the cutter getting close to the headstock.  If so,  rigidity is lost in the relatively flimsy low-profile chuck AND by having to extend the cutter out to reach the job.   Not the end of the world, but inferior to a sturdy standard 4-jaw that brings the job close to the tool post and minimises cutter overhang.

Chuck type sorted, who you buy from matters more than the brand!  Where are you?  The examples are international ebay listings, with the Sanyou priced in USD and the Soba priced in Euros.    A Brit buying a Chinese chuck via the USA risks running into all manner of consumer protection, tax and duty complications.   In this case the Soba is offered by a UK firm (Chronos) but isn’t available in the UK:

Bargains can be had by buying international, but read the small print – it’s risky and potentially expensive.   In the UK, if an import exceeds a certain threshold and is detected, then the recipient pays plus a huge ‘service charge’!   Where the import comes from matters too:  developing countries operate under different rules, so China to UK is cheaper/less hassle than UK to USA.

Beware overthinking this stuff.  An ordinary beginner doing ordinary work on an ordinary mini-lathe doesn’t need to worry much. Possible to use a low-profile chuck for years without realising it’s not ideal – the lack of rigidity simply requires the operator to take slightly lighter cuts.   Likewise, it’s possible to manage with a standard chuck when a low-profile would be more convenient.  For what it’s worth, I use a home-made stub mandrel or a faceplate on the rare occasions I need a low profile.

So I suggest buying a standard 4-jaw from a local supplier unless there’s a specific need for a low-profile chuck.   Do you have a Dial Indicator?  They’re the easiest way of centring work in a 4-jaw whilst twiddling two chuck keys together.

Dave

 

 

 

 

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Ordinarily I would go for the Sanou the finish is so much better  but that one seems rated for non ferrous and plastics and the jaws look too big.

Consider your mountings, as bolt spacings above, plus one 80mm will not necessarily fit the register of another’s back plate.

[michael mParticipant @michaelm]

Using a larger chuck may be relevant up to a point when using the “normal” jaws but when using external jaws there is a risk of the jaw tips colliding before the jaw steps have closed down to the required diameter. This problem is exacerbated when the jaws are unneccesarily large on a small chuck, such as already mentioned. My chuck came from Vic’s recommended seller, no criticism of them, my fault for assuming it would be of “normal” 80mm chuck dimensions. For what it is it represents good value for money.

Like much in life it’s “horses for courses”, and lathe chucks have traditionally been manufactured in various sizes for valid reasons.

Michael

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

The Samou one looks odd, in some of the pics the outboard ens of the jaws project outside the chuck body and in others not, though they are in the “inner” position.

[Peter Cook 6Participant @petercook6]

John H makes a good point. The Sanou jaws seem to stick out beyond the body even when closed right down. Will you have enough clearance over the bed to swing the chuck when the jaws are half way open. The Soba looks better in that respect with shorter jaws.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Hafta disagree with Dave (SoD) about the desirability of standard 4 jaw chucks compared to light duty (aka low profile) ones.

Most especially when it comes to small ones for model engineering the larger jaws used on standard chucks are far too cumbersome when holding small components. Comparing the advert pictures doesn’t really give a decent comparison of relative sizes. Typically light duty chuck body depth, jaw lengths and jaw widths are around 2/3 rd that of standard 4 jaws.

This picture shows the 8 inch (200 mm) light duty and standard duty four jaws I have for my Smart & Brown 1024. Although over twice the size of the 80 mm ones being discussed the relative proportions between the two types are similar. The loose jaw is one from the standard fit 6 inch (150 mm) three jaw. As can be seen the light duty chuck jaws are of very similar size to the standard fit 3 jaw. Which is generally about right when it comes to holding more precise work.

Standard 4 jaws are sized for getting a firm grip on awkward, often hefty and ill finished components for industrial rates of metal removal, often with interrupted cuts, where you really don’t want the job making a bid for freedom. Not so good at the precision setting thing.

I may have used the standard duty 4 jaw twice in 20 years!

Clive

[th1980Participant @th1980]

I didn’t expect so many replies, thanks a lot!

I’ll try to answer some of the questions asked in the previous replies.

I’m located in Finland. My lathe is branded Steeltec XWS003 but it seems to be more commonly known as SIEG C1 in other countries.

I do have some relatives in the UK and they are coming here this summer. Maybe the chuck could fit in their luggage…

The register in my lathe is 55 mm and the fixing hole diameter is 66 mm. There are holes for both options (3 or 4 holes) in the plate.

Maybe a bigger 100 mm chuck could be fitted with an adapter? But there wouldn’t be too much extra room under the plastic guard that is over the chuck. The guard can be removed, of course, but it adds a bit of safety.

There seems to be good and bad sides on both chucks.

Very good point about the protruding jaws of the Sanoy. They would definitely foul the plastic guard, there is less than 20 mm of room (with a 80 mm chuck).

The low profile of the Soba could also cause problems with the guard which is wider that the chuck. Maybe an adapter could help with that?

Perhaps the lesser rigidity of the Soba would not be so much of an issue because my lathe motor is only 150 watts? I’ve gotten used to making very light cuts.

The jaws in the Soba look much better.

The bore in the center is 18 mm in the Soba and 22 mm in the Sanoy. Another point for the Sanoy.

This is getting more and more difficult…

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I bought an 80mm three jaw scroll and a 100mm four jaw independent rear mount to fit my little 7 X 12 lathe at home. Both of Sanou make. They are both better quality than the pair of 80’s that the lathe came with, but not premium. Unless you have access to a bigger lathe to do some machining on a 100mm chuck, it won’t fit straight onto this type of lathe. There may be adaptors available. I simply remachined the register of the chuck and added front mount holes to suit the lathe spindle.

Both types shown will work well with a small lathe, the Sanou is heavier duty, its reversable jaws are the most common design for all sizes of four jaw independent. The jaws do look oversize,the same size as my 100mm version, looks like they are saving money fitting the same jaws to more than one size of chuck. The other with two sets of jaws has one small advantage on a little lathe, it is shorter in length.

[th1980Participant @th1980]

The 3-jaw chuck that came with the lathe is branded “TIAN PAI”.

The chuck in the link is a self-centering model but it is of very similar build than my 3-jaw. Much nicer jaws.

https://gbr.grandado.com/products/sanou-k12-80-4-jaw-lathe-chuck-self-centering-80mm-with-hardened-steel-for-mini-lathe

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