Lathe chuck jaws

[Wongster]

Hello Greg and Mayhem,

Yes, so far the 4-jaw self centering chuck has been more a convenience. It may has its real place which I'm not aware of. Maybe better grip? Lol... I am just guessing. Since I had the 4-jaw for some square stock, I've not removed it and mount the 3-jaw. Both are Rohm chucks, very well made with very little run out.

Mayhem, Proxxon just replied to my email and offer a set of 4 unstepped and unhardened jaws. Pricey but will save me quite some trouble. The set, with estimated shipping from Germany and tax of 19% (I'm puzzled by this tax since I'm buying from overseas), will cost me around €130. She will come back with the actual number tomorrow.

Now, should I shorten the 4 blocks a little, drill and tap them so that I can make soft jaws of various geometries to mount on them? My initial plan was to just machine a v groove on them to hold rectangular pieces of pen blanks. Given their cost, I want to make them "do more"... lol.

Regards,
Wongster