buying a Jacob's chuck...

Get one that has a threaded hole in the MT2 end so you can insert a threaded rod and pull it into the headstock (drawbar) with a threaded knob or nut. This way you can use the chuck to hold things without a tailstock.

Both my Jacobs chucks are inexpensive units costing about $20 each plus the arbor cost. I just bought the MT2 arbor that had the necessary sized JT taper on the other end for the chuck.

Bill

H.F. sells a 1/2 in. keyed Jacob's chuck with a #2MT for under $10 U.S. I don't know who makes it and 'Jacobs' has probably become generic, but my two have worked very well for woodturning needs. The tang is soft enough to be easily drilled and tapped for a drawbar made from a piece of cheap allthread Arch.

Fortiter,

I didn't see one. I looked there first. Maybe I should look in the print catalog. What I searched up were all threaded chucks suitable for installation on electric drills.

Not a big deal, as I spent the money on something else, so the chuck is back burnered for a bit.

JT#33 or JT #3 are both ok for the chuck end. I've been using a 5/8" keyless chuck with a #2 morse taper by JT#3 arbor for a year with out any trouble. JT#3 is a little thicker.

Lyn Mangiameli, the guru of product evaluations, turned me onto the following chuck as a high-quality keyless for folks who'd love to be able to afford an Albrecht ($200) but can't:

It's the Bison 1/2" made in Poland (on sale at $45 - reg. $60) - an Albrecht clone. I have one on a drill press and it works wonderfully - keyless is definitely the way to go. One of these days I mean to order another for my lathe - maybe since it's now on sale, it's the time.

You'll need an arbor with MT2/JT33 tapers - I'm pretty sure I got mine from The Woodtradesman along with the chuck. They're pretty inexpensive at less than $10.

_____ American Association of Woodturners Cascade Woodturners Assoc., Portland, Oregon Northwest Woodturners, Tigard, Oregon _____

Harbor Freight sells a morse taper chuck with the arbor built in. Item number 42340. $8.99 at my local Harbor Freight. Worth having for normal drilling or until you figure its time for a nicer chuck.

used to sell a lathe mandrel, work arbor, which was drilled andtapped for a draw bar in the end of the #2 morse taper. On theworking end it had 1/2"x20 RH threading so you could also use it witha drill chuck from an electric drill. Or use the big washers and nutto hold a buffing wheel or grind stone on the mandrel. Sears sellsthis mandrel for $11.95 or the mandrel and a Jacobs chuck for $24.95. But the latest versions I've seen no longer have the hole for the drawbar. I managed to find one that can accept a draw bar. So it mightbe worth looking at your local Sears if this interests you. ActuallyI might have two of the mandrels with the draw bar capability. Forsome reason I thought this was good.

I bought the MT from Sears for $12 and the keyed Jacobs chuck from HF for $4.99. MT is threaded to accept the chuck.

If you are using the chuck on your head stock to hold the project, Jacobs used to make chucks that had female threads in them that would screw right on to the threated portion of the spindle. For example if you have a 1 x 8 thread on your spindle the chuck would screw right on to that thread. The beauty of this set up is that if you have, for example a dowel rod that you are make parts off of, you can put the whole rod into the headstock and work on the end that sticks out of the chuck, cut it off when done, move the dowel rod out, and make another. I know for a fact that they made chucks that had 1 x 10, 1 x

8, 1 3/8 x 10, and 1 1/2 x 8 threads. The 1 1/2 x 8 was a model 59B. Also you don't have to fiddle with a draw bar on these types of chucks. I don't believe that Jacobs still makes them. Occasionally you'll see them on Ebay. Hope that this helps. Bob