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(Text on screen): Picking a Chuck for your Lathe, Kevin Caron, www.kevincaron.com
The Voice: Hey, Kevin. Where are you doing?
Kevin Caron: Oh, I've been playing with the lathe a little.
This is a prototype, if you will, for a wine goblet that a guy down in Texas wants me to make,
and I've been turning this out of a solid aluminum billet.
The Voice: What's a billet?
Kevin Caron: What's a billet? That's a good question.
This is a billet.
This (the wine goblet itself) was actually a part up here, and I just cut it off
and then I just started turning it down a little bit, trying to work on my shape.
I had this old rough little sketch, you know, a piece of notepad and some basic measurements.
He sent me a few pictures over the phone.
So, I'm just trying to work to that shape a little.
And I got my order of operation wrong.
I got this all round, and then I went to the mill, and I hollowed out the inside.
I didn't think what I was doing. I made this hole in the top the same size as the outside edge.
So, I don't have enough metal left inside to bring my top of my wine goblet a little closer, like a regular wine glass.
I've got my operation wrong. I should have worked on my shape on the outside and left the hollowing out inside for later.
So, I'm gonna take off my three-jaw chuck and I have to put on the four-jaw,
because this billet is bigger than this three-jaw chuck will handle.
So, that's what I was gonna do.
Get my; now, I moved the tailstock.
The Voice: What's a tailstock?
Kevin Caron: Well, that's this little piece on the end.
This is the tailstock, and this is called a live center, because it turns, rather than a static center.
And (let me get the goblet), when I had the goblet in the three-jaw chuck, on this end, I had the live center over here on this end,
to help keep everything straight and square and true as I was working; as I was turning on it.
This just helps support the other end of the work, so it doesn't slip out; so it doesn't chatter, so it doesn't move around.
So, I've got to move that out of the way.
Then I can move the carriage out of the way.
This is the part that does all of the work.
This old Sheldon lathe from the mid-'40s, so it's built to last, I'll say that for it.
Just like that. It just turns off, and that's what it looks like.
So, let me get the other one.
See, this one's much bigger; much heavier. But it works the same.
The Voice: Would the smaller goblet have fit in that larger chuck?
Kevin Caron: Oh, yeah, the goblet will fit in this no problem.
The Voice: So, was there a reason you were using the smaller chuck?
and then turn something round into, you can put a piece that's oversized in there.
Kevin Caron: Well, I'll show you.
But this one is a lot harder to use because now, when you put your piece of oversized stock in there,
You know, the reason most guys like to use the three-jaw chuck:
You can put the adjusting wrench in any of the three different holes
that does not necessarily mean it's centered.
Now I have to get a dial indicator and I have to come back over here off the carriage, with a dial indicator,
and as you turn it, you see the jaws all move at the same time.
So, it's self-centering.
and run it against this metal, and then slowly just turn this around, and I have to shimmy each of these jaws
Now, see, if you come over to the four-jaw chuck, you see because this has four opposing jaws on it, you can,
one way or the other, up and down, back and forth, until I get all the run out out of it,
when you try to adjust it, each one moves independently of one another.
So, not only can you put a odd-shaped object in here, like a piece of square stock that you can clamp in here
so when I turn it, this piece is centered.
I'm not going to have it wobble. Otherwise I have to start over, basically, and turn all that down to get rid of that wobble,
but I'll still have a wobble in the part that's in here.
Boy, there's a lot to learn.
So, I need to get my dial indicator and straighten this guy up. Then I can go back to work.
Then I can start making a new goblet, all over again, get my length where I want it, cut it off, get that
(see, I did it again); see, I need to get my dial indicator and put it on here and get this true.
Once I'm done there, then I go ahead and start a new goblet.
I can turn this down to the right diameter. I can start to work my shape in here.
I need to get my hole in the end so I can bring my live center over so I can support the other end of this.
A lot to learn; a whole lot to learn. But it's fun.
So, that's what I have to do next.
I'll see you next time.
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