Drilling straight...

[RockandCole]

I can't seem to consistently drill straight to save my life.. It became increasingly clear my first day of pen turning that a dewalt and a bench vise wasn't the route, so I upgraded to a small drill press and a drill press vice. I squared the table to the bit, and then square each piece of wood to the bit best I can prior to drilling, yet 10% blow out the side, and another 25% come out so close to the edge that it barely allows me to even round out the wood to a bushing. I'm using a PSI 7mm bit, and have my craftsman drill press going at half speed, around 1500 rpm. Any advice?

 

[randyrls]

What kind of bit is it?

How straight is it? lay it down on a flat surface and roll it. If it isn't straight it will come to a stop always with one side facing up.

How sharp is it? drill bits are consumables. Twist bits can be sharpened.

 

[TonyL]

I am just throwing this out there because I did it: are you saw the bit was being held by all 3 draws of the chuck? I used to just feel my way around under the chuck thinking the bit was centered by all off the jaws. After that, I always look under the chuck and check. Again. just throwing it out there. I have also come close to NOT locking the table/platform before drilling (in my usually haste).

 

[duncsuss]

I upgraded to a small drill press and a drill press vice. I squared the table to the bit, and then square each piece of wood to the bit best I can prior to drilling ... Any advice?

It will help if you can post pix of the drill press and vice.

It should never be necessary to guess whether the blank is square to the drill press table -- make V notches in the faces of the vice that will force the blank to stand upright.

Similarly, there are techniques for checking the table is square -- for example, take a piece of stiff wire (e.g. coat hanger wire), put one end in the chuck and bend it so the other end touches the surface of the table close to the outside rim. When you turn the spindle by hand, the tip should remain in contact with the table all the way round. When it does, you have a perfectly squared table.

HTH

 

[Herb G]

You are also drilling to fast. I never drill above 500 rpm's if that.
If you are using a brad point bit, it will follow the grain in the wood & shoot out the side every time. I use 118* metal bits & I have yet to lose a blank like that.
I have brad point bits, don't get me wrong. But I don't drill blanks with them.

 

[jttheclockman]

You got good info above. I can add that you need to make sure there is no runout in your chuck. Also make sure the chuck is sitting properly in the drill.

One other thing is if all else fails you can start drilling your blanks on the lathe. A much more accurate set up but you will need more equipment to do it. We can walk you through this if you would like.

 

[Skie_M]

The PSI 7mm bit is a brad point bit ... it's ok if it's still sharp, but as others have mentioned it can tend to wander about and follow grain patterns.

Drilling as slow as your DP can go could help a bit ...


Many of us drill on the lathe, to get a consistently centered hole. As the blank is spinning on the lathe, the bit will tend to center itself in the blank for you. In order to be able to lock your blank centered on the lathe, many people either use a pen blank drilling chuck or a 4-jawed chuck and a true squared blank .... or they round the blank between centers first (I round my blanks) and grip it in either a 3-jaw or a 4-jaw chuck for drilling.

 

[RockandCole]

Thanks for all the replies, I would love more info on the lathe system of drilling, I thought about going that route, but money is always tight and the drill press was more versatile so I thought it was a better idea. Looking at choices a week or two ago it seemed getting my lathe setup to drill would have significant cost related to it. The drill press was around a hundred dollars, whereas the lathe system from PSI was around two hundred. I didn't really even have the hundred to throw at it if we're being honest.

 

[jleiwig]

Thanks for all the replies, I would love more info on the lathe system of drilling, I thought about going that route, but money is always tight and the drill press was more versatile so I thought it was a better idea. Looking at choices a week or two ago it seemed getting my lathe setup to drill would have significant cost related to it. The drill press was around a hundred dollars, whereas the lathe system from PSI was around two hundred. I didn't really even have the hundred to throw at it if we're being honest.

Have you made sure that the drill press table is "trammed" or square to the center line of the drill bit? If not that would do what you are describing.

There are videos on YouTube...it's not a difficult process at all. I'd start there before anything else, but speaking from experience a $100 drill press probably isn't going to have the highest precision. I would save money towards drilling on the lathe it's not that expensive, and would have only cost you a little more than what you spent on the drill press.

I personally have used the PSI collet chuck system ($89 or less with a coupon code). I turn the blank to 3/4" round and stick it in the 3/4" collet to drill. Harbor Freight has an MT2 drill chuck that will get you through for about $15. It's something to think about when time and money allow.

 

[tomas]

Thanks for all the replies, I would love more info on the lathe system of drilling, I thought about going that route, but money is always tight and the drill press was more versatile so I thought it was a better idea. Looking at choices a week or two ago it seemed getting my lathe setup to drill would have significant cost related to it. The drill press was around a hundred dollars, whereas the lathe system from PSI was around two hundred. I didn't really even have the hundred to throw at it if we're being honest.

You need to buy a Jacobs chuck tapered to fit your tail stock and a two-jawed drilling chuck. The square blank is held by the 2-jaw chuck. The bit is mounted in the Jacobs. Move the tail stock up to the end of the blank and secure it. With your lathe on low speed, slowly use the quill to move the bit into the blank. I find that a brad point bit works best for me. I also rest my left hand on the Jacobs to keep it from turning.

Tomas

 

[RockandCole]

Thanks for all the replies, I would love more info on the lathe system of drilling, I thought about going that route, but money is always tight and the drill press was more versatile so I thought it was a better idea. Looking at choices a week or two ago it seemed getting my lathe setup to drill would have significant cost related to it. The drill press was around a hundred dollars, whereas the lathe system from PSI was around two hundred. I didn't really even have the hundred to throw at it if we're being honest.

Have you made sure that the drill press table is "trammed" or square to the center line of the drill bit? If not that would do what you are describing.

There are videos on YouTube...it's not a difficult process at all. I'd start there before anything else, but speaking from experience a $100 drill press probably isn't going to have the highest precision. I would save money towards drilling on the lathe it's not that expensive, and would have only cost you a little more than what you spent on the drill press.

I personally have used the PSI collet chuck system ($89 or less with a coupon code). I turn the blank to 3/4" round and stick it in the 3/4" collet to drill. Harbor Freight has an MT2 drill chuck that will get you through for about $15. It's something to think about when time and money allow.

Can you post a link $15 option?

 

[RockandCole]

Thanks for all the replies, I would love more info on the lathe system of drilling, I thought about going that route, but money is always tight and the drill press was more versatile so I thought it was a better idea. Looking at choices a week or two ago it seemed getting my lathe setup to drill would have significant cost related to it. The drill press was around a hundred dollars, whereas the lathe system from PSI was around two hundred. I didn't really even have the hundred to throw at it if we're being honest.

You need to buy a Jacobs chuck tapered to fit your tail stock and a two-jawed drilling chuck. The square blank is held by the 2-jaw chuck. The bit is mounted in the Jacobs. Move the tail stock up to the end of the blank and secure it. With your lathe on low speed, slowly use the quill to move the bit into the blank. I find that a brad point bit works best for me. I also rest my left hand on the Jacobs to keep it from turning.

Tomas

Are these the two items the PSI lathe drilling kit comes with?

 

[jleiwig]

Can you post a link $15 option?

Here is the drill chuck

1/2" MT2 Mini-Lathe Drill Chuck

Here is the collet chuck from PSI

https://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCDOWEL.html

Those two plus drill bits are all you will need to drill on the lathe.

 

[tomas]

Thanks for all the replies, I would love more info on the lathe system of drilling, I thought about going that route, but money is always tight and the drill press was more versatile so I thought it was a better idea. Looking at choices a week or two ago it seemed getting my lathe setup to drill would have significant cost related to it. The drill press was around a hundred dollars, whereas the lathe system from PSI was around two hundred. I didn't really even have the hundred to throw at it if we're being honest.

You need to buy a Jacobs chuck tapered to fit your tail stock and a two-jawed drilling chuck. The square blank is held by the 2-jaw chuck. The bit is mounted in the Jacobs. Move the tail stock up to the end of the blank and secure it. With your lathe on low speed, slowly use the quill to move the bit into the blank. I find that a brad point bit works best for me. I also rest my left hand on the Jacobs to keep it from turning.

Tomas

Are these the two items the PSI lathe drilling kit comes with?

I bought the Jacobs From the local WoodCraft and ordered the two-jawed chuck from PSI.

 

[Skie_M]

I only have experience with the 3-jaw chuck method that requires you to turn your blanks round first ... this is how I do it. This is NOT the only way to do it, but I find it useful for more than just the purpose of drilling on the lathe.

You have a spur center and a live center ... at least you should have gotten a set with your lathe. If not, get some, they're pretty cheap. While you're at it, get a cheap 3-jaw chuck. If you are using a mini lathe with a #1MT spindle and tailstock, I'ld suggest a 3-jaw chuck from Harbor Freight Tools (must order this online, they WILL NOT stock it in stores from what I understand). It's around 35 dollars, plus shipping. A 3-jaw scrolling chuck will AUTOMATICALLY center a ROUND item. This item tightens with a pair of small "tommy bars", similar to some of the larger 4-jaw chucks.

Mark the center of each blank (or where you want the center to be). Use a 1/8" drill bit or a center drill of some sort to drill your centers ... gives your spur and live centers some "bite" and a place to be regardless of the grain or lack thereof, if doing an acrylic blank, this is absolutely essential, to give relief from the pressure.

Turn the blank round and smooth between centers ... get it as straight and level as possible. (I actually sand and FINISH a rounded blank, to show potential customers what the blank would sort of look like when finished on the pen...) Grip the blank in the 3-jaw chuck, and use the live center in the other end to square the blank to the lathe and support it for cutting. Measure for length (use the brass barrel tube and add perhaps 1/16" to 1/8" for squaring) and cut the barrel lengths.

Remove the excess from the 3-jaw chuck and put the cut barrel length in the chuck, again using the live center in the tailstock to square the blank before tightening the chuck. Remove the live center and insert your drill chuck in the tailstock quill. Put the tip of the bit right up against the end of the blank, and back it off just a hair (1/32"). Start the lathe, run it at the LOWEST speed. Slowly feed the bit into the spinning blank, holding the chuck with your left hand as you advance the tailstock quill with the right hand. The pressure from your left hand is only to keep the drill chuck seated in the tailstock taper and keep it from spinning ... also to help keep the bit steady as you drill the hole.

If your hole doesn't drill straight through the barrel, this can indicate several issues ... one of which may be your drill bit is bent, or dull, or cutting more on one side than the other, ect ... in any case, it should still be able to get through the short blank with plenty of room all round the hole to be able to turn it round and down to the bushings without any problem.

Make sure you don't hit your 3-jaw chuck with the drill bit ... this can dull or damage the bit quickly!


A drill chuck for a #1MT or #2MT can be had from PSI fairly cheaply ... around 15 - 25 dollars. I'ld go ahead and bite the bullet and get the 1/2" capacity drill chuck for 25 dollars, as the smaller chuck that's only around 15 dollars can only handle up to 3/8" or 10mm... many pen barrel sizes are larger than this.

IF YOU DO NO HAVE THE DRILL CHUCK don't panic ... you can still do a "good enough" job without it. As has been stated before, the spinning blank will naturally center a drill bit as it drills. You can use a drill bit gripped in a pair of vice grips to drill the hole right down the middle ... all you have to do is hold it steady and apply pressure into the blank (light pressure should do fine).

If you find that you are often using a particular bit size to drill in your blanks, and you find that you prefer to drill "by hand" without using a drill chuck in your tailstock, you can save yourself some time by making a small handle and gluing your drill bit directly into the handle.

Many bowl makers use this trick so that they can quickly and easily center drill their blank for a marked depth, as the very center of the blank is the hardest to remove when making the bowl. If it's been drilled out, there's no center left, and the bottom of their bowl is marked by the bottom of that center hole.

 

[RockandCole]

OK, so most of this is making sense, however, some of it is still way over my head... A $15 chuck will hold the bit on the tail stock, and then my cheapest option for securely holding a pen blank will be the $90 2 jaw Chuck from PSI?

And my other option is the same idea and cost but with the 3 jaw Chuck and rounding out my blank between centers first?

 

[Skie_M]

A collet chuck would work too, but from what I understand, those are much more expensive.

If you're gonna buy the tailstock drill chuck, don't go cheap with the 15 dollar model ... you'll regret it the minute you need to drill a 10.5mm or 7/16" or larger hole. The 1/2" model only costs 8 or 9 dollars more, and any bit larger than 1/2" typically has a reduced shank that's only 1/2" diameter.


If you ALREADY HAVE a 3-jaw or 4-jaw chuck but your blanks aren't round or square (for the 4-jaw), then turning them round between centers will allow you to center drill them on the lathe regardless of which chuck you use. If you don't already have a chuck, the 35 dollar one from Harbor Freight is decent quality and the lowest price I've seen. The lowest price I've ever seen for a 4-jaw chuck is PSI's Utility Grip Chuck, which is still currently on sale (with a nice selection of jaws) for $89 + $10 shipping UPS ground (it's heavy... and bulky).


Also, don't get in a rush and just order stuff ... MAKE CERTAIN you are getting accessories that fit your lathe. If you have a #1MT, then a #2MT accessory won't do you any good.





You can still also use your drill chuck to drill your blanks. As long as you have the table perfectly squared to your bit (check with a straight bit in the drill press chuck, use a square against the bit and the table, and check from 4 - 6 various angles AROUND the bit, to ensure that you are 100% square to the table).

You can grip the blank in a fairly inexpensive clamp. An old wooden clamp is actually best for this, as they typically have good straight sides to help you keep things squared up. Taking the clamp apart and running a V groove on the faces of the clamping surface from side to side helps keep the blank true as well ... use a crosscut sled with the blade set at 45 degrees, cutting both clamp faces at the same time if you can manage to keep them lined up properly.

Once that's done, lay the clamp on it's side and put the blank in the V groove. Whether it's square or round, the groove should keep it perfectly upright and plumb while you have the clamp against the drill press table.


Now ... this method for using the clamp (You can get one of these for under 10 dollars at Harbor Freight) is by far the CHEAPEST method you can use to drill your blanks. And if you set the drill press up and the clamp up properly, you should have no problem drilling straight holes through your blanks ... they're just not guaranteed to be on center automatically. You have to line it up manually, unless you design and build a jig to do that for you, and you have universally sized blanks to work with. Your current cost would be around 15 dollars + an hour of time for setup.

The method for using the dedicated pen blank clamp and a drill chuck on the lathe is the most expensive method to use. It can't dependably drill an out-of-square or out-of-round blank centered, so you may still need to prep the blank for this method too, but once you have properly squared or round blanks to work with, it's hard to miss the center OR have an off-center hole unless your bit is messed up. Your current cost would be around 130 dollars and you would only occasionally have to worry about set-up time for an off-round or non-square blank.

The method I use is somewhat a middle road ... I MUST round every single blank, even the perfectly square ones and the ones that are mostly round, but it's much less expensive. I'm pretty much guaranteed a perfect centered hole unless I have a messed up drill bit. This method uses the 3-jaw Harbor Freight chuck and a PSI drill chuck. Cost is around 60 dollars, and 10 - 30 minutes prep time for every single blank... (but keep in mind that I sand and finish every single blank before I ever cut it to length and drill it ... so my prep time is around 30 minutes each.)

 

[jttheclockman]

You have to realize something, any chucks you buy have value and are capable to be used for other operations so you are not dedicating chucks to one thing.

 

[Skie_M]

You have to realize something, any chucks you buy have value and are capable to be used for other operations so you are not dedicating chucks to one thing.

Quick note ...

The Dedicated Pen Blank Drilling Chuck from PSI has no real other function ... It holds a square (or round) blank or at least one with SQUARED shoulders ... a rectangular blank CAN be used.

It grips it so that it can be spun with the axis of the lathe spindle so that you can drill it ... I suppose you COULD use it for cutting to length or spindle turning, but the jaws could get in the way and as there are only 2 of them and they are fairly large and bulky, please be very careful with your knuckles and fingers!



You can buy pen blank drilling jaws for a "C" series chuck for only around 22 dollars from PSI. These fit the Utility Grip Chuck from PSI as well as the Barracuda 2 chuck from PSI. These chucks (the body alone) cost upwards of 100 dollars ... 89 for the utility grip + 10 dollars shipping (they don't sell it separate, comes with a selection of jaws)... and 119 dollars for the Barracuda 2 chuck body by itself. Right now, the B2 comes with a selection of jaws for $139 on sale... regular $179. (I got one for Christmas).

If you plan to do ANY bowl turning whatsoever, you will want a real chuck, NOT the dedicated pen blank drilling chuck. It's not designed to have a proper secure grip on large heavy blanks.

Again, if you plan to do ANY large bowl turning .... GET A REAL CHUCK. If you then want the pen blank drilling jaws, grab the set for 22 more bucks.

If all you ever wanna do is just pens, razor handles, keychains, bottle stoppers ... the mini 3-jaw chuck from Harbor Freight for 35 dollars is an unbelievable deal (comes in #1MT only). The next step up is the mini 3-jaw chuck from PSI (with various adapters) for around 60 dollars.

 

[jttheclockman]

You have to realize something, any chucks you buy have value and are capable to be used for other operations so you are not dedicating chucks to one thing.

Quick note ...

The Dedicated Pen Blank Drilling Chuck from PSI has no real other function ... It holds a square (or round) blank or at least one with SQUARED shoulders ... a rectangular blank CAN be used.

It grips it so that it can be spun with the axis of the lathe spindle so that you can drill it ... I suppose you COULD use it for cutting to length or spindle turning, but the jaws could get in the way and as there are only 2 of them and they are fairly large and bulky, please be very careful with your knuckles and fingers!



You can buy pen blank drilling jaws for a "C" series chuck for only around 22 dollars from PSI. These fit the Utility Grip Chuck from PSI as well as the Barracuda 2 chuck from PSI. These chucks (the body alone) cost upwards of 100 dollars ... 89 for the utility grip + 10 dollars shipping (they don't sell it separate, comes with a selection of jaws)... and 119 dollars for the Barracuda 2 chuck body by itself. Right now, the B2 comes with a selection of jaws for $139 on sale... regular $179. (I got one for Christmas).

If you plan to do ANY bowl turning whatsoever, you will want a real chuck, NOT the dedicated pen blank drilling chuck. It's not designed to have a proper secure grip on large heavy blanks.

Again, if you plan to do ANY large bowl turning .... GET A REAL CHUCK. If you then want the pen blank drilling jaws, grab the set for 22 more bucks.

If all you ever wanna do is just pens, razor handles, keychains, bottle stoppers ... the mini 3-jaw chuck from Harbor Freight for 35 dollars is an unbelievable deal (comes in #1MT only). The next step up is the mini 3-jaw chuck from PSI (with various adapters) for around 60 dollars.

Not true. Stop and look at what you described. Unless you are buying a chuck with removable jaws. I can use that dedicated chuck for many turning operations as long as it can grip the material. That is what a chuck is by definition. Any spinning object on a lathe is dangerous.

Same with a collet chuck. Put a round tenon on a square blank and now you can use that chuck to do many different operations too. Not only round pen blanks. There are many chucks that can duplicate operations so it all depends on your knowledge of the tools.

 

[RockandCole]

Right now I just plan on turning pens, but I like the idea of being able to use my lathe for bowls eventually, after getting the hang of these smaller items. I guess my biggest issue now is that I'm not getting great results I want with my drill press and I don't have another hundred plus dollars to throw at this new hobby. If in a couple weeks I do have some money and haven't figured out the drill press situation, is the $89 2jaw chuck and the $29 1/2 drill Chuck from PSI going to be my best option for drilling pen blanks effectively? Working on their 10" variable speed lathe, which is #2mt I believe

 

[jttheclockman]

Right now I just plan on turning pens, but I like the idea of being able to use my lathe for bowls eventually, after getting the hang of these smaller items. I guess my biggest issue now is that I'm not getting great results I want with my drill press and I don't have another hundred plus dollars to throw at this new hobby. If in a couple weeks I do have some money and haven't figured out the drill press situation, is the $89 2jaw chuck and the $29 1/2 drill Chuck from PSI going to be my best option for drilling pen blanks effectively? Working on their 10" variable speed lathe, which is #2mt I believe

Cole many people are in the same position you are with money being tight and this hobby can get you in deep if you let it. But try to remember when you do buy tools try to buy the best you can, even if you have to save for it. In the long run it will pay off and the value will always be there when and if you need to sell. Buy cheap tools and the value drops tremendously. I would never ever buy a HF tool that is used. The value is just not there. But it maybe the only thing that one can afford at the time. Craigs list as a valuable source for good used tools if you know what you are looking for.

As Mentioned try to zero in on your drill press shortcomings and you will get it figured out. Slow the drill down to around 600 RPM when drill pen blanks. The vise or whatever it is that you are using to hold the blank needs to be solid and secure and it needs to hold the blank true 90 degrees all around the bit. Make sure you table is 90 degrees to the bit and not just level. Make sure there is no runout in the chuck and it is sitting securely in the drill. Make sure your drill bits are true and sharp. When drilling make sure you drill little at a time and clear the swarf from the hole and keep the bit cool. You can stop just short of exiting a blank when drilling and then cut the small remaining piece off if the kit allows this. If you need to drill all the way through then use a backer of some sort and make sure there is no gap between it and the blank and that it sits flat on it. The smaller the bit used the more flex a bit will have so be aware of this and follow above rules and you should be fine. But remember too a bit such as a brad point bit has a very good tendency to follow grain patterns and thus throwing them off line. Slow and easy and sharp tools are always a must in what we do. Good luck.

 

[Skie_M]

Right now I just plan on turning pens, but I like the idea of being able to use my lathe for bowls eventually, after getting the hang of these smaller items. I guess my biggest issue now is that I'm not getting great results I want with my drill press and I don't have another hundred plus dollars to throw at this new hobby. If in a couple weeks I do have some money and haven't figured out the drill press situation, is the $89 2jaw chuck and the $29 1/2 drill Chuck from PSI going to be my best option for drilling pen blanks effectively? Working on their 10" variable speed lathe, which is #2mt I believe

Actually, I suggest you skip the dedicated pen blank drilling chuck and get the $89 "Utility Grip Chuck" ... comes with 3 sets of jaws, an adapter, and a bonus set of wide jaws for gripping bowls and platters by the rim so that you can turn and finish the bottom of bowls and platters. Since you want to turn bowls, it's probably your best bet to get the chuck early and learn how you can best use it.

You can also get the pen blank drilling jaws to fit this chuck for another 22 dollars, but it's not really necessary, as this chuck can do the job as long as it's a square or round profile without a problem, and turning it round is simple. Also, as John has mentioned, just turning a tenon on it would be enough ... long enough that you can get a proper grip on the end and spin it on center.

I always round the entire blank, because I want to be able to cut to length and drill it immediately ... followed right away by gluing in the tubes. I typically turn a simple pen (no major embellishments) in roughly an hour.




Last, but not least ... you're still a beginner. I understand, after having worked with these kits and my lathe for a year now, that precision is not 100% required till you reach a certain point.

I can take a rough chopped block of wood ... not even square!
I can use my power drill (not even a drill press) and drill a hole in it ... by hand!
I can glue the proper size barrel tube into the hole ... don't need a tool to center it, hell I usually just press the barrel against the table (paper towel on table) to line it up on one end.
NONE of this needs to be perfectly accurate.

I can square the blank to the tube ... this needs to be done accurately.
I can clear the tube of any glue or brass shavings by reaming the ends of the tube. THIS MUST BE DONE PERFECTLY.
I can mount the tube or tubes on my lathe using several different methods ... TBC, TBC supported with a floating through mandrel, pen mandrels of various types, ect. These don't have to be perfect ... digital calipers are nice.
I can turn the blanks down to the bushings, if I'm even using bushings ... but this should be done fairly accurately. Stopping short and sanding the rest of the way is many times a very good idea.
I can then finish sand and seal/finish the barrels ... this is where you really NEED to be as accurate and as perfect as possible.

I can then double check the barrels to insure that they are perfectly clean, reaming them again just to make sure no glue is hiding in the ends of the barrels. I usually also clean them with a double or quarupled over pipe cleaner, and inspect visually for glue.

I then press them using one of several available methods ... as long as the tubes were properly cleaned and reamed, all I have to worry about is getting them pressed squarely and to their proper limits. This is generally the easiest part.

As you can see, there are parts that need accuracy, and parts that don't. This can change from pen to pen depending on the type and style of blank used. You may be using a segmented blank with a special design and you NEED to accurately drill it right down the very center of the design ... or you might just be drilling a common wood or acrylic blank and you just need a roughly centered hole.

 

[JimB]

To me, especially since you do not have the money, your best option is to figure out why the drip press isn't drilling straight. As mentioned there are YouTube videos to help you with this.

 

[RockandCole]

If and when I can wiggle in my budget a little, would these two things get the job done on my 10" variable speed turncrafter?

https://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-H760...r0&keywords=Grizzly+3"+4+Jaw+Chuck+1"+x+8+TPI

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BHJF4TY/ref=crt_ewc_img_dp_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[jleiwig]

If and when I can wiggle in my budget a little, would these two things get the job done on my 10" variable speed turncrafter?

https://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-H760...r0&keywords=Grizzly+3"+4+Jaw+Chuck+1"+x+8+TPI

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BHJF4TY/ref=crt_ewc_img_dp_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

The drill chuck is alright. That 4 jaw chuck is more of a toy than anything. It is only three inches in diameter. I personally don't think you will get satisfactory results with it.

I've had this chuck previously and while not as nice as others it works fine and does an acceptable job. You will need pin jaws with it though.

That is why I recommend the collet chuck from PSI. Plus with the collet chuck you can do bullet pens, hold a mandrel for closed end pens, etc...it's not just for holding blanks while drilling.

 

[Skie_M]

The design of that 4-jaw chuck is very similar to the 3-jaw chuck I mentioned that comes from Harbor Freight. The jaws are designed more around holding a round object ... not a lot of flat to put against the work face. That 4-jaw chuck uses a 1 inch by 9 tpi spindle thread, so you can use that on your lathe.

Having a 3 inch exterior, it gives you about 2 inches of available grip ... but it's made for a METALWORKING lathe. There is no gripping surface, it's made to mate up to a smooth cylinder for turning. Now, if you modify the jaws of that chuck to give it the ability to grab a dovetail, that may work for your needs.

I have the 3-jaw chuck from Harbor Freight, the jaws look exactly the same in working and function. This is why I make my blanks smooth cylinders.


They mention a pair of 4-inch "wrenches" for tightening and loosening the chuck ... this is a bit of a misnomer. Those are actually termed "tommy bars". They are round bars or bars that have a round profile on the ends that stick into the 2 working halves of the lathe chuck. You then use the bars for leverage to twist the faces in opposing directions to either tighten or loosen the chuck. They work pretty well for that, but this means 2-handed chuck operation, which means you'll want to hand-tighten the chuck with your work piece in it, or hold it in place with pressure from the tailstock as you tighten the chuck (good idea either way).


It looks to be a decent design, being near twice the capacity for holding round stock compared to my 3-jaw chuck (2.5" diameter, holds up to about 1.5" stock) ... the 4-jaw with 3 inch diameter ought to be able to hold up to near 2.5" stock.

The jaws on these style of chucks CAN BE REVERSABLE, so that you can now grip much LARGER pieces, from inside or outside, which is why the jaws are made more for gripping round objects with a small gripping surface. They can be used like collet chucks, grabbing a round object from outside, or like jamb chucks, grabbing an object from inside of a round hole.

These chucks are NOT MEANT for woodturning a bowl or other large object ... it's for gripping material meant for spindle turning, drilling operations, cutting to length, ect ... Their lateral grip strength is poor, meaning that they don't really grip the wood very well. You can PULL your stock right out of the grip of the chuck, just by working with your lathe chisels ... and then it can fly off right in your face.


If you want to turn bowls, I stand by my earlier statement ... GET A REAL CHUCK.

Someone mentioned that this is a "toy" ... it's not, it's meant for turning round stock on a metalworking lathe. As such, it's probably not what you really want to get. Save your money and get a real chuck, or if you just want the drilling capability, the small 3-jaw from HF is half the cost for the exact same capabilities, though it only comes in #1MT.

 

[Skie_M]

If and when I can wiggle in my budget a little, would these two things get the job done on my 10" variable speed turncrafter?

https://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-H760...r0&keywords=Grizzly+3"+4+Jaw+Chuck+1"+x+8+TPI

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BHJF4TY/ref=crt_ewc_img_dp_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

The drill chuck is alright. That 4 jaw chuck is more of a toy than anything. It is only three inches in diameter. I personally don't think you will get satisfactory results with it.

I've had this chuck previously and while not as nice as others it works fine and does an acceptable job. You will need pin jaws with it though.

That is why I recommend the collet chuck from PSI. Plus with the collet chuck you can do bullet pens, hold a mandrel for closed end pens, etc...it's not just for holding blanks while drilling.

That 4-jaw wood chuck from Grizzly looks decent, I do like the keyed chuck operation ... but compare it to this:
https://www.pennstateind.com/store/CUG3418CCX.html

All that comes together to give you 3 sets of jaws, a screw chuck, pin jaws, step jaws, round jaws, and the oversized jumbo bowl/plate edge gripping jaws ... of all of those, the round jaws comes with that Grizzly chuck, along with it's key, and you pay 34 dollars more for it before shipping either way.

Plus, with the "C" series jaws being swappable between the utility grip and the barracuda 2, that means that you can easily dedicate a chuck to a particular task in the future just by purchasing the chuck body rather than the full set.

 

[JimB]

If you want a chuck on a limited budget I suggest the PSI Barracuda II. It is currently on sale for $140, has multiple jaws, one hand operation and can turn pretty much anything you want including bowls. I have had this chuck for 7 years with flawless operation. i have used it to hold everything from pen blanks to 14" bowl blanks. There are better chucks but they are much more expensive. This is not an item they put on sale very often.

 

[Skie_M]

If you want a chuck on a limited budget I suggest the PSI Barracuda II. It is currently on sale for $140, has multiple jaws, one hand operation and can turn pretty much anything you want including bowls. I have had this chuck for 7 years with flawless operation. i have used it to hold everything from pen blanks to 14" bowl blanks. There are better chucks but they are much more expensive. This is not an item they put on sale very often.

Yup ... that there is a REAL CHUCK ... I like mine a lot, but it is a bit expensive ... that's why I said save up!

 

[RockandCole]

If you want a chuck on a limited budget I suggest the PSI Barracuda II. It is currently on sale for $140, has multiple jaws, one hand operation and can turn pretty much anything you want including bowls. I have had this chuck for 7 years with flawless operation. i have used it to hold everything from pen blanks to 14" bowl blanks. There are better chucks but they are much more expensive. This is not an item they put on sale very often.

Will I need to get an adaptor or round my blanks before using this to drill, or is it ready to go out of the box for all of these mentioned applications?

 

[Skie_M]

If you want a chuck on a limited budget I suggest the PSI Barracuda II. It is currently on sale for $140, has multiple jaws, one hand operation and can turn pretty much anything you want including bowls. I have had this chuck for 7 years with flawless operation. i have used it to hold everything from pen blanks to 14" bowl blanks. There are better chucks but they are much more expensive. This is not an item they put on sale very often.

Will I need to get an adaptor or round my blanks before using this to drill, or is it ready to go out of the box for all of these mentioned applications?

Comes with an adapter for a SMALLER lathe (like my mini lathe ... you won't need the adapter). Your lathe spindle is the proper size to take it already.

It comes with a similar selection of jaws as the Utility Grip Lathe Chuck I have been talking about, but doesn't come with the jumbo jaws (for holding a bowl or plate by the edges for finishing the bottom). Jumbo jaws separately aren't all that expensive ... like 15 bucks or something.

The Barracuda 2 is a "C" series jaw lathe, so you can hot swap jaws between the B2 and the Utility Grip and other "C" series lathe chucks, but unlike the Utility Grip, the B2 is KEY operated, for 1-handed opening/closing and tightening.

Utility Grip is $89 with jaws ...
Barracuda 2 is $139 with jaws ...

Grizzly 4-jaw wood chuck is $124 with only ONE set of jaws.

 

[JimB]

If you want a chuck on a limited budget I suggest the PSI Barracuda II. It is currently on sale for $140, has multiple jaws, one hand operation and can turn pretty much anything you want including bowls. I have had this chuck for 7 years with flawless operation. i have used it to hold everything from pen blanks to 14" bowl blanks. There are better chucks but they are much more expensive. This is not an item they put on sale very often.

Will I need to get an adaptor or round my blanks before using this to drill, or is it ready to go out of the box for all of these mentioned applications?

It is ready to go right out of the box. You will need to buy a Jacobs chuck for the tailstock to hold the drill bit. I have the one from Harbor Freight that I believe someone already mentioned. I bought that years ago as well and it has never failed me. I use it to drill small holes like you would for pen blanks and also larger holes using forstner bits up to 2". I believe the Jacobs is less than $20 and you can apply a 20% off coupon.

BTW, I still stand by my advice above, figure out what is wrong with your drill press. I drill 95% of my pen blanks on a basic Ryobi Benchtop drill press.

 

[RockandCole]

If you want a chuck on a limited budget I suggest the PSI Barracuda II. It is currently on sale for $140, has multiple jaws, one hand operation and can turn pretty much anything you want including bowls. I have had this chuck for 7 years with flawless operation. i have used it to hold everything from pen blanks to 14" bowl blanks. There are better chucks but they are much more expensive. This is not an item they put on sale very often.

Will I need to get an adaptor or round my blanks before using this to drill, or is it ready to go out of the box for all of these mentioned applications?

Comes with an adapter for a SMALLER lathe (like my mini lathe ... you won't need the adapter). Your lathe spindle is the proper size to take it already.

It comes with a similar selection of jaws as the Utility Grip Lathe Chuck I have been talking about, but doesn't come with the jumbo jaws (for holding a bowl or plate by the edges for finishing the bottom). Jumbo jaws separately aren't all that expensive ... like 15 bucks or something.

The Barracuda 2 is a "C" series jaw lathe, so you can hot swap jaws between the B2 and the Utility Grip and other "C" series lathe chucks, but unlike the Utility Grip, the B2 is KEY operated, for 1-handed opening/closing and tightening.

Utility Grip is $89 with jaws ...
Barracuda 2 is $139 with jaws ...

Grizzly 4-jaw wood chuck is $124 with only ONE set of jaws.

So it really seems the barracuda 2 is the way to go, especially since I can get a set of dedicated pen blank jaws for only $22 more. So, I'd be looking at around $175 shipped for a full setup. The collets that were mentioned obviously have some advantages, but without the ability to grab onto a bowl, they'd fall short for future purposes...

... Now I need someone to call my wife and kindly explain that if we eat only spaghetti for the next 2 weeks, I can drill perfect pen blanks, which is a completely worthwhile trade...

 

[RockandCole]

If you want a chuck on a limited budget I suggest the PSI Barracuda II. It is currently on sale for $140, has multiple jaws, one hand operation and can turn pretty much anything you want including bowls. I have had this chuck for 7 years with flawless operation. i have used it to hold everything from pen blanks to 14" bowl blanks. There are better chucks but they are much more expensive. This is not an item they put on sale very often.

Will I need to get an adaptor or round my blanks before using this to drill, or is it ready to go out of the box for all of these mentioned applications?

It is ready to go right out of the box. You will need to buy a Jacobs chuck for the tailstock to hold the drill bit. I have the one from Harbor Freight that I believe someone already mentioned. I bought that years ago as well and it has never failed me. I use it to drill small holes like you would for pen blanks and also larger holes using forstner bits up to 2". I believe the Jacobs is less than $20 and you can apply a 20% off coupon.

BTW, I still stand by my advice above, figure out what is wrong with your drill press. I drill 95% of my pen blanks on a basic Ryobi Benchtop drill press.

At least for the foreseeable future, my craftsman benchtop drill press is probably the only option. I will hopefully get a chance to tinker with it some today, I have some scrap aspen laying around I can test on it with.

 

[Skie_M]

I have the Harbor Freight 3-jaw mini metalworking lathe chuck, the PSI Utility Grip chuck and the Barracuda 2.

Between the three of these, I actually use the 3-jaw mini chuck the most.

I only just recently got the B2, but I'm happy with how it's working ... I have it set up with the medium #2 jaws, while the Utility Grip has some pin jaws on it ... so the mini gets small items, the utility grip takes medium items that are too large for the mini and too small to fit the #2 jaws on the B2 ... the B2 takes the largest items I have.


And now you see what I meant by "dedicated chuck" tasks ... if I ever need to install the jumbo grip jaws, I might just put them on the Utility Grip.

 

[Robert Taylor]

everyone wants you to get a chuck for your tailstock. no one has even suggested that you may already have it in your drill press. pull the spindle down on drill press and look for a slot that you can use a drift punch to remove the chuck. chances are pretty good that it will have a #2 morse taper. forget pen jaws. if you get just about chuck you can get pin jaws that will do the same thing and much more. before getting excited about drilling on the lathe check to see how much play the tailstock has in the bed or ways. my pennstate commander is all but worthless for drilling. on the other hand I can drill accurately on my Powermatic. just my $.02 Bob

 

[Skie_M]

everyone wants you to get a chuck for your tailstock. no one has even suggested that you may already have it in your drill press. pull the spindle down on drill press and look for a slot that you can use a drift punch to remove the chuck. chances are pretty good that it will have a #2 morse taper. forget pen jaws. if you get just about chuck you can get pin jaws that will do the same thing and much more. before getting excited about drilling on the lathe check to see how much play the tailstock has in the bed or ways. my pennstate commander is all but worthless for drilling. on the other hand I can drill accurately on my Powermatic. just my $.02 Bob

Those typically have a Jacobs taper ...

 

[Robert Taylor]

drilling straight

everyone wants you to get a chuck for your tailstock. no one has even suggested that you may already have it in your drill press. pull the spindle down on drill press and look for a slot that you can use a drift punch to remove the chuck. chances are pretty good that it will have a #2 morse taper. forget pen jaws. if you get just about chuck you can get pin jaws that will do the same thing and much more. before getting excited about drilling on the lathe check to see how much play the tailstock has in the bed or ways. my pennstate commander is all but worthless for drilling. on the other hand I can drill accurately on my Powermatic. just my $.02 Bob

Those typically have a Jacobs taper ...

Really? Have you ever removed a chuck from a drill press? I did NOT say removing the taper from the chuck.

 

[Skie_M]

Uhh ... nope, never pulled my chuck off my drill press ...

It's just that when I unpacked my Harbor Freight benchtop 5-speed Drill Press, it didn't have it's chuck attached ... came separate in the box!

There was no morse taper attachment, just the jacobs taper on the back of the chuck ... I followed the instructions to press the chuck into the drill press's taper, and never had an issue with it.


Now, have I ever had my #1MT adapter from one of my chucks come loose from the jacobs taper in the accessory? yup ... been there, seen that. I got pissed off and superglued them in.