Longworth Chuck

[W.Y.]

Have had very little computer time lately due to spending hospital time etc. with sick in-laws but managed to squeeze in a few hours today and yesterday to make a Longworth chuck for finishing off bowl bottoms.
Got the pattern for the cutout from Rick Hutcheson's site and enlarged it to 11.00 inches.
I can't believe how nicely it works. I am router challenged so I cut out the slots on my scroll saw. I expected I would get a fair amount of wobble when putting it on the lathe but it runs very true and accurate. I don't know if that was just good luck or good management because the lining up and centering of the parts is critical.

 

[JeffT]

Very cool... Looks like good craftsmanship!

 

[Jerryconn]

Good to see it done, I'm Getting ready to make one for myself.

 

[skiprat]

That looks very nicely made. I have two questions please...what are the white jaws made of?
I probably am wrong but I would have expected the spiral slots to be in the opposite direction. If you had a small catch, it looks ( to me) like the jaws may loosen if they weren't properly tightened, but if they were in a counterclockwise direction then they would tend to grip tighter?

 

[PenMan1]

William, your craftsmanship never ceases to amaze me! Well done, SIR!

 

[W.Y.]

That looks very nicely made. I have two questions please...what are the white jaws made of?
I probably am wrong but I would have expected the spiral slots to be in the opposite direction. If you had a small catch, it looks ( to me) like the jaws may loosen if they weren't properly tightened, but if they were in a counterclockwise direction then they would tend to grip tighter?

The jaws are rubber tips that go over chair legs . Put a dowl inside them and drilled a hole through the center.

As far as the wrong direction of the slots I don't know. Just made it the same way as I have seen dozens of other pictures and tutorial on it. Try googling Longworth chuck and if you see some that are opposite to mine please post a picture. Would be interesting to know.

 

[skiprat]

William, I don't mind being wrong ( I'm use to it :redface: )
I did a search for them and I found dozens with anything from 4 to 8 jaws and every single one had the slots going the same direction as yours. So I guess it must be correct.
LOL, maybe it's like American cars??:biggrin: The steering wheel is on the wrong side but there are so many made, it's too late to change them!!:biggrin:

 

[bitshird]

Nice chuck William, I've needed one for a couple of years, just not talented enough to make one, you did a fine job!!!

 

[TellicoTurning]

Hey William,
That's a fine looking Longworth... I made one a couple of years back, but mine doesn't look near as pretty as yours. I don't use it a lot though, I'm a little skittish after I lost a bowl out of it and got gobsmacked in the face.

 

[W.Y.]

Hey William,
That's a fine looking Longworth... I made one a couple of years back, but mine doesn't look near as pretty as yours. I don't use it a lot though, I'm a little skittish after I lost a bowl out of it and got gobsmacked in the face.

Hate to hear about anyone getting gobsmacked . I think that is the same as getting cabonkered :biggrin:

They are certainly not for heavy turning. Just light cuts with very sharp tools and for sanding. With the tailstock brought up to the bottom of the bowl for the main part of turning the bottom, they are quite safe for finishing off the finer cuts and sanding after moving the tailstock out of the way.

 

[W.Y.]

William, I don't mind being wrong ( I'm use to it :redface: )
I did a search for them and I found dozens with anything from 4 to 8 jaws and every single one had the slots going the same direction as yours. So I guess it must be correct.
LOL, maybe it's like American cars??:biggrin: The steering wheel is on the wrong side but there are so many made, it's too late to change them!!:biggrin:

Yep . . . they put the steering wheel on the wrong side on those dad burn American cars. UK manufacturers tried to tell them but they just wouldn't listen :biggrin:

 

[nava1uni]

I have one and the most important part is the speed. You shouldn't use high speed, no higher then 600 RPM. Your chuck is really nice.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Hey William,
That's a fine looking Longworth... I made one a couple of years back, but mine doesn't look near as pretty as yours. I don't use it a lot though, I'm a little skittish after I lost a bowl out of it and got gobsmacked in the face.

Hate to hear about anyone getting gobsmacked . I think that is the same as getting cabonkered :biggrin:

They are certainly not for heavy turning. Just light cuts with very sharp tools and for sanding. With the tailstock brought up to the bottom of the bowl for the main part of turning the bottom, they are quite safe for finishing off the finer cuts and sanding after moving the tailstock out of the way.

Mine was running at 450, and I had the tail stock up until I got down to the little nub in the center... I moved the TS back and clipped the nub then started sanding... I felt a bump about mid-radius of the bottom and took my face shield off so I could see better (my face shield was covered with CA, dust, naptha and just plain dirty)... I think I got a little over confident and when I touched the bottom with the scraper, it launched. The bowl was about 10" and I'm sure Mike Tyson couldn't have hit me any harder... it hit hard enough to turn my body... it hit just below the left eye on the cheek bone and not sure but what I may have chipped the bone...

I don't use it often, but when I do, it's with extreme caution and my face plate ON. :biggrin:

Again mine isn't as pretty as yours, but it's still functional and I'm glad I made it.

 

[W.Y.]

Hey William,
That's a fine looking Longworth... I made one a couple of years back, but mine doesn't look near as pretty as yours. I don't use it a lot though, I'm a little skittish after I lost a bowl out of it and got gobsmacked in the face.

Hate to hear about anyone getting gobsmacked . I think that is the same as getting cabonkered :biggrin:

They are certainly not for heavy turning. Just light cuts with very sharp tools and for sanding. With the tailstock brought up to the bottom of the bowl for the main part of turning the bottom, they are quite safe for finishing off the finer cuts and sanding after moving the tailstock out of the way.

Mine was running at 450, and I had the tail stock up until I got down to the little nub in the center... I moved the TS back and clipped the nub then started sanding... I felt a bump about mid-radius of the bottom and took my face shield off so I could see better (my face shield was covered with CA, dust, naptha and just plain dirty)... I think I got a little over confident and when I touched the bottom with the scraper, it launched. The bowl was about 10" and I'm sure Mike Tyson couldn't have hit me any harder... it hit hard enough to turn my body... it hit just below the left eye on the cheek bone and not sure but what I may have chipped the bone...

I don't use it often, but when I do, it's with extreme caution and my face plate ON. :biggrin:

Again mine isn't as pretty as yours, but it's still functional and I'm glad I made it.

Are the stoppers on yours tapered downward from top to bottom like I have them on mine ? If they are straight sided from top to bottom I would imagine a bowl could get out of there pretty easily . I had an aluminum set of Cole Jaws for a 4 jaw chuck at one time that had little straight sided stoppers and found them to be very dangerous compared to what I have now with this Longworth Chuck.
I find that if I leave the stoppers a little loose when adjusting the rings up to the bowl , the stoppers all lean out a little . Then I start snugging them up in a cris cross fashion just like when tightening bolts on a car wheel . They straighten up and close in nice and tight on the rim of the bowl , Then with them being tapered out from bottom to top it would be almost impossible for a bowl to get out of there except in a very severe catch and that should never happen when using light cuts with sharp tools the way those chucks are supposed to be used.

Would love to see a picture of yours . Both Sides . It's nice to see how other people make their jigs and such . No problem if it doesn't look as nice as mine. I have made some awfull ugly looking jigs over the years for various purposes that have worked very well . Beauty is only skin deep :biggrin:

 

[skiprat]

William, the mechanics of this has been bugging me all day and eventually the penny dropped:biggrin: Duh!!!!:redface:

While the spirals on the front face may appear to be facing the wrong way to aid it coming loose, the rear spirals would have the opposite effect and therefore cancel each other out. In fact both plates could have their spirals in the other direction and it would still work.

You also said beauty is only skin deep.....I don't agree:biggrin: I think that if someone takes the effort to make it 'look' good too, then it reflects his attention to the details that can't be seen. :wink:

 

[W.Y.]

William, the mechanics of this has been bugging me all day and eventually the penny dropped:biggrin: Duh!!!!:redface:

While the spirals on the front face may appear to be facing the wrong way to aid it coming loose, the rear spirals would have the opposite effect and therefore cancel each other out. In fact both plates could have their spirals in the other direction and it would still work.

You also said beauty is only skin deep.....I don't agree:biggrin: I think that if someone takes the effort to make it 'look' good too, then it reflects his attention to the details that can't be seen. :wink:

Good points suggested there :wink:

Thanks to all who responded to this thread.

 

[KenV]

Nice bowl from a board you have mounted too!!!!

 

[TellicoTurning]

Hey William,
That's a fine looking Longworth... I made one a couple of years back, but mine doesn't look near as pretty as yours. I don't use it a lot though, I'm a little skittish after I lost a bowl out of it and got gobsmacked in the face.

Hate to hear about anyone getting gobsmacked . I think that is the same as getting cabonkered :biggrin:

They are certainly not for heavy turning. Just light cuts with very sharp tools and for sanding. With the tailstock brought up to the bottom of the bowl for the main part of turning the bottom, they are quite safe for finishing off the finer cuts and sanding after moving the tailstock out of the way.

Mine was running at 450, and I had the tail stock up until I got down to the little nub in the center... I moved the TS back and clipped the nub then started sanding... I felt a bump about mid-radius of the bottom and took my face shield off so I could see better (my face shield was covered with CA, dust, naptha and just plain dirty)... I think I got a little over confident and when I touched the bottom with the scraper, it launched. The bowl was about 10" and I'm sure Mike Tyson couldn't have hit me any harder... it hit hard enough to turn my body... it hit just below the left eye on the cheek bone and not sure but what I may have chipped the bone...

I don't use it often, but when I do, it's with extreme caution and my face plate ON. :biggrin:

Again mine isn't as pretty as yours, but it's still functional and I'm glad I made it.

Are the stoppers on yours tapered downward from top to bottom like I have them on mine ? If they are straight sided from top to bottom I would imagine a bowl could get out of there pretty easily . I had an aluminum set of Cole Jaws for a 4 jaw chuck at one time that had little straight sided stoppers and found them to be very dangerous compared to what I have now with this Longworth Chuck.
I find that if I leave the stoppers a little loose when adjusting the rings up to the bowl , the stoppers all lean out a little . Then I start snugging them up in a cris cross fashion just like when tightening bolts on a car wheel . They straighten up and close in nice and tight on the rim of the bowl , Then with them being tapered out from bottom to top it would be almost impossible for a bowl to get out of there except in a very severe catch and that should never happen when using light cuts with sharp tools the way those chucks are supposed to be used.

Would love to see a picture of yours . Both Sides . It's nice to see how other people make their jigs and such . No problem if it doesn't look as nice as mine. I have made some awfull ugly looking jigs over the years for various purposes that have worked very well . Beauty is only skin deep :biggrin:

Yes, I used the same chair tips you described, with the dowel and a bolt through... I suspect I may not have had the bolts as tight as they should have been.
I'll have to get a picture for you ... don't think I ever took a photo of it.

 

[gketell]

That's a great looking chuck. I gotta make one of those someday!