jam chuck advice needed

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nwcatman

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Sep 30, 2007
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298
Location
south texas
have started to turn pepper mills again and want to use jam chucks instead of buying a large chuck to hold the piece, BUT......can't seem to get the dia. of the jam chuck to fit the 1 5/8 hole in the bottom super snug so that i can turn the body of the mill. any tricks to it? thanks
 
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There are a couple of things to do, I'm going to assume you have the chuck close but not tight enough to make the mill "stay" in place.

I use paper towels, I place the towel over the tenon then slip on the mill. I've used as much as three layers of towels. I tried toilet paper, tissues, paper towels like Bounty, but the ones I found that work best are the brown paper towels that come out of a wall mounted dispensers. You can buy them at a janitorial supply. Find what works best for you

I've seen, but not tried, people using chalk on the tenon.

Also, the tenon needs to be "square", if it's tapered, you'll never get it to work right.

Lastly, the tenon needs to be long enough, you'll need to experiment with the proper length.
 
I also use a hot-glue gun when I'm doing jam chucks. In a warm oven, I warm both the jam chuck (held on a face plate with screws) as well as the part to be jammed into it. This keeps the hot glue from solodifying too quickly. After removing the parts from the oven I put the faceplate back on the lathe quickly, squirt in some hot glue as quickly and as deeply as I can and then push the part into the jam chuck. The hot glue cools, solidifies and holds the part securely. Once it's turned sufficiently, you put the whole assembly back in the oven, the glue softens and you pull the parts apart.

Of course, you can use the hot-glue without the warming-in-the-oven part. I just do that because it works for me.

I've never had a problem with the hot glue discoloring the wood at all. It just rubs off when it's cool.
 
I use jam chucks to turn closed end pens and use a CA glue build up to oversize the tenion. then cut the tenon to correct round size with skew, scraper, or sandpaper.
Rich S.
 
Are you bound and determined to use a jam chuck? If not, here is an alternative using a standard mandrel:
20083204457_closed%20end.jpg

For certain size brass tubes concrete anchors work really well. Check out my articles on closed end pens at http://www.RedRiverPens.com/articles
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
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