Dirty Hands Clean Money

Okay... the short version

---------------------- Nice 6-jaw without visible runout, what kind?

Mine is a Sanou CME, which required a fair amount of touch-up and may never be "done" as I use a Set-Tru 3-jaw for accuracy. My budget 6-jaws are good enough for jobs like that which don't need high precision, i.e. most of what I do for myself.

It is a Shars "Set-Tru" style. I like it better than the Bison 4 jaw. It does have some run-out depending on the size of the stock. Its only near zero at whatever stock size you dialed it in at. I think I last zeroed at with a 3/4 gage pin. Gets me within "about 3-4 tenths (0.0003-0.0004) when its running the size stock its zeroed to. The spindle nose only seems to be ground to about .0003 so that's not horrible.

It wasn't crazy expensive, but it wasn't cheap import cheap either. I think it was around $800-900 (+/-) with the D1-5 back plate.

I'd probably change chucks more often if they weren't so heavy and awkward. I have an electric chair lift I have been thinking about converting into a bench crane for that. I don't think I have a 12V power supply on the shelf big enough for it though.

It is a Shars "Set-Tru" style. I like it better than the Bison 4 jaw. It does have some run-out depending on the size of the stock. Its only near zero at whatever stock size you dialed it in at. I think I last zeroed at with a 3/4 gage pin. Gets me within "about 3-4 tenths (0.0003-0.0004) when its running the size stock its zeroed to. The spindle nose only seems to be ground to about .0003 so that's not horrible.

It wasn't crazy expensive, but it wasn't cheap import cheap either. I think it was around $800-900 (+/-) with the D1-5 back plate.

I'd probably change chucks more often if they weren't so heavy and awkward. I have an electric chair lift I have been thinking about converting into a bench crane for that. I don't think I have a 12V power supply on the shelf big enough for it though. Bob La Londe

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A 12VDC supply that can be set to 13.6V and won't fry if connected to a discharged battery could float charge an AGM that can deliver enough current to operate the hoist.

The power bricks that came with my 12DC refrigerators were set too high for a battery and overheated when connected to a discharged one so I added these to limit the output voltage and current. :

I made a wood block to hold my heaviest chuck slightly below spindle height to install or remove it. Rectangular strips of wood below and above can align it without the trouble of copying the ways and chuck.

I haven't seen this particular chair lift operate, but those I have seen seem to have fine resolution and smooth motion. They aren't like a commercial/industrial electric winch.

I've got a wide array of lifting things including several cable pullers, chain fall, etc. I think the chair lift would bolt directly to the top of the tool cart (the new one) I keep next to the lathe. I might need to put a load spreader of some kind inside. The odds of the cart EVER being empty again and the leverage of a chuck causing it to topple are pretty slim.

The big plus is it would free up the space in my garage where the chair lift has sat ever since it was given to me without taking up much other useful space. Hmmm... I might have to check over head clearance. There is a shelf above the lathe.

I'm terrible with batteries. I have a hard time keeping good batteries in my cars and boats. In fact two of the batteries out of one of my boats are setting on the floor from where I unloaded them weeks ago after using them to run a winch out in the field. I'd be quite happy to have a cord between the chair lift and the wall.

Yeah, I know. Someday I may need that chair lift for a chair, but I hope that's going to be a while.

I be fair, most of the time I need to move something that's less than

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I was recently convinced to try Hammerlocks to make a 3-way chain sling that wasn't working out with shackles, and they are the right solution. The pin can be pressed in with a C clamp while the assembly is in its place on the equipment. The 5/16" size I bought is rated for 5700 Lbs.