Well, my Hobbymat MD65 mini-lathe is doing sterling service now it's been
treated to a decent "CLA" (clean, lubricate and adjust) session. The
tailstock jams if you accidentally pull it in past zero and there's a bit
of backlash on the horizontal leadscrew, but that's about it. Certainly
nothing that would prevent it from being used.
Problem is, now I find myself in a predicament: I don't have the external
jaws for the Polish-made three-jaw Hobbymat chuck... and I need to turn a
1-5/8in. diameter aluminium rod down to a more reasonable size and put a
few centred holes in it. Naturally this thing is just slightly too large
for the internal jaws...
The externals aren't available as a spare part, so I'm looking to get a
second chuck (possibly two, a 3jaw self-centering and a 4-jaw independent
plus a dial indicator). You can probably predict my question, but I'll
ask it anyway... :)
Can anyone suggest a decent quality chuck for my MD65?
The standard chuck is an 80mm diameter thing with three M6 bolts
protruding from the rear face (at 120-degree angles from each other) for
fixing. These bolts are pushed through the faceplate and secured with
nuts on the rear. I'd prefer this type of fixing if at all possible;
installing bolts from the back of the faceplate would be tricky at best
(and possibly involve at least partly disassembling the spindle section,
which is Not Fun At All).
As I recall, the faceplate has six holes drilled into it at various
spacings. There's a photo here:
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I have no idea if it'll take the four-screw fittings the four-jaw chucks
seem to use, but it'll certainly take a chuck with the three-screw mount.
I've also read that it's possible to install a 100mm chuck using an
adapter backplate, so that's another possibility (if I can find a
suitable backplate).
I've been looking at three chucks --
Chronos - "Imported" chucks and "Soba" branded
RDG - HBM? (Indian made apparently, and AIUI not very good quality)
Does anyone have any experiences with these? Are they up to much, or
should I be looking elsewhere?
I'm also after a suitable machine vice for the milling bracket -- the
manual specifies "50mm opening" but says nothing about the mounting
requirements. So if anyone can suggest a reasonably good quality machine
vice suitable for an MD65, I'd appreciate it if you could share the
details with me :)
Lastly, I'd appreciate it if someone could suggest some decent turning
tools. I've used the Soba ones from Chronos (the ones which come in the
blue plastic box) but haven't had much luck with them.
Thanks,