CHUCKS

A chuck is a specialized type of clamp used to hold an object,[1] usually an object with radial symmetry, especially a cylindrical object. It is most commonly used to hold a rotating tool (such as the drill bit in apower tool) or a rotating workpiece (such as the baror blank in the headstock spindle of a lathe). Some chucks can also hold irregularly shaped objects (ones that lack radial symmetry). In some applications, the tool or workpiece being held by the chuck remains stationary while another tool or workpiece rotates (for example, a drill bit in the tailstock spindle of a lathe, or a round workpiece being milled by a milling cutter). Many chucks have jaws, which are dogs that are arranged in a radially symmetrical pattern (like the points of a star) to hold the tool or workpiece. Often the jaws will be tightened or loosened with the help of a chuck key, which is a wrench-like tool made for the purpose. Many jawed chucks, however, are of the keyless variety, and their tightening and loosening is by hand force alone. Keyless designs offer the convenience of quicker and easier chucking and unchuckingat the expense of higher gripping force to hold the tool or workpiece. Collet chucks, rather than having jaws, have collets, which are flexible collars or sleeves that fit closely around the tool or workpiece and grip it when squeezed. A few chuck designs are more complex yet, and they involve specially shaped jaws, higher numbers of jaws, quick-release mechanisms, or other special features. Some chucks, such as magnetic chucks and vacuum chucks, are of a different sort from the radially symmetrical mechanical clamps mentioned above. Instead, they may be surfaces (typically flat) against which workpieces or tools are firmly held by magnetic or vacuum force. To chuck a tool or workpiece is to hold it with a chuck, in which case it has been chucked.Machining work whose workholding involves a chuck is often called chucking work. Automatic lathes that specialize in chucking work are often called chuckers Self-centering A self-centering chuck, also known as a scroll chuck,[2] uses dogs (usually called jaws), interconnected via a scroll gear (scroll plate), to hold onto a tool or workpiece. Because they most often have three jaws, the term three-jaw chuckwithout other qualification is understood by machinists to mean a self-centering threejaw chuck. The term universal chuck also refers to this type. These chucks are best suited to grip circular or hexagonal cross-sections when very fast, reasonably accurate (0.005 in TIR) centering is desired. Sometimes this type of chuck has four or six jaws instead of three. More jaws confer more secure grip (if the work is truly cylindrical) and thin-walled work will deform less. Four jaws are also useful for square bar work. Independent-jaw (non-self-centering) chucks with three jaws also can be obtained. There are hybrid self-centering chucks that have adjustment screws that can be used to further improve the concentricity after the workpiece has been gripped by the scroll jaws. This feature is meant to combine the speed and ease of the scroll plate's self-centering with the runout-eliminating controllability of an independent-jaw chuck. The most commonly used name for this type is a brand name, Set-Tru. To avoid undue genericization of that brand name, suggestions for a generic name have included "exact-adjust".[3] Three-jaw chucks can often be found on lathes and indexing heads.

Self-centering three-jaw chuck and key with one jaw removed and inverted showing the teeth that engage in the scroll plate. The scroll plate is rotated within the chuck body by the key, the scroll engages the teeth on the underside of the jaws which moves the three jaws in unison, to tighten or release the workpiec Independent-jaw Independent four-jaw chuck, also known as a universal chuck, with the jaws independently set. The key is used to adjust each jaw separately. An older and larger 4 jaw chuck. Note how it is able to grip an irregularly cut piece of used metal. Though not found on small chucks it is common for larger chucks (the one in the second photo was made around 1900 and is 24" in diameter) to have many of the features of afaceplate. The jaws are stepped on one side and full height for gripping on the other and are reversible. Generally the jaws are usable for holding either outside as shown here, or inside as in gripping the inside of a pipe.

On an independent-jaw chuck, each jaw can be moved independently. Because they most often have four jaws, the term four-jaw chuck without other qualification is understood by machinists to mean a chuck with four independent jaws. The independence of the jaws makes these chucks ideal for (a) gripping non-circular cross sections and (b) gripping circular cross sections with extreme precision (when the last few hundredths of a millimeter [or thousandths of an inch] of runout must be manually eliminated). The non-self-centering action of the independent jaws makes centering highly controllable (for an experienced user), but at the expense of speed and ease. Four-jaw chucks are almost never used for tool holding. Four-jaw chucks can be found on lathes and indexing heads. Self-centering chucks with four jaws also can be obtained. Although these are often said to suffer from two disadvantages: inability to hold hex stock, and poor gripping on stock which is oval, only the latter is true. Even with three jaw self centering chucks, work which is not of uniform section along the work (and which is not free of spiral or 'wind')should not be gripped, as the jaws can be strained and the accuracy permanently impaired. Four-jaw chucks can easily hold a workpiece eccentrically if eccentric features need to be machined. One may dispute if there really are advantages of using a three jaw chuck over a four jaw chuck. It may be that there are better times to use each type of chuck. As is discussed in other topics, four jaw chucks are used when the work requires it. The same thought should apply when discussing three jaw chucks. When the work requires that the part be loaded and unloaded with minimal amount of time and effort, then a three jaw chuck is a good choice. Three jaw chucks are also a good choice if there is a large quantity of parts to machine, and the operations being performed do not require a high degree of precision or concentricity . Since the jaws on a three-jaw chuck all move in unison, centering a cylindrical part is not a concern. The part will run concentric with the chuck, providing that there are no foreign particles between the jaws and the part, or that the chuck is installed on the spindle properly and the chuck has not worn irregularly. The jaw faces can also be reversed to accommodate larger diameters. You will notice in the video that the mechanism that moves/guides the jaws is not removed or reversed. The jaw faces are simply reversed and keyed back into place atop the jaw guide There are certain disadvantages to using a three jaw chuck. Three jaw chucks get used a great deal resulting in a lot of wear and tear on the chuck. Because of the wear and tear, there should be an appropriate amount of maintenance performed. Three jaw chucks are considered or assumed to run perfectly concentric, but often that is not the case. Chips get inside the faceplate of the chuck and into the scroll, where the jaws are connected to the chuck. These chips often cause the scroll and the teeth of the jaw bottoms to bind, and eventually these parts will wear away and become less than perfect. As a result, the chuck does not grip the part perfectly even and run out can occur. Three jaw chucks are limited in the size of parts that they can hold, and generally are not considered the best choice if heavy duty machining is being performed. A drill chuck is a specialised self-centering, three-jaw chuck, usually with capacity of less than 0.5 in (13 mm) and rarely greater than 1 in (25 mm), used to hold drill bits or other rotary tools. This is the type of chuck that a machining layperson is most likely to be familiar with.

Some high precision chucks use ball thrust bearings to reduce friction in the closing mechanism and maximizing drilling torque. One brand name for this type of chuck, which is often genericized in colloquial use although not in catalogs, is Super Chuck. A pin chuck is a specialized chuck designed to hold small drills (less than 1 mm (0.039 in) in diameter) that could not be held securely in a normal drill chuck. The drill is inserted into the pin chuck and tightened, the pin chuck is then inserted into the larger drill chuck so that the operation can continue. Pin chucks are also found on high speed rotary tools, such as die grinders and jig grinders

Top: an assembled keyless chuck. The tightening action of this chuck style is performed by twisting the body using firm hand pressure only. While convenient, this feature can cause the chuck to loosen if too much torque is applied. Bottom: the traditional keyed style of drill chuck with its key. The arbor is shown separately to the right. These chucks require a key to provide the necessary torque to tighten and loosen the jaws. The rotary action of the key turns the outer body which acts on an internal screw; this in turn moves the threaded jaws in or out along a tapered surface. The taper allows the jaws to encompass various sizes of drill shanks. The end view shows the three small jaws that slide within the body.