Thread: Nova chuck locking grubscrews - alternatives?

Originally Posted by Warb

My Nova lathe came with M6 x 6mm steel grubscrews with fibre washers to lock the chuck to the lathe, and the same system is used to lock the chuck to the adapter insert. Every time I remove the chuck from the lathe, the fibre pad stays on the lathe
snip

The other option is to simply punch out a large number of pads from some suitable material, and regard them as a single use item...

perhaps adopt the "other option" tread the lost fibre washers as "losable" and keep a bunch of spares in a suitable container

Copper is good material for this purpose. 3/4" Copper water pipe can be easily cut a flattened and punched. Heating with a LPG torch will anneal it and make it even easier.

I'm a bit confused about what you mean. I can't see how inserts for the grub-screws would allow you to do away with the washer.

I was going to suggest buying a bag of small split-shot sinkers. Every time I remove/replace my chuck, I drop one down each hole before tightening up the grubs screws. To my mind they give a tighter grip w/out damaging or marking the headstock spindle and I'm not too concerned about losing the odd shot or two.

But I gather that's not the sort of suggestion you're after?


I'm not too sure I'd use BobL's method. Unless you have equipment that can press/roll the copper so it's of very even thickness. It is what the chuck registers against, after all, and any discrepancy will make the chuck run off true.

I've used copper plugs on my 3 WW lathe chucks and on my MW chucks for about 10 years. With the WW chucks I lost the fibre plugs after a couple removals but the copper ones have never fallen out - they seem to mould themselves to both the grub screw and spindle threads.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

I'm a bit confused about what you mean. I can't see how inserts for the grub-screws would allow you to do away with the washer.

I was going to suggest buying a bag of small split-shot sinkers. Every time I remove/replace my chuck, I drop one down each hole before tightening up the grubs screws. To my mind they give a tighter grip w/out damaging or marking the headstock spindle and I'm not too concerned about losing the odd shot or two.

But I gather that's not the sort of suggestion you're after?


I'm not too sure I'd use BobL's method. Unless you have equipment that can press/roll the copper so it's of very even thickness. It is what the chuck registers against, after all, and any discrepancy will make the chuck run off true.

The fibre washers do exactly what your lead sinkers do, and Bob's using copper discs to do the same thing. Both are great suggestions. My preference was for a grubscrew with a nylon insert because I've used them in other sizes and they remove any requirement to remember to insert anything (or catch it when it falls out), but these options are definitely worth trying. The lead shot is particularly good, because it requires no preparation.

Thanks to both of you!