Is the chuck on the HF 9x20 upgradeable?

[seanreit]

Either in size or quality or I would assume both if there is??

Thanks,

[silverfox]

There is a little shop in Pasadena California that sells everything for the little lathes
their address is http://littlemachineshop.com/
They gave me great service and very low prices - had a small problem with one of my orders (i ordered the wrong thing) i called and explained - they replaced it with the right part - no problem

[redgreener]

Bison makes a nice chuck that is a great addition to these machines, it is a standard plain back chuck. Check out Steve Bedair's 9x20 site, he shows how he added a 5 inch chuck to his 9x. Unfortunately, Bison chucks have gotten considerably more expensive the past few years as the dollar has collapsed. You might be able to find a bargain on ebay, if you are patient.
Chris

[seanreit]

I'm sorry to ask dumb questions, but as shown in another thread, I have CNC'd my lathe, and I'm unfamiliar with what makes the chuck compatable from one lathe to another. In other words, what would you search for on Ebay or little machineshop and know you are getting something that is compatable?

Thanks

[redgreener]

The 9x machine uses a 39x4 backing plate, which LMS PN 1921 or 1922 depending on what size you want. You can use this back plate with virtually any plain back chuck. All you have to do is to machine it to fit the plain back of the chuck that you get, which is a simple job. For the 9x machine a 5 inch 3-jaw chuck is really the largest practical maximum, although for certain uses a 6-incher can be used.
Chris

[silverfox]

I don't know how anybody else might go about it but for myself - i went to the little machine shop's website and found my lathe - they offer adapters to fit most all the small lathes - then i found a chuck that i liked (in my case a 6 inch 4 jaw) - worked great

I don't have anything to do with the little machine shop - they are just the place i go to when i need parts - and i am very happy with their service and prices - so i recommend them - check them out you might be supprised

[diecutter]

I bought a Bison 5 1/2" 4 jaw precision chuck and a backing plate for my 9x20 through MSC. They listed regular grade and a higher precision grade which is what I bought. That was 15 years ago, and it still works fine. I do semi- disassemble it twice a year to clean and lube the internals which reduces wear.

[acondit]

I fitted a new 5" chuck from LMS using their 6" backing plate (1922 I think). If you go to my website, click on sitemap and then on fitting a new chuck you can see the basic steps.

Alan

[redgreener]

Nice job Alan! That just about covers it, and shows how not only to fit a plain back chuck to the backing plate, but also how to first fit the backing plate to the lathe. The order here is critical, and insures concentricity on the machine that the chuck and back plate will be used on.
Chris