SHERLINE LATHE HELP NEEDED!

[Ben]

Just wondering if any of the guys out there, that own a Sherline lathe know if there are jaws available for the three jaw Chuck that will reach up and over. I want to Chuck up some aluminum wheels that have very fragile lips on each side so I want to reach over the lip and have the jaws touch the center of the wheel.

Very similar to the picture I am including but they don't need to protrude so far out. The jaw contact surface, where it will touch the wheel only needs to be 1/8"-3/16" deep.

[LDO]

I've never seen anything like that for sale. You might be able to make your own substitute, though. Make a ring with the right ID, then split it into three pieces. Put it around your wheel and put the chuck jaws around your ring. A two-piece ring in a four-jaw chuck might work better.

[Muncie]

I like LDO's idea - A turned ring would be a precise fixture.

I'm a litle lazier and cruder. I've bent a ring out of .030 brass stock so I can slide it over the part to clear the lip on rim. Simply bent around anthing round about the right size. It just has to be close to round and fit under the jaws of the chuck. Even cruder, I've just used pieces of thicker brass stock under each of the three jaws. The brass protects the aluminum of the part.

[Ben]

Sherline has two piece jaws that use the same master jaw but for the top part of the jaws, you can choose soft steel, aluminum, brass, Delrin or nylon. I guess I'm going to have to buy a set of these and mill the shape I want the top part of the jaws, the shape I want them to be. I think one set of master jaws and one set of brass top jaws is about 100.00

[JohnU]

We use lathe soft jaws all the time were I work. We make our own. With some careful measuring of existing set for the mounting holes and alignment slots you could probably do the same thing and save a few bucks in the process. A hundred bucks seems kinda steep! Just a suggestion.