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Hi all,
Been a while since I've posted here, or done any real woodworking or woodturning - until recently, when I started turning this little batch of mug/stein lids.
About 3 years back, I bought my 4th PSI chuck - I owned 2 of the "economy" chucks, and a mini, and liked them well enough to add a Barracuda2 to the collection, mainly for the single chuck key which would be useful for one-handed tightening when bowl-turning. I tried the chuck out once after it arrived, before the pandemic, after which I got swamped with work at the day job and have had no time to spend in the shop.
A friend recently asked me to make mug/stein lids (to be laser engraved for our soccer club, FCB Anaheim) - and I decided to use the Barracuda2 chuck with some large jaws to get an external grip on the ~3.75in OD of the white-oak blanks I'd cut. On the first one - I'd managed to round half the exterior of the blank, and at about 2500 rpm was starting to cut the tenon (which would fit into the top of the mug) - when BANG! and I'm left staring at a chuck with no blank - and no jaws!
The picture below with my finger under my faceshield points out the gouge in the polycarbonate made by a chuck jaw, without which may have take my eye, broken facial bones, required stitches, etc. I found all the pieces scattered about the shop - one hit and broke the dust hood on my smaller lathe just behind the one I was working at. I remounted the jaws on my dependable economy chuck and finished the project. But it appears the culprit was poor manufacturing quality control. You'll see in the other pictures (1) no scroll ring is visible when looking down into the channel where the jaws mount; (2) where the very large C-clip that holds the scroll ring into the chuck body is not seated where it should be - and I believe never was. I'd been lucky not to have this happen when I first tried it out. If you own this chuck, please check to ensure the C-clip is properly seated before you use it again. And PLEASE make sure you always use an impact-rated face shield when turning.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Been a while since I've posted here, or done any real woodworking or woodturning - until recently, when I started turning this little batch of mug/stein lids.
About 3 years back, I bought my 4th PSI chuck - I owned 2 of the "economy" chucks, and a mini, and liked them well enough to add a Barracuda2 to the collection, mainly for the single chuck key which would be useful for one-handed tightening when bowl-turning. I tried the chuck out once after it arrived, before the pandemic, after which I got swamped with work at the day job and have had no time to spend in the shop.
A friend recently asked me to make mug/stein lids (to be laser engraved for our soccer club, FCB Anaheim) - and I decided to use the Barracuda2 chuck with some large jaws to get an external grip on the ~3.75in OD of the white-oak blanks I'd cut. On the first one - I'd managed to round half the exterior of the blank, and at about 2500 rpm was starting to cut the tenon (which would fit into the top of the mug) - when BANG! and I'm left staring at a chuck with no blank - and no jaws!
The picture below with my finger under my faceshield points out the gouge in the polycarbonate made by a chuck jaw, without which may have take my eye, broken facial bones, required stitches, etc. I found all the pieces scattered about the shop - one hit and broke the dust hood on my smaller lathe just behind the one I was working at. I remounted the jaws on my dependable economy chuck and finished the project. But it appears the culprit was poor manufacturing quality control. You'll see in the other pictures (1) no scroll ring is visible when looking down into the channel where the jaws mount; (2) where the very large C-clip that holds the scroll ring into the chuck body is not seated where it should be - and I believe never was. I'd been lucky not to have this happen when I first tried it out. If you own this chuck, please check to ensure the C-clip is properly seated before you use it again. And PLEASE make sure you always use an impact-rated face shield when turning.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
.
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