[Goodlett]

Seems like I am always chucking stuff by the threads so I decided to look at getting a six jaw chuck to hopefully cause less damage to threads. I ordered a cheap Chinese Sanou six jaw 6 inch chuck off Ebay. It arrived in 4 or 5 days and fit my machine without any modification to anything. The chuck was full of grinding dust and grit so I cleaned it thoroughly.

Shockingly, the thing seems to hold a thou and a half of run out through its' range. Maybe I got lucky.

[RussellCofID]

Seems like I am always chucking stuff by the threads so I decided to look at getting a six jaw chuck to hopefully cause less damage to threads. I ordered a cheap Chinese Sanou six jaw 6 inch chuck off Ebay. It arrived in 4 or 5 days and fit my machine without any modification to anything. The chuck was full of grinding dust and grit so I cleaned it thoroughly.

Shockingly, the thing seems to hold a thou and a half of run out through its' range. Maybe I got lucky.

Great to hear a good review, you hear so many bad ones you'd think SOMEONE would start making good ones. Keep us posted on projects and uses for the 6-jaw.

[Norton_BMW]

I bought an American Made Kalamazoo Chuck
It has microset capability to true it in. They also made an adapter to the 2015 Millturn head stock.
The final runout was too small to measure less than 0.002 mm

[Goodlett]

I didn't know a set-through type chuck was even an option for this machine.

[Norton_BMW]

When I was setting up my machine in the fall of 2015, I had a number of challenges, I eventually checked all the tolerances of the machine against the guaranteed accuracy that was listed on the shopmaster website at the time shee.jpg attached below.

Besides the problems with the Tail-stock and the main carriage, i noted that the headstock was outside specs.
a. Using the longitudinal carriage after removing the mill table I was able to confirm that some of the critical measurements were over double the factory manufacturing tolerances.
i. G2.a Spindle float was less than 0.00005”
ii. G2.b radial centering was 0.00165"
iii. G4.a was 0.0022" at the spindle end
iv. G4.b was 0.0036" 6” from the spindle end

Note that in separate specs it quoited SPINDLE ACCURACY T.I.R. 0.00076?

I traced part of the problem to the actual chuck and the spindle. I looked at Bison, Buck and Kalamazoo chucks and settled on the Kalamazoo 6 jaw. model 3665 with guaranteed TIR of 0.0005" again because i wanted to minimize damage to threaded ends.

Micro Set Manual Chucks - Solid Jaws from Kalamazoo Chuck Manufacturing 1-888-727-4703

I sent Kalamazoo my spindle and they machined an adapter to fit their 6 jaw chuck.

I trued up the spindle and bolted on the new chuck and tested and the TIR was less than 0.002mm or 0.0000787".

[2048tm]

It was never made clear to me that this machine could accommodate a set-through style chuck.

basketball stars

[SamuelSwanson]

Great to hear a good review, you hear so many bad ones you'd think SOMEONE would start making good ones. Keep us posted on projects and uses for the 6-jaw.

It sounds like you had a surprisingly positive experience with the Sanou six-jaw chuck! It's great to hear that it fit your machine without any issues and that it holds such minimal runout after cleaning it thoroughly.
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Six-jaw chucks are indeed better for gripping parts like threaded items because the jaws distribute the clamping force more evenly, reducing the risk of damaging threads compared to a standard three- or four-jaw chuck. The fact that yours only has a thou and a half of runout across its range is impressive, especially for a budget chuck.

Here are a few tips to maintain that performance:

Regular Cleaning: Make sure to clean the chuck regularly, especially after working with materials that produce fine dust or chips. This will prevent buildup that can lead to increased runout or sticking jaws.

Lubrication: After cleaning, lightly lubricate the jaws and moving parts to ensure smooth operation and consistent clamping force.

Check Runout Regularly: It's always a good idea to check for runout periodically, especially if you notice any changes in the quality of your work. This will help you catch any wear or alignment issues early.

Part Orientation: When chucking threaded items, try to minimize over-tightening and ensure the part is seated properly in the jaws. This helps prevent thread damage and keeps everything aligned.

It seems like you may have indeed gotten lucky with this chuck! Keep up the maintenance and it should serve you well for a long time.