Newbie so excuse me if any questions I have are simple!

Hi everybody

I have joined this forum on the advice from arceurotrade who are a very helpful bunch of guys.

Just a little about me. Retired when I was 60 (2016). Hobbies are motorcycling and motorcycle restoration of 70's/80's/90's bikes, kit model aircraft building (WW1) and generally anything that keeps my mind active!

I own a standard HOBBYMAT MD 65 lathe and it is this that I wish to ask about. It's fitted with the standard 80 mm three jaw chuck which has been fine for making small and hard to find motorcycle parts as I've only needed to use round bar or tubing. However, I need to fit a four jaw chuck to take square section material. There are plenty of four jaw chucks available but, according to arceurotrade, they will not fit on to the chuck flange of the Hobbymat lathe.

Has anyone been able to sort the problem of changing from three jaw to four for this lathe and, if so, how?

Thanks for reading my ramble and I hope someone can help!

Ta, Andrew.

If you have a look part way down this page it shows what is involved in making a backplate that will fit the Hobbymat's spindle flange and then has the other side machined to suit an aftermarket chuck such as those that ARC sell.

It shows a backplate casting being used but they are not so commonly used these days, a slice of suitable diameter Cast iron or steel bar would do just as well. Someone like M-Machine will cut to length.

Welcome to forum Andrew

H

Hi Andrew welcome to the forum. There are some smaller 4 jaw chucks at Rotagrip shop but yiu may hsve to make an adaptor plate to change from 3 hole to 4 hole mounting.

http://www.rotagriponline.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=11388&category_id=239&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=29

David

Welcome.

Although not a Hobbymat user, the advice to fit and machine a backplate to suit a 4 jaw chuck is sound.

With a little care it can be done.

I think that backplates for Unimats are available , (Arc Euro offer 14 x 1 ones ). For a machine with the older 12 x1 thread, it will be necessary to bore out the 14 x 1, oversize, before making and fitting a 12 x 1 bush ("Heat and Freeze" technique ).

The backplate can then be fitted to the lathe to be faced and a register turned to suit the new 4 jaw.

(I have just machined and fitted a backplate, in this way, so that a very old lathe, (Possibly 1920s / 30s,with a 3/4 BSW thread ) can use a currently available 4 jaw chuck, for someone else ).

Howard