Centre Lathe Accessories - Three jaw chuck
 
Three-jaw universal chuck is used to hold round and hexagonal work. It grasps the work quickly and within a few hundredths of a millimetres or thousandths of an inch of accuracy, because the three jaws move simultaneously when adjusted by the chuck wrench.

Three Jaw, self centring chuck. One jaw has been removed and inverted to show the teeth that engage with the scroll plate and thereby allow movement. Underneath the image is the chuck key used to rotate the scroll and therefore operate the chuck.

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Advantages of three jaw chuck:
  • Can hold hex and round bar-stock
  • Quick and easy to use
  • Self centring
  • Parallel, facing and boring operations can be done
  • Internal and external jaws available
 Disadvantages of three jaw chuck:
  • Can't hold square bar-stock
  • Run-out/off-centre can't be easily fixed
  • Can't hold irregularly shaped work
  • Can't run off-centre