Adjusting the 4 Jaw Chuck 

This was the BEST video on dialing in your four jaw chuck out of all the ones I watched ! Camera set up everything. The only video thats straight forward, clear and is easy Thank you ! 👍

Was fighting my 4 jaw for 20 minutes before I gave up and took a break. Watched this video and it only took 30 seconds to true up using the 2 chuck key method. Thank you for this.

You have got to be kidding me. This has to be the best video yet. Thanks ...

The best structural method, I Have seen so far on RU-vid. Thanks.

Having just got a four jaw I was a bit concerned about setting it up so I looked on here and found this video. Watched it several times and have to say it is spot on, I saw the lads at work setting the four jaw but they were regular users, I could never manage it as an amateur. Having seen this I can now use a four jaw and set it up in a couple of minutes. Brilliant, thank you very much.

Nice video Jim! I have used a similar method for some time now, but your explanation of resetting zero at the half way point and then always tightening the near jaw makes this even better. Many thanks, John

Great video on centering a 4 jaw chuck; like Jim's style, gets information across clearly and quickly, also with a sense of humor.

As a student who just now started using 4-jaw chucks for engine lathes, this video helped me out a ton. Thanks!

Jim Harvey Esq One of the easiest 4 Jaw workings we've seen in a long while. Very well explained and demo'd. Good piece. Keep 'em rolling. Thanks for sharing and take care. aRM

Just a follow up to let you know how it all went, my job was to centre a sprocket in my 4 jaw chuck to machine the centre out, thanks for your advice, without watching your clip I wouldn't have had a chance to get it that accurate , I even surprised myself with the result, that is the most helpful thing I've learned to date, thanks again for your help, not only did it help on this job, I can see this being a very handy skill for the future,now no longer afraid of using my 4 jaw regards Paul.

A MASSIVE help and it has saved me soooo much time. I have read dozens of books and don't recall seeing this suggested. I have had a 5 year break while my equipment was in storage and I'm fairly sure I generally used the 3 jaw self-centering chuck and hardly touched the 4 jaw. - Now I may as well "superglue" the 4 jaw on as it's not coming off!!! :-)

That makes it so much easier, I have always hated my 4 jaw chuck because of set up time. I am a self taught machinist like almost everything else I do lol

Hi thank you I've only used three jaw in my last job and I start my new job on Monday where they use 4 jaw chucks and as I'm very new to lathe work as in couple of weeks worth thank you very much I will definitely use this method in my new career thank you Jon 👍👍👍

Monday will be my 3rd day on a Machine and I can't wait to get back and try this out. Thank you Jim!

Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed the end comment about stopping when you're within .001. I often work with older machines and try to get within .002. I "chase my tail"

I just come back for the laugh every so often.... I use this every day and am yet to get it dead on at one turn of one jaw. Just as Jim did. And every time I remember and have a chuckle.

Thanks alot! Great video! This is crazy! I am new to Lathe stuff (used to have it in school 25 years ago) but ordered new chuck with 4 jaws 100mm for my multi lathe 3 in 1 since it has 3 jaws and was not acurate at all. Today after i installed the chuck then i realized, damn, this one has for every jaw individual screw! After your video i feel even more happy that i bought this chuck! Gonna order additional chuck key and enjoy it! Many thanks again!

Soy de argentina;a pesar de la dificultad del idioma ;muy agradecido por la explicacion de este video.

Best video out there on centering work in a 4 jaw

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and keeping it easy enough for a novice like myself to understand, I really appreciate it, regards Paul.

THANKYOU im new to this and trying to do this as been driving me mental the last few days . now i have seen this vid got it sorted at last .

What a cool way to do this!!

I agree with all those positive comments and I added it to my preferred list. That is what I was looking for a long time Regards

Just wanted to say thank you very much for the great advice, tomorrow I'll try it for myself !.

Thank you for the brilliant end effective solution

Thank you for your answer, I'm in machinist school right now and was just curious, thanks again, Bill

Thank you for this great tutorial Jim!Many greetings from Germany,Armin

These are the best 4 jaw tips on the net and I've used them for so long now but just had to come back and say again that your style and your description and your help and your wit and your sense of humour... are also the best. Thanks a lot. I saw something the other day you might want to talk about. Putting copper dogs under 3 jaws when looking to machine pipe to take the steady rest, then to bore. My thinking is because pipe is pear shaped, the copper helps to grip evenly and indicating at the chuck can then be achieved much nearer to the minimum runout? I've yet to try it but expect it to be so.

So I am most a clay artist, potter is close. I do throw and trim pots. This is so similar to manually centering a pot for trimming. I have been working away turning some PVC on my 70 year + old lathe and doing a reasonably good job centering without a dial indicator and with only one key. I was considering buying a three jaw chuck to recenter work . I may still do that but the second key is great. I will get a dial indicator. I will have to try it. Thanks!

Thanks... I've been struggling with a 4 jaw and a dial indicator for days (and the dyslexia dont help) and I think this'll really help.

Of course the teachers ,when I attended a machinist's school in 2009,, didn't khow this way of working with a four jaws....What a shame....

brilliant, although I too always use two keys I have just been tweeking the difference. I always said "answers are always right infront of your nose" so easy, so fast thanks

GREAT, Great tutorial and advice!! Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and experience!

Awesome method! Made my life much easier!

That is brilliant! Great instruction. Thank-you!

Love it! Especially the "Two things you need to know" :D Thanks for the great info.

Perfect, thanks so much! I'm new to working with a metal lathe, this helped me a lot.

thanks for a very good tip i'm new to metal work & every little bit helps ( know a little about a lot of things , but don,t know a whole about nothing) cth

Thanks for the great video. Doing this in class now.

Excellent video -thank you!

Well explained sir. Thank you.

Very good. Thanks for posting.

thankyou very good . going to make secound chuck key tomorrow

Heck yea! This helps so much man!!!

Thanks so much, just made my life a whole lot easier. Your the Boss, cheers!

There is always a pay-off between things built with the intention of taking the hard work out of the task at hand, flexibility and what you are actually trying to achieve. If you can use a lathe to any degree of proficiency with a 3 jaw chuck, using a 4 jaw chuck is down to "being bothered" ; the benefits of which outweigh the effort. It doesn't take much practice to become reasonably proficient with a 4 jaw chuck. You can get within reasonable limits if you understand the concept that if the clock gauge is high, loosen the opposite jaw first then tighten the nearest jaw. Now go practice.

Awesome video, thanks for taking the time!

Hi mate. Not putting your fingers into the chuck, where were you when I did that. I was lucky though, just some bruising and hurt pride. Thanks for the tip boss.

Thank you very much for very useful information

i got to try this when i get back on the clausing-metosa lathe at school. that 4 jaw chuck is driving me crazy!!! Not only that i have to zero it, i have to offset the piece 0.100"... fml.. I'll take this as step 1!

It was a good and intelligent video. Thanks Jim.

This is fantastic, thank you.

Thank you for posing.

Just simply THANK YOU!! Ruaidhrí Dublin, Ireland

great instruction

Very very great!!

Thank you very Sir!

Loved it. Thanks for this.

Thank's for the video , really useful !!!!

thanks a lot for this great video !

Great info! Thanks!

Good Advice...

Hi Jim, I saw many video on the RU-vid, but yours is more straight forward and get to point. One question that I have is this has to be done on each part that you doing, considering if you running more than one?

can you please post a video of centering a rectangular and square block. and also how to perform eccentric turning.

really helpful video, am avin probs though need a bit mre help 2 adjut it did a course on it bt it was jt 2 weeks

tks well expiained

That looked like magic :)

Would you please show a close up of the dial holder. That will be my tomorrow's project.

Your a beaut! Thank you!

Thanks this really helped me a lot !

tanks!

That is a great tip. I have a question, what if the chuck is to big to reach the other side to use two chuck keys? Thanks, Bill

Genius

Awesome procedure! I know it doesn't matter but your DTI face dial in the video is the mirror of what it should be?

I need to make another chuck key😁

Two chuck keys! Great idea! :-) I also liked your suggestion of a dial indicator in the toolpost. You mention in the vid that the jaws are not fully tightened. At what stage do you fully tighten them? Is it during the two-key stage shown, or a later step?

@JHV166 Hi there! I really like this video. How would you center a rectangular or a square work piece in the 4 jaw chuck?

Thanks! Just one question, I have a block on a 4 jaw chuck and ported a hole in the middle. Than I took out the block to do some milling work. Now I want to put it back on the chuck and center the hole, how can I do it? Is it ok to use a dial pointed to the inner surface of the hole?

7:40 for short version

I like your last comments.

did it actually work??

what kind of lathe is that? A Colchester?

Sorry meant Jim phone put Jon ha ha

I have an easier way! Just run the center down there and clamp down the chuck with the part on the center!