3 jaw chuck for Oliver 25C lathe?

dixdance · Post by **dixdance** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:01 am

I'd like to put a 3 jaw metalworking chuck on my 25C, and wondering how large I can go. How much weight can you safely mount on a faceplate? A 10"" chuck weighs about 65-70 lbs.

Anyone have any experience or opinions?

Thanks, Richard[/quote]

crzypete · Post by **crzypete** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:09 pm

Hi Richard, Welcome aboard.

I have a Oliver 25a- the 16" swing version. I believe the 25c is the same headstock just with riser blocks to raise the height to 24".

I have an 8" 3 jaw chuck and can report no problems with its weight. I also have the outboard faceplate which in itself weighs close to 100 lbs. I have spun this on occasion and the lathe handles it well. The bearings in the headstock are quite massive.

I believe the heavy duty spindle of these is designed to hold some big chucks of wood and that the chuck you propose won't be a problem. If you want to experiment you can mount weight to a faceplate and see how much vibration you will get. I would think having the lathe properly leveled would make a big difference as you start to define the upper limits of capacity.

Peter

crzypete · Post by **crzypete** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:03 pm

Richard, I pulled out my manual tonight and read through it looking for info. The only chuck related information in it is the max speed of 1200. I would assume this would be chuck size related, so it is of little help.

Pete

dixdance · Post by **dixdance** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:28 am

Thanks for the information Peter. I think you're right about the lathe being capable of holding at least that much weight, and a metal chuck would probably be much better balance than a bif piece of wood that weight.

Richard