Kilroy, er Vaughn was here......

michael james

Member
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312
Location
Abq, NM
Our very own Vaughn McM took some time out of his family visit to swing by for a little test drive on the little delta. He was kind enough to bring some wood for me to play with, rough turn my alltime favorite SW style HF (which is a paradox as I've never seen a pottery form like this one turned by a handful of different guys) And pointed out that my nova chuck was not running true because it was not flush on the spindle face. Enclosed are pics of the above, but as much or more time was spend yacking about the neighborhood, mutual associates and friends, guitars and BBQ. Awesome turner, and an all around awesome nice guy! I guess Im going to have to go to the delta 46-461 chuck, but what baffles me is that it is made by technatool. 2 different 1x8 inserts did not work. Technatool support had no specifics either??? :doh::dunno: Twirled it on a jet down at woodcraft, and it snugged right up. All/any help short of modifying a brand new lathe is very welcome.
Thanks Vaughn, you rock dude!:thumb:
 

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Hey, I kind of figgered you and Vaughn would be getting together. Surprised the axes didn't come out for a jam session.... :thumb:
 
Boy are you lucky Michael to get personal training like that and wood thrown in to boot along with machine maintenance and trouble shooting by a real expert on the subject.:thumb: Well done Vaughn.:)
 
Hey that sounds great. Vaughn is a great guy!

When I showed Vaughn how to use HIS lathe I had to stand on a box.

Ignore the above unless you know the rest of the story.

Enjoy,

Jim.

I have the same lathe and the Technatool chuck. I am not enamored with the chuck, however it does seat up tight on the lathe.
 
Brent Dowell said:
Hey, I kind of figgered you and Vaughn would be getting together. Surprised the axes didn't come out for a jam session.... :thumb:

Michael was kind and didn't want to make me embarrass myself with a guitar. :rolleyes: :p

I had a great time meeting up with Michael. Turns out he lives in the middle of my old stomping grounds. Seriously, I could throw a Frisbee and land it on former in-laws' house. One block over is where a couple of my best friends grew up. My sister used to live about three blocks away.

The Delta midi is a sweet lathe, and although there's a bit of runout with Michael's chuck, it's not a dealbreaker. Obviously, it can still turn out nice work...he showed me some good examples that he's turned. I'm perplexed why Teknatool doesn't have a threaded insert that correctly fits the specific spindle on that lathe. I'm sure you'll be able to get it worked out. (Come to think of it, I have a nephew who's a machinist in ABQ. I can check with him and see if he might be able to help bore out the first 1/4" or so of the insert you have.)

Thanks again for the hospitality Michael, and hopefully we can get together and do some more playing.

BTW Rob, I really appreciate the kudos, but I'm no more of an expert than anyone else who's been turning 3 or 4 years. I'm just a hack like most of the rest of us. ;)
 
Mr McMillan you are being way way too modest.:) I would be willing to bet a poll here would say otherwise and i even know a a flatworker or two that would back me up and vote in your favor.;):D:thumb::rofl:
 
Vaughn, Michael,

I was just thinking of the bushing I made for Frank's lathe spindle. Perhaps your nephew could clear those first couple threads in Michael's chuck/adaptor.

Seems I have found that certain spindles don't have their threads cut far enough and the chuck/adaptor threads hit the end before the chuck/adaptor hub face contacts the spindle shoulder. :huh:

Actually, a steady hand and a Dremel tool with a 3/4" grinding stone can remove the internal threads to allow the chuck to fit better. It only takes 4 or 5 threads to hold a chuck on the spindle. The important thing is that the chuck/adaptor hub face seats flush against the spindle shoulder. :thumb:

A ring cut from a sheet of printer paper that fits over the spindle threads will help keep the threads from getting too tight and difficult to remove the chuck.

Is that all as clear as mud? :rofl:

Just what I have discovered. Best of luck, guys.

Aloha, Tony
 
Good way to spend to vacation time! Michael, your lucky:thumb: I too have had the honor of some one-on-one time with Da Masta! It really makes all the difference!
 
Tony beat me to it. Yes, a simple, but properly fitting bushing behind the chuck and all your problems will go away. :D
Thanks again, Tony. It is on my lathe/chuck right now waiting for me to put my shoulder to the test and finish the project in progress.
 
Vaughn is a very competent turner for sure, but even more important to me is he's a great guy. Within 15 minutes we were tossing out names and places, and who went where that we didn't meet up back in the day.
In reality there was just not enough time for wood turning, guitars and shooting the breeze.... over time, I hope we can get all that in.
Re the lathe...I have checked with other 46-460 owners and what I thought the problem isn't. Im going to clean up the threads and that should do it. I already have the tap (1x8tpi RH) and am picking up the die to 'clean up threads" on the spindle for about $17 this afternoon.
Not the end of the world but frustrating. If this is not the fix, it's going back to the dealer(local) and we start over! I think the lemon law should cover lathes, eh?:thumb:
Thanks for the help Vaughn....I would have blissfully and ignorantly gone through life thinking I was just born to sand, despite the lathe!!!:rofl::wave:

The Delta midi is a sweet lathe, and although there's a bit of runout with Michael's chuck, it's not a dealbreaker. Obviously, it can still turn out nice work...he showed me some good examples that he's turned. I'm perplexed why Teknatool doesn't have a threaded insert that correctly fits the specific spindle on that lathe. I'm sure you'll be able to get it worked out. (Come to think of it, I have a nephew who's a machinist in ABQ. I can check with him and see if he might be able to help bore out the first 1/4" or so of the insert you have.)

Thanks again for the hospitality Michael, and hopefully we can get together and do some more playing.

BTW Rob, I really appreciate the kudos, but I'm no more of an expert than anyone else who's been turning 3 or 4 years. I'm just a hack like most of the rest of us. ;)
 
Michael,
I like your form on the pot... one of my favorite shapes as well... My wife is a big fan of the southwest designs...

Don't want to hijack your thread, but dropped a couple of pictures of one of my pieces... I was doing a show in Chattanooga and still setting up when I set the piece out... the lady that bought it nearly snatched it out of my hands before I could get it on the shelf... great way to do business..

Next time I get out to ABQ, maybe we can do a short visit... can't say when that might be, but you never know... I have a sister in Rio Rancho. She hates NM, but that's where her husband's work is/was... think he's decided to retire recently and that's probably where they will stay. Her kids are in Okla. and the Tx panhandle, so she's not too far away. Personally, I love the southwest.. NM and AZ both..
 

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Vaughn, you da man!

Once I was sure that the chuck should sit flush, I went and got a 1X8 rethreading die for under $18 (new insert is $23). Got out the pipe wrench an went to work. 10 mins later and it's like a brand new one!:D

SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH

So, Im a happy camper. Next time Vaughn, steaks on the grill!!:wave:
 

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...So, Im a happy camper. Next time Vaughn, steaks on the grill!!:wave:

Yeeeaaaahhhh, buddy! :thumb: So it was just that boogered up thread after all, huh? Glad to see you got it sussed out.

BTW, a thought dawned on me about halfway across the Mojave today...the tailstock would have reduced some of the vibrations we were seeing when we had that blank on the chuck...like the scraper cuts that were leaving the spiral texture. Getting the chuck running true is still the primary fix, but I'm still thumping myself for not thinking of using the tailstock the other night. It would have helped.
 
I'd like to have been there for the turning lesson and the chit-chat... Seems like the drive is a little longer for me coming from this direction.:(
 
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