Brass bar stock & UTL 4 jaw chuck

[emerson belland]

Hello everyone!

I'm hoping to put some RPMs on my "acquired this year" Universal Taiwanese lathe (amusingly labelled a PINKO), and I am on the lookout for some brass bar stock to get some practice in. Very much an amateur.

1) Sources anyone can recommend? Anyone have any chunks of 2" to 4" stock they want to sell off?

2) I'm halfheartedly looking into what 4-jaw chuck would work for me, the unit came with only a 3 jaw that may be towards the end of its' lifespan.

Thanks!

[Alex Kunadze]

Hi Emerson,

I'd suggest practicing on aluminum instead. Brass is nice to work
with, but expensive as hell. Aluminum is almost as nice, but you need
sharp tools (honed HSS or CCGT inserts) to get decent surface finish.
As for sources, try Smith Bros Foundry & Mach Works on Pembroke St.
They sell small quantities for reasonable prices. If you need more,
there's Hardcore Metals in Brentwood Bay. If all else fails, Metal
Supermarket on Keating has a lot of selection, but much more
expensive.

4 jaw chuck is needed any time you can't finish the part in one setup.
Look around for used ones, they come up fairly often. If you can't
find one used, cheap Chinese chucks from EBay etc. are workable.
Accusize Tools are a bit better quality, but a bit more expensive.
Also, take apart your 3-jaw, clean, deburr and lube it. If no one had
done it before, it would breath new life into it.

Cheers,
Alex.

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[Admin]

Hi Emerson ,

I second Ian's suggestions .. a four jaw chuck isn't really a "nice to have" but truly a must have along with the 3 jaw chuck .. simply by the geometry of stock you can hold in it .. plus it gives you the added benefit of dialing in any piece of stock very precisely should the need arise ..

As far as practice metal goes .. use alu for sure .. much cheaper than brass or bronze or copper and readily available .. where are you located? I go to Island Metal Craft in Esquimalt a lot .. they have a decent selection of alu round and sell by the foot too ..

cheers

Mat