Todays Project - What did you do today?

[ml_woy]

(01-17-2013, 12:16 PM)stevec Wrote: Small job in the shop this morning.
I needed a new chuck key for a 16mm chuck I have for my small lathe, some of the teeth had broken off and I had been using a 1/2" chuck's key rather unsatisfactorily. A key for a 16mm chuck is not something one can readily avail here in "the land of you can't get that here" So I picked up a 1/2" chuck key with the plan to machine off it's pilot , drill it out and press in a dowel pin.
I chose a 3/8" dowel pin and ground it down to 9mm to fit the pivot holes in the chuck.

Here's the dubious way I ground the 3/8 pin to 9mm. It could have been toolpost ground in the lathe but that degree of precision wasn't required and the set-up would have been much longer.

Here's the pressing in of the new pilot pin.

And here's the finished product. The teeth are a bit shy but the pilot fits the chuck well and it tightens nicely. Here's hoping it'll serve 'til I get the proper key for the chuck.

That's it for the metalworking today, didn't get the fire going early enough in the morning so short jobs are all I can do in a 4°C (39°F) shop.

Real clever fix,good job