I have a Homier Speedway lathe. Made by Seig, it's pretty much the same 7x14 that Grizzly, HF and others sell. It came with a 3" 3-jaw chuck, which I have been using and abusing for many years. I recently took it off to mount my 5C chuck adapter plate and decided to open it up to clean out the years of accumulated debris. It was thoroughly cleaned and lubricated when I got the lathe, but that was decades ago. It was cleaner than expected, but there is noticable wear.
It hasn't been very smooth operating for quite a while now, and part of the reason is the slop between the bolts that hold the pinions in place and the pinions. The scroll is also somewhat sloppy. So, while I decide if I should make new bolts/pins, I'm also leaning towards just getting a new chuck. I figure I might go for a 4" model, which will accommodate more of the parts I usually make without having to swap jaws. This would also free up the old chuck to use on the mill if I needed.
LMS has their "standard" one (with adapter) for just under $150. They have a "premium" one for $150, but the adapter is another 25 bucks. Amazon and eBay have dozens of choices for 70 dollars and up. While I'd like to give my business to LMS, their prices are a bit on the high side. Grizzly prices are no better.
Any recommendations? Any specific ones to avoid?
Edit: Is there any reason to go with a 5" over a 4"? I've read (way back when) that a 5" was too much mass for the motor to handle long term. Is that really an issue?
It hasn't been very smooth operating for quite a while now, and part of the reason is the slop between the bolts that hold the pinions in place and the pinions. The scroll is also somewhat sloppy. So, while I decide if I should make new bolts/pins, I'm also leaning towards just getting a new chuck. I figure I might go for a 4" model, which will accommodate more of the parts I usually make without having to swap jaws. This would also free up the old chuck to use on the mill if I needed.
LMS has their "standard" one (with adapter) for just under $150. They have a "premium" one for $150, but the adapter is another 25 bucks. Amazon and eBay have dozens of choices for 70 dollars and up. While I'd like to give my business to LMS, their prices are a bit on the high side. Grizzly prices are no better.
Any recommendations? Any specific ones to avoid?
Edit: Is there any reason to go with a 5" over a 4"? I've read (way back when) that a 5" was too much mass for the motor to handle long term. Is that really an issue?
Full of ideas, but slow to produce parts