Jam Chuck

[Dave Fritz]

I was going to make a jam chuck to use while making pepper mills. I'd like to use a small face plate to mount the wood to. In the past i've used straight grain wood as a jam chuck but am wondering about putting screws into end grain to hold the face plate. Where would you attach the face plate, face grain or end grain?

 

[Owen Lowe]

I was going to make a jam chuck to use while making pepper mills. I'd like to use a small face plate to mount the wood to. In the past i've used straight grain wood as a jam chuck but am wondering about putting screws into end grain to hold the face plate. Where would you attach the face plate, face grain or end grain?

I don’t think it matters since the jamb chuck’s wood is being compressed into the headstock just as much as the workpiece is (so is as equally secure). The screws will only serve to keep the chuck’s wood from rotating and the jamb wood only serves as a somewhat customizable mating profile to the workpiece.

 

[Clifton C]

Another use for a wooden morse taper. And, it doesn't tie up a face plate. Here is a pic of my traveling buffer, but the idea is the same. Turn the morse taper, then install in the headstock and turn the end to fit the pepper mill blank. The follower on the live center is threaded on and turned in the headstock. A drawbar is recommended, a 3/8 x 16 tap will tap a oneway style live center. In a class, it (turning a wood morse taper) gets students thinking a little outside the box, plus it's another skill building project...

 

[Bill Boehme]

As Owen said, it doesn't matter. I always use deep sharp thread screws on faceplates even though it would be overkill in this situation.

 

[hockenbery]

Ditto that a faceplate would hold endgrain for a jamb Chuck
The Morse taper works real well
I mount a lot of jamb chuck blocks in my chuck. Need a really good tenon.

They can get out of true but doesn’t happen often if the wood is dry.

 

[Dave Fritz]

Thank you all. I've held them in my chuck but have experienced the troubles you mentioned. I remember now I have a tap and at one time made some specialized drive chucks that threaded on the spindle. I may try that.