Cole jaw stops

[Lawrence Tarnoff]

I'm new to turning and I've had a couple of occasions when a bowl I've been turning has flown out of the cole jaws. The rubber stops are rather short cylinders. My instinct is that a slightly longer stop that is a bit wider at the top and narrower where it attaches to the jaws would reduce the likelihood of this occuring. I've done a quick online search and haven't seen anything. Any thoughts?

Thank you!

 

[Ian Thorn]

Hi make sure you are not turning at more than 600 rpm and take light cuts with very sharp tools agood way is to have a slight outwards tapper on the top of your bowl

 

[Mjonesrdg]

securing a bowl with cole jaws

shop made stops of wood wrapped with weatherstrip foam are one alternative to the stock rubber stops. Easier still is taping the bowl to the clamped-on bowl using fiberglass reinforced packing tape.

 

[Rick H]

Cole jaws

Make a donut chuck to fit on the cole jaws. I show pictures here at the bottom of the page. There are also some of the other wood clamps I have made to fit the cole jaws.
http://www.scrollsaws.com/WoodLathe/woodlatheColeJaw.htm

 

[Lawrence Tarnoff]

Thank you

Thanks for the responses. I've purchased some hard rubber stoppers that are wider at the top than at the base. And they're a bit longer than those that came with the cole jaws. I'll give these a try. But I really am impressed with Rick's suggestions and may come back to them if my little experiment fails.

 

[MichaelMouse]

I got some auto radiator hose - 5/8 ID, as memory serves. Cut it about 3/4 long and pressed it over the buttons. Worked fine. Another trick if you have a bit of flare on the top is to use longer screws and some 3/8 rubber washers to raise the regular buttons.

Others probably use their jaws more than I, since I don't reverse bowls any more.

 

[john lucas]

I made some steel posts 3/4" in diameter that I drilled and tapped. I put rubber hose on them. they are 3" tall. I also drilled and tapped the top incase I want to add additional pieces
I'm thinking about making some discs that are drilled offcenter and covered with Plasti-dip. I could rotate them until they touch the wood and lock them down. that would let me hold wood that is out of round.

 

[John Giem]

Lawerance, as much as possible use a live center to help stabilize the work on the Cole jaws, just as you would when using a vacuum chuck. To minimize damage to the surface, use a Steb center or a buffer block between the center and your work. Also, the Cole jaws allow you to do some simple, but effective, offset turning.
Have fun.
John Giem

 

[Don O. Jr.]

I use the newer synthetic wine corks and longer bolts. It works quite well. (It was even accepted as a tip in the AW journal). As others have recommended-use the tail center as long as possible and keep the speed down.

 

[Joe Greiner]

Tape is the simplest insurance I've found for protecting against unwanted release. And it frees the entire bottom for treatment. Use the buttons only for positioning. Wrap the tape from the back of the chuck, across the side near the bottom, and back to the back. Also works with Longworth chuck and a plywood disk with a groove to mate with the rim.

The sides are best left alone, except for sanding transitions. It's almost impossible to perfectly re-center.

Swap some buttons to different radii for experiments in offset turning. Not all of the buttons will engage, but the tape will secure the workpiece. You can do this with Longworth chucks too, using non-standard slots. Limited variability, but fun anyway.

 

[N7BLW]

Try Penn State

Penn State sells tall cole jaw posts. They fit my Nova jaws just fine.