Nice Tooling in Germany

[Bill Alston]

I did a Google search last year for a hard to find part, and it sent me to one of the German suppliers. Whilst looking at the site I came across a couple of chucks I’ve not seen anywhere else. One was a cheap one, the other a much more expensive unit from the Czech Republic. They certainly have some nice options available to them in Germany - if you have deep pockets.

This 125mm TOS is available with either Axminster or Vicmarc Base Jaws. They also sell a 100mm model.

 

[Jim Holcombe]

Don’t know if they still do, but TOS made very nice lathes. Had an 11 feet between centers engine lathe when I was in the metal working business. I’d think the chuck would be high tolerance.

 

[Bill Alston]

I had a look at a small TOS lathe many years ago, beautifully made. Sadly well above my pay grade at the time.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Heaven is a place where the Germans are engineers, the English are diplomats, and the French are cooks. Hell is a place where the Germans are diplomats, the French are engineers, and the English are cooks.

 

[Bill Alston]

Thanks Kent. I’ll take Italian cooking over French though.

At one of my jobs they had half a dozen Harrison M250 lathes made in the UK. They wanted another and couldn’t find a decent used one so they bought a brand new one. It was made in Poland rather than the UK. Looked almost identical but was actually a little noisy. Perhaps they need to run in for a while? Bison in Poland made the original Axminster Super Precision Chuck. Production was then switched to their factory in Axminster, Somerset.

 

[Mario Dejung]

I have the cheaper 100mm version from Zentra wich fits the axminster ground jaws... This is really great, because you can use the complete axminster accessories but with a metal lathe chuck... So less play between jaws and great reproducibilities... Also Axminster produced ones some ground jaws for the VM120 attachments which fit into their Axminster chucks. Those ground jaws fit as well in this metal chuck.
Just great...

Only disadvantage it the small clamping range compared to a VM120 or VM150 chuck...

The TOS one feels really really great, heavy solid! But the price is completely out of my scope...

 

[Bill Alston]

Yes that TOS is expensive. Axminster’s own chucks though are very good in my opinion and being made from Stainless Steel is handy if you live in a damp country like the UK.

 

[Mario Dejung]

What I wanted to emphasise with "metal chucks" is, that they are originally made to process steel... So the chucks in general have much less play, are more solid and this for a in my opinion low price compared to Axminster...
I like the Axminster chucks very much. The light weight Clubman SK100 is great... But the Zentra feels unbreakable...

 

[Bill Alston]

Yes. I’ve got three metalwork chucks for my metal turning lathe and three wood turning chucks. The Record Power and Nova wood chucks do have noticeably more play but the Axminster is very good.

 

[Bill Alston]

Welcome to the forum Mario.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Bison in Poland made the original Axminster Super Precision Chuck.

About 25 years ago I purchased a Bison chuck and had to make a custom back plate to use it on a Powermatic 90 with a 1.5 - 8 thread and have since changed it to 1.25 - 8. The slides on mine use a standard for metal lathes that allows the jaws to be rotated instead of having two sets that are directly in contact with the scroll.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Thanks Kent. I’ll take Italian cooking over French though.

I'd take about anything over French food, to be honest.

 

[hughie]

Nice but far from cheap