Where do you put your chuck key?

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Wherever I put it the gremlins move it, the small flat circular magnets seem to work for me with drill chuck keys but the lathe chuck key is always in the suds tray somewhere.

Mike

[Nigel BennettParticipant @nigelbennett69913]

Just leave my shortened one in the chuck all the time, held in place with some duct tape so it doesn't fall out when the lathe's running.

No of course I don't. Two woodscrews into a piece of chipboard on the wall behind the lathe. Allen keys in a block of wood screwed to the chipboard. Two round-head screws carefully spaced allow QC toolholders to drop over them; a small chunk of wood stops them falling down.

[DanielParticipant @daniel]

Hmmm….

Tidy, clean workshops…!

Thought I would share this. Although woodworking and not metal,

retired legendary wood guru Frank Klausz shows his retirement shop.

It's the stuff of my dreams

 

Edited By Daniel on 09/05/2020 07:19:56

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

I keep chuck keys, spanners etc well away from any b****y magnets!

John

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Posted by Sam Spoons on 08/05/2020 13:03:15:

The things you need close at hand when working in the lathe? Things like keys for the QC tool post and tool inserts and the toolholder needed for the job but not for the current operation?

The obvious place for the chuck key on the Boxford is on top of the headstock with the spare tool holders on the back of the cabinet behind the bed but is that good practice (I always stop the lathe before reaching for anything but leaning over to get a different toolholder seems wrong somehow)?

Circular magnet from a pre-loved floppy drive attached to the gear cover of my C3 mini-lathe,

You can see it at the left end of the lathe in this photo

.

* Danny M *

[Michael BriggsParticipant @michaelbriggs82422]

I have the same opinion as John MC, using magnets can magnetise tools, then swarf sticks to them.

[JAParticipant @ja]

I agree with John MC. Magnetism is an absolute curse.

As for chuck keys: When the chuck is not in use and off the lathe, it lives with the chuck. When the chuck is fitted to the lathe and not being used, on the shelf behind the lathe with the other lathe tools. When the lathe is in use, it is usually found, after a search, on the fitting bench four yards from the lathe (I am not sure how it gets there).

JA

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I have a demagnetiser so anything that gets magnetised soon gets demagnetised. Magnetism is either your best friend or worst enemy, it all depends on the situation. A demagnetiser put you in charge.

Mike

Edited By Mike Poole on 09/05/2020 08:55:40

[Stuart BridgerParticipant @stuartbridger82290]

I have block of wood screwed under a shelf that is above and behind the tailstock.
This has drilled holes of the appropriate size to take the key handles.
This works well as long as i rember to put the key back!

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

My chuck keys live on top of the headstock, thankfully my current lathe has a chuck guard that prevents the lathe being started with the chuck key in situ, bad memories of the day in tech college, during the 60’s , when I started the lathe with the key in the chuck, do not wish to go there again.
Dave W

[Stuart BridgerParticipant @stuartbridger82290]

Interesting that it took Colchester until the 1960's to work out that a shelf on top othe headstock was a useful feature. The previous "round head" headstocks like my Chipmaster, are not conducive to storing the chuck key on top of the headstock.

[VicParticipant @vic]

Posted by Howard Lewis on 08/05/2020 18:47:23:

Oh how I envy all you organised people!

Fitted over the hinged flat cover over the Headstock of my lathe is a plywood "shelf" with raised edges. The Chuck Key, when not in use, lives there along with spare Chuck Jaws, Micrometer Stop and a load of other things.

And before anyone says it; Yes I am aware of, and guard against, the danger of stuff falling onto the chuck guard or the bed!

Howard

I used to use a lovely long bed Harrison M300 at work and that had a rubber lined “tray” built into the headstock. There wasn’t much kept on it but nothing ever fell off.

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Made this simple tray from a bit of MDF with drawer liner on the inside.

Use at the headstock end for changing chucks or at the tailstock end for keeping rules, mikes, spanners etc. Sometimes even keep the chuck keys there although they normally reside on the headstock tray.

John

[Nick HulmeParticipant @nickhulme30114]

Posted by Sam Spoons on 08/05/2020 13:03:15:

The things you need close at hand when working in the lathe? Things like keys for the QC tool post and tool inserts and the toolholder needed for the job but not for the current operation?

The obvious place for the chuck key on the Boxford is on top of the headstock with the spare tool holders on the back of the cabinet behind the bed but is that good practice (I always stop the lathe before reaching for anything but leaning over to get a different toolholder seems wrong somehow)?

Good practice is safe practice, if you always stop the lathe it's safe, I keep all of my tail stock tooling and head stock tooling on the wall behind the lathe, along with most of my QCTP holders.

[JAParticipant @ja]

To reinforce Nick’s comment – If you not about to actually make a cut on a lathe, or milling machine, or to check the running speed, that big red button should be pushed fully in.

Most work alone in their workshops – What is going to happen to you if something goes very, very wrong?

JA

[Sam SpoonsParticipant @samspoons83065]

Yes, as a guitar player I'm very, very conscious of any risks relating to my hands and fingers. I hadn't thought of using the 'big red button' to ensure that the lathe couldn't be accidentally started but it makes sense. Are there any reasons why it might be a bad idea?

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

My chuck key is kept where the gremlins have moved it to, from it's position on the bench in front of the lathe.

[DanielParticipant @daniel]

Absolutely concur with the previous posts, that unless actually executing a task,

the lathe is off.

Naturally, every rule is accompanied by an exception; my concession to the above

is when drilling with the tailstock. Then I will leave it running. But, the tailstock is

withdrawn right to the other end of the bed, and I use a keyless chuck.

I don't use a QCTP, so tool changes are made with the lathe switched off.

ATB,

Daniel

[File HandleParticipant @filehandle]

Most of mine are in a row, below a shelf, at the side of my pillar drill, I use small terry clips. Easy to see if one hasn't been put away. But my muscle memory tends to return them now without me thinking about it..

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

It’s difficult to argue with taking the ultra safe path of putting in the estop or pulling the plug but I am pretty comfortable with the normal control stop, my start button is shielded so accidentally pressing it would be unlikely and the normal stop is a raised button but not a mushroom head. For the advocates of full isolation then machine lighting would be most useful fed separately. That’s where I am comfortable with my lathe, the mill is a different matter, fitting a cutter involves handling a hopefully very sharp cutter into the spindle, an accidental start would be devastating, setting up the work is less risky as I always drop the table well clear of the cutter if it is fitted. Although industry love written risk assessments of every task I feel that working safely is a continuous risk assessment and being lucky enough to have served an apprenticeship where the emphasis was on training and not cheap labour I feel that I can make a safe choice having weighed the consequences and likelihood of an event. So far I have not hurt myself or anyone else so I feel I might have the balance about right so thank you to the men who taught me. A risk assessment does not automatically take the absolute safest route or nothing would ever be done, it’s about doing dangerous things with the risk minimised to a practical level, a cut finger does not rate as high as certain death and a frequency of once in a million years is worth a chance. Perception of risk is funny thing, my wife happily goes out in a car but won’t fly because it’s dangerous, I think there are more factors at play than statistics though.

Mike

[DanielParticipant @daniel]

Well put Mike.

Just to clarify, I meant that the spindle go/stop/reverse lever is in the stop position.

I also don't go as far as isolating the machine.

As you say, there is a continuous, very conscious, yet pragmatic  risk assessment

ongoing in the activity.

 

ATB,

Daniel

 

Edited By Daniel on 11/05/2020 09:17:09

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Keep phone in pocket, just in case………..

[MC Black 2Participant @mcblack2]

I have a telephone extension in my shed so I can answer incoming calls. There's a loss of sound quality (presumably due to the long wire between the house and shed) but it is adequate

I can also use it one-handed to dial 999 for an ambulance.

Although, DG, that has NOT been necessary to date.

MC

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