I originally made this wooden lathe chuck to hold pieces of 1/4-in. dowel stock. But the design could be sized to fit any dowel or even to serve as a small collet chuck. To make the chuck, first turn a Morse taper on a piece of hard maple to fit your headstock spindle. Tap the future chuck into your headstock and turn a 1-1/2-in.-long head on the end. The head should be tapered slightly and sized to fit a nut made by sawing an iron pipe bushing in two directly behind the hex flats. To complete the chuck, drill an accurate hole through the center of the head, using a bit in the tailstock center. Then make two opposing sawcuts along the hole to allow for compression. Insert the dowel and tighten the nut, and the dowel will be held firmly. Because pipe threads are tapered, be sure to install the nut large-end first. A little oil on the nut threads will help.

Walter O. Menning, La Salle, Ill.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, December 1988 No. 73

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