Robert Sorby has introduced the first all new, British made lathe chuck for many years. In the recent past Robert Sorby has acted as chuck distributor and as a result has been able to put all the knowledge gained into the design and development of their own new chuck.
With most chucks - even those which carry British brand names - now emanating from Asia, Robert Sorby is using this opportunity to remind turners that top quality and affordable products can still be made in Britain. They underline this by naming their new chuck the Patriot.
It is designed with British turners very much in mind. Given that in general UK lathes tend to be lighter duty than their North American or European counterparts, the Patriot is slimmer, more compact and lighter than comparable chucks. That means no unnecessary stress is put on the lathe bearings, even though the chuck itself will accommodate all sizes of project.
Robert Sorby has taken the concept of the single-key scroll chuck with accessory jaws and moved it several steps forward based on their experiences with turners throughout the UK.
One example of example of this is the high precision machining of the jaws. This avoids the need for tiresome number matching when fixing new jaws. And with its movement of 1” the series of jaws sizes has been developed so that there is no gap in the range, which goes incrementally from under 1” to 5”. That means all sizes of projects can be accommodated comfortably.
Not only is each set of jaws dovetailed internally and externally allowing them to be used in both expansion and contraction mode, but each also has additional serrated teeth for that extra grip.
And what is more, each individual set of jaws is secured in place by eight machine screws for additional safety. A jaw stop is built into the design preventing jaws from dropping out if over-tightened. And to stop that annoying knuckle rapping the Patriot chuck incorporates a unique safety band.
Smooth movement of the jaws is all important in the operation of a chuck. For that reason in the Patriot both the drive and driven gear teeth have true compression angles which match perfectly. Moreover the jaw slides of the Patriot are produced from a solid tool steel which give not just additional strength but also extra precision and durability.
Working on a lathe produces dust and so regular cleaning is important. The Patriot's enclosed back plate minimises the risk of dust and shavings entering the gear mechanism. However, should there be a need to clean it then the back plate is simply removed and replaced.
The Patriot chuck utilises an inserted threading system. This means that it can fit onto almost any lathe, even those with the less popular spindle thread sizes. It also allows the turner to work on more than one lathe at a time or to up-grade his lathe without the need to invest in a new chuck and accessories.
The Patriot comes with 2” jaws and screw chuck as standard together with comprehensive instruction manual. There is a further array of jaws and accessories - pin jaws, bowl reversing jaws, steb drive, custom jaws, deep grip jaws - to enhance the versatility of the Patriot.
The Patriot is available at £140 from recognised Robert Sorby dealers. It comes with full Robert Sorby after-sales service and guarantee.
