Note on Jacobs chucks

[jcfx]

Specifically the ball bearing Super Chucks, I snagged one on eBay cheap and in decent shape
but it had no chuck key, figured that was easily remedied, but the chuck keys available now
do not fit the older Super Chucks ( 30 tooth grip ring ) .

I emailed Jacobs and their response was to buy a new chuck since Jacobs changed the gear patten in 1982.

[spro]

What size Super are you referring to ? Okay, 30 tooth but what is the size or # of the chuck?

[John Evans]

In this case 16N SPRO. And as luck would have it JCFX ask me if perchance I had one and I did!!
Good customer service from Jacobs NO ? Jacobs ain't what they use to be .

[spro]

Wow. Timing is the best thing besides guys like you. Super.
OH and yes, Jacobs must be different than they were, to just blow off a customer like that. What are saying by that ? They don't stand behind their history and great products of 90 years (we may know of)? I don't get that, unless selling a new archaic key puts some liability on them. Okay, "my 60 years old chuck doesn't work right because of your new key". Maybe that and maybe they want them gone. That is too bad because Their heritage is what brings them before the competition. They should encompass the fact that thousands if not millions of their chucks are running around the world. Nobody would want a key if they were not satisfied with the chuck. Obsolescence yeah sure, not be associated with that.

[jcfx]

Spro - as John said it's a 16N ball bearing chuck, it was kismet that John was offering chucks for sale,
I asked him if he had a spare key that would fit mine, and he did !
Now it's onto taking the chuck apart, cleaning and seeing if the parts from Jacobs chuck rebuild kit I bought will fit
my chuck, or if I have to " buy a new chuck".

John - I wouldn't call customer service from Jacobs good, just fair. The rebuild kits from them for their new chucks
are jaw dropping expensive for their "new" chucks. Thanks again for having that chuck key.

[BadDog]

Danaher gutted Jacobs like they have every other brand they bought. Whether customer service, parts, or new chucks, best just to forget about anything other than NOS pre-Danaher chucks and parts. From what I've seen and heard, nothing remotely new has any value at all.

[SteveHGraham]

Don't forget Golden Goose/Vertex chucks from Taiwan. The one I have is great.

[jcfx]

I don't think I'd buy any new items from Jacobs any more, aside from telling me to buy a new chuck because they changed the design
of the Super Chucks in '82, I agree that nothing from them new is any better than what is available as an import, I picked up a keyless Jacobs
from Enco when it was on sale and later a similar one from Shars again on sale, and aside from the Shars one being larger for the same capacity
they both feel and work the same.

Here's a follow up on the 16N, I proceeded to take the chuck apart to do a CLR ( clean, lube and refurb ) and had ordered a chuck repair kit from McMaster
for the 16N ( 124.00 vs $189 from Jacobs ) since the jaws on mine really needed replacement, pressed off the outer ring and the ball bearings
and race looked to be in very good condition.
The balls were .187 dia in case anyone was wondering.

The new Jacobs service kit for older BB Super Chucks had the flimsiest thrust bearing compared to the old beefy 3/16" ball bearings
with 1/8" balls in a very rough delrin cage, the new split nut and race were thicker but without the ball bearing groove,
luckily the new jaws still fit the old split nut, but there seems to be a extremely slight off set to the jaws when closed all the way,
maybe about .001 -ish using a feeler gage.

First picture is the assembled chuck with new jaws, the second is the split nut and thrust bearing from the refurb kit.

[whateg0]

I had read before I bought the couple of Jacobs super chucks that the newer ones were absolute junk. Seems I remember people saying that anything that was laser engraved instead of an actual stamped number, etc., was super soft and wore out quickly. I think I remember somebody saying, too, that most of Jacobs stuff was made in China now, too, but I could be wrong on that. Based on what I read, I sought out older super chucks and have been happy with both.

Dave

[ctwo]

I bought a chinese 4-way, and I think that would fit this chuck. I'll have to verify what chuck I bought it for. Because, yeah, I could not find a key for it.

[pete]

Jacob chucks and there current quality comes up on Practical Machinist general forum fairly often. Going by what I've read posted there Jacob chucks are now supposed to be all built in China and that the new rebuild kits don't properly fit the older American made chucks. I don't recall a single post there by anyone saying they liked the new offshore chucks at all. China can and does compete on the world markets and I've got a couple of well made Chinese keyless 1/2" chucks that compare fairly well to my Albecht. So if the quality is that bad I'd judge that as being the fault of Jacobs poor management. MSC's current price on a 16n is $243. The same made by Rohm is $343 and I think there still made in Europe. If Jacobs quality is now that bad then $243 is a very high price for junk. Obviously chuck keys are easy to lose and it's certainly not rocket science to make them. I'd be more than a little ticked off at any company that told me to buy a new chuck simply because I needed a replacement key. Any future chuck purchases for me certainly won't be made by Jacobs.

[jcfx]

I had read before I bought the couple of Jacobs super chucks that the newer ones were absolute junk. Seems I remember people saying that anything that was laser engraved instead of an actual stamped number, etc., was super soft and wore out quickly. I think I remember somebody saying, too, that most of Jacobs stuff was made in China now, too, but I could be wrong on that. Based on what I read, I sought out older super chucks and have been happy with both.

Dave

I can't vouch that the laser engraved chucks are softer, but Jacobs does list two different types of service kits for the BB Super Chucks,
one for the older ones ( which is what I got ) and a newer one that is for the chucks that have a service part number
laser engraved on the nose. Whom ever said that the newer chucks wore out quickly is probably right
the bearing quality of the old vs newer Chinese made chuck is striking, I don't see how the newer chucks
can hold out very long in a heavy production use.

I think that if you have an older chuck ( made in USA ) then it may be prudent to order a service kit, even if it's just for the jaws
and save the flimsy replacement bears for some other project. Mine has seen some use/abuse based on the scarring on the nose,
but the bearings were very good shape.