rock chuck

i now have a rock installed on both of my machines.

i can say when both are running the noise level is still less that when i had just one machine running with the qc installed.

i wish someone with a sound meter could measure the difference in sound level before and after. i think it would blow you away.

also there is almost no vibration with the rock chuck. the little black knob on the raise/lower handle used to turn in circles with the qc and not barely moves with the rock.

i love it and would recomend it to anyone.

kendall

Can the Rock Chuck use the standard 1/2" shanked CarveWright bits once removed from their collars?

Will replacing the CW chuck with the Rock Chuck void the CW warranty?

Thanks in advance. If the answers to the above questions are good, then this looks like the first after market item that I'm going to buy for my machine! The noise and vibration factors alone make it worth the bucks to me.

Woodchips,

Ron has a 1/2" version for the bits and you will need to have a 1/4" adapter for the the 1/4" bits.

I would assume the warranty would be voided as it is not an LHR approved part.

Make sure you look a the "contact" info post for Ron and the rock chuck. It will take you to his web site for more info..

FW,

Thanks for the quick reply.

It's the noise issue, the vibration issue and the warranty issue that are of major concern. The noise and vibration seem to be taken care of with this new chuck. But it's the warranty issue that sort of bothers me a little. Comments? Have you or Jason heard anything from LHR about this?

The other thing is the removal of the original qc. I've read what Ron has to say and he states that you have to heat the original qc to remove it because of the lock tight etc. He also states that when doing so you have to take extra precautions not to damage anything in the chuck head.

Did you have any problems with this? How easy was it for you to remove the original qc from your machine? Did you do as Ron suggested?

I was about ready to spring for the entire package, including the 1/4" adapter until I read what Ron had to say about using heat to remove the original qc.

Sincerely appreciate any light you can shed on this. Thanks in advance.

I have changed the QC many times before I got the Rock Chuck. Every time I heated the QC with my wife's hair dryer to loosen the locktite before applying any pressure with the QC removal tools. When replacing the QC I always used BLUE locktite. The above process caused no problems at all.

Woodchips,

I have removed the original QC on 2 machines and was able to do so with out any heat at all.

I used a cheater bar and the wrench handle for more leverage. With the square drive inserted in the top of the spindle (remove the top hat) and the wrench on the QC, hold the square drive firmly and then give the wrench with the cheater bar a few quick/snap tugs to break the locktite loose. I would give this a try before trying any heat. I know of a few that ended up melting the the QC, drive belt and bearings

As to your questions on warranty, if you had to send you CW to LHR for any reason I would put the QC back on...

FW,

Sounds like a plan. Was wondering about what sort of damage may occur when heat is applied to the QC head.

Certainly hope LHR is NOT reading this forum with regards to the warranty issue using the Rock Chuck. Hmmm???

Hope you can do it as I did and you do not have to use any heat.

And do not be to give it a try...

woodchipsltd wrote:Can the Rock Chuck use the standard 1/2" shanked CarveWright bits once removed from their collars?

Will replacing the CW chuck with the Rock Chuck void the CW warranty?

Thanks in advance. If the answers to the above questions are good, then this looks like the first after market item that I'm going to buy for my machine! The noise and vibration factors alone make it worth the bucks to me.

Hi Guys,
Yes the "Rock System" can accept the 1/2 shank tools from CW... I have developed Sleeves that are specific to the Rock chuck that will allow the use of 1/4" shank tools such as your standard 1/4" shank carving bit, and your CW 1/8" cutout bit. I also have a 1/2 to 1/8 Sleeve that allows you to purchase 1/8 shank cutout bits that i sell. These bits are $14 cheaper than the CW bits, and are being reported to be working better/ lasting longer.

As far as the warranty issue, there has been a couple inquiries to LHR about this, and it was stated that "the jury is still out on that one".... I assure you that the upgrade to my chuck is not only quieter, smoother, and more dependable, It will also reduce heat and vibration, which is a known problem to any mechanical device.

Thanks for your interest, and please take a minute to check out my website in the signature links below.... while it is pretty basic, it is simple to navigate and find what you want quickly..

Happy Carving,

Ron