Adjustable chucks increase the flexibility of the lathe, but they can be hard on hands that get too close. Here are a few protective techniques to save your knuckles: 1. Get an elastic wrist or ankle sweat band from a sporting goods store and wrap it over the protruding jaws of the chuck.These bands are brightly colored making the spinning jaws more visible and offer some cushion in the event of contact. 2. Cut a band from a plastic soda bottle of appropriate dimension to fit over the jaws.3. Stick a piece of stiff tape to the side of one or more jaws.When you get too close the tape will slap your hand before the jaws.It blows dust and chips away too.
