A spindle chuck is a plate or bar having a cylindrical portion at each end, these cylindrical parts being provided with shouldered bearings or pivots by which the chuck may swing or rotate on suitable bearers. The spindle chuck shown by Fig. 051, is a thick plate provided with several slots, such being required to contain fixing bolts. The two broad surfaces of the implement are smoothly planed parallel to each other, and named the faces of the chuck, because to these surfaces the pieces of work are bolted. On the faces should be several parallel lines similar to those described for el-chucks. In the Figure the letters B denotes the pivots or bearings referred to.

A spindle chuck is very useful for planing a surface of an object so that the planed surface shall be at any stated angle to some other stated surface of the same object. To do this, the chuck is supported at a proper height above a planing-table by means of bearers of a suitable height which stand on the table. One of these bearers is put beneath each bearing or spindle-end of the chuck, and if the supporters or bearers are tall enough, the chuck may be swung and completely rotated while in its place. Supporters or pedestals for this purpose, should be as short as the objects to be fastened will allow, to obtain as much resistance as possible to the cutting-tool. After the chuck is placed, the work is bolted thereto, and the chuck is swung and adjusted to the desired angle with the table-face.

To make both the chuck's faces parallel to each other, and also parallel to the planing-table while attached to the pedestals, the two faces should be planed, the spindle-ends next lathe-turned, the feet of the pedestals or standards planed, the bearer-brasses fitted (if any are used) and the entire apparatus next bolted to the planing-table to have a couple of finishing slices taken off the two faces. Only small quantities are to be planed off at this final adjustment, therefore the two broad sides or faces of the chuck should be planed to near the finished dimensions at the first planing, previous to commencing the lathe-turning of the spindle-ends. After this preliminary planing, the spindle-ends can be centered true with the intermediate planed part by a pair of parallel blocks and a scriber-block.

In order to, properly grip the spindle-ends, the gap surfaces of the brasses, or other bearers, are made to tightly grip the bearings or necks by tightly screwing the cap bolts with a spanner, after the chuck is finally adjusted to the desired angle with the table. This tight grip is obtained by exactly fitting the bearers to the necks, and next filing off a small quantity from each flat face of the bearers to make a space between the two while the neck is tightly gripped. If a small space is thus provided, any degree of tightness may be obtained by screwing the cap bolts. The mode of adjusting the chuck to be finally planed, or to place a piece of work into the required position, consists in applying a few blows with a tin hammer when the bolts are loose enough.

In addition to these implements now described for all planing-machines and shaping-machines, right-angled blocks, cranked-plates, and other instruments are used, for special work, and will be introduced in another place.