I have a curiosity question for those that have the Rod Wrapping lathes using the metal jaw-ed chucks like the Renzzetti. What do you do to stop the chuck from crushing the blanks? Do you mount a reelseat arbor (for the butt cap) first, or do you place a plug on the inside? Do you also line the inside of the chuck jaws with tape to stop it from marring the blank? Thanks.

Besides the masking tape around teh butt end of the blank, I cut 3 pieces of heat shrink tubing and put them on each jaw. Not only does this give me better grip with less "tightening power", I can now sufficiently hold 1/4 inch tools, such as a 3" wire wheel.

It has also "protected" my fingers from my stupidity and carelessness. I've been wacked with the jaw while grinding guides, and I think if i didn;t have the tubing on it it would've took a chunk out of the back of my fingers. Betcha I'm more careful now.

Billy

I have a set of rubber caps of different sizes (the same caps you see on chair legs. I was given about 10 of these caps from a friend that also builds rods. They work very well. If I don't have a cap that fits snug, I build up the blank with tape until it does. These caps can be bought ay Home depot also.

Just a couple of turns of masking tape for me. As far a crushing? Only tighten the jaws enought to keep the blank from slipping. It is very surprising how little force it takes to hold the blank securely. Now if I am turning cork on the blank, I just tighten to where I am just beyond slipping while shaping. I start with it on the loose side, if it slips a little, will tighten more and so on till it does not slip. This may be too cautious, but I would rather be that than crush a blank.

The best way I have found is not to put the jaws on the rod blank to begin with. Find a piece of scrap blank that will fit into the butt end of your blank snugly. If the taper does not match exactly you can build it up with tape until it does. Then close the jaws on that piece and you don't have to worry about damaging your blank. You will still want to put a few winds of tape on the scrap piece to keep it from slipping in the chuck.

I take a piece of unusable cork and bore it slightly smaller than the butt diameter, twist the butt into the cork then clamp the cork as tight as you want. Rod will not twist during wrapping or shaping of grips