Taking Chinese 3 Jaw Metal Lathe chuck apart for cleaning

[Harold_V]

In my case, because the work was all internal (aside from one facing cut), sucking it through the spindle was a far better choice, because the chips were completely evacuated. That wouldn't be true if I had placed a hose on the opposite side, as boring limits how close you can attach a hose, plus the material that isn't picked up enters the chuck, like it or not. For external machining, that may not be the case.

The nice part about attaching to the back side is that the hose is never in the way, and never needs to be adjusted. That wouldn't be true if you used the opposite end, where it would be in the way for pretty much anything you hoped to do, plus you'd spend way too much time fiddling with the hose. For me, that was a serious consideration, as I was running my machines for gain, not pleasure. Considering the fact that the chips are already aligned with the bore of the chuck, there's nothing to gain by not using the back side. As I said, it solved the problem perfectly.

H