Our tip this month concerns tooling. The proper tooling to hold your blanks is as important to a well-cut gear as the machine, the blank quality, or the setup and operation of the machine. As many of you are job shops there is a tendency to try to get by on tooling we have on hand. This can be a problem. Probably the most versatile tooling that can be used is a 6-jaw chuck with the ability to adjust each jaw independently of the others. In most cases this will be a workable solution with proper and careful setup. This is an expensive piece of equipment, however it will pay for itself in the long run. You must remember that your finished gear will only be as good as the setup assuming the proper blank quality.