Made these up from some scrap aluminum and maple I had on hand.

Face Plates 3 Inch.jpg

The idea is to capture the 1-8 nut in the wood. I used to make these using the standard epoxy method. Turns out that can be a problem after a while. I have had two of them fail. The epoxy lost grip. No harm done, but as I was turning I suddenly noticed a bit of a vibration and sure enough, the epoxy had failed. Yes, I mixed it properly. I have used those chucks for several years.

With the back aluminum plate in place, there is no way the nut can back out.

Oh yea, almost forgot! The maple is laminated so that a crack cannot carry through the entire block. Think of it as plywood with 1/4 inch laminations.