chuck questions

[curtis rosche]

would a 3 or 4 jaw metal lathe chuck work for wood? step dad wont let me use his, and i dont have the dough for a decent chuck, but the metal ones over at that great auction site are pretty cheap. obviosly the smoothe jaws would have to be changed but other than that would it work right?

[Bob Hallowell]

The $42 grizzly chucks aren't bad, I used on for awhile till I get a better one.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/4-Jaw-Chuck-For-Round-Pieces-1-x-8-TPI/G8784

Bob

[Bill Bolen]

Those metal lathe chuck are meant just for that. Metal. You might get a piece of wood mounted but there are no jaws avaliable for them as far as I have found out. I doubt a piece of wood would stay mounted with all the stresses involved...Bill...

[Jim Kountz]

I have a Wood River from Woodcraft, it was pretty cheap and does a great job but it uses the tommy bars instead of a key. Kind of a pain but workable. I just lock my spindle and use one bar to mount/dismount a blank. The jaws are pretty cheap too and the spindle adapters are only like 7 bucks.

[curtis rosche]

so thats a definant no to the metal chuck?

[George Guadiane]

so thats a definant no to the metal chuck?
You can, of course, do whatever you like, but - you can work hard or work smart. I think that we are trying to help you get the best outcome with the least effort.
Consider this: If you invest in the metal turning chuck and it doesn't meet your needs, you are that much further from getting something that is known to work for your intended purposes.
Difficult as it is to wait, sometimes that's the smart thing to do.

[curtis rosche]

ok. so would getting one of the cheap woodchucks from the "bay" be a good idea? are they cheap cause they dont work well?

[Bob Hallowell]

Curtis I will say again the $42 grizzly chuck works well. I don't think you will find much cheaper. They sell them in different thread sizes

Bob

[Dick Strauss]

Curtis,
One other thing to consider...some of the metal chucks have jaws that require you to adjust each jaw separately. In that case, you'll have to spend extra time each time you mount a piece of wood to get the piece centered!

Chucks aren't really necessary but they do make turning easier...

[curtis rosche]

Dick, the 2 choices i have, the way i see it are, buy a cuck so that i can do bowls and things with minimal glue usage and minimal wood waste. or go try to find a new face plate that will wold very small peices (1/2-3'') the face plates i saw were about the same price as a cheap chuck.

after looking at the grizzly chuck i think that is one of the ones that we have at school, havent used it but know we have it. did it ever have any problems Bob?
i will probably end up getting that one.
now i just have to make it fit the 3/4-16thread spindle

[Bob Hallowell]

now i just have to make it fit the 3/4-16thread spindle

you mean like this
http://www.grizzly.com/products/4-Jaw-Chuck-For-Round-Pieces-3-4-x-16-TPI/G8783

I still use mine occasionaly as it has dovetail #2 jaws and my barracuda2 has the ridged jaws.
Bob

[Bernie Weishapl]

Curtis you won't find a cheaper and better chuck for the money than the link Bob gave you. That is what I started with and still use it on my small lathes. A metal chuck just doesn't have enough jaw surface to safely hold a chunk of wood IMHO. Why spend $30 or $40 on a metal chuck when you can have a wood one for $42.

[Scott Conners]

Here's the Grizzly 3/4x16 chuck: http://www.grizzly.com/products/4-Jaw-Chuck-For-Round-Pieces-3-4-x-16-TPI/G8783 A chuck is certainly a very useful item, and the price is right.

[Reed Gray]

Curtis,
If you want cheap face plates with waste blocks, if your headstock spindle is 1 inch by 8 threads per inch, there is an easy solution. Go to the local big hardware or fastener store and get some locking nuts with the nylon inserts. A box of 10 is $25 to $30, or individually around $3 each. The nylon has to be removed. You can heat them with a torch and it will pop out easily, or you can mount it on your lathe with the nylon point out, and about a 1/2 inch spacer behind it and turn it out with a square scraper. Then make a bunch of waste blocks, 1 1/2 inches thick and about 3 inches, more or less, depending on what you need. The standard 2 by 4 works fine. Use a forstner bit to drill a recess in the block that the nut will fit into, and drill in about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Press the nut into it, then use a 2 part epoxy to set the nut. CA glue will work if you have the meduim or thick stuff, but the epoxy is better. I use them primarily for boxes, but they will work for bowls as well.

As far as a chuck, a keyed one is preferable to a tommy bar one.

robo hippy

[Wyatt Holm]

I think if you looked around you could get a top brand 4 jaw scroll chuck used. They don't wear out to easily, most people sell because they are not the right size.

[Don Carter]

Curtis:
I have used a chuck like Bob linked for several years. I think they were $35 when I bought one. They work, I still use it on my Delta midi. For the money, now $42, you can't beat it.
All the best.

Don

[curtis rosche]

thanks for the help guys

[Kim Ford]

Curtis;

Another view.

I only use my chuck for roughing out. I turn the outside between centers, cut a tenon and then chuck up for the inside rough. This can be done by a faceplate and in fact is what I did for quite a while.

I don't use the chuck on finish pieces because I don't finish green pieces and, because it very difficult to find exact center again.

I bought the tap to match my spindle, about $25 and now glue a waste block on everything, (after roughed out and dry, because gluing waste blocks to green wood is tough). I can put it back on the lathe at anytime and I have excact center. Now the piece may have warped or distorted a little, but center is not lost.

If tonight I want to put a bowl on and only sand for a while, or turn a specific detail I can do so and only worry about shrinkage, not center. It's what works for me and is very economical.

My two cents.

[curtis rosche]

cool, idea Kim. I thought about that but the threads on my lathe are very fine, it would have to be very veyr light turning or a very very hard wood, or it would just shread it

[Jeff Nicol]

Curtis, I do the same thing Kim does once in a while with the tap and make a waste block. If you use hard maple you will have one heck of a time breaking the 3/4 x16 threads out of the wood! Once the wood is tight to the headstock the glue joint would break out before the threads. The threads give it a lot more surface area and if you want to add some strength soak the threads in thin CA and after in dries run the tap back in to clean them out. They work very well for smaller bowls an things. Still buy the $42 chuck, you will be amazed at how much you will like it!

Have fun,

Jeff

Jeff

[Kim Ford]

Curtis;

I agree with Jeff.

The $42 chuck and a spindle tap have you set to go.