Advice on new chuck

[Ian James Webster]

Hi all,

The 4 jaw chuck I currently have is a real pain. The 4 jaws adjust independently and I have a real time getting things centered. So I'm looking to upgrade to a check with just one adjustment screw and would appreciate any reccomendations. Like most of us I guess I'm looking for the best I can get for the lease money:D.

Thank you

[David Christopher]

the best you can get ( oneway strong hold ) least money ( grizzly or woodriver) .....Ive got one of each and like them all

[Bill Mitchel]

Ian
I have the Oneway Talon and love it, simple to adjust with 1 key, like on a drill press but larger. HartvilleTools.com is were i bought mine, they usually have the best price and have great service.
good luck, Bill

[Sid Matheny]

I have the SuperNova2 and love it. I couldn't ask for more.

Sid

[Paul Stroik]

+1 for the Oneway Talon.

[Ron Bontz]

Oneway, Vicmarc, tekna, Nova, etc. I like the Vicmarc as well as the oneway.
http://www.1goodturn.net/chuck_accessories.htm#Inserts Best of luck.:)

[Chris Stolicky]

I think if you do a little searching around here you will see that there a few chucks that people really like. Without knowing what size lathe you have it is a little difficult to make refined recommendations.

I can say that I bought the Talon for my 16" swing and really like it. With the #3 jaws it will handle anything up to that size. If you lathe is larger, the Stronghold deserves a look.

Probably the greatest selling points of the Talon were the relatively light weight (less wear on the lathe), the key, and peoples' positive comments about it. I have a midi chuck with the tommy bars for my mini lathe and am not a fan of them.

By the way, I am on Hartville time out right now! Its dangerous for me to go to that site!! :D

[Richard Madison]

Ian,
Sounds like you have a chuck that is intended for metal turning. As noted you want/need a 4-jaw scroll chuck for woodturning.

Rarely if ever have I seen/read that someone said "I have this chuck and it is crap". That tells me that they all pretty much work ok. I have cheap chucks and they hold the wood securely and cause it to rotate when the lathe is turned on. Presumably the more expensive chucks have somewhat more precise machining of the parts, fewer if any sharp corners and sharp edges, etc. I would not buy a chuck that is operated with "tommy bars" as it seems like it would take three hands to use. Just an opinion. Some folks like 'em.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree Richard. It sounds like a metal chuck for sure. IMHO not really a good chuck for woodturning and would have poor holding power. I would look at Vicmarc, Nova, Oneway, etc. which are made for wood turning. All are good chucks. I have the 3 1/2" Vic and love it.

[Alan Trout]

Really knowing what swing your lathe has and the type of stuff you are turning can be a big help with advice.

I personally own a Nova G3 and a Nova SN2 that I like very much. I like the fact that all jaws interchange across the Nova line and they fit my budget and requirements well. All the chucks listed are more than capable of serving most turners needs. What I have found is I personally like to use the smallest, and safe sized, chuck for a given piece I am working on. The reason is I find it gives me more room to work.

If you are turning lots of 20+" pieces you might want the big Vicmarc, or Stronghold,. If you are occasionally turning a 20" piece you might want the Nova SN2. The Vicmarc VM100, the Grizzly clone, Nova G3 and Talon, are all good if you are staying at 16" or under.

Next is budget, The Grizzly clone is the cheapest at about $100. Then comes the Nova line of chucks. I know you can get the G3 with insert from woodworkers specialties on e-bay for $125 with free shipping and the SN2 goes on sale all the time at Woodcraft for about 139.00 but you have to buy a insert. The Talon is going for about $204 at Hartville tool and the Stronghold is about $259 I also believe there is a discount code available for Hartville that will give a pretty decent discount plus I believe you will also need an insert. Crafts supply has the Vicmarc VM100 for $239, and the big 5 1/2" VM120 for about $289 but includes the insert with these chucks. There might be other deals out there but I have dealt with all of these vendors and have been pleased.

Basically consider your lathe capabilities, what you are turning, and what you can afford, and make a choice from there.

Good Luck

Alan

[Jon Prouty]

Like Ian, I am going to be moving to a scroll chuck for Christmas (yay).

How come no one recommends the Barracuda2 T/N Plated Special Edition from PSI? It looks to come with everything one would ever need... $200

or

Utility Grip 4 Jaw Lathe Chuck System: includes 2 jaws and FREE 8" Jumbo Flat Jaws - again from PSI? While a tommy bar chuck, it is cheap = $90

(consider turning on the Jet 1014).

Thanks!
Jon

[Dan Forman]

I prefer the Oneway chucks for one reason, the profiled (serrated) jaw design, which uses a straght tenon rather than a dovetailed tenon. However, dovetaile jaws are available if you like that sort of thing. I have dovetail chucks too, but since getting the Oneway's, they are my go to chucks. The one thing I don't like about them is that they operate with a geared key, instead of a hex key. The Jaw design outweighs this often annoying detail however.

My Oneway chucks run true, my Nova chucks both have noticeable runout.

Hartville is a very good retailer. They may give a discount to SMC members, wouldn't hurt to ask.

Dan

[Bill Blasic]

I myself own 11 Nova chucks (soon to be an even dozen) and not one of them has any run out, they all run true. I myself prefer the dovetail jaws as they hold any thing that I throw at them. As Alan above stated all the jaws (with the exception of the Titan Power Grip jaws) fit all the chucks in the current line. Currently on sale for $79 is the Precision Midi for the midi lathes, this is a great chuck if you don't mind tommy bars. This chuck comes with two sets of jaws 50mm and 25mm and a woodworm screw for this sale. Coming soon will be four new sets of jaws for the Precision Midi and the G3 (and of course they fit all the chucks but are aimed at the two mentioned). As I always state you will not go wrong with any of the three major chuck manufacturers.

[Ian James Webster]

Thanks all - I have a craftsman lathe with 15" swing. So far all I've tried turngin is 2 bowls - around 8" each. I just bought a couple of 10" bowl blanks from ebay.

[Ian James Webster]

Well - I ended up buying a SuperNova 2 from Woodcraft on sale for $139.99. Wow - what a difference. So much easier to get the bowl centered and MUCH better grip. Thank you all for the input.