Alternate, "L" Shaped Talon Chuck Key?

[Eric Jacobson]

Can anyone suggest a workaround to using the standard geared Talon chuck key? I tried to use my Talon chuck to grip the inside of a roughed bowl. The bowl was deeper than my Talon. The problem is, the standard geared chuck key won't fit in the hole to expand the jaws because the bowl's rim is in the way (i.e., the rim covers the chuck key hole).

I know some chucks have "L"-shaped keys that solve this problem. Does any such solution exist for the Talon?

[Nathan Hawkes]

Tough problem. You have a few options. Oneway does sell tower jaws, which, as the name implies, are taller in height, and might offer enough additional clearance. You might also try turning a jam chuck, or really just a friction drive setup with a piece of wood held in the jaws of the chuck, turned to the approximate shape of the bowl, then use the tailstock to maintain pressure while you re-true the bowl's foot for finish turning. That's what I personally do, but I don't twice turn a lot of bowls.

[Keith Harrell]

Not sure but I had a problem like this and made a dummy block of wood to fit between the bowl and into the chuck. I rounded the block of wood that was held in the chuck and then used 60 grit sandpaper between the wood block and the bowl with tail stock support on the bottom of the bowl. No heavy cuts but I got done what I needed.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Eric - I just open the jaws as wide as they can go - then place the roughed out bowl over the jaws and bring up the tailstock to secure in place. Kind of a jam chuck - but works great and has been the only way I have started the finishing process on bowl and hollow forms.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I do like Steve does. I don't intend to grip the inside of a roughed bowl.

[Eric Jacobson]

When you use this jam-chuck technique, is there a trick to getting the bowl centered properly?

I've tried the mouse pad thing for removing a chuck tenon at the bowl's bottom. That was not too hard because the bottom of the bowl is easy to center on the tailstock...it doesn't spin too far off center.

However, it seems that for truing up the profile of a rough turned bowl, the top half of the bowl would really spin off center. Do you just keep adjusting the jam chuck and try to make the ghost disappear or something?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Eric - all I do is open the chuck jaws as wide as possible, then with my left hand holding the bowl tight up against the chuck jaws, bring the tailstock up and insert the live center into the hole (center of tenon) that is left over from roughing out. I then spin the bowl by hand to make sure that the tenon spins true - meaning the outside face closest to the tailstock is perpendicular to the bed.

Clear as mud?

[Dale Coons]

Just out of curiosity, do you put some sort of padding over the jaws or just put the bare wood up against it? (my apologies for butting in)

[Steve Schlumpf]

Dale - I just use the bare jaws. I'm not worried about marring the wood on the inside of the bowl because it will all get turned away.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Eric - all I do is open the chuck jaws as wide as possible, then with my left hand holding the bowl tight up against the chuck jaws, bring the tailstock up and insert the live center into the hole (center of tenon) that is left over from roughing out. I then spin the bowl by hand to make sure that the tenon spins true - meaning the outside face closest to the tailstock is perpendicular to the bed.

Clear as mud?


I've learned the hard way to not face off the tenon smooth--that is, I've learned that if I don't leave the dimple from the live center, it takes quite a while to find the exact center--wood doesn't always dry perfectly evenly. Sometimes the tenon isn't a regular oval.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Nathan - I understand what you are saying but I have found that even though there are times when the tenon can warp beyond oval - the face remains relatively true. I have gotten into the habit of truing up the face of the tenon - the portion of it I can reach while still in the tailstock - before reversing and roughing out the inside of the turning. Good point that you bring up - always make sure to leave the dimple created by the tailstock!

As mentioned - this works for me most of the time. I like to turn wood with lots of knots, inclusions, etc and a lot of that wood warps into non-oval shapes that require you to get creative when trying to re-center for finishing. Facing off the tenon - and leaving the dimple - is just another way to assist me in that process.