Longworth chuck

[David E Keller]

Hello all,

I spent part of today making several wooden faceplates and jam chucks with my new Beall tap. When I get around to it, I'm planning on making a donut chuck.

My questions are about the longworth chuck. Anybody use one? Does it work as advertised? It seems to be a lot cheaper to make a longworth chuck than to buy Cole jaws, but I don't recall ever hearing about anyone here using one.

Thanks in advance.

[Richard Madison]

Have made and used two Longworths in the past, but no longer. Doughnut chuck is much better. Using tailstock adapter when the piece is still on the scroll chuck, I get better centering, and much more secure grip with the doughnut. When just needing to remove a tenon that still has a center hole from the tail center, a friction chuck is usually sufficient. The faceplate of the doughnut chuck plus some thin padding also serves as the friction chuck. The same faceplate (15-3/4" dia. particle board on dedicated aluminum faceplate) plus double-stick tape also serves to hold segmented rings for flattening side one.

[Allen Neighbors]

My questions are about the longworth chuck. Anybody use one? Does it work as advertised? It seems to be a lot cheaper to make a longworth chuck than to buy Cole jaws, but I don't recall ever hearing about anyone here using one.
Thanks in advance.
David, the Longworth Chuck is the brainchild of Leslie Longworth, of Australia (I believe). He made one, took it to his club meeting, let a friend borrow it to make himself one, and died that night. All turners have been blessed by Mr. Longworth.
I've got two of them, both of them out of 1/2" Baltic Birch plywood. I first made one for the 16" side of my lathe, and then decided, "Duh! What about the larger bowls?"... so I made a larger one..
The plans I used are on the net... I think I got them from Fred ?... it'll google.
I had already sold all my flatwork tools when I decided to make mine, so I just drew it out, and then very carefully cut the slots with my jig saw. I used a rasp, to clean and smooth the slots. The pics are of the front of the large one. Then the back and front of the smaller one.
If I had it to do over, I would use a 3" face plate, instead of making my own. The smaller Longworth is made with a tenon, to mount in my chuck (I just set the already finished bowl up there for the photo... it wasn't clamped in). I also would use 3/4" plywood on the larger Longworth if I were going to do it again.
On the Smaller one, you can see the slots in the back. I used 8 slots, and when I mount smaller bowls, I remove 4 of the grippers, and only use four.
Since I took these pics, I made the grippers out of 1/2" ID white rubber cane tips. I used a piece of 1/2"OD vinyl tubing inside of each cane tip and they are perfect... collapsing, and gripping even out of round bowls.
I always leave a center point on all my bowls, so when I put the bowl in the Longworth, I center it with the Tailstock. Works well.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I am with Richard. I ended up using a donut chuck and it works well. I leave the bowl in the chuck, mount it in the tailstock and bring it up perfectly centered.

[David E Keller]

I'm not sure I understand what you guys are talking about. How do you leave the bowl in the chuck and mount it to the tailstock?

Second question, is there any reason that you would not build the donut or longworth chuck to allow for maximum diameter turnings? In other words, is there any advantage to having either in a smaller size? I plan on making several outer rings for the donut with different diameter openings, but I just wondered if there would be any reason to build more than one?

[neil mackay]

Like Allen I have two Longworth chucks approx 2' and 1' in diameter. Mine are made from polycarbonate. Looks fancy but it may not be the ideal material.
Also have a donut chuck, I find the Longworth the simplest to use.

But it does need a rim or lip to grip onto in order to finish the base.Whereas the donut is most suitable for hollow vessels with small openings, something the Longworth would not hold.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I'm not sure I understand what you guys are talking about. How do you leave the bowl in the chuck and mount it to the tailstock?

Second question, is there any reason that you would not build the donut or longworth chuck to allow for maximum diameter turnings? In other words, is there any advantage to having either in a smaller size? I plan on making several outer rings for the donut with different diameter openings, but I just wondered if there would be any reason to build more than one?

David I have 2 sizes of donut chucks. I can hold a bowl as small as 3" or one as large as 16". So I go from 3" to 16" in 1" increments. The small set goes from 3" to 9" and the larger one goes from 10" to 16".

Here is the tailstock adapter that I got from CSUSA along with a picture of it. Take your chuck off the headstock with the bowl in it, screw on the tailstock adaptor and insert into the tailstock.

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Lathe_Accessories___Spindle_Accessories___Reverse_ Chucking_Alignment_Adapter___reverse_chuck?Args=

You put the donut part of your donut chuck on before you insert the adaptor in the tailstock. Bring it up and you are centered. I had found that the longworth or cole jaws don't do well if you make a lot of bowls that the lip is curved inward.

[Bill Bolen]

David, I like my Longworth so well I sold my cole jaws. The Longworth is just so much easier to use. Like the cole jaws you need a form with a gripable rim. Once-upon-a-time I made and sold Longworth's on the bay. After a hundred or so it got pretty old so I dropped that bit of manufacturing. They are an enjoyable and very usefull project. Having said all that I am currently switching over to a vacuum system after watching Bob Hamilton's videos on that subject. Give the Longwortha shot, it is fairly easy to do and makes for a satisfying afternoon. While you have all your tools out make a shop vac powered vacuum system. If you like the results from the shop vac systemit is a simple matter to switch over to the much more powerful vac pump system..Bill...

[Richard Madison]

Ditto what Bernie said. I also made a second, smaller size doughnut chuck. Made several assorted size doughnuts. If one of these does not fit as needed, it just takes a few minutes to make another doughnut, which is why I now have several. The tailstock adapter is incredibly handy, but not for use on the spindle, as the aluminum threaded portion is simply a press fit on the steel MT2 mandrel.

[David E Keller]

Thank you Richard, Bill, and Bernie. I'll add that tailstock adapter to my ever-expanding wish list. As soon as I can find some time, I'll be building a couple of donuts and a longworth. I'm not ready for a vacuum chuck yet, but I'm sure I'll get there.

[Mike Stephens]

I made a longworth chuck and it works great but I love my Vacuum chuck.

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[Brian George]

For some time I have wanted to make a Longworth chuck.. However my first wooden chuck has turned out to be the donut chuck. I just finished it Friday and am excited to start using it. I plan to put a center post in it to hold the NE bowls off the rim. I hope it works.

[Jim Silva]

I made 2 Longworth chucks and found them easy to use but not nearly as solid as a donut chuck. Varying sizes of the donuts allows you to grip as large a diameter bowl as the faceplate clearance is on your lathe.

Donuts hold far more securely and a center post is easily made to accommodate a NE bowl.

Since reading this post I've already ordered the threaded tailstock adapter:D which will make centering far easier.