Down the slippery slope... What chuck?

[David DeCristoforo]

So I've been watching this forum for some time now and looking at that nice old Delta lathe sitting in my shop and suddenly I'm finding myself sliding down the slippery slope. I ordered some lathe tools and I've got wood, ideas and inspiration (looking at all the fine work posted here). But I don't have a chuck. I need a chuck. So if anyone would like to offer me some advice on which one would be "best" I would really appreciate it. I would like to get something that is part of a "system" that would be fairly versatile.

Also, I have been looking at hollowing tools and systems so any input on those would be good too. Not afraid to dive into the deep end here....

[Dave Ogren]

David,

I have 2 Vicmarc chucks and have been very impressed with their performance. Oneway's are also good. It might be a matter of money, but once you get a large piece of wood on your lathe and do not have to worry, that means a lot. Especially to me.

Good Luck with your decision,

Dave

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David,

Vicmark, Nova's SuperNova 2 are two good chucks.

Bernie Weishapl has had good luck with a chuck from Grizzly and it's about 1/2 the price of the better chucks.

A consideration to realize is the different jaws available and the ability to interchange those jaws.

I'm sure you realize the wisdom of weighing the answers you'll get to this thread before you make your decision.

Enjoy the trip my friend!

[bob svoboda]

I have 2 SuperNova 2's and a Nova G3. Have been totally satisfied with all. Get them on sale if possible. Enjoy spinning in the vortex!

[Ryan Baker]

What's your budget like? What size and type of work are you likely to do the most of?

The "big three" -- Teknatool, Oneway, and Vicmarc -- all make products that you can't hardly go wrong with.

If you are going to be doing larger, heavier work, it would probably be a good idea to buy into the Oneway or Vicmarc systems. They are a bit higher in quality and have larger chucks. The Grizzly is an inexpensive path into the Vicmarc line. I like the Stronghold.

If you are doing smaller work and/or would like to save some money, the Teknatool line (particularly the Supernova2) offers some good choices and a wide range of jaws compatible with the full line. Fit and finish isn't as high, but they will do anything you ask of them at a significant cost savings. The Talon is another popular chuck in the smaller size category.

Remember that (with the exception of the Nova jaws), most chucks do not have interchangeable jaws even within the products from the same manufacturer. It's good to try to pick a line with some room to grow and stick to it.

[David Warkentin]

I also use the Oneway Stronghold. I recommend it as it works very well. Actually I think I would have been satisfied with any of the "big three". :D

[Jeff Willard]

For the ultimate death grip-Oneway.

Teknatool will save you a little cash-initially, and is slightly more versatile. You'll spend the $$$ you saved on additional jaws though.

Vicmarc has it all. Might even be more versatile than the Teknatool.

I do probably 90%+ of my turning with a Oneway Stronghold. What that won't conveniently handle-mostly very small scale work, a Teknatool will. Don't have a Vicmarc, but wish I did, only because I like it.

Wish there was still a domestic source for the Axminster.

Caveat-If your spindle nose is 1 1/2x8 or M33-3.5, skip the Teknatool line.

[John Keeton]

David, so glad to see you coming over to the round side!! You bring some fantastic skills, broad knowledge base, and a good eye for design.

We will be seeing some beautiful work from David - his learning curve will be short!!!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Would you look at that.....John "I ain't turning no bowls or HFs" Keeton fanning the flames on somebody else's fire!:eek::D

[Bill Bolen]

John, Once infected you want everyone else afflicted! I totally agree..
I have had total satisfaction with the Nova line of chucks, I have a midi, G3 and 2 sn2"s. Jaws are interchangable on all.
I was dissatisfied with the cheapie from psi but have also had great luck with the Grizzly 3 1/2" chuck and use the vic marc shark jaws one one of them. You will probably end up with more than one chuck and all 3 of the name brands will get you the quality you are after. Nova, vicmarc or oneway are all top of the line.

[John Keeton]

Would you look at that.....John "I ain't turning no bowls or HFs" Keeton fanning the flames on somebody else's fire!:eek::DMisery loves company, Ken!!!:D:D:D This group is like a reverse support group!!:eek:

[David E Keller]

I've got the talon, and it's done everything I've asked of it. Now that I have a larger lathe, I'm considering a larger chuck and have narrowed the choices to the big three. The Nova line is somewhat appealing because of the ability to interchange the jaws among different sized chucks.

[Bernie Weishapl]

David the first chuck I bought was the Vicmarc VM100 for over $220. Don't get me wrong it is a fine chuck extremely well made chuck. If it wasn't for the fact that I found out that the $99 Grizzly chucks is a clone of the VM 100 and that the Vicmarc jaws fit that chuck I probably would have spent about $500 more for a couple of more Vic's. I now have 5 of the Grizzly's with different jaws on each (getting lazy in my old age) because I don't like changing chucks. They work great. The fit and finish is pretty good. 3 of the chucks for my Nova are 1 1/4 X 8 and 2 for the smaller lathes are 1 X 8.

[Jake Helmboldt]

I'll jump in with my opinion, for what it is worth. The Stronghold is overkill for the Delta, so the Oneway Talon would be more appropriate. That said, I have the Talon, and while a good chuck, I am not impressed with their profiled jaws. I'm planning to buy their dovetail jaws as a result.

The chuck itself is good, but I'm just not sold on the supposed benefits of their jaw design. I also would prefer a chuck key that uses an allen wrench like the Vicmarc. There are times when I can't get the key in the chuck when reversing a roughed out blank which I could do with a regular allen wrench on a Vic.

The Novas are Chinese made now, if that is a consideration (it is for me). YMMV. I agree with Keeton; I suspect David will be humbling folks soon if he dives headlong into this addiction.

[Steve Schlumpf]

David - lots of really nice tools to choose from! Just to add to the list - I have the Oneway Talon and have used it for 6 years now and still feel no need to upgrade.

Hollowing systems - I have both of Randy Privett's Monster systems. To me it is the best system out there. Check it out: http://monster-lathe-tools.com/cart.php

[Nigel Tracy]

Hi David,

Another vote for Oneway--I have a Talon and a Basic chuck and have never had a problem.

Good luck (outfitting yourself), welcome (to the vortex), and enjoy :)

[David DeCristoforo]

At this point, I'm leaning toward the Oneway "Talon" which seems to be held in high esteem and offers a lot of versatility. Also, I think it's very well suited to the lathe I have. FWIW, it's just like this one: http://owwm.com/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=10364

I'm sure I could save some dough by getting something like the Griz or this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KIACTG/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000N4K4L8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0ZNX0QET16DV73B07YFT

On the other hand, I've never shied away from investing in top notch equipment and we're really only talking a couple hundred one way or the other.

Thanks to all for the advice and encouragement. Feel free to keep it coming... I've got some catching up to do!

[Jim Sebring]

One of the best deals in a Nova G3 chuck is available from this fella in B.C. rg_woodworker_specialties (http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=rg_woodworker_specialties&ssPageName=ADME:B:FSEL:US:1124) I've bought several items from him and been very satisfied. His current price for a G3 with insert and free shipping is $114.95.

[Karl Card]

I have the nova g3 and like it alot. One reason why I picked it was because local woodcraft carries the jaws and the jaws are pretty much the same price everywhere... the most important reason I bought it was because it takes one hand to tight it... others have 2 tools to tighten them and the nova has only 1... plus the jaws on the nova are mostly good with all there chucks... not all but probably around 98 percent or so...

Sometimes you can get a deal on a used nova on ebay.. I did buy some jaws on there and got a good deal... my goal is to have just about every pair of jaws for my nova.. they are handy.

KC

[John Keeton]

David, I didn't comment earlier on the chuck question, as my experience is limited to the Nova. I have three G3 chucks, and they work great and do everything that I need to do. But, they are a smaller chuck, and you may need a larger capacity down the road.

I also just bought a couple pair of the Nova soft jaws, which are kind of unique - not sure any other chuck manufacturer does a soft jaw. Of course, one could make their own from hardwood, too.

Sounds like you have received a very good cross-sectional response, and I think it may end up being more of a factor of personal taste, and need for capacity.

On sources, I bought one G3 from the link given for RG Specialties, at a little higher price, and the last one came from ToolNut, at an even better price. You may want to check on pricing with Sean Ackerman of ToolNut, also a creeker and supporter of SMC. They are very competitive.

[Thom Sturgill]

David, I have 2 of the PSI barracuda 2 chucks and do not like the jaws that came with it. I bought the second chuck (body only) and added their newer dovetail jaws which work fine. I haven't tried one but they also sell a Barracuda 4 which is larger and heavier, though they do not say how much. The B2 fits 1"-8tpi spindles while the B4 fits 1 1/2" spindles and has adapters for smaller spindles. They also have smaller chucks that use 'tommy bars' instead of chuck keys. The jaws work across the line.

I then bought a G3 (3"dia - 3lb) at a symposium at auction and liked it even better. I just bought the SuperNOVA2 and am waiting for the insert to use it on my Jet 1642 which has 1 1/4" spindle. I am also adapting the G3 which I bought with the 1" insert. I like the NOVA dovetails, and either brand chuck would be a good option for the Delta, the SN2 being a bit heavier (3 7/8"-5.5#) and closed body. Our club president does NOT like the NOVA jaws as the inside dovetail is pretty small and he feels it does not give enough grip, he is a fan of Oneway chucks.

If I buy a larger chuck body it will be the Vicmarc mid sized chuck (VM120 5"dia 8lb). The Grizzly is a clone of the smaller Vicmarc VM100 (3 3/4" 4 1/2lb), I believe.

The Oneway chuck's jaws are serrated, but much more aggressive than the PSI's and hold very well. Their larger chucks would probably be too massive for the Delta but they do make one that would be appropriate. Stronghold is 4.5" and 8# while the Talon is 3.5" and 3.4#.

Whichever brand you buy, I think the smaller/middle range B2, G3, SN2, VM100 (or grizzly), or Talon would probably be the size that is appropriate. I believe that all except the B2 use inserts which means that if you upgrade the lathe, they could be adapted.

Hope that helps more than it confuses.

[Harvey Ghesser]

Love my Oneway Talon!:D

[Jeff Luedloff]

OneWay Stronghold is the best chuck in my opinion I have 2 of them..

[Allen Neighbors]

Another vote for Nova. I have a (3") Nova Compac on my mini lathe. I have two SuperNova 2s (4") with several sets of jaws. They handle anything I've put on them, up to 16" bowls. I have a Nova Titan (5") with Titan Power Grip Jaws. It handles the large bowls that I turn on the outboard side. All the jaws are interchangeable between the 4" & 5" chucks, except the Titan Power Grip. Versatility worth checking into.

[Alan Trout]

I have a Nova G3 and a SN2 along with 9 sets of jaws. They have done everything that I have ask of them, all at what I consider a very good value. One thing that is nice about the Nova line of chucks is that all jaws with a couple of exceptions interchange across their entire line of chucks. Also being I have a Woodcraft near me they stock more Nova accessories than the Oneway so if I need something in a hurry I can just run about 5 miles up the road and I can get it.

Basically any of the big manufactures will make a good chuck for anyone, and will more than handle most peoples needs. I have used Vicmarc's, Oneway's and of course my Nova's and they all work well.

Good Luck

Alan

[Alan Zenreich]

I have two OneWay Talon chucks. Very nice, and they tighten by turning the key "clockwise" (my preference), unlike the fine chucks from down under.

[Donny Lawson]

Check out the Woodcraft site. They have a clearence on a nice chuck for I think 89.00.A friend told me about it the other day but I don't remember the name of it but you should see it.
Donny

[Joshua Dinerstein]

I would avoid the barracuda 2. I have of them. They are good chucks, which might seem the opposite of my recommendation to avoid them. They biggest and only real problem I had with them is that they are internally threaded for 1x8tpi. When I got them this is what my lathe was. However this became a problem when I upgraded, something I was sure I was never ever going to do.

Once I did I had to get an external adapter to get them onto the now 1 1/4"x8tpi spindle. They don't run true and it bothers me enough that I don't use them anymore so they sit in my shop gathering dust.

I have come to the realization that for the most part no one is ever done getting more woodworking equipment. So I would get something that is more easily movable between equipment. The Griz chucks are a great and a true value. The Nova Chucks are good stuff. I have one, a SN2, new in the box just waiting for me to decide what I want to do with it. And I used a different one for about 6 months a year or two ago that I sold with the Jet 1642 evs lathe. I liked that chuck. It open and closed the opposite way that I thought it should. And that was my one and only complaint with it.

I now have a 5 1/2" Vicmarc chuck and it is my current favorite. Which is why I am trying to get some more of the Griz chucks as they are a knock-off of Vicmarc's smaller 3 1/2" chuck.

Again my only complaint with the Barracuda 2 chuck was that it didn't have an insert. When I first got it I liked that fact. But now that I have upgraded lathes twice I find myself thinking a whole lot of NO about an internally threaded 1x8tpi chuck. In the long run they are just too limiting.

Good luck, in any event I am sure you will have lots and lots of fun!

Joshua

[David DeCristoforo]

Thanks to all for the great advice. I finally settled on the "SuperNova2" chuck with several different jaw sets. Price was OK, I like the interchangeability of accessories and it's a really nice piece of hardware. Got it mounted today and it seems like a "good fit" with my Delta lathe. I figure that if the day comes when I "outgrow" this chuck, I'll probably have outgrown the lathe too. So now I guess there's only one thing left to do....

[John Keeton]

So now I guess there's only one thing left to do....TURN, TURN, TURN.......:D Oh yeah, one other thing.......put all your assets in a spendthrift trust so that you can't get to them!! The vortex will suck your bank account dry!!:eek: