Lathe chuck recommendations

[James Waters]

Hello,

My wife and I bought a new Delta 46-460 mostly to do pens. She has officially entered the vortx at light speed!!!! She has been making some really neat pens and she is getting really good at them! She now would like to maybe start doing bowls too.

We are both new to turning but are having a blast with it. My question is what brand and model of chuck should we look at for doing bowels? I know the faceplate can be used also that came with the tool but I also know that the chuck provides alot more versatility.

I dont have a set budget but would like to not spend an absolute fortune either. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Gary Max]

I like the Nova's----Amazon has the G-3 on sale for under $120.00

[Roger Chandler]

Hello,

She now would like to maybe start doing bowels too.



I dont have a set budget but would like to not spend an absolute fortune either. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I would much rather see her turn BOWLS! :eek::D I have the SuperNova2 chuck which is reasonably priced,and sometimes you can find it on sale. It is a first class chuck! The Grizzly 4 jaw chuck is a good option, and it is a clone of the vicmarc, and will interchange with vicmarc jaws, and can be had for $99.00.

Hope this helps!

[James Waters]

Thanks.....me too!!!!...lol

[Steve R Baker]

I have the SuperNova 2 & a G-3. I like the G-3 on my delta a lot better. And it is cheaper.

[Chip Sutherland]

Here's what I wish I knew then.... pick a brand you want to stick with. They are not interchangeable. A chuck is a big investment and you will be adding more jaws. When you enter the vortex, one chuck is a given. Stick around and one chuck will not be enough (I have 4 now which seems to be the norm for the addicted brethren although I could argue for 2 more). So this is why I say pick a brand you are willing to stick with.

I'm lucky that I have both a Woodcraft and a Rockler within 20 minutes of home so I could compare them physically. Rockler only carries OneWay. Woodcraft carries Nova and OneWay (and they have now added WoodRiver). I have not used Barracuda nor WoodRiver so hopefully those owners will provide their experience on this thread. I have used Vicmarc chucks. I liked them but they are only available to me via catalog so they never were considered unfortunately. I know those owners are passionate about them for good reason.

All of mine chucks are Nova's and I bought based on price. If I had a $1000 to spend differently I would go with the OneWay but I would also evaluate Vicmarc, too. But none of my reasons today are worth re-tooling. My Nova chucks are great and have served me well.

I have 2 SuperNovas, 1 G3 and the Precision Midi was my first one. The Precision Midi is fine but it cannot be retrofitted to my Powermatic but I still have a Jet mini and Jet 14" it fits and it does small knobs/finial and small boxes just great. The G3 is fine but I like the mass of the SuperNova better. However, I like the key chuck on the G3 better although I have some issues getting it to seat perfectly on the G3. So a perfect blend would be the mass of a SuperNova and the key chuck of a G3.....which is basically the OneWay lineup.

2 other comments in favor of OneWay:
1) I like their worm screw chuck better than the Nova
2) I like their gripping jaws better b/c you can use a smaller tenon. I'm hoping Nova addresses this.

I have Nova and I will stay with Nova. My chucks work fine...I AM the weak link in my shop. Whatever you decide, buy an extra pack of screws because they are small and always fall :( into the 2ft deep pile of shavings the accumulate under your lathe.

That giant sucking sound you hear....is the vortex.:D

[Bernie Weishapl]

I bought a Vicmarc VM100 that was recommended to me. Later I found out the Grizzly chuck for $99 is a clone of it as Roger said. So I now have 4 of them because I hate changing jaws and losing the small screws. (Read lazy) but they are a good chuck for a decent price. I have had my first two now for about 5 yrs and no problems at all.

[dan carter]

I use several chucks routinely on my 46-460. My go to chuck is a vicmarc with their standard jars. But I also use grizzly clones with the pin jaws. So I would recommend a couple sizes of jaws with whatever chuck you decide to use. The grizzly is not of the quality of the vicmarc, but it works ok. When I change the position of the jaws a great deal on my grizzlys, there is a catch every once in awhile; They both have a backing plate on the chuck which stay clean from chips/dust better than other brands. I use a Oneway Stronghold on my 3520B as my go to chuck. All tighten adequately. I use a couple of smalller chucks that tighten with tommy bars, but I they don't seem to tighten as sure as the others, but then they are clamping much smaller objects.