Adjustable Jaw Lathe Chucks - Help!!!

[Paul Merrill]

I'm looking to invest in a adjuustable jaw lathe chuck. For the time being it will be going on a older Sears 12" lathe, but would like to purchase one that I can change the insert so it will adapt to the new lathe I intend to purchase down the road. What are Sawmill Creek readers opinions of the different brands and style of chucks available? Any input would be appreciated! Paul

[Steve Schlumpf]

Paul - Welcome to the Creek!

I started off with about a 1953 Craftsman Mono-Tube lathe and picked up a Oneway Talon chuck for it. Great chuck! When I finally upgraded my lathe to a Jet 1642 - all I did was pick up another adapter for the chuck and was good to go!

There are lots of chucks out there but the only one I have ever used is the Talon - so, of course, I like it! You are welcome to stop in and check it out in detail or you check out the Talon we use at the turning club meetings.

[Thom Sturgill]

On the low end, the PSI barracuda chucks come with multiple sets of Jaws and an adapter to let them be used on a 3/4" spindle (they are tapped for 1"-8tpi).
Next step up, IMHO, would be the nova G3. Numerous jaws available and uses inserts with sizes ranging from 5/8 unthreaded, 3/4"-16tpi to 1 1/4". SN2, also by teknatool, is a step up from that with a larger body, and sealed mechanism. I have all three of these and use both nova chucks regularly. I bought the PSI chucks when I was turning on a midi and need to use an adapter to use them on my 1620, but still use them due to the range of jaws I bought with them.

Other chucks such as the VicMark and Oneway are typically higher priced and each type have their advocates. Any will serve you well, if they will fit your lathe. due to the size of the lathe, I would recommend staying with a smaller, lighter chuck for starters and getting one that has a large selection of jaws available. The ones I mentioned all use a key, but smaller ones are available that use 'tommy bars' to open and close them. They tend to be smaller and lighter, but hold just as well.

Going with a smaller body now that accepts interchangeable jaws such as with the Nova chucks, will let you keep the investment in jaws as you step up to a larger body on a larger lathe, while also allowing you to adapt the lighter chuck for use on smaller items.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Hi Paul, I am a brand new turner and have the Oneway Talon, works great and I love it, as Steve said you can get inserts to go on different lathes so you can take it with you as you move from one lathe to the next if you upgrade someday.

[John Keeton]

I think the Talon would be a superb chuck, though I have not used one. I went with the Nova G3 as it is a good size for the 12" capacity of my Delta, and is frequently available on sale - as are some of the other Nova chucks. I have three of the G3 chucks, and one of the Nova Midi that is dedicated to my soft jaws. It does use tommy bars, but with a spindle lock/indexing pin, using the soft jaws requires only one tommy bar and light pressure - very convenient. However, for tenon work, I would prefer a keyed chuck like the G3.

Whatever you do, stick with one brand so the jaws will interchange.

[Scott Hackler]

Paul, I have a SuperNova2 cuck on my lathe and so far its worked great, except for the t-handle wrench (ball end) started rounding off from use. I (from a suggestion here) cut the ball off the wrench and tada it works like new again. Lots of different jaws are available for it. One thing that might not be specific to this chuck but I use and swear by, is the faceplate "rings". These are made for the different sized jaws and allows you to mount a faceplate to a block of wood and then mount the "ring" on the chuck! I dont ever remove my chuck. So far anyway. These chucks are randowmly on sale at the various suppliers like WoodCraft. I think I bought mine and the ring faceplate for under $175.

Hope this helps

[Doug Wolf]

Paul,
Like Steve, I started off with about a 1953 Craftsman Mono-Tube lathe, but my first chuck was the NOVA G3 with a 3/4" insert. When I moved up to a 3520B I simply bought a new insert and I was up and running. The G3 is a good size chuck for your lathe. Now I'm several more NOVA SN2's and jaws down the road but the good thing is they are all interchangable with the G3. You can't go wrong with any of the chucks that have been mentioned so far, as you can see, everybody has thier favorite.

[Clint Baxter]

As has already been said, all of them should work well for you. If you decide to go for the Oneway Talon chuck, keep an eye on Hartville Tool. They seem to put them on sale on a semi-frequent basis. They have the Talon currently for $205, but are throwing in 4 turning DVDs. Don't know which DVDs they are, but for a new turner, might be worth considering. I have a couple Talons, a Strongway, a SN2 and a G3. I like my Oneway chucks slightly better than the Novas, but not enough so that I don't use whichever chuck that happens to be the most handy at the time.

Clint

[philip labre]

Paul, I have a Vicmarc VM120 and It's a great chuck but larger than you likely need. I also have the vicmarc clone from grizzly which uses the VM100 jaws and is a decent chuck for $99. My first chuck was the cheap one from PSI that used tommy bars, I prefer the keyed chucks and one handed operation, but I still use it for it's smaller pin jaws.

[Bill Blasic]

Paul,
I use Nova Chucks and I have a bunch, all the jaws fit all the chucks with the one exception. That being the Titan Powergrip Jaws only fit the Titan Chuck, other than that they all fit up and down the line. Not all chucks have that feature in their own brand line. A lot of people do not like Tommy Bar chucks but they do not bother me and are the least expensive in the line.
Bill

[Ken Hill]

I love my G3, but just ordered a Barracuda with the different jaws sets so I would be covered. Just couldnt pass up the deal. Key chucks are so much easier to use then the Tommy bars!