When should I use a chuck in place of a drive center ?

[Glen Blanchard]

Beginner questions. I am really liking my 46-460 and have made quite a few finials for my boxes since I got it on Thursday. At what point do I remove the drive center and replace it with a chuck? I know plates and bowls cannot be turned with the tail stock in place, but I have seen lots of videos of folks turning spindles and such with a chuck rather than the drive center. My gut tells me that it might be a function of the diameter of the piece to be turned. Will one chuck fill all my needs with my Delta midi, or will I likely need more than one? I am interested in turning finials currently but will eventually want to tackle bowls and plates. Any suggestions for a specific chuck?

Thanks.

[Kevin Lucas]

Glen,

You can do a lot with the drive center and tail stock. Especially rounding stock for spindles or the spindles themselves. The scroll chuck gives you more holding power. Chucks have many different sized jaws you can switch out. From pin jaws to really large jaws. Most chucks have an insert you match to your head stock spindle thread. Some are solid with no insert. Folks here can tell you more on the brands and their values.

"I know plates and bowls cannot be turned with the tail stock in place" You can do bowls with the tail stock up. You just leave a nub in the center as you hollow it out. Once your close to finished remove the tail stock and light cuts remove the nub. A bit of extra holding and insurance that the piece won't move and get off center when you get a catch.

[Curt Fuller]

You're right about the many varieties of chucks and jaws to go with them. I don't think there's ever been or ever will be a consensus on which chuck is best so I just suggest you buy one that fits your budget and then learn to work with it. I personally do all my turning with the Oneway Talon and a set of spigot jaws and the #2 jaws. When I turn a finial, I start by putting the piece of wood between centers and making a tenon that's usually about 3/4" long. I then replace the drive with my chuck using the spigot jaws and mount the tenon in the jaws. I'll usually keep the tail center in place while I remove most of the wood and get it into a carrot like shape. At that point I remove the tail center and begin working from right to left to shape the finial to it's final shape. Remember that with no tailstock support the finial is quite fragile and gets even more so as it gets thin. So work it to finished form as you move from the right end allowing the thicker wood to help support it. You will almost always break it off if you try to back and change something once it gets thin. And take very light cuts as it gets thin. Also, sand as you go. I also find that the high speeds on the lathe were made for finial work.

[Reed Gray]

If I am turning table legs, I will use the drive center and tailstock. The legs are pre cut to the exact same lengths. Anything else, from vases, rolling pins, brush handles, tops, some boxes, tool handles, and other things, first thing is to turn a tenon, second thing is to reverse it and put that into the chuck. It just makes things so much more stable.

For chucks, the biggest difference is whether you use a key (hex or drill chuck type) to tighten or the tommy bars. I prefer the keyed chucks. Just seems more secure, but of course, I never experimented with that type other than one time, and that was after using a keyed chuck for a couple of years. I just didn't like it, but some use them all the time.

robo hippy

[Jim Underwood]

One of the things I've used the chuck for is to stabilize long spindles with a tenon on one end. Of course they needed a steady rest too, but the chuck was added stability.

Definitely treat yourself to a chuck. It just makes turning so much easier and pleasurable...

***Oh... And yesterday Bill Grumbine reminded me when you should use a chuck and not a drive center... When your bowl or hollowform is large enough to gall the taper.... Get a chuck that can hold a large spur center made for such things..