Super Nova 2

[Peter Blair]

Greetings everyone. Today I purchased a new Super Nova 2. I get home which is about a 1 1/2 hour drive from the closest dealer and assemble the new chuck, only to find that I can't get the slot in the back to line up with the hole for the locking screw. This is the screw that I would use all the time to lock the chuck to the spindle of my lathe. I took a picture with my phone and it isn't that great.
Has anyone else had this problem? Do I need to remove the 'circlip' in the back to turn the back section or ????
252162

[Jerry Marcantel]

It looks to me that that clip is holding on a dust cover for the gears that make the chuck work...... If you don't have or don't use your reverse, there shouldn't be a problem whether the chuck needs to be locked in...... My opinion only.... Jerry (in Tucson)

[Peter Blair]

Hi Jerry and thanks for the response. I usually run both ways when I sand so it would be a definite disadvantage not to have the chuck 'locked in place.

[Mark Levitski]

I have 3 SN2's and all have threaded inserts that leave the set screw very accessible. Yours seems different. Is is already threaded and has no insert? I can't help you then.

[Roger Chandler]

It is easy enough to rotate the clip so that you can gain access........I have done it on two of my SN2's.......it takes snap ring pliers ....larger size.......good luck!

[Peter Blair]

Hey Roger! So once I remove the circlip can I just rotate the plastic index cover? How is it locked in place?

[Roger Chandler]

Hey Roger! So once I remove the circlip can I just rotate the plastic index cover? How is it locked in place?


Additional info:

Peter........after posting the above, I got to thinking........the backing plate has a molded area where it allows the pinion gear to set in the chuck and it holds it in.........if the backing plate is not allowing the set screw to be aligned, then it is likely that the backing plate or the chuck hub is defective.......if they tapped the chuck in the wrong place, it needs to go back and replaced with another........the hole should line up with one of the groves in the backing plate......

I may have misunderstood the issue when I first spoke...........I have 4 SN2's and on two of them the ears on the snap ring itself were positioned where it blocked being able to take an allen wrench and the set screw into the tapped hole. By the way, that little red leather disk must go inside the hole before the set screw to protect the threads and give you a good lock on the adapter.........good luck!

[Thom Sturgill]

I have several and no problems with any. There is a small hole on the side that lines up with one of the slots and gives access to the grub screw that holds the adapter in. The adapter has a grub screw to hold it to the spindle, but that is always accessible as it project beyond the back of the chuck.

[Peter Blair]

Hi again Roger. Yes the problem is that the backing plate with the index holes has two slots one each side, these slots, one of which appears to need to be aligned with the notch in the back to allow me to get the to the threaded hole in the hub does not align as I think it should. Thanks again for the comments and yep I do know that the little red washer (didn't know it was leather) needs to go into the hole first.

Guess I'm gonna have to take another road trip and return it!

[Roger Chandler]

More info.......going back to look again at the pic you posted, it appears the hole is not far off.......it may be that you have over tightened the adapter a bit too much and if you back it off just slightly, you may be able to get the red disk and the set screw started in the hole with the allen wrench.........it looks fixable from the picture to me!

[Ryan Baker]

Maybe it's the picture, but I am not seeing anything wrong except that the black backing plate needs to be rotated a bit. Take the snap ring off and rotate the backing plate to the right location. I'd certainly spend 5 minutes doing that before driving an hour and a half.

As for the spindle set screw, I have never used that on any of my SN2s and I have never had one come loose (even in reverse). (My new Titan will spin off easily in reverse though.)

[Roger Chandler]

Okay.....going back and re- reading your post..........you may be trying to put the set screw that holds the adapter in the chuck into the spindle screw position.....they are two different holes and the one that locks the adapter into the chuck itself is in the bottom of one of the slots..........the set screw that locks the adapter on the spindle is on the edge of the adapter which has the sides for the wrench to fit [sold separately]

I am not talking about the big T-handle allen wrench, I am talking about the adapter wrench [again sold separately, but if you have a large adjustable wrench, it will work fine, and you don't have to buy the Nova wrench]

Send me a PM if you have more trouble, and we can exhange info and perhaps I can talk you through this......it appears your chuck is fine to me.......this being your first one, you may not understand the directions clearly, and the is where the confusion is!

[Roger Chandler]

I went out to my shop and got one of my SN2's to compare to your picture.........my sn2 has a hole in the side of the chuck where you put the small allen wrench and set screw through to go into the hole that holds the adapter in the chuck body. From your picture it looks like the hole in the outside of the chuck body is not machined correctly.......it appears you have a half moon in the edge of the rim, where my SN2 has some metal between where the hole is cut and the back rim of the chuck body, and the hole aligns with the slot in the backing plate.

If this is indeed the case......you have a defective chuck, and it was not caught by Quality control.......this kind of thing happens with labor in the PRCC........most Nova Chucks are good, but once in a while one slips by.......Teknatool stands behind their products........I would try to exhange it at WC first, so you do not have a wait to get one....they being a dealer can get remedies faster than an individual.........WC is a good company to deal with!

[Peter Blair]

I am getting more and more confused. I'm sure it's just me. There is no adaptor as I bought the 33M to fit my Oneway.

There is only one hole in the body. Possibly this photo shows my problem better.

252179

[Roger Chandler]

Since you have no adapter, you do not need to worry about a set screw to go into the body.........it just tightens against the spindle when you put it on your lathe...........you do not use the red disk for this...........

Now, can you get an allen wrench and the set screw into the hole? It should be enough of a center hub protruding out the back of the chuck that you do not have to try to use the slot..........all my SN2's have adapters, and I have not used a direct thread because my spindle requires an adapter...........it should just screw on the spindle and you should be able to put the set screw into the hole and screw it down on the collar area of the spindle.........I would like to see it on your lathe and a pic of that if you could show us.........

Sorry for any confusion........I was not aware it was the M33 version which needs no adapter.............pics would help us to help you!

[Mark Levitski]

Pete,

Like I said, I can't help. And I think there are relatively few that buy those chucks directly threaded and w/o an insert adapter. For those that have, please chime in and help Pete. This is for the set screw that holds the chuck to the headstock spindle for reversing. Or, try contacting Teknatool directly.

Mark

[Anthony Diodati]

where the red dot is, is that where the set screw goes?
Isn't that hub area past the back of the chuck? So you would be able to get an allan wrench right on it.
I am guessing, or l think it was mentioned, the set screw locks down on the unthreaded area of the spindle.

[Peter Blair]

Hi again Roger. I will try to mount it on the lathe tomorrow BUT I will not be able to get the set screw into the threaded hole because the black plastic part with the index holes blocks my ability to access the hole straight on. I 'might be able to do it if I had those fancy allen wrenches that can go in on an angle.
I'll take a few more photo's tomorrow and post as soon as I have them.
What I really need to do is to rotate the black plastic indexing plate about 3 or 4 degrees to clear the slot in the body. What I wonder is what holds the indexing plate in position. I tried to tap it with a piece of wood but it seems really locked in place.

Thanks again for all the attempts at assistance!

[Roger Chandler]

The plastic backing block has a center hub which seats against the pinion gears on either side in a U shaped channel......it will not be able to be rotated...........it sounds to me like the hole for the set screw was machined in the wrong place......most likely, you need to have the chuck replaced with one that is correctly machined for the set screw.

The center hub on the inside of the chuck holds the pinion gears in place to mate to the scroll gear.......most of the time Teknatool gets it right.......again, this one slipped by QC! Sorry for the confusion..........:(

If it were me, I would just cut my losses and return it to WC, or whichever dealer you purchased from, and then inspect closely the new one to make sure it is correctly done.....

[Anthony Diodati]

OK I see, you can't get the allan wrench straight on the set screw,looked like you could to me in the picture.:o


where the red dot is, is that where the set screw goes?
Isn't that hub area past the back of the chuck? So you would be able to get an allan wrench right on it.
I am guessing, or l think it was mentioned, the set screw locks down on the unthreaded area of the spindle.

[Peter Blair]

Yep, Anthony that is exactly my problem. It will even be very difficult to 'press' the small leather dot into the threaded hole. On my other Nova Chuck I have access straight into the screw hole.

[Thom Sturgill]

According to the manual, the plastic plate has internal notches that must align with the pinons used to tighten/open the jaws, so it can not rotate except in two positions. On the other hand, the grub screw for the spindle should be in the collar that protrudes in the back beyond the plastic plate. Unfortunately the manual does not provide any good pictures of this model. I am surprised that i do not see any flats to place a wrench on to break the chuck free when needed. I would return it or contact teknatool.

[Peter Blair]

HI Thom and thanks! I have indeed sent an email to Teknatool but have no idea if they will answer. The last time I wrote to them, about 6 weeks has gone by without a response . . . .
My Oneway and other Nova do not have squares on the shaft either. I usually have to 'tap' on the wrench to loosen them.

[Harry Robinette]

Peter
I just went to the shop and took the snap ring off of my SN2 you Can Not turn the backing plate, the plate hooks over the gear head gear ( the gear that you drive with the T handle) that drives the pinion. I have an insert in mine and need that hole which is used to lock the insert.You should not need that slot.
NOW I would contact Technatool and find out way that's not a hole but a slot. Mine is down further toward the jaws about a 1/4" so it's a hole.

[Ryan Baker]

Ah yes. The SN2 plate can't rotate. I was thinking of the Titan back plate (the new one).

Yeah, something isn't lined up right. But is it the back plate or the body that is cut wrong? It's a new chuck, so make Teknatool replace it with a good one.

[Peter Blair]

Thanks again to all who made suggestions or just commiserated with me.
I'm just back from KMS Tools, where I bought the chuck and sure enough it was faulty just as we suspected.
I had no trouble exchanging it but after 4 45min trips it was a lot more expensive than I had originally planned.
Lesson: Yep, even if you trust the manufacturer AND the box is still factory sealed, it's worth opening it and taking a look!

[Harry Robinette]

Pete
Glad you got it taken care of, I use all Nova chucks and I'm sure you'll love the chuck.

[Peter Blair]

Well, as I said earlier. I did return the chuck and had no trouble with getting a replacement but a week has gone by and still not response from Technatool!
I guess customer support isn't at the top of their priority list!

[mark ravensdale]

Peter, please be careful of that screw when I got my dvrxp I got a free super nova 2 chuck with it and like you i wanted to tightened the screw down so I could reverse the direction of the workpiece, however after reversing it once I had need to take the chuck off the lathe and discovered to my horror that the little screw you mention had wrecked the first part of the threads on my lathes spindle nearest the bearing (and yes I did remember to remove the screw before I started to remove the chuck!), and correct me if I am wrong but both the chuck and my lathe are made by the same company, one would have though they would fit each other correctly, luckily I was able to clean up the threads and it is ok now but thought I would just make you aware (don't want you to end up with same problem!!!)

[Peter Blair]

Hey Mark. Thanks for the 'head's up". Anyone else experiencing similar problems?
The Oneway and the other Nova with an adaptor work just fine but I do have some concerns about this happening to me as well even with the small leather washer.

[Anthony Diodati]

You have to call them.
They were very nice on the phone, but to be honest, I did not feel that they knew too much.


Well, as I said earlier. I did return the chuck and had no trouble with getting a replacement but a week has gone by and still not response from Technatool!
I guess customer support isn't at the top of their priority list!

[Don McLeod]

I don't have a direct threaded chuck but if memory serves me right, where it is threaded, that is part of the main casting,so the set screw hole can't be changed in relation to the cut out on the rim of the chuck body. Before I returned it, I would put the allen head set screw in the hole and use a ball end hex key for tightening and see how it works on the lathe.

[Ryan Baker]

Hey Mark. Thanks for the 'head's up". Anyone else experiencing similar problems?
The Oneway and the other Nova with an adaptor work just fine but I do have some concerns about this happening to me as well even with the small leather washer.

Yeah. I can't use the screw on my SN2s because it would tighten directly onto the back threads on my Jet 1642 (though I don't use the screw anyway). It does not get back far enough to reach the flat on the spindle behind the threads, and I am cretainly not going to sacrifice a thread on this spindle (which is already a bit short for my preference).