Chuck question

[Dick Holt]

Hi guys, I am new to this "round stuff". I bought a small Rikon lathe last year. Haven't used it yet, as I just took a pen making class a few weeks ago (lots of fun). I am now in the process of getting some accessories for the lathe. I just purchased a Nova G3 chuck and a set of pen plus jaws so I can drill pen blanks on the lathe. I mounted the chuck on the lathe (with the 50mm jaws that came with the chuck). I noticed a small amount of wobble on the chuck. I can't measure how much runout as I don't have a dial indicataor that I can mount to the lathe. As I said it is a small amount, but it can be seen by eye. Is that OK or should the chuck spin without any runout at all? Thanks for your help.

Dick

[Thom Sturgill]

There should be no visible wobble. The Nova chucks typically seat against the end of the spindle. If you are using one of those plastic washers, remove it as it could keep the chuck from seating correctly. Check to make sure the insert is seated properly and is not a third party insert. Woodcraft sells store brand inserts that have been known to cause problems.

[Dan Hintz]

Is it the body that wobbles, or what's in the jaws? You shouldn't get either, but wobble in the jaws is what you should care about. If you have a drill road blank (or a large drill bit reversed), put it in the jaws lightly (no need to snug it down tightly), and run it. Does the bit wobble?

If you have a 60 degree dead center, does it wobble?

[Marc Himes]

I had the same problem using my Talon chucks on my Powermatic that actually resolved when I added a plastic washer which came for free with my last order of abrasives. So, if you don't have one you might try inserting one.

Marc

[Thom Sturgill]

The Op has a nova G3 chuck made by Teknatool.

FWIW the Nova chucks (SN2, G3,Titan) seat internally against the end of the spindle while the OneWay chcuks (Talon, Onway, Stronghold) use a tapered insert that seat against theshoulder of the spindle where the washer sets. The washers are known to cause problems with Nova chucks.

[robert baccus]

Good info for sure. Also instead of a plastic washer buy some antiseizing compound at any auto store. Lubricates the threads and stops seizing.

[Michael Mills]

By Nova’s standards run out should be less than .005 which I don’t think you can see.
Some possibilities are…
Not a real Nova insert, did it come in a red Teknatool box or a baggie? I had a Woodcraft insert for Nova and run out was .014 when I changed to a Nova insert it dropped to .004
The threaded end of the insert seats on the interior of the chuck. I did have one G3 with wobble. Remove the insert and make sure there a no shards from manufacturing. It only takes a very small piece to throw it off. Running a damp q-tip around the inside picked up a very small shard on mine; ran perfect after that.
I thought all of the Novas seated against the headstock. They may seat against the end of the spindle but I don’t think they do on my Nova lathe. Mine go onto the spindle pretty loose until they seat.
I have seen pics of the Pen jaws but not used them. Are they mounted in the correct position? I ASSUME a set comes as either 1 & 3 or 2 & 4.

[Dick Holt]

Thanks for all your help. I took the chuck and insert off and cleaned them again. I did find a small piece of metal from when they cut the threads. I removed it and it seems to be fine now. Thanks again for you help.

Dick

[Thom Sturgill]

Amazing that that's all it takes. I changed one chuck from 1"=8tpi to 1 1/4-8tpi and the was some dust buildup that got into the threads. Similar problem and cure, wish I had thought about that when I answered earlier. At least someone else hit the nail on the head.

[Russell Neyman]

I imagine carburetor cleaner is as good as anything for getting grime, glue, and errant finishes off those parts, right?

Another place where stuff can get stuck and cause problems is INSIDE the quills where the Morse taper for jacobs chucks mount.

[Jim Burr]

And don't forget to keep the Morse taper clean...junk in there can make things wobbly.