Pondering

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

Well, after about seventy years of self learned turning, I got Bill’s DVD on turning a
bowl. Hey! some things I was doing right! I had never really learned a shearing cut, and
that did make a difference. Using scrapers was not new and I still find that for many
tasks I prefer a sharp 1/2” scraper to gouges. As I have stated many times I have always
used glue blocks for most face plate type turning. After watching the video I can see that
there could be few cases when a scroll chuck might be preferable.

I have been thinking about the $90.00 Grizzly chuck although I don’t like the idea of
having a chuck that is so limited in the size of things it will grab. I certainly would not
spend a couple of hundred dollars on so limited a chuck. Still looking. A three jaw
chuck is attractive mainly because it has a much better range of sizes. Sold my old one
with my Blount lathe, but it was a really heavy dude. I do miss it at times.

I have had a few old customers call to see if would still cane chairs for them and that is
giving me a little discretionary money to spend. Don’t want to buy very much because at
85 I don’t expect to use it for a long time. Would like to have a medium size chain saw
since I have discovered what the city does with the trees it takes down. It aint pretty.
Lots of elm biting the dust lately.

Thanks for listening.

[Cecil Arnold]

Don, a good "economy chuck is the Oneway. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it is a strong, small unit that has jaws available that will hold a tenon from 1 5/8 to 4 1/2, depending on the jaws you have attached. Price with the #2 jaws (1 5/8-3") is $190. I had one but sold it with my old lathe. I repalced it with the Oneway Stronghold.

[Chris Barton]

I would seriously consider the Grizzly:

http://images.grizzly.com/grizzlycom/pics/jpeg288/G/G8786.jpg

I have 2 of these and they have been great! And for $40 it's hard to go wrong. Also, you can buy additional jaw sets that would let you turn just about anything you wanted to.

Chris

[Ernie Nyvall]

I would seriously consider the Grizzly:


I have 2 of these and they have been great! And for $40 it's hard to go wrong. Also, you can buy additional jaw sets that would let you turn just about anything you wanted to.

Chris

Not to put your experience down with your chuck Chris, but I do wonder what you use it on... the size turnings. I have one and it turned loose of everything I put in it. Maybe I got a bad one, but the last time I tried to use it I tightened it enough so that I bent one of the tightening rods in your picture there. I was turning a 7" vase and it came right out of the jaws.

Ernie

[Chris Barton]

Ernie,


Have 2 of these chucks, one for my Ridgid lathe (some to help someone else get started) one on my Jet VS Mini. I have turned bowls on both bigger than 7" without problems. I recently turned this zebra wood bowl on the Jet...

Chris