Chuck for "Mustard Monster"

[Jim Davenport]

I've all ways dream't of a Powermatic 3520 lathe. I bought a Rikon 70-100 on sale back in 2006. I've used a Talon chuck, and have been happy with it.
Last week Woodcraft sent me their sale flyer, and they offer a $500 trade in towards the Mustard monster. That's twice what I paid for the Rikon.
I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get it.
I'm going to need a new chuck to take advantage of the 3520's capabilities.
(I'm going to keep the talon, and get a 1.250"x8 bushing for it for light work.)
I've looked at a "Stronghold". The Lathe expert a woodcraft said that the "Supernova2" would also be a good chuck.
I'm leaning towards the Stronghold.
I'd appreciate any advice on which one to get.

[Dwight Rutherford]

For me, Vicmark chucks are top of the line.

[Robert Henrickson]

I'd suggest the Stronghold, based on eight years of use (and more limited use of a SN2)

[Bill Bulloch]

Get an adaptor for the Talon Chuck. Both the Stronghold and the Supernova2 are good chucks, so get them both. While you are at it you will probably want to pick up some extra jaws for those chucks and, heck, go ahead and get the Vicmark too, i'm sure you will need it. You can justify this extra $1200 to the wife by telling her how quickly you will be recouping it once you get all these new toys. Have you considered the PM 2442?

Seriously though, I have both the Stronghold and a couple of Nova2s. I have #2 jaws on the Nova2s and #3 on the Stronghold and I seem to use the Nova 2 the most. Of course, I don't turn much heavy stuff.

[Fred Belknap]

Jim I have a PM3520 and a Oneway Talon and two Oneway Stronghold chucks. I can recommend both as very good chucks. It probably is a good idea to stick with one brand so as not to have a lot of confusion when changing jaws. There are several top of the line chucks, I don't have any experience with any but Oneway. I upgraded from a Grizzly when I got the PM and am very happy with it. The PM3520 usually goes on sale in the spring, got mine from Amazon with a $600 below advertised price and free shipping.

[Reed Gray]

When I got my first chucks many years ago, I called up Craft Supplies and asked about the Super Nova, which was new at the time. The tech told me that if I was going to spend the money, the Vicmark was the better chuck. I think they are all good, but no regrets at all about the Vicmark. I do prefer dove tail jaws to the straight one. Mostly, like the dove tail joint in flatwork, you get a locking wedged joint which is far stronger than straight finger joints.

robo hippy

[Justin Stephen]

Own the 3520B, a Talon (which I used on my midi lathe and still use on my 3520), a Stronghold and a SuperNova2 (which I also used on my midi lathe). I use the Oneway chucks far, far more than the SN2. It's not a bad chuck by any means, but it just isn't as good as the Oneways.

Vicmarc chucks are also excellent. I don't own one but have used them on multiple occasions.

[Don Bunce]

I've had a Nova chuck for many years, and just recently bought a Hurricane HTC125 with the extra large dovetail jaws for larger work.

Excellent quality, reasonable price.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-75_m-zLk34

[Marty Tippin]

I've got a fleet of SuperNova 2 chucks that I use on my 3520B. They meet all my needs just fine, never had a problem of any kind.

I second the suggestion to settle on a single brand/model - it's nice to be able to swap jaws between them and always knowing which way to turn the wrench to tighten the jaws...

[Thomas Canfield]

I like my Stronghold for 3520B, and currently have #4 jaws installed which work well for larger pieces. I also have a Talon with #3jaws installed that has the 1"-8TPI insert for my midi lathe, but I use a 1-1/4x1" 8 TPI adapter on the 3520B. I also have a SuerNova2 chuck but it has the Cole Jaws installed normally. You cannot have too many chucks, but it is nicer to stay with one mfg but good deals often will lead you astray.

[William Tanner]

You won't regret the 3520. I have two Stronghold chucks and am happy with my decision.

[Fred Belknap]

I forgot to mention that the Oneway chucks insert is tapped for set(grub) screws to use when running the lathe in reverse. The weight of the Stronghold will make it spin off fairly easy. The set screws work great on the PM3520 spindle, they tighten down on the flat space past the threads unlike the spindle on the Grizzly lathe I use to have which tightened down on the threads.

[Thom Sturgill]

Since you are buying new chucks, be aware that the new SN2 line has quick swap jaws. If this is a feature that you want, buy the newer form factor (infinity) rather than a standard SN2. It will save the cost of modifying your chucks down the road. From what I've seen, the new jaws are heavier than the older ones. The jaws from Easy Wood Tools for their chuck are also quick swap. I do not know if any one else is going this way. I believe Nova has the largest set of jaws available and fit across the whole line of chucks with few (one?) exceptions.

I have heard it said that the difference between an American turner and a British turner is that the American owns many chucks, each with a dedicated set of jaws, while the British owns one chuck and swaps jaws as needed. The new chucks make that work model easier, though having multiple chucks has other benefits as many will tell you.

[David Delo]

HTC (Hurricane) would be another option for chucks. They have 100mm and 125mm versions. The 125mm version with insert runs $170.00 and they have just about any jaw sets you would want.

[Pat Scott]

+1 for sticking with one brand.
+1 for Vicmarc.

All I've ever used is Vicmarc. Vicmarc is what we used at the community college where I took turning classes years ago and later taught. Look at what the pros use and recommend. Depends on what you want to turn and how big, but Vicmarc has the largest selection of smooth dovetail jaws available (all the way up to 9" Mega jaws). I prefer an enclosed back, and I prefer a hex key wrench instead of the keyed type for opening and closing. For me the key type isn't as positive of drive, and I found if I didn't make conscious effort to make sure the key was straight and that I pressed firmly down, the teeth would slip.

If you're going to switch brands, now's the time to do it. When you sell your Rikon you can include the Talon as a package deal and add another $100 to the price. The Stronghold is a 4.5" body, the Vicmarc VM120 is 5". The Talon is a 3.5" body, the Vicmarc VM100 is the same.

[Jim Davenport]

Thanks to everyone for their input.
Here's a update:
Sometimes you just have to lower expectations.
After some discussions with "She who must be obeyed", My budget was cut.
I ended up buying a Jet 1642 EVS. A little more than half of the Powermatic3520B cost. After being married for 47 years, I've learned which battles not to fight. The jet will do everything I need to do. I got $300 trade in for my old Rikon. That's more than I paid for it in 2006
I also bought a Supernova2 chuck, that woodcraft had on sale.
I should get the lathe in a couple weeks. So now I'm "latheless" until the Jet comes!!!

[charlie knighton]

1642 is a very good lathe......it makes chucks of wood go round....as did your rikon, the titan chuck works well with it

[Dok Yager]

There is a quote from an expert wood turner that I like, he said "The Stronghold chuck is the best chuck with the greatest hold of anything on the market"
Now if I could just remember who it was. I will say that having used a stronghold on my friends lathe with different jaw sets as well as the "new" #5 and #6 jaws I am very impressed.