Nova 1624 II lathe chuck?

[Joe Shinall]

Hey guys, haven't been here in a while. Irma flooded my shop last year and took my Rockler mini lathe with it. Wife asked what I wanted for Christmas and I've had my eyes on the Nova 1624 II lathe for a little bit and think I'm gonna have Santa bring it. Looks perfect for my small shop and doesn't break the bank.

My question is this, does anyone know which chuck is best suited for this lathe? I was looking at the SuperNOVA2 but I can't tell if it can be locked down for the reverse feature and if it needs an insert adapter or not.

If anyone could help, I'd appreciate it.

[Adam Petersen]

That's a perfect chuck for that lathe. It does need an insert which Nova sells and it does have the locking grub screw. I have a 1624 and 2 of the Supernovas. It's a good, economy bundle.

[Joe Shinall]

Thank you Adam! Was really hoping to find someone that had the combination for their opinion and glad I did.

[John K Jordan]

I also use the Nova chucks, SN, SN2, and G3, on four different lathes, two quite similar to yours. (I think I have 19 nova chucks now) All sizes work well on all lathes.

Whether you need to lock the chuck for reverse turning might depend on how you install it and what kind of things you turn. I install the chuck with a "calibrated" wrist flip for the last 1/8th turn and nothing I've ever turned in reverse has ever loosened it. (I sometimes turn in reverse and cut on the back side of the inside of a bowl.) If you mostly turn small things and not 60 lb blanks, if you only use reverse to sand, or if you don't get catches when turning and cutting moderate-sized pieces in reverse you probably don't need to lock the chuck down if you tighten it sufficiently. (What is sufficient IMO? I'd have to show you.)

Note that I ALWAYS remove the chuck with a wrench - I've seen some chucks and chuck keys damaged when people strike the chuck key to remove the chuck from the lathe.

BTW, if your SN2 comes with a hex key with a ball end, I recommend doing what others have done - grind the ball off. It's not needed and applying force with the key tilted a bit can mar the socket.

JKJ

[Joe Shinall]

Great advice John. I will be using reverse for sanding right now. Might use it for more later on, but that's the only intended use as of now.

[Bruce Schoenleber]

I have a Nova 1624 and several SuperNova II chucks. Both will serve you well.