Best chuck for coring?

[Dario Octaviano]

I have a PM 3520B lathe and plan on coring as much as the Standard McNaughton will permit.

In your opinion what is the best chuck and jaws to use when coring? I am currently considering Oneway Stronghold (w/ Power Grip jaws) or Nova Titan (w/ Jumbo jaws)...but want to hold off if possible (due to budget).

I only have a Oneway Talon with #2 jaws now, what is the maximum size blank should I chuck my Talon when coring?

Thank you.

[Andy Hoyt]

Dario - Consider ordering a set of Oneway's #3 Jaws for your Talon. They'll grab a 4 1/2" tenon quite nicely.

Cheaper than a whole new chuck too.

[Mark Pruitt]

To piggyback on what Andy just said, remember that the Talon chuck has far less possibility of being an obstruction, by virtue of its size, whereas a Stronghold might conceivably get in the way at times. The Talon has plenty of holding power for coring, according to everything I've heard from people who use it in conjunction with a McNaughton. I don't have a McN yet; The Big Lathe is next on my list and a McN to follow some time later.

[Dario Octaviano]

Andy,

Thank you...I did consider that but was afraid the Talon might not handle the stress of coring huge blanks.

I know how strong the talon is...just don't want to reach/exceed its limit. I read that it can hold >16" diameter bowls (haven't tried it yet) but coring stress is different.

Thoughts?

[Jim Becker]

The Talon is quite capable...I use my #3 jaws a lot, preferring to use the correct jaw size for the tenon "at hand" and reduce the chance of "knuckle banging". I'll buy a Stonghold someday, but only for working on the largest and heaviest products where a bigger tenon than the Talon can handle comes into play. (At some point, a chuck isn't the best method for mounting due to weight, etc.)

[Frank Kobilsek]

I think it the jaws or size of tenon not the chuck that is going to matter most. I have the Stronghold and the Woodcut coring system. with the #3 jaws (4"+ tenon) I have not had trouble but with the #2 jaws (2"+ tenon) I have spun the tenon off in the jaws a few times especially with medium soft woods like Box Elder or Soft Maple.

Big tenon will hang on.

Frank

[Dario Octaviano]

Frank,

Gotcha...wood (tenon) will fail first before my Talon. That is comforting to know :D

Has anyone here cored with the tailstock engaged? I know it is going to be tight but I have some MT2 Extensions I can use and will help a bit. Just curious.

[Reed Gray]

I use the McNaughton a lot. I usually don't make bowls over about 14 to 16 inches, but I have done up to 18 inches. I use the bigger Vicmark, and it works fine. I use the standard jaws which are 2 5/8 inches across, and I use a recess. I get better holding power with a recess. You also need a shoulder (from the recess to where the bowl sides start to curve up) that is 1 inch or so wide, depending on the size of your bowl. The recess needs to be about 3/16 deep for a larger bowl, maybe 1/4 for a really big bowl. The recess is dovetailed to match the jaws, and the fit is as close as possible to the jaws. You can over tighten, just make sure it is snug.

I don't use the tailstock. You can put it in place and core with the flatter blades, but you can't use it with the most curved blade. It is in the way.

One other thing, on the top of the bowl, you can leave the face plate on, or do as I do: I use a 2 5/8 inch forstner bit to make a recess. The advantage here is that the chuck doesn't have to come off at all during the coring of all of the bowls, unless you want to switch to a smaller chuck for the smaller bowls. You use the chuck for mounting to turn the bottom and coring from the top. You can dovetail the top recess if you want, but is isn't necessary. You can start out with a face plate, and then remove it and turn a recess aslo. If the bowl does come off during turning, and the foot is damaged, it is easy to remount it perfectly and return the foot/recess.

You may want to consider a laser pointer for your system. It is a pain to figure out where the cutter is. After years of coring without it, I developed the habbit of aiming shallow to prevent making lampshades. Now with the pointer, I can aim deeper, and if I am too deep, the pointer lets me know, and I can correct. McNaughton has one (which I modified to suit my needs as in mounts via the same screws that hold the blade in) or it isn't too hard to make one.

robo hippy

[Dario Octaviano]

Reed,

I am with you with the laser.

My hollowing rig (from Randy of Monster-Wood-Tool) will be shipped next week and it comes with a laser...I'll check if I can adapt that to my McNaughton. Else, I will try to rig one.

Thanks,

[Gordon Seto]

Dario,

Steel is stronger and much predictable than wood. I have seen the tennon of the blank sheared off from the chuck. The jaws were still holding the wood. So size of the tennon does matter.
Mike Mahoney recommends the ideal jaw size is 40% of the blank in his McNaughton bowl saver DVD. Good techniques won't put extra stress to the chucking is vital also.

Gordon

[Tom Wynn]

Having just cored my first bowl I could not find a way to use the tail stock? So my question is it better to core from the head stock as opposed to the tail stock and take off the largest bowl first?

[Dario Octaviano]

Possible but...

1. You will have to buy another set of McNaughton (reverse curved blades)
2. The headstock will be on the way, much more than the tailstock.

[Mike Vickery]

Tom - I find it easier to core largest to smallest though more ineffecient. The money bowl so to speak is the big one so I want no chance of loseing it.
Get the Mahoney video if you have not already it is very good. Coring gets much easier after 2 or 3 bowls.

[Reed Gray]

I also core by taking the largest one first, they final turning what is on the lathe, then working my way down to the smallest. The last core tends to be small and shallow, and I have a box or 2 of small bowls that I haven't sanded and finished. There isn't too much of a market for them. I usually don't core any more if the bowl is less than 8 inches in diameter, and 2 inches deep, unless the wood is special.
robo hippy