What vacuum chuck do you recommend?

[Bill Wyko]

I was thinking about buying another midi but i noticed a lot of conversation about vacuum chucks. The one question I have is, what about re-chucking. Is it easy to re-center your work? I guess one more question would be which one is recommended?

[Leo Pashea]

With a bit of practice, it becomes fairly simple to rechuck your work using vacuum. You will have a bleeder valve on the system, so you can bleed off pressure and make it simpler to move your work around the chuck gasket to achieve center. I have constructed all of my own vacuum chucks, using both face plates with wood for a base plate, and attaching PVC fittings to grooves cut into the wooden base plates. I have also used large machine nuts in the appropriate size/thread configuration to make my own chuck bases. I am sure an internet search will yield some information as well. I know quite a few turners in my area that use vaccum chucks, and every one of them have and use shop built chuck assembly's.

[Jeff Moffett]

Is it easy to re-center your work?
I use the Tailstock Chuck Adaptor from BestWoodTools (http://bestwoodtools.stores.yahoo.net/tailchucad.html). You leave your piece in the scroll chuck, and remove the chuck from the lathe headstock. Then attach the tailstock chuck adaptor, and insert it in your tailstock. After mounting your vacuum drum chuck, slide the tailstock up, and you'll have perfect alignment.

[Jim Becker]

I also use a tailstock adapter most of the time when reversing to a vacuum chuck...dead-on every time!

As to getting setup for a vacuum chuck, I have an article on my web site that describes how things work, but in general, you need a vacuum pump (surplus is usually the most cost effective), assorted "transport" components, including hose, fittings, a vacuum gauge, valves, filters, etc., an adapter for your lathe (the EZ Vacuum Adapter that Packard Woodworks sells is quite nice and will work with most lathes, but OneWay also sells a very good, but more expensive, one), and one or more vacuum drum chucks. You can make the latter or buy commercial versions. I use the OneWay drum chucks personally. Some folks have also made the adapter for the lathe...it involves working with bearings, etc.

[Bill Boehme]

The one question I have is, what about re-chucking. Is it easy to re-center your work? I guess one more question would be which one is recommended?

Are you referring to reverse chucking? It is easy to use a corner of your tool rest as a fixed reference point to balance the turning at the open end and at the base end use the dimple at the center of the bottom as a reference (assuming that you began this turning between centers). Turn the center of the base away as the final step.

Bill