Recommendations

[TYLER WOOD]

Ok so the custard is on the way (general lathe, get it General Custard:D!!) sorry couldn't help myself, you all have mustard, mayo, miracle whip, heck I guess I got custard! Even if it does look like pea custard, it's still better than China junk I was working on. Anywaysd on to the question

so I need your recommendations on the following accessories mentioned below to order, brand, size, style for these things. I figure most of you out there have either done the research or learned from not diong it. Just your honest opinions. Also what website would be best to order them from. Does not have to be one website, just one with good prices and good CS.

live center
drive spur
jacobs chuck
chuck (nova style)

Thanks in advance for your answers!
Pics will follow when the lathe is in it's new home (comes in Friday hopefully!!)

[TYLER WOOD]

BUMP

ANYONE?
Nova over oneway chuck? something?

[Joe Melton]

I suggest the following sources for all things except chucks:
pennstateindustries.com
littlemachineshop.com
use-enco.com
Others will have different sources - there is an abundance of them.
Chucks have been discussed many times here. A search of the archives might save you time.
Joe

[Mark Pruitt]

Tyler as far as your list is concerned, you will have live and spur centers supplied with your lathe. A Jacobs chuck can be picked up for a decent price from grizzly.com; don't forget to buy the proper adapter to fit the jacobs chuck to your morse taper. As far as a scroll chuck, my only experience is with a OneWay Talon which I loved so much I bought a second one (to keep from having to swap jaws constantly).

[Benjamin Dahl]

tyler, I have a nova chuck that I bought from Highland woodworking and a used talon I found on craiglist (deal too good to pass up) and I like both of them. quality seems similar and the main differences I see are that tightening the nova is reversed from standard direction in the US and that the nova people recommend cutting a dovetail on the tenon while the oneway people recommend a straight cut.
i have had good CS at packard woodworking, lee valley and highland. I think the nova was recently on sale at woodcraft so you might want to check there as well.
hope this helps.
Ben

[George Tokarev]

so I need your recommendations on the following accessories mentioned below to order, brand, size, style for these things. I figure most of you out there have either done the research or learned from not diong it. Just your honest opinions. Also what website would be best to order them from. Does not have to be one website, just one with good prices and good CS.


I'd get a two-bladed drive center to supplement the four blade that comes with. Easier for working non-square things because you make only one kerf to seat the blades.

I like the multiple-choice live centers that give you a cup, a point and a free-form handmade attachment point. Mine's a Nova. Nice to be able to quick install a cone in the business end of a goblet or such while working the stem.

Jacobs chuck can be what they offer at the place you purchase the others. I like to show off my "Golden Goose" model with its pelican etching as a laugh.

Chucks are your flavor, but recall you may be taking chances with off-brands that you won't with name brands. I like my Novas, and they do a good job making everything backward compatable, which is something you might not find on an off-brand. Remember, if you believe in reversing, that you will want an insert for the chuck that locks. Might limit your choices.

[Dario Octaviano]

Tyler,

My lathe(s) came with its own live center and drive spur.

I bought some 60* live center from little machine shop (for pen making) and love it.

I prefer using the woodworm screw that came with my Talon over the spur drive. I do use the drive spur but not much.

I own a Oneway Talon and it works perfectly. I won't hesitate to buy a Nova/Teknatool, Vicmarc or Axminster though. If you are looking for affordable chuck, check Grizzly...I read tons of good reviews on their chucks. Barracuda II from PSI had a good run but recently I am hearing not too good reviews on it.

Good luck with your choice!

[Nancy Laird]

Also what website would be best to order them from. Does not have to be one website, just one with good prices and good CS.


Tyler, congrats on your new lathe and welcome to the vortex - now that it has taken hold, you will NEVER get away. Seems that no one has answered your question about sources, so I'll chime in with Craft Supplies USA- the woodturners catalog. http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/

You can look and order on-line, but it's more fun to get on their mailing list and get a periodic catalog and look at all the eye candy and drool over all those things they have available.

As far as their customer service is concerned, I'll relay just two incidents I've had with them. I ordered an acrylic pen display (obviously they order them from someone else and then just reship). When I got it, it had a couple of bad scratches in it that were in the "wrong" places so they would show badly even when the display was filled with pens. So I called them and wanted to return it and get an exchange. The response was that I could just keep the damaged one and they would send another one---which arrived within three days.

Back in December, I placed a substantial order with them by telephone and I like to make it a point to use the same order person each time so I can establish a relationship with him/her. Amber took my order, and a couple of days later I got a post card from her with a very nice thank you note. That is something that goes above and beyond CS, in my book, and something she didn't have to do.

I've been in their retail outlet in Provo, and a NICER bunch of people you will never want to meet. The store is like a candy store--you see all sorts of things that you want and would like to have, but are very hard on your wallet!!! (And for you woodcarvers, their sister store is right next door with everything you would ever want for your carving needs.)

Nancy

[TYLER WOOD]

Thanks for the info everbody!
The grizzley, nova, baracuda, and oneway comments are the things I wa after. To get other people's ideas on what good with what they have.

Nacy, specifically thank you for the craft supply usa stories. I wish all companies had the cs that they show.

[Ralph Lindberg]

Tyler, 1) don't get the Grizzly 3 jaw, period
2) If you want the Nova line, and want a good deal, get a multi jaw set from KMS Tools http://www.kmstools.com/main.php?scripts/products/cat.php?4&2
3) If you want just a Nova set, call Charles at Wood Chips http://www.woodchipshome.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=WC

[Dario Octaviano]

BTW, I was talking about this Grizzly chuck

http://www.grizzly.com/products/h6265

This one is 1" x 8tpi.