longworth chuck,,

I have cole jaws and they work really good at holding and I was actually thinking about getting a dedicated chuck with the cole jaws mounted,,,and I was also thinking about a longworth chuck,,but I was told that 600 rpm is the max you can use the longworth chuck,,i know I have gone beyond 600 rpm on my cole jaws for putting a finish on a bowl,,can anyone tell me the difference in the 2 and what they prefer,,by the time I buy the chuck plus the cole jaws it actually works out better to get the longworth but I have heard a lot of mixed feelings over the longworth,,and what brand is the best in longworth chucks

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Originally Posted by jeff oldham

I have cole jaws and they work really good at holding and I was actually thinking about getting a dedicated chuck with the cole jaws mounted,,,and I was also thinking about a longworth chuck,,but I was told that 600 rpm is the max you can use the longworth chuck,,i know I have gone beyond 600 rpm on my cole jaws for putting a finish on a bowl,,can anyone tell me the difference in the 2 and what they prefer,,by the time I buy the chuck plus the cole jaws it actually works out better to get the longworth but I have heard a lot of mixed feelings over the longworth,,and what brand is the best in longworth chucks

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Jeff, I haven't used a longsworth chuck and know nothing about the commercial offerings, but two things from my reading: one, you can make one easily and cheaply, but two, I read a report of one coming apart with disastrous results. Some people make very large cole jaws or cole jaw extensions. If holding the piece just to finish the bottom of the foot, another thing you can make is a donut chuck.

The Nova cole jaws are also "rated" at 600 rpm, perhaps for liability reasons. I used to use the cole jaws a lot on smaller bowls, backing it up with the tailstock until the last minute. I did keep mine on a separate chuck. After not using it at all in several years I took the jaws off and stored them. One those rare occasions that I need to spin a hard-to-hold piece I use the friction/jam methods or vacuum chuck, a good, versatile option for holding odd things, a lot cheaper today than just a few years ago.

JKJ

Jeff,

I made myself a Longworth chuck and use it occasionally. I don't have experience with a commercial one. I might be able to find the plans if you like. Its advantage is convenience. The difference between a Longworth and Cole jaws is that the Longworth is much easier to adjust to bowls of various diameters without screwing and unscrewing buttons. It's on a faceplate and takes 30 seconds to put on my lathe. Its disadvantage is that I can't get it as tight as Cole jaws. I think it is better to use it as sort of a jam chuck, i.e., support the work with the tailstock, as JJ mentioned. I have used it freestanding as well. I don't recognize any danger in using it, except that an unsupported object might fall off. I would not see any need to rotate it very fast.

Doug

I have a commercial longworth chuck. It is convenient in that it has a tendon on the back that fits into my four jaw chuck, and quickly centers a bowl from the rim.. I do not think it holds anywhere near as tight as a scroll chuck, and only use it for light cuts on the bottom or for finishing the bottom of a bowl. I keep the tail stock tight until the very last. I don't think I would buy another.

I bought a LW chuck from the Bay. Not too expensive. Good things: It fits the 2" chuck jaws, so "installation" is a snap. It's polycarbonate or some plastic/resin so it operates smoothly. Easy to adjust. Self centering, which is good, you can re-turn a "finished" bowl if you have the bottom too thick after you finish and sanded. NOT that I personally had to re turn a finished bowl. Bad things. You can only mount regular bowls, no natural edge or odd shaped items. The hold is less than secure. Tailstock must be used until the very last cuts. Since all the bolts are protruding, watch your fingers when sanding, and you can't sand the top part of the bowl. Yes it does have an RPM limit, but you really don't NEED to spin it any faster. If you do need more speed, you should have done more work while in the other chuck.
I don't own a Cole jaw set. Looks hazardous, the LW is a complete disc, no blade like appendages. As mentioned, easy to adjust and secure (somewhat) your bowl. With the tail-stock used, I've not lost a bowl.

The cole jaws for my VicMark also have a max RPM of 600. Don't think I've ever needed to exceed it. I do know that it grips very well. The only issue I've ever had is when I was just starting to use it and I didn't tighten it enough and the bowl slipped.

Not any help with your question as I have a set of Cole jaws never taken out of the package and have never used a Longsworth.

Based on replies above I will go (if and when) with a donut chuck instead.
They are available retail such as at Ron Brown's Best. For the price of a faceplate ($16) some good 3/4 plywood, and maybe $4 in bolts you can make your own and you are good to go. You don't have to use tailstock support unless you want to; just leave a divot to center the bowl in the donut.

I second Paul Williams comments and regret purchasing the commercial longworth chuck. It doesn't hold a bowl nearly as well as the smaller cole jaws I have. It also takes a lot longer to set up because the two disks stick together and won't close tightly around the bowl. It's a pain to use and I suspect that's why the manufacturer has now come out with a donut chuck.

That are typically a lot of different ways to solve a problem.

I have a set of Cole jaws and I made a set of eight extensions that will take it up to about 20 inches.

But another easy alternative is to go to Home Despot :eek: and buy an 18" round disk. Glue on a threaded glue-block or screw on a face plate. Make a bunch of circular lines with a pen or pencil to help align your workpiece. Then use a live center in you tail stock to help align your work-piece. Once you have it centered, put on hot-melt glue block around the perimeter of your work-piece. BTW, you can do as much "fiddling" as necessary to achieve a precise center. As long as your tailstock is in place, everything should be very secure. I had also added a bunch of "cleats" to hold the piece with the tailstock removed.

It is cheap.
It is easy.
It works.
It probably allows you to achieve the center more precisely than either Cole jaws or Longworth.
It is NOT as sexy as Longworth or Cole jaws.
If properly set up, it holds much better than LW or CJ.

I have the commercial LW chuck and do not like it. Like Bill said it does not adjust easily, it doesn't hold the bowl very well, and mine never ever did a good job of centering the bowl. I did purchase the large cole jaw set for my Nova's and like it a lot better. The bad thing is that you have to move the holding screws all the time and it will only hold a bowl with a max 14 1/2" diameter. The one thing that I did get, and wonder why it took me so long to get it, was a vacuum chuck. I really like using it as it will work with any shaped bowl. The only time it does not hold as securely as I would like is if it is a thin piece of porous wood. I got the Frugal Vacuum system and am very happy with it and with the chucks that accompany it. My recommendations are skip the LW chuck and go with the vacuum chuck and the large cole jaw chuck. (That recommendation comes with a money back guarantee on what you paid for this recommendation.)