One handed NOVA !
Fred L. - North Carolina
>Now please don't run me out of this forum for this !
I like my Nova chuck, which I use in my Jet Mini.
The fact remains that it needs two hands for operation, plus sometimes another holding the work. The tailstock can be used to hold the work in the chuck while it is being tightened, but sometime this is not possible or convenient.
Now some lathes come with a spindle lock. Some don't, like mine.
Being the tinkerer I am, and from conversations with a couple of friends, I decided to find a solution. While messing around with the spanner wrench, I spotted a magnet about 7/8" x 1-7/8" x 3/8". It came from Sears, in a pack of two for two bucks.
The magnet was stuck on the side of the lathe's bed, in line with the chuck and about 1/8" from the top of the bed. I put the spanner in position, but UPSIDE DOWN. The handle hit the magnet at an angle.
So I bent the end 3/4" of the handle to the proper angle and tried again . . . that little magnet holds it very well !!!
Now I might find a way to glue or otherwise attach the magnet to the handle. I might just drill and tap a hole in the magnet and see if it does not affect it.
By the way, being a bit crazy has kept me from going insane !!
Best regards,
fred