chuck recommendations with apologies

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

TDaniel

>Eric, on a 12" swing lathe you need the small chuck. A larger chuck will cause you problems with your vessels because the bottom will always be too big and out of proportion unless you use a spigot and then cut it off. In my opinion, if you are going to use a spigot and then cut it off why not just use a wasteblock and save your money? A lot of folks are going to disagree with me on this and that is ok but I really feel the chuck's biggest benefit is being able to remount a finished piece. It is possible to have an attractive dovetail that can be left on the vessel and used as needed for finishing or re-finishing. Either of the chucks you named will be fine, just buy one from a dealer who will stand behind it.

TD

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

Mark Kauder

>I am one who ran out and bought a chuck as soon as I could afford it after the lathe purchase. But I now suggest to folks that they wait until they have been turning a while - at least a year.

I think by then you will know what you want to do - Bowls or spindle work, etc, and probably by then you will have had a chance to play with a variety of chucks and for a firm opinion.

I have a SuperNova, it works great, I have no complaints, but it probably would not be my first choice if I were to buy one now.

If what you want to do is turn bowls, I suggest a faceplate and a waste block. Way to many people end up comprimising the shape of their bowl based on the chuck (just like when most of us start, we try to make as big a bowl possible out of a given piece of wood - regardless of the form).

Turning on a faceplate will get you started and experienced, without the expense.

Mark

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

Jim Pugh

>Either chuck will be fine but if you check the maximum opening vs smallest opening, the Talon wins by a mile. This allows a wider range of tenon diameters for the various things you might turn.

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

Joe Millsap

>I have a Nova, Precision, 3 strongholds and a talon. also a home made and I advise either the talon of stronghold. You will never have to buy another chuck as long as you turn. I have been turning for 12 years and the One-way chucks were the last that i got.

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

bill Crommett in seneca

>Eric: Ihave them both, and after buying extra chuck wrenches for thr Super Nova that chipped their teeth I bought the Talon. It is great, solid and convenient. Tommy bars are a nusiance and require three & 1/2 hands to operate unless you have a convenient locking mechanism on your lathe,. and then it only take s two.

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

Hovey Moore

>Either one of those chucks will work fine. I bought the talon for my Jet 1236. Now I have a Powermatic 2035 lathe and the talon still works fine. Maybe someday I will move up to a stronghold but I'm in no great hurry.

If you are more interested in spindle work you could pass on a chuck. For bowl work they are fast and quick to use but not truely needed.

Hovey

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

Fog Tanner

>Either chuck will work for your size machine. I have two Strongholds, which are key operated. I did production work in a machine shop and a key chuck fits me better. The production turners preferr the level or tommy bar system for speed. If you are not doing production work, get the keyed chuck. You can hold a bowl with one hand and tighten with the other - and you don't have to lock the spindle. If you are turning a lot of pieces which are basicly the same size, then the key chuck will be just as fast. It's only when you have a wide varience in the diameter.

I do a lot of spindle work and use the chucks for that too. The chuck opens up a lot more possibilities when you have open access to the end grain - like boxes.

Even with all the other activity in some of the other threads, my preference in brands is Vicmarc. I have two strongholds, and use them almost daily. But I have used the Vic and like it better. And I plan on buying one for my new lathe. One can never have too many chucks - sorta like Norm and his clamps. If you have four different jaw sets you need four chucks, right.

Look up the number of brands, and that is the number of different types of resonces you will get. Good luck in you search.

Fog

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies *LINK*

Russ Fairfield

>I have been recommending purchasing the SuperNova body, without jaws, because it is the less expensive; and then getting the Talon jaws because they are better.

The SuperNova body is available from KMS for $126US. See the link below.

The Talon jaws are available from any of the catalog suppliers such as Packard or Craft Supplies. If one of the Talon jaws has a pin sticking out of it, pull it out with a pair of pliers. Other than that pin, they are interchangeable.


SuperNova chuck body

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

gil in san diego

>Before writing this, I first read all of the other responses to see if they would change my opinion. They didn't. Although the other responses seem sound and reasonable, if I didn't know which chuck to buy, I would buy a grizzly for $36. For only $36 I would then have a chuck to use while I spent the next year or so figuring out which chuck I really wanted. ...and then I would still have the grizzly as a back-up and second chuck.

After using my grizzly for almost a year I bought a stronghold. Sometimes it is really nice to have a second chuck (or a smaller one).

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

RonZ

>Well, here's my two shekels on the subject:

Key or tommy bar:

If your spindle will not lock on the lathe, don't bother to get the tommy bar chucks. You will need three hands to put your work in and lock it down.

Size:

Since you have a 12" lathe, get the smaller chuck. The larger size will not work well with your work piece and causes undo weight and stress on your lathe motor.

Jaw type:

Shark or dovetail. This is mainly personal preference and mine is dovetail. With the dovetail, you will have fewer marks on your work that will require refinishing or explaining how that's part of the design. The standard jaws that come with the chuck will be fine by getting the small or extended small is a plus for spindle work.

Which brand?

I have owned and used Nova, Oneway, and Vicmarc and I recommend the Vicmarc. I do not like the material and craftsmanship of the Nova and mine rusts easy [I live in Israel with a relatively dry climate. I have been told this is rare but my Talon kept clogging up on me on a regular basis. One use I have for the small extended jaws is to drill pen blanks. Since the Talon is open, it clogged up frequently. Perhaps it was me but the key of the talon did not always mate with the chuck easily. What do I like about the Vicmarc? It is sealed closed so no clogging. Easy to use alan wrench key that if lost, can be replaced anywhere. It has two types of stepping indentations should your lathe not come with a stepped spindle lock. The screw for holding on bowls is a small 8mm [vs. Talons 10-12mm] but large enough to grip the bowl. I almost never use a faceplate but when I do, Vicmarc has various sizes that work with the dovetail chuck.

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

Eric Kuehne

>Thanks one and all. You've given me a lot to think about. Not a clear consensus but great information. I interpret that as just having to make the right choice for me. I'm kind of leaning toward the Talon but think I need to take a serious look at the Vicmarc as well.

Best regards to all.

Eric

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies

Bill Grumbine, Kutztown PA

>Hi Eric

I do not know if you have spent your money yet, but I do have an opinion based on quite a few years of turning and teaching. Now, some may laugh at the "quite a few years" part, but it is a lot for me, and I have learned a lot in the process.

Both chucks you mention are the same size. A chuck is not a necessity, it is a convenience. So, if you want to be convenient, you should go for as much luxury as possible. I teach students how to hold a bowl or hollow form using a faceplate and a waste block if that is their budget, or a chuck if they have the money. While both the chucks you mention will work well as far as holding, there is a difference in the convenience factor.

The Talon wins hands down as far as I am concerned for several reasons. First, it is keyed, and it turns the way most of us are used to - righty tighty, lefty loosey. The Supernova also uses a key, but it turns in the opposite direction. The Talon uses a straight tenon. The Supernova uses a dovetailed tenon. Both use a dovetailed recess. In my experience it is easier and faster to turn a straight tenon. It is also easier and faster to retrue it on a dried and warped bowl. The Talon has a better grip with its serrated jaws. Since every single piece I turn either has the tenon removed or returned, any marks from the jaws are a moot point.

I personally do not care for a recessed dovetail. It is too easy to break the wood, and I know that from experience. There is no one I know of who is strong enough to crush a tenon beyond usability. Even on a large bowl, the size of the tenon is an insignificant amount of wood. For a plate of 3/4" thickness, for example, a tenon of 3/32" is plenty, and even it can be turned into a foot. For larger bowls up to 6" or 7" deep. a tenon of 1/4" to 3/8" is plenty of wood to hold.

There are a lot of things you can do with a chuck besides hold bowls and vessels. I will not go into it all here, but suffice to say, the longer you have it, the more uses you will find for it. Again, it is not a necessity, but a convenience, and if your time in the shop is limited, it will be worth anything you spend on it to make that time more productive and enjoyable.

Bill

Re: chuck recommendations with apologies *LINK*

Russ Fairfield

>Did you read my article on buying a chuck here in the WoodCentral archives


Buying a chuck. Which one??