Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Chuck size??
Lou Krupnick
>I have one of the newer Craftsman lathes with a 1HP motor (15" swing, 2 hp developed, whatever that means) that seems to work really pretty well. I've been drooling over the cataloges looking at chucks lately & need recommendations on whether such a lathe would handle a 4-1/2" or 5" chuck? I hope to turn larger bowls & platters. Any pros/cons re: size, weight & brand would help.
thanks, Lou
Re: Chuck size??
Skip
>I have a oneway stronghold and really like it. One of the reasons is that they have several attachments which come in very handy. When I changed lathes recently I was able to get an insert to fit my chuck and didn't have to retool everything. Since I do bothe large and small work I find this chuck seems to allow me lots of flexibility. I believe One Way Mfg. is a canadian company and you should be able to go directly to their web site.
Re: Chuck size??
Fog Tanner
>I have two oneway strong holds, and most of the jaw sets for them. I have used the large Vicmarc and plan on buying one in the near future, along with the shark jaws. The Vic is a better made chuck and smoother operating in my usage. I do everything from boxes to bowls, and the stronghold has worked OK. Its not the greatest, but adequate.
They both come with an insert, so you can change from one lathe to another. I have used a Jet mini which had a stronghold on it. This isn't normal, but if you have plans on moving to a larger lathe then this might be a consideration. Of course you can always use a smaller chuck on a larger lathe for smaller items, such as small boxes.
The other option, is keyed vs lever operated. My preference is keyed. You can mount a blank with one hand and tighten the chuck with the other. If you don't have a spindle lock, the keyed chuck is easier. For speed when changing from one size of piece to another, the lever operated is the fastest. But, I learned machining on a keyed chuck, doing production work on an engine lathe, so I am more comfortable using a keyed chuck than the lever operated types.
You best option is to find some turners with both brands and types see them first hand. Good luck in your quest.
Re: Chuck size??
JL
>Think about the weight and size. The Oneway Stronghold weighs in at about 6-7 lbs and the Oneway Talon weighs in at about 3. If you use the woodworm screw to attach a bowl blank, you may have another 3-10 lbs. Your 1 hp lathe should handle the Stronghold relatively well with another 5 lbs or so added. You may also have to bring up the tailstock if it severely out of balance. The lever chuck is lighter than either the Stronghold or the Talon. I haven't used the Vicmarcs, so I can't comment on those.
Re: Chuck size??
Bill Howatt
>I have Oneway chucks and like them. Any of the chucks in that category like Vicmarc, (new, improved)Novas, will give you excellent service.
The chucks are a balanced load so they only contribute some mass to get up to speed and stopped - no vibration component. In a similar discussion on a Cdn forum a response to one of my posts mentioned that the mass can be good since it will help "smooth-out" any minor speed variations due to the fly-wheel effect.
I started with the larger Stronghold chuck and think very highly of it. However, there are times when having less chuck in the way can help you refine the bottom curve of a bowl, allow the tool to get into some spots from the chuck end of a small piece gripped in a chuck, etc. For this reason I like the smaller size of the Talon which weighs about 5 lbs less than the Stronghold. Oneway rates the Talon for lathes up to 16".
I personally would only buy a chuck that is key driven. I like they key much more than using tommy-bars.
You will likely find there are more jaw options available to you with the larger chuck. This may or may not be important but unfortunately knowing that sometimes requires a working crystal ball.
There is no definitive answer that is going to be perfect for everything you want to do with a chuck. One thing is that you can work around not having a chuck or an ideal chuck for a particular task so whichever make or size you choose isn't going to leave you stuck.
Bill
Re: Chuck size??
Brad Vietje
>You can't turn anything on that lathe that a Talon, Supernova2, or Vicmarc 3-1/2" chuck won't handle with ease. The extra expense of the larger chucks could be saved, and put toward the larger jaw sets for any of these excellent chucks.
Safe Spinning,
Brad Vietje
Thetford, VT
Re: Chuck size??
Lou Krupnick
>thanks all!
