lathe chuck ?

Re: lathe chuck ?

Barry Rockwell

Vicmarc

depends what you wish to spend, but..

GaryG in MD

there are many people who prefer jaws that have a flat sids -- as opposed to the ones with tiny "teeth" -- because the latter have drawbacks and can be problematic for reasons I won't try to explain here. I'm not talking about a straight angle vs. a dovetail -- both of those options are fine. Buy something with a full set of options for many different sets of jaws, because I can guarantee that you will eventually want them.

I also just bought a set of Beall Collet Chuck system (compression type), and I'm wondering what took me so long! ...GG

Re: depends what you wish to spend, but..

Bill Blasic

I have a number of chucks that I use. Nova, Vicmarc, Oneway, Bulldog and Axminster. Of all these chucks only Nova chucks have jaws that fit every chuck they have. The smallest chuck to the largest chuck will use the entire range of Nova jaws. All the others when moving from one size chuck to another requires different jaws for each. I have no specific favorites in these chucks except for the Bulldog BD 275 which is a small chuck that I use between the midi lathe and the Rose Engine. If price is not important buy Oneway or Vicmarc. If your budget is small Nova is probably your best bet as they frequently have sales. I would not hesitate to repurchase any of these again as I have never had a problem with any of them. You probably will find that like lathes everybody has their favorites which they consider the best, chucks are no different. When I go to my cupboard for a chuck I pick any one that has the 1" X 8 or 1 1/4" X 8 for the lathe I'm going to use it on not the brand because they are all good for me.

Vicmarc without a doubt *LINK*

john Lucas

Sure you will pay more but this is a chuck you will keep for life. I have 3 of the VM 100's I have turned bowls up to 20", cored bowls and they have an excellent selection of jaws. I have used lots of other chucks and still own some Vicmarc Copies. I've had problems with the copies. I've had friends who have had problems with the off brand chucks. This is the last chuck you will ever have to buy.

It uses a 10mm hex chuck key so if you ever lose it you can simply go to the hardware and buy another one. There's no fiddling around trying to get the keyed chuck to line up with the gears like on other chucks. It's righty tighty, lefty lucy which is very natural. some other chucks are backwards. The jaw sizes overlap so if you you have a couple of sets you always have the right size. I've use other chucks where there is a gap between jaw sizes.

I don't personally need a larger chuck although they do make them and Mike Mahoney loves them. If I were to turn lots of really large work I'd probably invest but like I said, I've turned up to 20" with that chuck.


https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/100/328/Vicmarc-VM100-Chuck-w-Jaws?term=vicmarc%20chuck

Re: lathe chuck ?

Dale Bonertz

I agree on the Vicmarc. I own the 100 and several of the 120. They never seem to develop a problem. Good line of jaws. I think that Bill is partially correct in the jaws not going from different chuck sizes. I think the 120 and 150 size chucks are interchangeable with the jaws. The 100 has its own line if I remember correctly. For a larger machine like I would call floor model the 120 is a good choice for normal type turning. The 150 if you plan on doing really large turnings most of the time. 100 if you tend to turn smaller items and need the extra room on the chuck side to make cuts. Contact Woodworkers Emporium for a great selection.

Which ever type you choose I find it is easier to stay with that brand for tightening consistency, jaws and etc. as you purchase more chucks for your collection. Factor in your future purchases in your decision.

Re: lathe chuck ?

robo hippy

I have all Vickmark as well. However, a comment from Stuart Batty at our Oregon Woodturning Symposium got me thinking, "The difference between a British turner and an American turner is that a Brit has 1 chuck with 10 different sets of jaws. An American turner has 10 chucks with 10 different sets of jaws." I think it is the Hurricane chuck from Easy Wood tools. It takes seconds to change out the jaws compared to minutes, not including time looking for lost wrenched and screws dropped in the shavings....

robo hippy

Quick change jaws

David Walser

There are at least three quick change jaw systems on the market: Axminster, Easy Wood Tools, and Nova. Each system is attractive because it allows you to quickly change chuck jaws. Here's a brief summary of the three systems:

Axminster: This is the oldest system. Axminster sells additional jaw slides. You change jaws by unwinding the jaws out of the chuck body and winding on a new set. The downside is that it costs $50 for each set of slides. (You can use this method with Vicmarc and other brands if you disable the safety stop that prevents you from opening the jaws too wide.)

Easy Wood Tools: Easy Wood Tools' system is quicker than Axminster's. You simply depress a spring by inserting the tip of a tool into a hole in the end of the jaw slide. To attach the new jaw, simply slide it into place until the spring-loaded latch snaps into place. Quick and easy. All the quick change mechanism is part of the chuck body, so, in theory, you don't need to pay more for this feature with each jaw set you buy. (Easy Wood's chuck jaws tend to cost more than similar jaws for other chucks, so you might be paying more. There's just no reason that the design of the quick change system should make the jaws more expensive to buy.)

Nova Infinity: This is a recent development. Nova's system is similar to Easy Wood's in that it uses a spring-loaded latch to hold the jaws in place. Like Easy Wood's system, you release the Nova Infinity jaws by depressing a spring with the end of a tool. Mounting the jaws simply requires sliding them into place. However, Nova's system is contained within the jaw slides, allowing you to retrofit older Nova chucks to the Infinity system. To make that work, Nova's latching mechanism extends above the body of the chuck. This makes the overall thickness of jaws plus jaw slides a little thicker than it would be on other chucks. To upgrade an older Nova chuck, you install the upgrade kit and attach retrofit slides to the back of each set of jaws you'd like to use with the system. (The new slides cost about $45 per set.)

While the quick change systems are attractive, there are some things to consider before adopting them. First is safety. Both Nova and Easy Wood Tools warn against using their quick change jaws in reverse on the lathe. (Sanding in reverse is fine.) The second issue is a concern for how accurately the jaws might return to their original position when remounted.

Re: Quick change jaws

john Lucas

But it is so much faster to just reach in the drawer and pull out the chuck with the right jaws. OK I don't have 10 chucks but I do have 5 and have 8 different size jaws, so obviously I need more chucks.

Hurricane is not from Easy Wood

Dick Coers

Robo Hippy quote; "I think it is the Hurricane chuck from Easy Wood tools."

The Hurricane chuck looks like an import knockoff of the Oneway. The Easy Wood Tools chuck is called the Easy Chuck.

too many chucks?

John K Jordan

>But it is so much faster to just reach in the drawer and

>pull out the chuck with the right jaws.

I think I need a 12-step recovery program for my chuck addiction since I have 12 chucks. Or maybe 13 or 14, I haven't counted lately. The problem with this addiction is I have to have two chuck drawers. Let me know if you want to be remembered in my will.

I do very much like to grab a chuck from the drawer with the right jaws attached. But I often find a use for more than one chuck with the same jaws. If working on something and decide to put it aside for a bit and work on something else I don't want to take it out of the chuck and lose registration. (This is great for boxes since I like to mostly turn the box then let it "relax" overnight as per Raffan.) Or if working on two things that fit together, like a lid and a base I might leave both pieces in chucks until ready to reverse.

I'm sure the Vicmark, Oneway, and other high quality chucks are amazing. Mine are all lowely Technatool chucks: SuperNovas, SN/2s and a couple of G3s chucks. I'm quite happy with them. I've used them on bowls up to 16", the limit on my lathe. Some of my chucks are nearly 15 years old with no sign of wear. The only damage I've had to repair was on a used chuck previously owned by the Hulk.

All of the jaws I have fit all of the chucks.

I keep inserts for the Jet mini and another small lathe and switch the inserts if the mini needs to go out. Also, with several chucks I can loan one to a friend without needing medication for serious withdrawal symptoms.

I bought some new, some used, some on sale. A new SN/2 chuck is $119 from Amazon when on sale. The last G3 chuck I bought was less than $100. I suspect if I had all Vicmarc chucks either I wouldn't keep as many on hand or my wife would report me to Dave Ramsey.

BTW, since each chuck comes with a 50mm dovetail jaw set I have a surplus if someone has a need.

JKJ

Re: Hurricane is not from Easy Wood

robo hippy

Oops! I haven't looked at either one close up, but isn't the Easy Chuck made in the US? Quality is above most knock off brands.

robo hippy

Easy Chuck is made in USA

Dick Coers

I had to check. Don't know if there will be changes some day since Pony Tools bought the product line, but the on-line manual says Made in USA, Patent Pending.