Here we go again. You will get strong disagreement to my premise but chucks are a limiting factor to your turning so the right answer is none, don't need them, I don't use them.
I have 5. 3 Vicmarc's and 2 off brand Vicmarc copies. The one thing I like about chucks is the quickness that I can do a project. I was working on some ornaments the other day and the ability to have 3 chucks with different jaws increased my productivity incredibly. That's the main reason i like them. I keep 4 with jaws from 1" to 4" mounted all the time and the 5th is used for special jaws that I change out when needed.
Oh that's not counting my vacuum chuck jaws. I will agree with Lyle sometimes the jaws can be limiting but not often for the style of work I do. Usually the limiting factor is having to make the tenon for the jaws but in those cases I just use a glue block. My work is small enough that there isn't any danger of using the chucks.
Last night during a demo by a new turner he was using EZ wood tools and forcing all the cuts and threw the piece out of the chuck. I saw it coming. I saw the piece wobble and thought he did but apparently not and before I could say anything tried another cut and threw it out. Now one was injured it was a relatively small PotPouri bowl. Still it could have hurt someone. That's one limiting factor of chucks is if you are the aggressive type and try to force the tools to cut. Although I have seen new turners rip wood out of faceplates as well.
While Lyle is correct in that you can turn without a chuck and there are a few turning scenarios where faceplates are actually a better choice. The versatility of chucks and the convenience of different jaw configurations make having multiple chucks a desirable addition to one's turning arsenal in my opinion. The right jaw sets for the right project are important, indeed.
I currently have 7 chucks, and will likely get two more in the near future. I do it for convenience as changing out jaws all the time for the large variety of the kinds of turnings I do is something I would rather skip, so I have different jaw sets for different types of turnings......large versus small, and on my large lathe vs. my midi, etc.
I am also a tool guy.....I like tools and use my tools. To me they are an investment in my woodworking. I don't hesitate to buy the right saw blade for my differing needs in woodworking, and I have dedicated tools for certain types of turnings....bowl gouges, spindle gouges, hollowing tools, etc, so my selection of chucks is just an extension of purpose driven tools.
I have no desire to defend this position of mine, and respect differing opinions, but you will see the great majority of turners using chucks these days, so that should tell you that they are a valid and useful tool, even though some prefer the faceplate method, and kudos to them. To each his own!
That G3 might be a good deal for smaller things if you can use the jaws they supply. Several of my chucks are G3s and I get a lot of use from them.
How many chucks "needed"? I apparently work like John Lucas (but not as proficiently, of course!) and like to have a separate chuck for each set of most jaws, perhaps plus one extra chuck for swapping out other jaws as needed.
I also like to have two chucks for a couple of my most used jaws so I can keep one project mounted while my attention is diverted to another project, or perhaps when there are two turners playing in the shop. That might be excess but it makes things easier.
I buy used chucks when I can find them to keep from going into bankruptcy.
I think whether one uses chucks or not depends a great deal on the kinds of things they like to turn. Fortunately we all don't turn the same things or life would be boring. For the things I like to make I nearly always use a chuck, at least for part if not all of the work.
I have 3, and I own 5 sets of jaws. I never seem to have the set of jaws on one of them that I need, so I expect 5 is a better number...unless I buy another set of jaws. Then it would be 6.
Oh, and if you have Cole jaws, the buttons are always in the wrong position for the next project, so get a couple of spares for that too...
Just a heads up! the Nova chucks turn in the opposite direction from your Stronghold. That may take some getting used to. I happen to have only Nova chucks and have gotten used to that quirk and find their quality to be entirely satisfactory. But when I have returned to tuning after doing mechanical work (lefty loosey, righty tighty) I take a little time to relearn.
While the direction is "backwards", in bowl and platter work I tend to turn a recess rather than a spigot so in my case the Novas are "righty-tighty". I also have a Vickmark so there is a bit of attention need be paid. I've not cracked anything, but I have caught myself tightening when I intended to be loosening. As far as how many - these are a type of clamp, and that pretty much sums it up.
It tightens backwards of the Oneway. So you will fight the muscle memory of what you already have. The adapter does not have a set screw to keep it from backing off the spindle, and if you must buy one, don't buy the Woodcraft brand adapter. They are notorious for being low quality, use only the Nova brand adapter.
I feel that a minimum of 5 chucks are needed for each lathe that you own. I am in the Oneway camp. I like to have 2 chucks with the #2 jaws, 1 with the spigot jaws, one with the #3 jaws and one for the jumbo jaws. I have not reached my goal of 5 chucks for each lathe. YMMV.
I think you answered your own question. You said you do mostly spindle turning and don't use them very often. Lyle does beautiful work and doesn't use them at all. John has 5 but uses them a lot.
My advice would be that if you want a chuck, start with 1. You can get additional jaws, and since you don't use them that much, taking the time to change jaws won't be that big of a deal.
If you find them invaluable, you can expand your collection one at a time as you see fit.
I am with Dale. I think most of us started with one and as we found another helpful, got it. Regarding brand, I have Novas, Vicmarc, and Oneway. I have used several knock-offs as well. If I were starting again, and had the funds, I think I would go with Vicmarc. They seem the most solid and dependable of the lot.
My original chuck is an older-style Supernova, before the hex ball-head that came out in the SN-II. I like it fine, but I've used the SN-II which is clearly better. CCW tightening has never been an issue for me, and since Nova scroll chucks came along first, maybe everyone else does it "backwards" ?
I also inherited a Oneway Stronghold ~14 years ago, when my dad died, and I like that one a lot, too. At the moment, I use the Stronghold with the 1-1/4" insert on my Powermatic, and the Supernova currently has the 1"-8 adapter for my mini and my old 1236.
Oneway profile jaws are a very good design, and hold both round and square stock well. BUT, jaws are not interchangeable between models, so Stronghold jaws do not fit the Talon, etc... HUGE advantage to the Nova line is that all their jaws fit all their chucks, except the jaws specifically made for the Titan chuck, which have longer jaw slides with 3 screws each.
I tend to use 3 sets of jaws more than all the others -- essentially small, medium and large, so it would be handy if I had 3 chucks set up this way. Mostly I use the #2 and #3 Oneway jaws, so someday, another Stronghold would be best for me.
For JL, maybe a 3rd chuck would be useful, but to save money on jaws and accessories, I'd suggest another Stronghold chuck body to match one he already has, so the current set of jaws will work.
>>>If you do a lot of spindle work, a chuck still has a good application, if you
>>>need to drill holes in the center of the work piece a chuck is nice for securing
>>>the head-stock endwhile drilling from the tail stock end.
I agree with this - I use chucks on most of my spindle turning from ornaments and finials to long tool handles. Holding one end of a thin spindle tightly makes it much less flexible than holding it between centers. The small pin jaws hold small, thin stock, sometimes with the tailstock at first then removed to make the tip.
You can mount larger square stock between centers and turn a tenon on the end to mount in a chuck or sometimes just grab the square end. For small things such as finger tops, I like to mount a 1.5-2" piece 6-8" long by one end and turn several tops from the free end.
I would hate to turn a goblet or lidded box without a chuck or two.
I use the same Teknatool chucks on 1/2" long spindles as I do on 20" platters and 16" bowls. I assume that someone who never uses a chuck doesn't turn the kinds of things that I do, only turns rarely, hasn't learned the value of chucks, turns on a lathe that won't take a chuck, enjoys the retro experience, or knows better ways I have not yet learned.
Have I Vic 120, 3 grizzlys, 4 Nova2. All acquired over time (years). Have 4 lathes. 3520b, Jet 1442, 2 Jet 1221vs. Why, I don't know. Thought I had to have them. Really, I have grandsons, son-in-laws, lot of neighborhood friends. Guess I'm trying to pass on a wonderful hobby to as many as I can.
....tighten opposite from chucks made in the northern hemisphere. As a regular subject in my demos I suggest using a vibrating engraver to mark arrows to indicate which rotating direction opens/closes the jaws, an important bit of info when owning and using a mixed set of chucks. This should have been done when the chucks were made, and only the Super Nova II has such indication built in from new.
