I have a 16in. Jet lathe and when I got it I simply took the chuck off my small mini/midi Jet which is a Super Nova chuck and mounted it on the 16in. jet with the proper spindle insert. Lately i been thinking that the chuck is a bit small for some of the bigger and heavier stuff I am stuffing into it. I looked at the Super Nova 2 and realize that it is the same size as my older Super Nova chuck. I looked at the vickmark but at double the price I am not so inclined. I am thinking I might just need to get 100mm jaws for the SuperNova. Any thoughts or experience?
I have four different types of Nova chucks, the G3, the SuperNova, the SN 2, and the direct threaded Titan.
The biggest differences between the SuperNova and the SuperNova 2 are the hex chuck key and the closed back on the SN2. I've turned fairly large platters and bowls on the Jet 1642 with both of these chucks and I see no functional difference. Both, IMO, are entirely suitable for larger pieces when using the larger jaws. I keep the Powergrip jaws (100mm?) on one chuck and the larger jaws (130mm I think) on another. I think you can hold almost anything you can fit on the lathe with either of these jaws, assuming the wood itself is sound. I turn most bowls up to about 8-9" with a Glazer screw chuck for the outside and the 50mm jaws in a recess for the inside. I have never had one come off the lathe.
I don't like the Titan I have without the insert although it is a much heavier chuck. The reason - I use the spanner wrench to remove the chucks and there are no flats machined on the direct-threaded Titan! Bah.
My advice: Bite the bullet and get a Vicmarc chuck before you get too heavily vested in the Tecknatool chucks (I have five, including a Titan). Have been turning for 14 years, and I still have problems having to hesitate when tightening or loosening the Nova chucks. Main selling point for me was the interchangeability of all the Nova jaws, but I don't change the jaws anyway--just grab another chuck with different sized jars.
My experience is not the same as David's. I can't afford to have 4-5 chucks, so I do change the jaws when needed.
My first chuck was the original Supernova; while I like the SN-II better, there's not much you can turn on a 16" lathe that's too big for the chuck If you have the larger jaws. If you haven't tried the larger jaw sets, that will cost a LOT less than a whole new chuck line. I have never, ever, found that tightening a chuck to the left is an issue. I do like the way Vicmark and Oneway inserts fit tha chuck body better, however.
Now, to agree with David, Vicmark chucks are very nice, and I believe some will even accept the Nova jaws (?) I also have a Oneway Stronghold with many jaw sets, which I use on my Powermatic. My beef with Oneway is that the Stronghold jaws do not fit the Talon, or their other chucks which really gets under my skin.
When I first started turning, I was saddled with a "Tommy Bar" type chuck. Not having three hands made its use unbearable. Searched and located the "Hurricane" chuck. I now have it, the HTC100 and the HTC125, a five inch jawed chuck for use on my 22" Grizzly. Of the chucks gotten from Hurricane I have had only one small problem. The screws in the back plate loosened once on one. They have interchangeable spindle inserts so they fit both lathes of different spindle size. And they use the same "T" wrench for tightening. They are well made, smooth in operation, heavy enough to securely hold any size blank and economical also. The one flaw I have found is the jaws are NOT interchangeable between models.
I haven't found a need for anything larger that a OneWay Talon, with the large jaws, on my Jet 1642, but I don't turn a lot of bowls. That said, read and heed what Brad says about OneWay jaws. They are expensive, and even more so if swapping jaws drives you nuts. I have seriously considered buying a couple more Talon bodies.
