I was looking through the projects earlier this week and noticed some of the wonderful chip carvings that the amazingly skilled and talented folks on LJ have posted. I thought, “Hey, that’s something I could do in the house, or front portch, or under a shade tree, when it’s too hot in the shop!” With that, I was off to the <insert> to buy a knife and a book.

A few hours later, I had a chip carving knife and a book. I bought the “Complete Guide to Chip Carving” by Wayne Barton and a Pfeil knife. At first glance, it looks like chip carving might not be that hard. I mean, how hard is is to draw triangles then carve them out with a tiny little knife. That was a big, bad, assumption on my part. To quote my dad on a multitude of situations while I was growing up, “It ain’t as easy as it looks, is it?” Haha.

After a couple of hours, I think I made some good progress making chips but I’m nowhere near anything I would like to post here. I’m not one that ever backs down from a challenge and I won’t be putting the knife down any time soon. However, I could see how those with less determination would become frustrated and give up.

The cost (so far!), convenience, and portability are the main appeal right now because it sure ain’t the beautiful things I’ve created. I would say, if you’re a beginner, don’t give up early on, because “It ain’t as easy as it looks!”.

I’m interested in hearing from you experienced chip carvers about the early stages. If you have any additional suggestions, let me know.

In the meantime, I’m looking for some ideas on a few personalization touches like posters, signs, pictures, or anything else. Please drop me a line if you have ideas or pictures.

I’m posting a few pictures here but the rest of them can be seen over at my new website, ‘The Workshop Garage’. It’s in my signature. Please let me know what you think…OR…if you have suggestions, they are more than welcome.

I’m also looking for pictures of your ‘Workshop Garage’ to be highlighted on

Thanks for following this. Man, I love this site!

This wall is right inside the door (which is seldom used in the summer time). The drill press is soon to be replaced. I dropped it off the bench this winter and broke the shaft on the original motor. I retrofitted a motor from a smaller drill press and it’s just not quite up to the task. Yuck!

Here is an overhead shot. That’s my FWW New Fangled Workbench in the foreground. If you need a great bench for a ‘tad’ under $200.00, this is the one to make.

Here is the last one. I need to get some of these uploaded to the ‘My Workshop’ page and then a post over on my site with the full collection.

Thanks again,

Here are the initial models I’ve created.

1# The basic concept. The overall shape could be modified to suit just about anything you could imagine. The joinery for the laminations will also involve having the CNC drill holes (Visible or invisible from the outside. My/Your choice) through the layers to make assembly simple with dowels or rods. (Hole placement has not been added to these models yet) I’ve also planned to mill ‘cheeks’ to allow for more ease of alignment of the components.

2# Exploded. This is just an exploded model to show the various components that would go into creating ‘CNC Hand Plane Version 2’.

3# This is the actual model that would be imported into my CAM software to generate the toolpaths I’ll need for milling. I though about using thicker wood to limit the amount of slices but with this model, I should be able to make everything from 3/4 inch stock.

I also need to make a consistent method for attaching the blank and then being able to machine the entire outside and inside of the body. I devised a plate made from MDB (in the picture) with T-nuts. I then drill the blank slightly long, counter bore the holes to take 1/4-20 hex screws of varying lengths, depending on the piece. This part is working pretty good so far.

Now, the first body is probably not even a good shape for a plane but this was about getting the equipment performing the way I expect. That piece is nearly 8 inches long (not including the hold downs). Everything started pretty good. I used a 1/2 inch end mill for the first roughing pass. I had planned a 1/4 inch end mill for a 2nd roughing pass but opted against it. This is where I made the mistake. As I was running a relief cut with a 1/4 inch ball nose, I ‘dragged’ the bit and lost a few ‘steps’. This cause my X axis reference to be off. This is evident by the ‘stair-steps’ inside the pocket (they should have been removed) and the ridges on one end. Regardless – This is failure #1 and it provided some valuable lessons for me. As long as I make progress, I don’t mind messing up. This is gonna be fun!

P.S. Once I get my workflow and equipment dialed in, would anyone be interested in doing some trading of services? I’m offering some CNC services for plane iron. (Preferably, if you can make your own and they are thick). I could probably cut saw handle blanks really easily. Jig templates, etc. Name it. (As long as its smaller than 12X20. :)
Thanks guys!

Here are some pictures and video of the fun.

1/2 inch end mill – 1st roughing pass

Failure #1 in all its glory!

Video of the 1st roughing pass.

Here is a video of the relief pass. It was messed up a bit at this point but I think it’s cool watching things take shape.

Based on recommendations from all the good, helpful, folks and friends I’ve met here on LJ, I picked up the Garret Hack book, “Hand Planes”. There is a section in there on these wonderful little things. After a lengthy thread in the forums and several sharpening/using type videos, I was ready.

I stopped by my local Woodcraft and picked up the Lie-Nielson set. It came with two scrapers (a thick and a thin). When I got home, I went straight to the shop and found a rough cut piece of cherry. Well, frustration immediately ensued. I was thinking there has to be an art form to these things. True be told, there is a trick but it’s a strick you can learn in about 15 minutes. By varying the angle at which I presented the edge to the surface, I was able to find ‘my groove’ and start making thin ‘see through’ shavings. It only took about 15 minutes to get the small board flat and polished. No sandpaper necessary! Yes, they are that cool!

If you don’t have any of these in your toolbox, get some. You can burnish them with any round rod. Like a turning tool shaft, screwdriver, burnisher, etc. The only other things you’ll need are some sandpaper, a flat surface, and upper arms that are slightly stronger than my 8 year old daughters! It’s one of the best $5-15 dollar purchases you can make.

Here is a picture of my first attempt. Thanks to all the LJ’s who now have me addicted to hand tools! ha

With that, it was off to the BORG to get some lumber for shelves and the new bench. Here are the benches in their completed states. I added a small shelf to the front of the lathe bench with a small lip to keep my chisels from rolling off. I’m thinking about adding a tool holder to the left side. It was a long Saturday!

Let me know what you think.

Here is the NFB

And the NFLB (Not really ‘new’ or ‘fangled’)

A quick trip to the BORG and I had several pieces of 2X10 lumber in the shop. I got to stretch the legs on my Rigid Granite table saw while getting all of the boards cut. I took an approach that might be a bit different than what you might have taken. I built the top first. I thought I would make the top as flat as I possibly could so I used the top of my table saw as the guide to getting it all straight. When it was all said and done, the top boards have a ‘hair’ of cupping to the tune of less than a 1/16 of an inch. Once I learn to tune, sharpen, and use my jack plane, I should be able to get it really flat. I was really happy with how it turned out. Here is a shot of it sitting on my saw.

From there, I basically assembled on down to the feet. I attached the top leg support to the two legs then screwed that to the bench top. After that, I lined up the feet and created my pilot holes. Making sure things were ‘square’ as I went along, putting on the feet was uneventful. I flipped it over and, for the first time in my entire life, it didn’t rock even one micron. I’m serious. It’s solidly planted on the floor. I had to stop and pat myself on the back after that. I should go buy a lottery ticket or something. This never happens to me.

I still neet to add the stretcher between the legs and the parts that go with the pipes and clamps but it’s all downhill from here. I can’t wait to start using this thing. I also plan to add a second stretcher to the back leg so I can build a shelf down there to hold my hand and power tools that get used the most. Here are some more shots. It’s not pretty but it’s solid and it’s straight. That’s all I care about. All in all, I think I have between 6 and 8 hours total in this. My cost is right at $200.00. Not too shabby.

Enjoy!

Take care,

In all actuality, I’m glad I hired a pro to do this. I have a couple of brackets to add to some conduit before the inspector gets here and I should be good to go. Now, who wants to come over and help me run all the conduit for all the circuits after my inspection is done? Yeah, right!

Here’s a picture. 100amps of Tesla’s magic, right there in my shop.

That’s about all I have for now. Need to work on my next post.

Take care!

The walls are insulated, covered with sheetrock, mudded, and taped. I have installed (4) 2-bulb 4ft light fixtures in the ceiling. There is still room for 4 more and I’ll be adding those later. I have some of the conduit and outlets in the ceiling as well as starting to run the wiring for the wall outlets. I plan to alternate circuits to provide me with the flexibility of running multiple tools but spreading out the amp draw. The wall outlets will be a minimum of 52 inches from the floor to avoid any sheet goods or large items. I have a single access hole cut in the ceiling. As seen in my previous posts, things are looking pretty good.

So far, I’ve spent close to $500.00 on this project.

What is next? I have the electrician coming over Saturday to run the new 240v circuit to the shop and install a 100amp subpanel. The box I’m getting provides me with 16 slots. That should be more than enough for a 400 sq/ft work area. The bid from the electrician came in at a hair under $540.00.

I have been using a 3d modeling tool and Photoshop to create a 2D diagram of the floorplan. I think I have arrived at a solution that will work as a great starting point for me. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts. See the picture below.

The TS, BS, DC and CNC are all on wheels. Most of the time, I think they can live a little futher out in the middle but this is the ‘small’ working area if I’m turning, or making things that don’t require larger space. This will also leave the shop configured to allow the wife to get her SUV in there if she needs to. (It better be a pretty good reason. LOL!). The wall on the bottom left corner is reserved for Lawn/Garden/Sporting Goods (twins girls toys.) The Bench will provide some outfeed for the TS and the DC is right there as well. The same goes for my BS. DC hose will probably not be longer than 6 feet. It’s a small one.
To Do:

I still need to finish running all of my circuits. There will be individual circuits for the following. Lights, ceiling outlets (3), wall outlets (alternating, 2 circuits) TS (220v), BS (220v), DC (220v). The motors for the 220v machines still need to be reconfigured for the new voltage. Decide on a climate control system for the shop. Heat or Heat+A/C. I’m leaning toward the latter if the price is right. It’s only 400 sq/ft so it shouldn’t be a real big stretch. And lastly, I need to get an initial storage/bench solution established.

For cost reasons, I’m planning to build a ‘FWW New Fangled Bench’ and have already purchased the construction lumber, screws, pipes, and clamps. For now, it seems to be the ‘best fit’ for me in the new workspace. Cabinets and a permanently mounted bench are also planned for the near future. Gotta have the storage!

That’s about it for now. Look for a new blog series on my bench building (hope I don’t screw it up) coming soon.

Thanks guys,
Matt

Rather than code a bunch of pictures into this post, here is a link to my Flickr Set for this plane.

So, recently I’ve taken an interest in hand tools. I don’t own any vintage or nice ones (unless you count this one) but that may change really soon. I have always been a history buff so that part of it appeals to me as well. I think being able to go out to my shop and having some nice quiet time working with wood would be very satisfying. Rather than go through my educational process again, you can visit the thread I started a couple of weeks ago. It has been a wealth of info (Thanks ‘Jocks!’). Here is the thread.

Armed with that, I took the plunge. That’s the way I work. I now have the plane so I have to ‘care for it’. That motivates me to learn more about it. I picked up the Garret Hack book from Amazon. I have begun to research sharpening, tuning, cleaning, restoring (if I want to), lapping, etc. I am a bookworm/knowledge sponge so I’m already finding it very stimulating.

I picked this plane up on Ebay for $21.00 + shipping. Total, it came out to less than $30.00. It arrived in 3 days, to my suprise. On a whim, I adjusted the blade to just touch the wood when I sat the plane on the wood and gave it a little push. It made a nice little curly shaving. It wasn’t full blade width but it was very thin. I’ll call this moment, “My First Success”. hahaha Already I’m lovin’ the little gal and I’m already on the hunt for a #4, #7, and a block plane just to give me a starter set.

I linked to my Flickr Set to give everyone a better look at the plane and give me some feedback. I shot them with a Canon S5IS in macro mode. Which, coincidentally, is an awesome ‘point and shoot’ camera. I highly recommend them.

I’m still looking for some decent chisels too.

Thanks for all the learnin’ guys!

My father-in-law came over to the house on Saturday around noon. He and I used to do professional house painting as a ‘side gig’ for several years so we made short work of it. Only took us a shade over 3 hours to do all 3 walls and the ceiling. When you have done something like this with someone for a long time, you can work really efficiently. The wife tried to come out and help a little but we told her she would probably just slow us down. (No offense, babe. You’re still my gal. haha)

I decided to go with a semi-gloss for the paint job. I wanted somelthing that would be easy to clean and might not ‘hang on to’ dust as bad as a ‘flat’ type of paint.

All in all, I would say the amount of time spent actually out in the shop working on this is 6 days. That includes insulation, pulling down electric conduit, insulation in the walls, drywall, mud-tape-sanding, and painting. Not too bad. The only thing left is to install some 3 inch baseboards, finish running electrical circuits (I’m having a 100amp subpanel installed in a few weeks), and the ‘scuttle hole’ for attic access. Eventually some pull-down stairs will go in that spot.

Here is the hardest part for me. Determing a good layout for my NEW shop. I know that eventually I will install a nice clear coated epoxy floor (with a little sand for traction). And I plan to do some University of Kentucky themed accents. Toying with painting my baseboards UK blue (Go Cats!). This is where I need your help. It’s a clean slate with 400 sq/ft to play with. I still have to make a small place for two sections I’ve been referring to as ‘Lawn and Garden’ (Mower, weed whacker, chainsaws, etc) and ‘Sporting Goods’ (bicycles and my twin daughters’ toybox). Not a huge amount of stuff. Other than that, I need to layout a few more departments. Mainly, ‘Lumber’, ‘Power Tools’, ‘Assembly’, ‘Sanding’, etc. You get the idea.

Here are the pictures. Please don’t mind the mess.

Thanks for looking!

Painting is scheduled for Saturday. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous and not too hot.

Here are the shots.

I’m planning to run some wiring in the next week and look to build a small lumber storage area above the garage door. I’m not cramped, by any means, in here but any additional storage is always a good thing in my book. Especially if it doesn’t get in your way or take up valuable shop space. This space is totally free!

The weather looks like this today so I’m not planning on getting much done in there today. We’re suppose to get 2 inches of snow tonight around St. Louis and the Metro East (my area). Yuck!

Here are some pictures of the progress.

and

I’m suprised by how many folks are not aware of this feature.

Here we go:
This little known tool is my favorite, by far. It’s called the RSS feeds. It doesn’t look like much but
it’s only after you add it to a ‘reader’ like Google Reader that its true power becomes apparent.

The links on my website are a much more complicated version of RSS feeds.

Here is how you do it:

1. Go to Ebay and click on advanced search.
2. Enter your keywords and any filters and click ‘Search’.
3. At the bottom in an area marked ‘Tools’ you’ll see a little orange icon that says, ‘RSS’.
4. ‘Right Click’ the icon and click ‘Copy Shortcut’.
5. Now, go to www.google.com/reader (You may need to create a Gmail account)
6. Once in Google Reader, click ‘Add Subscription’ and paste the shortcut into the field provided.
7. Click ‘Add’ and you’re done.
8. Now all you have to do is go to your reader and see only the new listings for a particular search.

That’s it. You’re done.

What can you do now?

You can click the star and view only the ‘starred’ listings, sort, mark as read, etc. I like the fact
that I can see the all of the ‘new listings’ as if they were new emails. I also like the fact that
they load faster than anything on any Ebay page and I can organize them into any category that I choose.

There are alternative methods of using feeds. I will gladly explain them if anyone is interested.

We managed to get 95% of the drywall hung, 60% of the tape and first coat of mud applied. I plan to finish the tape and first coat today (Sunday) and then I can start working out the small details on my electrical system while it dries. I’ve got two empty slots in my service panel (currently 2 20amp breakers for the shop) which I plan to replace with 60 amp breakers and run a big ole’ wire out to the shop. I’ve run the estimates and even with the extra load out in the shop, I should be well below my maximum usage for my service! Yay! The plan is for a small subpanel with several circuits. I’ll document more of the electrical phase later.

Overall, it was a nice cool day and we had a good time. I think we’re all a little tired and sore but it was worth it and I made sure to feed them well while they were there. Hopefully a couple will come back and visit my shop often after it’s all complete.

Take care,
Matt

Here’s the first picture, a couple of folks are already in there setting up the drywall lift (don’t do a ceiling without one!).

We found out, the previous owner’s contractor, didn’t build the garage perfectly plumb. Here my ‘forman’ and his assistant are figuring out the best strategy for getting the ceiling installed.

Eventually, they figured it out and we got the first piece up, without a hitch.

We’re making good time now.

It’s nice to have several friends to help you out, when you need it. Yes, we have a girl woodworker in our group. Sorry, she’s married to the guy on the left.

We are well into the ‘fun’ part now. Tape and mud!

It’s time to tape and mud Mr. Henry. Put the hammer down!

This is Dick, the mastermind. Without him, I think we would still be hanging the panels! Thanks, Dick!

Having a full-time job as a software engineer fills that need when I’m on the clock. After all these years, there is still plenty to learn. Like programming, when I’m ‘off the clock’, woodworking gives me the ‘fix’ I need to keep from going totally insane. There are just so many paths you can follow. This is what I’m doing, still, to this day.

I started in high school doing ‘flat work’ in shop class. I stayed with that off and on, when the Air Force would let me, and have finally settled down in a spot where I can pursue things more diligently. I stocked my shop to do more of the ‘flat work’, until woodturning caught my eye. While turning, I learned about vacuum chucks and the technical side of me came out and I designed my own system for my Jet 1220. Turning is a completely different kind of fix. (Woodturners know this!)

Recently, hand tools have caught my interest. After posting a topic in the forums to start my education process and receiving a huge amount of suggestions and information, I have enough ‘food’ for my brain to last a lifetime. The history of the tools, manufacturers, etc. is fascinating to me. Rather than a huge collection of planes, I can see why folks might simply have a few nice ones but know a ton about any plane they see. Care and maintenance really gets the ‘geek in me’ thinking. Similar to what CNC’s give me. The ability to design, fabricate, create, invent, optimize, etc. Yet another process.

For me, Woodworking and all things that might cross its path, appeal to me in some way. Some are my favorites and some are interesting but not ‘up my alley’. Nonetheless, I explore them all and make my own determinations.

Sorry for rambling on. Folks who follow me think I’m running in 100 different directions and need to focus.

My logic is this: In 20 years, do I want to try something and say, “I wish I had done this 20 years ago.” I don’t.

Take care,
Matt

I started by looking to build my own CNC router. Like a bad burrito, that feeling quickly passed for various reasons. I’m impatient. I didn’t want to go through the design, decisions, parts aquisition, decisions, engineering, decisions, and, most importantly, mistakes that go along with a build like that.

Instead, I started looking to the internet for a pre-built benchtop unit. After many, many, weeks of research and eliminating all of the Chinese made machines, I arrived at my decision. I went with a CNC from a small Michigan-based company called Romaxx. Their machine was getting rave reviews for being a solid, dependable, high quality product. Aside from the table, it’s made from top end steppers, drivers, breakout boards, and metals. Nearly all of the gantry and mounts are milled from solid, high-grade, aluminum. You can even get a tool aluminum top with tons of threaded 1/4-20 tapped holes for mounting a work piece but as all beginners get to experience referencing their Z axis incorrectly, the wood is good for starting. (The MDF table will usually get replaced very soon because of all the holes and other ‘mistakes’ that happen.) Yes, the machine will drill into it’s own table very quickly. See the big red button on the front? That’s the emergency stop. Yes, I used it. On my first cut! It works. haha

For those of you thinking about getting one, think long and hard. You have to be part programmer and part engineer. Having some experience around a machine shop doesn’t hurt either. The software alone ran me a tad over $500.00. The bits I have went about $300.00. (Still buying them. The 1/8th and smaller will break real easy if you ‘drag’ one). I’m using a PC 892 for the spindle. (Goodbye $200.00. You will be missed). Add in the price of the machine, with some ordered options, and you’re quickly ‘breathing’ on 4 grand. That’s before you make the first cuts. Ouch. I don’t regret it a bit. Having a quality unit lets me concentrate on learning to run it without as much fear of breaking something.

This weekend, I got around to installing the vacuum foot attachment (That thing around the collet with the brush). It’s hooked to a Grizzly 1hp DC that I practically ‘stole’ from someone. Maybe I’ll blog about that deal sometime. I love it when my friends upgrade things. I don’t mind getting the scraps. Depending on their budget, some scraps are better than my good tools!

Here is a couple of pictures of ‘The Duchess’ in action. She’s doing a test cut into 3/4 inch walnut. The pattern is a floral thing I created and plan to use on the doors of nice curly cherry cabinet re-face job I would like to get done in the next year.

Last is a link to a short video clip. It’s hosted on Flickr.com and you’ll need the Flash Player to watch it.

Here is a link to the video. It was just easier this way. Eventually, I’ll have a gallery of stuff on the blog I’m gradually getting ready for launch. :)

Matt's Awesome Shop Lady, The Duchess. Ain't she a 'stone cold fox'?

I would love to hear your comments or get some discussion going. If you have any questions, fire away! I get all the comments and updates on my iPhone. I’m not really as crazy as I sound. Ok, I am but it’s a ‘good crazy’. haha

Take care guys,
Matt

As you can see from the shots, I have everything, except for the bench, removed from the walls and stacked nicely. A bunch of buddies (aka Work Detail. They don’t know I call them that.) are coming over on Saturday morning to hang drywall and get the tape and first coat of mud on. With 6-8 folks and all the trimmings, we should have it knocked out in no time. With everything on wheels or stacked in small piles, I estimate I can move everything out of the shop in less than one hour.

If the first coat of mud looks good enough, we’ll stop right there and I’ll paint the shop after it dries. Maybe a little sanding. It’s a shop, after all.

I plan to surface mount the wiring in metal conduit for flexibility and the service upgrade I have planned for late summer. A 100 amp subpanel with some 240v circuits! Bring it on! Anyway, I still have to remove some of the existing wiring and conduit to allow me to get it mounted over the drywall.

That’s about it for now. Let me know what you think.

Ok, enough of that. In case you didn’t read the title or deduce from my workshop page that I’m talking about my shop, it’s me.

Honestly, I had planned on doing this in the early fall of 2008. Then the economy turned bad, I got scared, and I held off on the plan and hoarded cash at the same time. There’s nothing like a recession to put things on hold and fast!

After spending my second winter in an icy cold shop, I said, “Enough! Let there be heat!”. (There I go again). I took the plunge and coordinated helpers, ordered materials to be delivered, and plunked down the moolah. I figured once I got past that, it would be ‘no looking back’.

I started the project by cleaning and organizing everything. Everything got put in its place, had a place created for it, or got moved to a new place that I had created by moving something else. Nice, neat, functional, and in a ‘known’ location. Ever lose tools when you organized your shop? Make a pirate map! (Not really). Everything came off the walls and got neatly stacked for quick evacuation when the next phases ‘spin up’. Oh yeah!

Soo, these are on my workshop page and soon to be on my personal website but I thought I would share them with the LJ blogging community in a series. I’ve actually gotten past the first phase. New pictures and a new post will probably be up within the next 48 hours.

For now, here is what I had to start with.

My poor bench! I’m so sorry. (sniff…sniff)

Take care!
Matt

I got into turning over a year ago and immediately became addicted. There’s not many areas of woodworking where you can make something worthy of display faster than on the lathe. In only a couple of hours, you can cut out a blank, turn a bowl, and have it sanded and finished. I’m an ‘immediate gratification’ type of person so, for me, woodturning is a ‘no-brainer’, I love it.

This post is going to assume that you have your lathe, 3-4 basic turning tools, face shield, and sharpening system. We’ll go on to assume you are able to reproduce the grinds on those tools consistently.

I want to talk about chucks. The lathe chuck (or scroll chuck) is probably one of the most versatile accessories you can add to your setup. This single device will save you time, increase your accuracy, reduce stress, enhance your enjoyment, and save you money. Not only will it hold a bowl blank while you remove the innards of your next masterpiece, it can be used for so much more.

Here are some examples of the different things I have created for use in conjunction with my chucks.

1. A variety of different sized jam chucks that all have a ‘dovetail’ cut in the bottoms so my chuck can receive them in an instant.
2. A variety of smaller fixtures that simply fit inside the jaws to hold one end of small globes for finishing.
3. Sets of wooden ‘soft jaws’ for holding delicate things like bracelets.

Being, pretty much, self-taught by my friends on the internet, some books, and an awesome Del Stubbs DVD, I made more than my share of mistakes when it came to purchasing ‘the extras’. I bought some tools and accessories that could probably have waited several more months.

If I had it to do over again, I would purchase my lathe and equipment in this order.

1. Lathe
2. 3-4 basic tools
3. Face shield
4. Slow speed bench grinder
5. Sharpening system (In my opinion, the Wolverine system is the easiest)
6. CHUCK!

If possible, I would say buy all of this at once. If you put off any of these items and end up being addicted to turning, hear me now. The rest of them are coming to your shop very soon, regardless. Pay now or pay later. It’s up to you. (grin)

I’m using the Teknatool line of chucks for my woodturning. Why? I was drawn to them for 3 reasons. Price, Quality, and Interchangeability. They are a great ‘bang for your buck’. The interchangeability is evident in the fact that nearly all of the accessory jaws will fit all of their models.

I have two chucks for my Jet 1220. The Supernova2 and the G3. There is not a great deal of difference between the two. I believe the G3 may weigh about a pound less but it is very substantial. On my 12 inch lathe it can swing everything the Supernova2 can. On bigger lathes, you might be able to outgrow it. I purchased them, like most of my tools, on Ebay. There is a gentleman running a store that can beat Woodcraft’s price on both of these chucks by more than $25.00 each with free shipping. I think that’s hard to beat. Link to Chucks on Ebay. (Where you buy them is your option)

Here is a picture of one of my babies. It looks like a beast on the 1220 but it’s more than capable of handling it. For a 10 inch lathe, you might opt for the G3. I’ll be following up this post with more on the various things I’ve created to increase the versatility of my chucks.

Thanks guys,
Matt