lathe chucks?

Scott: Penn State and a friend of mine has the Nova chuck. I don’t see a lot of difference in them except $$$

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Scott, I can’t really speak much about the other chucks – I have the SuperNova and I ind that it will do everything I’ve ever wanted to do. I have a Nova lathe and I think that it was part of the deal when I bought the lathe. This is my third lathe, the first was a cheapie that I sold a long time ago and I have a Shureline mini-lathe set up for pen turning.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

I bought the 3 1/4” chuck from Grizzly that I like, But I don’t see an adapter for 5/8×8. If you buy a chuck, you can usually get the adapter later for just about any size spindle.

I also bought their cupped tail centers, & spur centers at a very good price. They’re on the next page of the catalog.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I got very overwhelmed when I went Lathe shopping in April. I found a great Jet VS mini-lathe for under $300. As I went to the store, I noticed that the $300 lathe was the cheap part of the purchase. My buddy at the store started handing me $200 Nova chucks and turning tools @ $50 each. Gotta have a good sharpening system. $$$$$$. I’m using a 6” face plate and held off on the chuck. The chuch is very, very convenient, but you can get by with just the face plate for many applications. I’d suggest getting the longer handled tools, however. I got a couple good long ones and a small kit of shorter ones. Much more control with the big ones. I find that the smaller ones are hard to control at high speeds even if they are sharp.

I’ve never heard a bad word about Nova chucks. But if I spent $200+ for one, I’d have trouble talking bad about it too!

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Lol. Buying a lathe starts you down the slippery slope…

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Oh yeah, the cheapest part of turning is the lathe. I have a SuperNova2 and a Nova Titan chuck. I also have a Nova Midi chuck but it’s the wrong size for my new lathe. There are alot of people that get by with faceplates and jam chucks absolutely. I found that the versatility of the SN2 with a woodworm screw pretty much covers all of my turning.

However, like you, when I got into turning I was suprised…

Lathe – $400
Tools – $400
Chucks – $400
Grinder, Good wheels, sharpening jig – $400
Chainsaw – $400
Better tools – $400
Hollowing rig – $400
Coring Tools – $400
New lathe – $400 +$400….......+$400

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Hey Tom you forgot the Bandsaw with 12” depth of cut…. $800

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Now for my two pennies worth. After my plea for help in turning a goblet – I bought some accessories for my lathe.

All this came from Oneway (Europe) Talon Chuck 171.55 €, #1 Jaws 33.58€, #3 jaws 41.34€ – It has not arrived yet, but it get some extremely good write-ups. Oneway had a good slection of adapters and interfaces for various lathes – that was a main reason for choosing them. http://www.oneway.on.ca/chucks/adaptors.htm

Tom, I also purchased a termite 74.96€, upon your recommendation –

Good luck with your selection – it’s a minefield of choices

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Tony…I love the Termite…how do you like it?

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I’ve been using one of the original Nova chucks (now called the Nova Midi) for almost 20 years, and I love it. Of course, I’ve ended up with every (I think) jaw set made for it – whether I really needed it or not – you never know. I’ve thought about adding a Super Nova or Titan body, but haven’t really needed it yet. I’ve heard that the geared scroll gives you more leverage, but I’ve never had any problems with the dual-lever system. Shucks, I even turned a 15”x5” dough bowl for my wife with my little chuck.

I can’t speak for the other brands on the market, but Nova gives very good bang for the buck.

-- Robert from Raymond, MS. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore not a practice, but a habit." - Aristotle

I agree GraveDigger. I looked at some Oneways. They are beautiful, but when I bought my Nova’s they seemed to be a better value. I’m sure, with the money I’ve spent on turning, the difference is now moot, but they are pretty slick. It’s nice to use the geared system over the tommy bars, but you can get used to either. There is one thing about the Tommy’s in that they give a pretty good feel that they are tight. It takes awhile to get that same confidence with the geared setup…about 2 projects.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I’ve got one of the cheaper priced one’s…$40. It is a dual levered one and has done everything I’ve needed it to do. I haven’t ever used the others, but you have to get what fits your budget, yet get something that is well made.

-- Jesus is Lord!

I bought a Vicmark a year ago at the ATL show on the advice of Nick Cook and have been very pleased. That said, I just bought a Baracuda and am even happier with 4 sets of jaws on a chuck I like as much as the Vic for lots less money. S.

TOM – Still waiting for the Termite and the chuck to arrive, they have to come from germany – I lety you know when they arrive

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Mot brings up a good point. It’s possible to have TOO much leverage, especially in expanding mode. I’ve cracked more than one bowl foot by applying just a bit too much pressure in a dovetail recess. If your recess is inside a flush bottom, there’s no problem because of all the wood for support. However, a foot has very little wood to resist the pressure of the chuck jaws, and a cracked foot is much easier than you might imagine. It might be obvious to a veteran turner, but a mounting of this type does not lend itself to heavy hogging. I would rough-turn the bowl first and then go to the expanding-collet mode for final finishing.

My general technique with a foot is to leave a spigot inside the foot to grip, and then reverse the bowl and turn the spigot off at the end. If your finish is a little different inside the recess, no one will notice due to the lighting differences.

-- Robert from Raymond, MS. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore not a practice, but a habit." - Aristotle