# How big of a chuck for a midi lathe



## Ron9577 (Jun 29, 2015)

I'm thinking of buying a chuck for my Harbor Freight 10×18 1/2 hp wood lathe but most weigh five or more pounds. That seems heavy so I'm asking the experts, how heavy a chuck is right for a midi lathe?


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

A Nova G3 weighs in at around 3 pounds.


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## LeeMills (Nov 2, 2014)

Another + for the G3. It will handle anything your lathe can.
Toolsplus has it for a good price, you will still need the insert to fit your spindle.
http://www.tools-plus.com/nova-chucks.html


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## VAJim (Oct 23, 2015)

I had one of those lathes and used a psi barracuda2. Worked fine. FYI if you push the limits on that lathe the capacitor will probably give up the ghost at around 1 year. (Speaking from personal experience ☺). Just take it off and go to an HVAC shop to get another.


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## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

Oneway recommends Talon chuck for up to 12" swing, Stronghold for 16" and up.

Talon weighs about 3 & 1/2 lbs, Stronghold about 8 lbs.


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## jfoobar (Oct 4, 2014)

I owned two chucks when I turned on a midi, a Supernova2 and a Oneway Talon. The SN2 is definitely the heavier of the two (5 1/2 lbs), but once I got the Talon I almost entirely stopped using the SN2. While lighter, the Talon was a far superior chuck IMHO. The SN2 is made by the same company as the Nova G3, but I cannot comment on the G3 since I've never used one.

I do have to pry open a can of worms a little bit and opine that your lathe is a "mini" lathe, not a "midi" lathe. The terms are not specifically defined, but I think a 1HP motor and a 12" swing should be about the right delineation between the two classes.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

This is an older thread that got bumped but for a 10" lathe I would stick to the smaller chucks. The Nova G3 and Midi are nearly identical in weight but the Midi is much shorter and gives you a bit more room, a fact that won't matter 99.9% of the time. The Midi is cheaper and can be found occasionally for under $80.

http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/2015/10/nova-g3-vs-nova-precision-midi-lathe.html


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## LeeMills (Nov 2, 2014)

Rick is correct about the weight, however….
The G3 is available to take an insert or direct threaded. The Midi is only available direct threaded. If you think you will move to a larger lathe at some time then the insert type is best.
There is also a difference in capacity. The Midi is only rated for up to 50mm jaws but the G3 is rated for up to 100mm jaws. At some time I did see the 70mm bowl jaws listed for the Midi but they are not on this chart.
http://www.teknatool.com/products/chuck_accessories/Min-Max%20Ranges%20Jaw%20Table%20(inch).pdf
Lastly the Midi uses Tommy Bars vs the G3 using a key..if that makes any difference to you.
Minus the insert the Midi and G3 are $10 difference at Tools Plus.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Nova Midi is $85 in Amazon and recently was $80. I have both Midi and G3 and the only appreciable difference is the length, and T-bar vs Tommy bars. That said I would recommend the G3 unless you really must save money or have a gap bed lathe.


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## ForestGrl (Jun 5, 2015)

> [Snip]
> I do have to pry open a can of worms a little bit and opine that your lathe is a "mini" lathe, not a "midi" lathe. The terms are not specifically defined, but I think a 1HP motor and a 12" swing should be about the right delineation between the two classes.
> 
> - jfoobar


How about a 3/4HP and 12" swing? I have the Jet 1236, don't know anyone who considers it a "mini". ;-)


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

I have a Nova on a Delta, works great


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## emart (Mar 16, 2011)

another supporter of the nova. I use it on my Rikon and it has served me well over the last year or so. just be aware lathe accessories tend to multiply over time and are very good at making money evaporate.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

I know all of the above are great chucks, but I thought that since the HF is kind of a low end lathe, when I bought mine I didn't want to put in a lot more money. I just wanted something to turn small knobs and such, things a bit awkward for my big PM.
I chose this chuck from Grizzly: http://www.grizzly.com/products/3-3-Jaw-Wood-Chuck-3-4-x-16-TPI/H8033

Much to my surprise, it works pretty darn good and is fairly well made. For under $60, I thought OK. It has worked great.

One thing on the HF lathe - I had a catch while using this chuck and snapped the tool rest in half. Wood stayed in the chuck just fine, albeit ruined. Chuck one, tool rest zero.

I bought the Rikon small replacement tool rest , but had to turn down the shoulder where the T meets the shaft to get it low enough in the holder. Still, much safer!


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

HF actually does have a small 2 inch chuck with reversible jaws for under $30 (similar 3 jaw design like the Griz one Paul pointed to above). Unfortunately, they don't seem to carry them at my local store, so they have to be ordered online and delivered. I've never seen one in person, but the reviews indicate that it works well with the HF 8×12 lathe. It also apparently will work directly with a Unimat (which I have), as the MT1 taper can be unscrewed from the chuck and mounted directly on a M12×1 spindle (like on the Unimat).

Cheers,
Brad

Edit: Whoops… for some reason, I was thinking the OP was talking about the HF 8×12, not the 10×18, so that chuck probably won't work on it (I dunno). Sorry.


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## jfoobar (Oct 4, 2014)

> How about a 3/4HP and 12" swing? I have the Jet 1236, don t know anyone who considers it a "mini". ;-)


OK, I'll adjust my opinion to include 3/4 HP.


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## ForestGrl (Jun 5, 2015)

> How about a 3/4HP and 12" swing? I have the Jet 1236, don t know anyone who considers it a "mini". ;-)
> 
> OK, I ll adjust my opinion to include 3/4 HP.
> 
> - jfoobar


Oh,Joy! )


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