SuperNova2 - Faceplate Ring V's Dedicated Faceplate

[Toasty]

Hi All,

I want to get a faceplate for my new lathe and have found that the SN2 chuck has an accessory which is a faceplate ring that is held in place by the SuperNova 2's 50mm jaws.

To me this sounds great because the less stuffing around of removing the chuck to mount a faceplate and vice versa looks like a real timesaver.

At the same time, I am conscious of the fact that I have just spent a considerable wad on my new setup and I don't want to shorten the life of my pretty new shiny chuck through the use of the faceplate rings, as well as the spur drive inserts you can get.

Long story short, am I concerned unnecessarily and should I just get the faceplate ring for use with the SN2. Or would I be better off for the long term life of my chuck to get a dedicated faceplate which will necessitate the removal of the chuck from the lathe?

[Cliff Rogers]

I don't use a face plate much at all any more.

If I'm mounting a bowl blank I use the worm screw that came with the SN2.
There should be one in the box, if not, PM me, I have 3 or 4 now, I reckon I could spare you one.
Did you get a set of the 75mm bowl jaws with your SN2?
If not, let me know, I have a spare set of them too.

I also have a couple of Vicmarc chucks, one with a set of shark jaws & the other with a set of large jaws.

I have a Forstner bit that's just a bit bigger than the outside of the shark jaws when they are shut so I can plunge a good deep hole in the top of a bowl blank & slap it on the shark jaws to rough it out & turn a foot for the SN2 jaws.

For platters that don't have much depth for a screw or a plunged hole, I use the large jaws to grip the outside of it to true up the bottom face & cut a shallow hole for the SN2 jaws to expand into.

[Toasty]

Yup got the woodworm screw with the chuck, thanks for the offer. I bought a 9mm drill bit for it (on recomendation) and it tore out of a bit of the squared redgum that I was trying to round, although I realise redgum may not be the toughest of woods. Or did I buy too small/big a drill bit?

The chuck came with a set of 50mm jaws and they chucked (boom boom) in a set of 25mm jaws. Let me know what you are asking on the 75mm jaws, that would be great!

I thought about a Forstner bit too, but I don't have a drill press or any means of gripping a blank so I can drive the Forstner bit into it without getting the wood ripped out of my hands.

[Tankstand]

Let me know what you are asking on the 75mm jaws, that would be great!

Toasty, I beat you by 5 minutes with a PM.

We'll have to have a punch up over them! :D

They were offered to you first, so enjoy!

[rsser]

Faceplate rings are fine for anything but heavy blanks (and even then you can bring up the tailstock for support). I've got a number for my Vicmarc chuck as they allow me to have several jobs on the go at one time. They won't damage your jaws, properly used.

They need a bit of care in the seating tho if you have a lump roughed out with the chain saw.

The big one is supposed to be usable with the Titan Powergrips but I haven't tested that.

If you go the faceplate ring route, get a Woodturner's set of screws and driver from Sachys-Robertson in Melb; they do mail order; a google will get you their site. The screws give excellent grip and can be used repeatedly. The set costs peanuts.

[Toasty]

Toasty, I beat you by 5 minutes with a PM.BWAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAA

No Dice :p

Ern, thanks for the advice. Found the screws you are talking about on this page Wood Turner's Pack $12.00 (http://www.sachys-robertson.com.au/specials.html) and believe I will buy me a set!

[Jim Carroll]

I usually recommend a 5/16" drill bit for the nova woodscrew as this usually works for most timbers and should not pull out. That way if you are unable to screw the wood onto it you can always go a little bit larger but not much as you want as much grip as possible.

[Cliff Rogers]

Yup got the woodworm screw with the chuck, thanks for the offer. I bought a 9mm drill bit for it (on recomendation) and it tore out of a bit of the squared redgum that I was trying to round, .....
I use a bit that's just a fraction bigger than the shaft on the screw, can't remember the size but it probably is about 5/16" as Jim says. I also bring the tailstock up to help hold the piece on the screw til I've got it round & in balance.


The chuck came with a set of 50mm jaws and they chucked (boom boom) in a set of 25mm jaws. Let me know what you are asking on the 75mm jaws, that would be great!.
I've got 2 sets now & one set is still sitting in the plastic bag it came in.
The best price I can find on the internet is $59 so how about $30 & I'll pay the postage. Tankstand has a bid in if you don't want them.


I thought about a Forstner bit too, but I don't have a drill press or any means of gripping a blank so I can drive the Forstner bit into it without getting the wood ripped out of my hands.
I have a 47mm Forstner that I use in a handheld power drill on low.
I put the blank on the floor & hold it between my boots.
Go slow to start with & once it's gone into the wood about 1/8 of an inch you can speed up & lean on it... great with wet wood. :D

[barnsey]

FWIW

I'm a faceplate person, they are not that expensive and if you are that way inclined, a piece if plate cut round and a nut to suit your headstock welded to it will work just as well. Just make sure it's running true before you use it.

4 Holes and suitable Sachy Robertson screws and it wont shift.!!

A once off investment, in my opinion makes the whole process quicker and easier. Changing from faceplate to chuck is not the hassle that you seem to perceive when all is said and done. I have my bowl base shaped, sanded & finished ready for internal/external chuck mounting in no time.

To each his own. I actually mount the chuck before I remove the faceplate from the lathe - makes it easier to make sure I've got everything running true before I swap drive ends.

HTH

Jamie

[Toasty]

I've got 2 sets now & one set is still sitting in the plastic bag it came in. The best price I can find on the internet is $59 so how about $30 & I'll pay the postage.
Done deal. I'll PM you with details. Thanks Cliff!

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I use both the faceplate rings... and a faceplate and the worm screw. :)

Which I use depends on just what I'm turning; the screw for bowl-type things under 8" and the faceplate for bowl-type things over 8", mainly for the extra feeling of security.

That faceplate rings I normally use only for one specific task: turning "double-ended" goblets.

One end ends up with heart-shaped (or what-have-you) cutouts, a small ball's inserted and the end is capped off. For this sort of work I like to mount a ring at each end, so I can flip the blank over w/out being concerned about recentering and can also do most of the hollowing out. I've a disk made to fit inside the ring, which lets me pull the tailstock up for extra support. To finish I do need to trim the outside of each rim to remove the screwholes, but that's not a chore.

Other turners have watched me and asked why I do it in such an "awkward way." Simply put, I do a lot of these (they're among my favourite items) and it reliably works for me. Oddly enough, when blokes who think my way's awkward try to show me the "right" [snigger] way, they often botch it... :D

[Toasty]

G'day Ern,

The screws that you recommended came in the post this morning and they sure look the goods! They have put in a heap of varying lengths plus the square driver and without having used them yet (kamon the weekend) I think they will be a VERY good investment!

[rsser]

Cool Toasty.

I also got some of their larger screws and the size 3 driver for faceplate whoppers.

Wouldn't mind one of their instant change chucks too.

[Toasty]

Well unfortunalty the 50mm faceplate ring won't go over the 50mm jaws that came with the SN2 chuck. Damn :mad: Phone call to Trend on Monday.

In other news found a 26mm Forstner bit today that should go just nicely with the pin jaws at least, so some natural edge bowls happening today :)

[Toasty]

Gave Trend Timbers a call and they asked me to find out diameters of the faceplate ring and the 50mm jaws diameter. Came back with 53.5mm for the faceplate ring and 54.5mm for the jaw outer diameter when closed, so never going to fit.

I bought the chuck when I bought the DVR3000 from Trend Timbers at the Canberra Working With Wood Show. Trend are very kindly sending me a new set of 50mm jaws (and told me to keep the ones I have) which they have tested with their 50mm faceplate rings which have the same diameter as they ring they sent me. :)

[rsser]

Good service, or is it your phoneside manner?

[Toasty]

I'd say good service on their part (although they could have shipped my order last week on the day they said they were going to :rolleyes: ). I'm never one to get too shirty about things though, hell, I could be chest deep in water with no prospect of returning to my home for years. Now that's something to chuck a tanty about :cool: