Chuck for MC1100

[HappyHammer]

I want to know whether I need a chuck or not and what chuck you guys would recommend for an MC1100. I want to turn pens (Mandrel on order), bowls and other bits like salt and pepper grinders....

HH.

[Gra]

Went through this myself back in Jan/Feb. this is all off the top of my head so I may be wrong especially around prices.:U

As far as I was told, You have three common options (This isnt all the options, just the common ones)

Nova G3 - The economy option (About 100 - 150). seems to be a common choice but didnt seem to me to have the versatility of the other two

Vicmark/Supernova These two compete head to head basically (Aprox 250 - 300). (the super nova is the big brother to the G3, but it seems to have more options on replaceable jaws.) They use an allen key to tighten the jaws (easy to replace). and have a good selection of jaws, though not interchangeable between them, so only nova jaws fit the SN and VMs fit the VM. Both seem equally as popular on this board. :shrug:

I went the Supernova due to recommendations from this board and couldnt be happier, though beware after you buy the chuck, then you need to buy the extra jaws (this is never ending), or you could end up like Cliff and get a chuck for each set of jaws:no:.

So I guess it all comes down to your price point (How much you got to spend), if you can afford the SN or the VM go for it, if you cant the G3 seems to be a good workman like option

May I suggest a call to Jim Carrol he should point you in the right direction:2tsup:

[HappyHammer]

Thanks Gra just what I was after. Do I need a chuck and / or specific jaws for a pen turning mandrel?

HH.

[reeves]

carbatec currnelty has the VM90's going cheaper for about 140, there s a chinese VM100 copy going for 160 at some suppliers and the nova midi chuck is good value at around 140.

Other than that its the 250 or upwards Vicmarcs and Novas, you will also need various jaw sets depending on what you are turning and a lot of projects need at least 2 chucks or you waste time changing jaws...

i'd go the VM90 and the VM100 copy, good value, get some wider jaws and shark jaws and you should be in business, maybe set u back around 400 bucks but will set you up to turn well...

have fun

[Gra]

Thanks Gra just what I was after. Do I need a chuck and / or specific jaws for a pen turning mandrel?

HH.

Nah, Mandrel replaces the spur drive

[DJ’s Timber]

Thanks Gra just what I was after. Do I need a chuck and / or specific jaws for a pen turning mandrel?

HH.

No, the mandrel should come with a morse taper which should fit your spindle on your lathe. Generally the MC1100 have a #2MT

[arose62]

I have an MC1100, and now have 2 Supernova chucks.
One tends to have the cole jaws mounted all the time. It's certainly Much faster , simpler and easier to spin off one chuck, and spin on another, than fiddle with 8 screws to change jaws... (so watch out for chucks on special!!)

Having said that, you don't "need" a metal, self-centering scroll chuck for several hundred dollars.

Hundreds of years of woodturning happened before scroll chucks came along. There are even a couple of books on chuck-less turning.

Pens: if you get a mandrel with a taper to fit your headstock, you don't need a chuck. If you make your own mandrel, a chuck could be useful.

Bowls: I bought my chuck to make bowls easier - if you can hang onto one end of the work, you can use the swivelling feature of the headstock.
You can make bowls without a chuck, by fastening them to a faceplate.

Summing up:
you don't "Need" a chuck, but a chuck can make life a lot simpler.
You've got a lathe - do some research into how to hold work on the lathe, and you have the option of, say, turning up a jam chuck from scrap, rather than spending $$ for a new set of jaws.

With my pen-making, I did my first few on a home-made mandrel, then decided it would be simpler to buy a 'real' mandrel.
Then, I realised that I needed bushings, but decided to make my own, as it only takes a couple of minutes, and something inside me says "Hang On! A cylindrical part, with a central hole. Isn't that what you make on a lathe? And you were going to BUY them ??"

Cheers,
Andrew

[funkychicken]

arose62 is right, you don't Need a chuck (I should know, I've turned everything from platters to drumsticks on my GMC lathe, without their useless independant jawed chucks) BUT A scroll chuck would be veeeeeery useful.
Bowl and bracelet construction time would get shaved bald. I would be able to sand the bottoms of my eggcups. I could have a screw chuck that was always centred. I could conquer the world!

And that's the way the cookie crumbles,
Funky C

[hughie]

I have a mc1100 and several SN2 chucks and would not be with out them. I was fortunate to get hold of the first two at very low prices. Bought the rest off Jim, excellent service and price. :2tsup:

I did so, cos changing jaws is a pain, plus it causes a lot of wear on the the small csk screws and Allen key...not too mention dropping the screws in the wood chips :C :~ :U lost about as many as I stuffed up :U

[benji79]

I have an MC900 and it handles my G3 and SN2 chucks fine, so a MC1100 will walk it in. Once you have these chucks you wont go back. As the guys said, the only problem is you always need just "1 more", much to my wifes disappointment :rolleyes:

Benji

[R.B.]

Gday HappyHammer.
I have a sn2, a vm100 and a couple of teknatool oldies, for my money the teknatool chucks are the go. firstly the jaws are compatible through the whole range and secondly my vicmark is getting a little sloppy compared to the nova which still feels brand spanking.

Jim Carrol is the bloke to buy a sn2 from. I think he's somewhere near lala land.

regards.