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View Full Version : GPW Gen 3 110mm chuck - first impressions



rsser
30th July 2009, 02:23 PM
This is Garry Pye's new chuck which also comes in a 96mm version and both sizes are available in basic and deluxe kits. This basic version sells for $169. The basic 96 mm unit goes for $150.

The basic kit includes 50mm jaws and a wood screw. The deluxe kit adds pin, 'step' and dovetail (ie. bowl) jaws. The step jaws are misleadingly named as the steps extend outwards from the rim not recessed as the term normally describes.

Both sets will take Teknatool and Vicmarc 90/100 jaws. VM jaws will have to be drilled out a mm.

The chuck appears well made with clean machining, a bright body finish and blued jaws. It has two sets of indexing holes on a single back plate. There is very little play in the jaw slides.

The insert has 2 flats and 2 holes but no knock out bar or spanner is provided for chuck removal. Teknatool's spanner does not fit nor does the VM bar. The flats are wider than my 30 cm shifter will go and the next size up won't fit the gap. A short length of steel rod about 8 mm OD will do the job in the holes.

The jaw numbers are stamped on the jaw face, not the sides as per my VM100, and that's a smart move.

The 50 mm jaws have two serrations on the outside and several more inside so this is not a set for bowl recesses or tenons without leaving marks. Jaw travel:

Min expand 64 mm
Min clamp 47 mm
Max expand 97 mm
Max clamp 77 mm

Jaws are moved with a sliding T bar and square socket drive. That means 2 tools you have to keep around the lathe if you have other brand chucks. The tool turns in the right direction ( :p ), ie. clockwise to tighten as per VMs and Jacobs chucks.

Measured runout:

Side of jaw body closest to tailstock: 4.5 thou
Side closest to jaws: 3.5 thou
Face of body: 4.5 thou

Of course the side runout measurements are tangential to the axis and should be halved for runout from the axis.

These figures are several times greater than my VM100 and NZ-made SN2.

Summary:



Pro
Value for money
Jaw compatibility
Finish
Con
Square-end key
Lack of spanner or knock-out bar
For $30 more a Teknatool SN2 could be had. For those needing the back plate for indexing the GPW would be a better buy with its 2 ranges, and my SN2 has a split backing plate so indexing is only accurate with the jaws fully closed. The SN2 is also slightly smaller and requires adaptor plates to take VM100 jaws.

For many jaw compatibility with the VM100 will not be a selling point. However in my experience Vicmarc jaws are better designed and made than Teknatool's and a GPW chuck with VM jaws is shaping up to be a good value and capable combination. With a hex key tool and a walloper bar as part of the kit the Gen 3 chuck would be hard to beat.

TTIT
30th July 2009, 11:27 PM
Very useful info Ern:2tsup: Thanks for taking the time.

Think I'll still hang out for another Vermec though :B

Ed Reiss
31st July 2009, 03:50 AM
Good review :2tsup:

rsser
31st July 2009, 09:42 AM
Thanks guys.

Yeah Vern, I'm sure the Vermec is a nice bit of kit. Design wise, without checking one out, I think the only advantage is the angled hex socket for the key. That would be an advantage with my jaw sets only with Cole jaws, and a five buck ball head key is a cheap way around that. And the Vermec is double the price of the GPW 96 mm chuck.

I obviously can't comment on the longevity of either chuck and that's an important issue. My VM100 has pretty sloppy jaw slides which may be due to wear; dunno for sure since I didn't measure it when new.

The GPW chuck comes with two pages of pointers for users but still not nearly enough instructions on how properly to use the thing. We just got a cheap coffee grinder which is far better in this respect than most w/t gear you buy. Exceptions are Munro hollowers and some Sorby stuff, and Sorby has a useful range of vids on their website.

nalmo
31st July 2009, 07:14 PM
I bought the 100mm set about 18mths ago and have been quite happy as they are great value for money. However, over the last week or so I found them a bit stiff to tighten & open. I took the back plate off, thinking there might be a buildup of sawdust clogging the gears, but I found the bevel gear (the one connected to the socket drive) to be worn to the point where there were sharp edges instead of being flat teeth.

As the chuck is only about 18mths old, I was a bit surprised 'cos they're not in constant use. I sent some pics off to GPW last night and got an email back this morning advising replacement parts will be posted today. Was very happy with the quick response and great service.

rsser
31st July 2009, 07:26 PM
Good service Nalmo.

Bevel gear not hardened perhaps.

NeilS
1st August 2009, 04:39 PM
Thanks Ern.

Valuable review.

Neil

rodent
7th August 2009, 09:58 PM
Thanks guys.

Yeah Vern, I'm sure the Vermec is a nice bit of kit. Design wise, without checking one out, I think the only advantage is the angled hex socket for the key. That would be an advantage with my jaw sets only with Cole jaws, and a five buck ball head key is a cheap way around that. And the Vermec is double the price of the GPW 96 mm chuck.

I obviously can't comment on the longevity of either chuck and that's an important issue. My VM100 has pretty sloppy jaw slides which may be due to wear; dunno for sure since I didn't measure it when new.

The GPW chuck comes with two pages of pointers for users but still not nearly enough instructions on how properly to use the thing. We just got a cheap coffee grinder which is far better in this respect than most w/t gear you buy. Exceptions are Munro hollowers and some Sorby stuff, and Sorby has a useful range of vids on their website.
I KNOW what can i say Im a picture fan . Some pics please ern , and some of those indexing indents you were talking about thank you .:U

rsser
7th August 2009, 10:21 PM
Here ya go rodent: clicky (http://gpwoodturning.sitesuitestores.com/cgi/index.cgi/shopfront/view_product_details?category_id=1107136782&product_id=1107466502)

BTW, have just ground a 10mm T handled allen key down to fit the square socket. Much betterer.

rodent
7th August 2009, 11:52 PM
Thank you ern love that indexing

watsrags
8th August 2009, 09:49 PM
I got the GPW 96 chuck a couple of weeks ago, I like it so far only used my local woodys club ones before and there for not clued up on the finer points of chucks in regard of runout and that stuff. Did not like the chucks that the local club had in finish or the way they was put together.A little disapointed that it had no paper work with it. Part of the reason I over some of the others was some comments made on this forum site that led me to believe it that is was value for money and money does count. Indexing ,hell one day I might need it but will have to learn about it even got it on my Woodfast M305

After I got it I even found out what the letters GPW stood for, how dumb was I

artme
10th August 2009, 07:45 AM
Good review Ern, thanx.:2tsup:

Two very valid points you make- Number stamping and single rear plate indexing.

Nalmo´s comments about service are also worth noting.

All in all looks like a great buy.

wheelinround
10th August 2009, 08:55 AM
Good review Ern.

A few major factors lacking being :- what it runs like on the lathe:? how it fits to the wood :? how you set up your indexing stop. The general feel and weight of it when in use.

Maybe some of the fellow's who bought them when first released could tell us more now they have had them for some time.

rsser
10th August 2009, 09:07 AM
Yeah, have had a play with it now Wheelin.

First is overall 'feel' and it's good. It's a hefty piece of kit. No rattles. The gearing feels fine and progressive (unlike my SN2 which is notchy and sometimes you want to snug it up a bit more but can't pull the extra tooth).

The machining on the stock 50mm jaws is a bit rough but being the serrated type that doesn't matter much. For clean bowl recess or tenon holding, dovetail-end jaws are a must.

I'm using VM shark jaws on it and they fit fine (with the jaw holes drilled out a mm). Like the T/tool chucks the jaws are held with 6mm screws and this in my experience is better than the 5mm jobs used on the VM100, not least cos the hex sockets don't get chewed out over time.

NeilS
10th August 2009, 10:24 AM
...the 5mm jobs used on the VM100, not least cos the hex sockets don't get chewed out over time.

Wondered about that Ern when I saw how small the screws were on my first VM chuck when I got it a few months ago. Only 1mm smaller but felt under engineered compared to the 6mm screws, especially on larger sized jaws (100mm and above).

They are also harder to find in the sawdust...:).

Thanks for the warning about the hex stripping. I'll take it easy with the T-hex key.

Neil

rsser
10th August 2009, 10:45 AM
Neil, when I'm in a nuts and bolts place I usually pick up a set of spares rather than worry about chewing the sockets out.

Have to confess that when in a hurry I use a cut off allen key mounted in a cordless drill to remove and insert the screws and that doesn't do a lot for the sockets :-

wheelinround
10th August 2009, 10:53 AM
Ern been that a 1mm over size hole is now drilled what's the play like when reverting the jaws to the other chuck ??
I know the tapper of the bolt head should centre it but still is it a concern??
Would you use a sleave??

kdm
10th August 2009, 10:57 AM
I'm using VM shark jaws on it and they fit fine (with the jaw holes drilled out a mm).

Ern,

Does drilling out the holes affect the use of the jaws on Vicmarc chucks - ie are they still held correctly in place by the head so the hole size doesn't matter?

rsser
10th August 2009, 01:57 PM
It's fine. Being countersunk heads they still centre in the 'socket' as before. They sit marginally deeper than before.

Jim Carroll
10th August 2009, 02:01 PM
Neil the main thing with any of these type of screws is to make sure the hex is cleaned out before trying to put the key in because if you do not get full purchase you will strip out any size screw.

rsser
10th August 2009, 02:12 PM
Yep.

After the job I go over the chuck with an old tooth brush and remove as much dust as I can.

TTIT
10th August 2009, 03:36 PM
Yep.

After the job I go over the chuck with an old tooth brush and remove as much dust as I can.
Yet another justification for having the air line with a dusting nozzle within reach of the lathe :2tsup:

Jim Carroll
10th August 2009, 06:18 PM
Yet another justification for having the air line with a dusting nozzle within reach of the lathe :2tsup:

Exactly

NeilS
11th August 2009, 12:06 PM
Neil, when I'm in a nuts and bolts place I usually pick up a set of spares rather than worry about chewing the sockets out.


Yes, Ern, I should have done that some time ago as it has been on my to-do list for a long time. It's a miracle I still have all of my original screws and in working order, but reckon I'm tempting fate by not having spares on hand...:rolleyes:.


Neil the main thing with any of these type of screws is to make sure the hex is cleaned out before trying to put the key in because if you do not get full purchase you will strip out any size screw.

Good point, Jim.

Neil

issatree
11th August 2009, 04:54 PM
Hi NeilS.
I had your problem of loosing Screws in the Shavings or Saw Dust.
Found one of those Extendable, Rods with a Powerful Dot Magnet on the end, $5. A bit like a car aerial. It will pick up a fair sized spanner or pliers off the floor.
It is amazing what they find.
A small trick, is to wrap a bit of Plastic Bag or the like, & put a small rubber band around the Plastic.
In this way, there are bound to be some Steel Grains around the Lathe somewhere. So to be rid of them you simply remove the Plastic every now & again.
Beats trying to remove them from the bare Magnet.
Regards,
issatree.

NeilS
12th August 2009, 03:12 PM
Hi NeilS.
I had your problem of loosing Screws in the Shavings or Saw Dust.
Found one of those Extendable, Rods with a Powerful Dot Magnet on the end, $5. A bit like a car aerial. It will pick up a fair sized spanner or pliers off the floor.
It is amazing what they find.
A small trick, is to wrap a bit of Plastic Bag or the like, & put a small rubber band around the Plastic.
In this way, there are bound to be some Steel Grains around the Lathe somewhere. So to be rid of them you simply remove the Plastic every now & again.
Beats trying to remove them from the bare Magnet.
Regards,
issatree.

Another good suggestion there Lewis.

Thanks

Neil

wheelinround
12th August 2009, 08:18 PM
I'll ask again Ern is here a chance to see the set up for using the indexing on your lathe with the GPW chuck

rsser
19th March 2010, 09:43 AM
Sorry Wheelin: just found your q.

The chuck back has two rows of holes so for indexing to work a retractable pin would need to be retrofitted to the lathe. Mine has inbuilt indexing and I don't need the 2 scales anyway.

Update; the chuck has mid-size VM Shark jaws permanently fitted and has been working fine. There's minor failure of finish in the body around those sockets.

wheelinround
19th March 2010, 10:05 AM
thanks Ern ..............when out at H&F's yesterday looking at their similar chucks the same question was raised between a few of us man different lathes of course and in agreement the index feature on the backs of lathes nessitates an individual indexer mounting. This I already knew when I possed the question to you I was under the impression you had set it up to use the index syustem on the back of the chuck.

The other question was of slop due to the hole size change.??

Ray

rsser
19th March 2010, 10:21 AM
Think I covered your last q above Wheelin.

No probs.

In the OP I mentioned tangential run-out. My bad; it was radial run-out that I measured.

Gil Jones
19th March 2010, 01:39 PM
Ern,
Are you saying (obliquely) that VM100 jaws will fit on an SN˛ if the holes are drilled out from 5mm to 6mm??
Gil

rsser
19th March 2010, 02:50 PM
No fraid not Gil.

The locating collar doesn't match.

You can get adaptors however from Vermec (http://www.vermec.com) and I've used them successfully for the odd bowl-turning job.

wheelinround
19th March 2010, 03:37 PM
Think you miss-understood Ern With drilling the whole larger its going to allow some play more so with size of what your normally turning wear.

Ray

rsser
19th March 2010, 04:06 PM
Ray, I've not found a problem; not being mech minded I assume the reason for that is that the countersinks of screw and jaw match, and all the thread has to do is pull them together.

With std VM jaws and 5mm screws, there's no sign of thread damage from the screw shaft stopping jaw movement so same principle there I imagine.

Gil Jones
20th March 2010, 08:24 AM
Oh well, was worth an ask...
Thanks

colhu
20th March 2010, 11:21 PM
Hi guys

Gil - I've just this week acquired some Vermec adapters to mount Vicmark pin jaws on a Bonham chuck. The locating rings and recesses on the adapter plates were a very good fit radially, but I had to drill the VM jaw screw holes out to 6.5mm to get the screws in. I also had to slightly reduce the diameter of the Vermec screw heads (on the grinder) so they would drop into the deep holes in the pin jaws.

I haven't used the rig seriously yet, but it looks OK.

Ern & Ray - I think it's the locating collars and recesses on the chuck jaw slides and jaw bases that make sure the jaws sit in the right place radially - the screws hold them together.

cheers, Colin

rsser
21st March 2010, 05:16 PM
Good point Colin.

Gil Jones
22nd March 2010, 03:27 AM
I tried fitting a 50mm jaw from a VM100 onto my SN2, and the screw holes align exactly (or at least appear to since I decided not to drill them yet). The alignment arcs are ever so different so as not to sit perfectly flush on the slides.
I am tempted to "adjust" the arc on one 50mm set of VM100 (50mm) jaws, drill the holes to fit 6mm screws, and install them to see if they close properly. Actually, I may make the "adjustment" on a 50mm set of Grizzly jaws so as not to change my VicMarc jaws (VM100 and Grizzly scroll chuck parts are interchangeable).

rsser
14th April 2010, 01:34 PM
Just to add something to the OP:

The GPW 96mm and 110mm chucks use the same female thread as the VM90/100 so VM inserts for those chucks may work.