Thread: How often do you use a scroll chuck for turning between centres?

When turning between centres I use a scroll chuck for 90% of the time. Perhaps my laziness is showing through.

Rhys

I use a scroll chuck for both bowl and spindle where necessary.

Depending on the diameter of the work you are doing and the degree of difficulty of the turning. Sometimes a drive centre has limitations in it's ability to hang in there and where I think this might be an issue I turn a spiggot that will allow me to grip the piece with the inner jaws of either the standard or pin jaws to achieve the result I want.

In that situation I can at times turn to remove the tailstock with the scroll chuck still holding the work and finish with only the scroll chuck holding the piece.

Have you not been in a situation where that might have been handy?

More often than not, especially on larger diameter, shorter length, spindle work. Perhaps I would use spurs more often if I had better ones.

Neil

Mate , you will find a use for it one day .
Either for spindle work , or you might get curious about platter and bowl stuff.
Anyway , its a free chuck offer , take it , more toys is more toys

I should use a scroll chuck for turning between centres a whole lot for than I do. Being largely self taught it's something that hasn't become a habit, but my drive centre doesn't hold big stuff as well as I would like it sometimes. Specially the softer woods.

Jake,
You need it, especially if it's a freebee or modestly priced compared to retail. Assume that you sometimes begin with square stock between centers? The chuck makes it easy to center one end on the tail point and grip the other end in the chuck.

Wot they said.

One drawback is that if you have a short length of nice wood you lose a good bit of it in the chuck jaws.

No question, Jake. You need it. But don't give it away to someone else, for when/if your friend needs it back.

Besides bowls, it'll be handy for vases, end-drilling tool handles (with a steady rest too), and things like that.

Joe

I have 9 or 10 (can't remember )

There are scroll chucks & then there are scroll chucks.

Some will hold a bigger spigot that others.

Some will hold the square blank before it is even rounded down.

Most won't hold any length without support from the tail centre or special long jaws.

As a for instance, a Peter Child's Master-chuck only has a 4mm travel & in contraction mode (gripping a spigot) would only hold a spigot in the range of 34mm to 37mm & a spigot length of 7mm.

This means you have to be fairly exact when you cut your spigot.

On the other hand, a cheap & cheerful Chinese clone has a much longer travel of 8mm in contraction mode for 38mm to 46mm & a spigot length of 11mm.

You can buy other jaws for both these chucks BUT... the travel will remain the same.

For spindle turning? Almost never... the exceptions being when I'll be removing the tailstock to hollow end-grain at some point. eg. goblets or lidded boxes.

For large pieces where the spur drive slips, etc., I much prefer a small faceplate. Instead of stuffing around trying to turn a spigot/mortise between centres (with a slipping spur drive ) for the chuck to grip, a quick couple of screws et Voila! The job's done.

I know you probably won't get into bowl turning, Jake, but I can easily imagine you turning your own finials. A chuck with suitable jaws would make that task easier...

thanks fellas. helps heaps.