what chuck to buy?

[new_guy90]

hi all im really enjoying wood turning now but i have been a bit limited with what i can do at home with out a chuck so i think its time i got one trouble is i don't know what one to get .
so should i get.......

the 90mm nova chuck, i have heard mixed remarks about the Teknatool chucks and at $160 or so i the most i really want to pay

or a cheaper Chinese chuck, i have heard the same comments about these as the Teknatool's and that some are exact copies of Vicmarcs chucks but at a nicer price for me

shoud i get one with the tommy bars (cheaper) or the hex key?

the spindle thread on my lathe is a little odd (ill work it out latter) so the insert may need to be machined

any help with narrowing my selection down would be most appreciated

[hughie]

Have a chat to Jim you will get good advise.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

the 90mm nova chuck, i have heard mixed remarks about the Teknatool chucks and at $160 or so i the most i really want to pay

Do you mean the G3? I've noticed that most "complaints" against this chuck are from people who are usually comparing it to a more expensive one. I'm more than happy with mine, FWIW, although I should point out that all my chucks are a few years old and things may have changed in the QC dept... but if so it's not something I've experienced.

or a cheaper Chinese chuck, i have heard the same comments about these as the Teknatool's and that some are exact copies of Vicmarcs chucks but at a nicer price for me

They're not bad value for what they are, but personally I'd buy one of the "big two" brands instead. Especially as a first chuck.

Mind you, I see that Jim Carroll is selling an "Economy" chuck which I suspect is one of these... maybe asking him what he thinks of 'em would be a good move? (FWIW, I believe Jim would rather sell you one good chuck that you're happy with, than make one quick sale and put up with complaints... )

shoud i get one with the tommy bars (cheaper) or the hex key?

Basically, the tommy bar job (Precision Midi?) will take the same jaws as the hex key jobs, except for the Titans. The main disadvantage is that at first it's an awkward process to hold the blank in place while you try to use the two tommy's single-handedly. It doesn't take long to get the knack, though.

The advantage of the tommy bar job, besides cost, is that it's lighter than the same-sized hex keyed chuck (the G3, I think?) and if you're mounting it on a midi lathe (eg. a small Leda or Jet) then it means less loading on the bearings, which is a good thing.

FWIW, I've the Precision Midi, a SuperNova and a SuperNova2. Each is for a different lathe and I've no complaints about any of them.

[Jim Carroll]

You have 6 choices and as you have indicated you like what you are doing so you need to seroiusly think about where you want to go with woodturning.

The biggest consideration is that at some stage you will upgrade your lathe so why bother buying a small chuck now but want to do larger items.

Choice 1 Economy chucks at the moment they have not been in the market long enough and most who have bought them have not really pushed the limits of them to find out if they have any longevity in them. Most buyers of these have only bought on price as their main aim. They dont feel a bad chuck but the jury is still out on these.

Choice 2 Nova G3 made to suit mini and midi lathes do a really good job for what they are designed to do and have the nova compatability of jaws, so you can put larger and smaller jaws to suit the job.

Choice 3 Supernova 2 is the latest in the line up of Nova chucks, they have got the complaints department down to almost zero with this model. Nova were the originators of the scroll chuck and there is still a hell of a lot of these out there. They progressed from the tommy bar set up to the chuck key now they use the ball ended allen key.

Choice 4 Vicmarc VM100 is a similar chuck to the supernova in all ways. You can only use the accessories compatable with the VM90/100

Choice 5 Vicmarc VM120 Now this is a serious chuck for those wanting to do some seroius work. You can only use the accessories compatable with the VM120/140. For some strange reason the jaws and inserts are different fitting between the 2 vicmarc chucks, maybe a marketing thing to get you to buy 2 lots of eveyrthing.

Choice 5 Vicmarc VM150 this is the newest of the vicmarc range a combination of the tommy bar VM140 and the allen key of the VM120. only a recent addition to the range so no real feedback.

Choice 6 Vermec Chuck a really new chuck which has the ability to hold its own jaws or the Vicmarc VM120 jaws. No feed back as yet but like all things enzo makes should be a good chuck.

Well I hope that narrows down what you need to know.
Forget about your budget as buying the chuck is just the start as there will be other jaws needed for bowls, 100mm jaws, Bowl jaws etc.
Buy once and be happy.

You will find different people have different opinions some likes and some hates. We have seen some clubs complain about their chucks but I would like to be a fly on the wall watching some of these guys working the chuck and I would bet they would not do half the things on their own chucks at home.

All chucks have their wear and tear parts, jaw slides and crown wheels and this is where they break someone just tries to push too far and snap of it goes. Or they do not set up the spigot properly and the bowl flies out of the jaws, they always blame the chuck and not them selves.

Price wise there is not a lot between them so save your pennies and tell the boss the money pit needs to opened up a bit more. You only need to buy the jaws as you go you may never need more than 3 or 4 sets it all depend on what you are trying to do.

[new_guy90]

wow thanks for your feedback Jim it has helped a lot i didn't consider that i might latter get extra jaws so i should think about compatibility now

Skew chiDAMN!! thanks for putting up your experiences with your chucks it was very helpful

there are a few problems i think i may have with my lathe ......its only got one bearing in it by design im concerned about the weight but i have also heard from people who had the same lathe and they said theres took the heavy chucks ............i don't know if i stuff up the bearing its MUCH easier to replace than in other lathes. im thinking that latter on in a few years i will need to buy another lathe like the Woodfast mini lathe..........most of what i do i think would be small but i still want the option to do larger work so the chuck i buy now should reflect it right? with the accessories to do large and small work and wont be a problem if i move it to a new lathe.

well thanks for you help i think i should keep saving for the VM100 im sure i wont have any problems with it (Just the $260 odd dollars i don't have ) owell the money will be coming next year for sure

thanks again for your help

[Chumley]

G'day,

Turning newbie as well here, but one thing I've learnt...

If you get a chuck and need to get a blank insert threaded, give the machinist the insert AND the chuck, that way they can thread it while its in the chuck and you won't get the massive wobble problems you would if you got it threaded by itself.

Cheers,
Adam

[new_guy90]

thanks for the tip chumley. i know how to cut threads in a metal lathe and i can tell you from experience that holding onto a thread in a three jaw chuck it very bad! if i was to cut one myself (i may be able to in the future when i can afford the chuck) i would make a "mating" nut held in the jaws then thread the insert in and commence drilling, boring and finally cut the thread. it would take longer to do but i dont like the idea of centering the "new" chuck in the metal lathe (could be annoying to do trust me) and at the end of it all the chuck may not run true as it could have a slight offset, the chuck would be fine just the bore in the insert would be offset meaning you have to go do the whole process again ............well i see what you mean the "wobble" is bad and im not a machinist (yet ) its just how i think it could be made.

thanks for the input chumley

[rsser]

Vermec make 2 chucks ... one which will take both VM 90/100 and most T/tool jaws, and the other I think only VM120/140 jaws. Check out their website.

I reckon T/tool chucks are OK but don't like most of their jaw designs. Also think the SN2 doesn't gear down as hard as a VM 90/100.

If someone were starting out new as you are I'd recommend the Vermec multi-jaw chuck; not that I have experience, but they make good stuff as Jim has said and I've found with other stuff, and you get to mix and match jaw makes.

It's over your price limit, but you know the saying 'Buy well first off and you only cry once".

[blue3.3]

i got the 90mm G3 nova chuck 6 months ago from trendtimber and couldnt be happier the chuck insert come with the chuck just tell them what thread your headstock is, do your self a favour give the generic chinese ones a miss there not much good

[Barry_White]

Hi New Guy

Why not look at the Gary Pye chuck. It has had some good reviews on the forum. You would have to do a search. Gary Pye is in Currumbin on the Gold Coast and has an excellent reputation. The price will probably fit into your budget.

This is the deluxe chuck set http://gpwoodturning.sitesuitestores..._id=1107445144

Or you can just buy the chuck alone. http://gpwoodturning.sitesuitestores..._id=1107445143

I will be buying one when I head up to Brisbane in February.

[rsser]

Yeah, GJ's got one of these; Jim Carroll sells a version.

Not tried one but it looks like reasonable value as it comes with a number of jaw sets.

[Grumpy John]

Yeah, GJ's got one of these; Jim Carroll sells a version.

Not tried one but it looks like reasonable value as it comes with a number of jaw sets.

Yeah, excellent value for money when you buy the economy chuck kit. Bonus is jaws for the teknatool chucks fit, however a small mod is required to the grubscrew at #4 position to fit the Teknatool jaws.

[rsser]

Just to add: Fred Holder has done a brief review of the Vermec in the Jan 09 issue of his More Woodturning. Gets a good wrap.

[new_guy90]

Rsser i would love to get a Vermec chuck i have heard very good things about Vermec annd would love to support Australian made but the price id need to sleep on a bit longer.

still thinking of the VM100

Barry sooooooo much thanks for the link to Gary Pye, its right at my price! and i live in Brisbane ..............will have to think about it latter have to go now but ill ask more about it latter

Patrick

[rsser]

Yeah, the plus about the generic Garry Pye/Jim Carroll kit is the extra jaws.

If you go VM100 you'll soon be feeling the need for accessory jaws. That said, all are very nice bits of machinery that will serve you well.

Sometimes Santa solves our dilemma but regrettably not always. You need Skew's good luck.