Which chuck for the Vicmarc VL100?

[aak]

Well, I have the lathe for a while and been thinking, which chuck would be the best to get. I have done nothing fancy at this point, just trying to get familiar with the chisels and various cuts with them. Also, what speed to use for different size of turning. Have checked the forum for old threads on chucks and read the following ones:

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ht=which+chuck

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ht=which+chuck

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ht=which+chuck

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ht=which+chuck

and a couple of others.

To be honest they did not quite help to decide which one is best to get. That is some of the threads are old and as such maybe the chucks have been upgarded since. Also, they were mostly relating to MC900/MC1100 lathes, which I think are bigger than the VL100. If I understood what I read, based on the advice there the SuperNova 2, G3 and Vicmarc VM100 possible the right chuck for the VL100. Of course I could be way off the mark.

So, if I may ask for your advice:

1) which chuck, if money is not an issue?

2) which one is best for value?

3) which jaws I should get with the chuck and why/for what work (remember I am still a total novice)?

4) How difficult/easy is to replace the jaws?

5) What are scroll chucks primarily used for (bowl/plate turning)?

Some additional info to help you:

a) I have no intention to get rid of the VL100 even if I step up at some point in the future to a larger lathe.

b) The VL100 has a face plate, rather small, but it came with the lathe.

c) I also bought an ER25 collet system with 15 collets (1/16" to 5/8").

d) I will not be interested in any cheap chuck (copies) as I intend to keep the chuck, quality is important for me.

e) I have read up on Skew's advise on jam chucks, but I doubt that at present I have the skills/experience to successfully create the right type of jam chuck for any given situation/need.

Thank you in advance.
Andy

[Jim Carroll]

Stick with the VM100 chuck with maybe the 25mm pin jaws and the 70mm dovetail jaws and the 220mm bowl jaws and as a last resort the shark jaws.

You dont need to get them all at once just build up over time.

These would cover most projects on a lathe of this size.

Give us a call if you require any other info.

[Tornatus]

G'day Andy

I'll jump in here....

Qs 1&2: Vicmarc chucks are demonstrably the best quality & value for money - it's like any tool purchase, you can't go wrong if you buy the best from the outset; even if it's expensive, you are making a long-term investment. Now, I know the Nova addicts will bleat, but my understanding is that there have been some quality control problems recently with Nova. Whichever you buy, however, as Julius Caesar said "Jacta alea est!" - the two brands are (generally speaking) not compatible, so once you cast your die, you are restricted to the range of jaws available for that brand alone. The only model Vicmarc chuck suitable for your VL100 is the VM100 (or the older "tommy-bar" VM90, which can be a good buy second-hand) - you can mount the bigger VM120/150 models on your lathe, but they are very heavy and will bugger your bearings.

Q3: In my experience, the most useful jaws (in this order) are the Shark, the Long-nose, and the Dovetail. The aggressive "teeth", inside & out, of the Shark make it easy to mount blanks of all kinds, even pieces of wood which are not uniformly shaped, for both spindle & bowl work. The Long-nose are inherently stronger than Pin Jaws, but still offer the ability to grip very small diameter material, and hold it away from the chuck face to make access easier - I use these jaws extensively when preparing blanks for pens and other small items. Dovetail Jaws are very useful in mounting and remounting bowls, and allow you to grip very small bowl feet without damage, if you measure the optimal chuck diameter carefully.

Q4: Jaws are easy to change, but fiddly - and always do it over a tray, so you don't lose the machine screws when you inevitably drop them. Like most of us (regardless of brand), you will soon get sick of changing jaws and will beg/borrow/steal to get another chuck - and another, and another .... Fortunately, you can now buy Vicmarc chucks cheaper in "companion" mode, with no standard jaws fitted, so you can dedicate a chuck to each specialty jawset and not end up with a drawer full of useless standard jaws (I wonder if they have any scrap value??)

Q5: Scroll chucks are extremely versatile and are by no means confined to bowl-turning - they are primarily the strongest, and therefore safest, means of mounting wood in a lathe. You are only limited by your imagination - I recently saw a demonstration of multi-axis turning where two jaws had been removed, allowing the blank to be moved laterally between the two remaining jaws; and I have also seen work gripped by the jaw slides alone.

In short, you will never regret investing in a scroll chuck, and once you have one, you will wonder how you ever managed without it - except, of course, that two chucks are better than one, and three are really useful, and four will greatly extend your capabilities, and five .........

Go & get chucked!!!

[Willy Nelson]

In my opinion I reckon the vicmarc is the best. I own 3 chucks at the moment. I only use one. If I buy another chuck, it will only be a Vicmarc, plus the pin jaws.
So Answers
1= Vicmarc
2=Vicmarc
3=Vicmarc
4=easy (just changed to the coles (450mm) 3 times tonight
5= bowls and platters. I turned 3 Jarrah platters tonight, all in excess of 400 dia and 40mm high. The spigot I turn is about 4mm high. I do not recall the last time the chuck let go.
I should stop beating around the bush and come out and say it, get the Vicmarc chuck!!!!!
Regards
Good Luck
Willy

[Gil Jones]

Andy,
The VM100 is a fine chuck, with a very good selection of optional jaws.

[aak]

Hi Jim, Tornatus, Willy and Gil,

Thank you for your advice. At this point the VM100 is the clear winner, which is fine with me. I am surprised though that none of the SuperNova fans commented.

Tornatus, I would prefer dedicated chucks too, but at this point it would be an overkill for me. However, I will most likely buy second, third and ... more chuck for specific tasks as I progress.

Willy, I assume the Cole chuck is really the same as the Vicmarc Bowl jaws.

Another question if I may ask:
Are the jaws (your recommendations) for holding the timber from the inside, from the outside or can they be used to hold from either side?

I probably will get one extra jaw set to start with as well as the standard chuck unless the jaws of the standard chuck are really no use. Then I would get the companion chuck with one or two sets of jaws. Hence my question.


Regards
Andy

[OGYT]

Hi, Andy. SuperNova2 Fan, here. I have a little Nova Compac on my VL100 lathe.
But... I'm sure the Vicmarc Chuck is a good one, also.

[Enfield Guy]

Vermec engineering do a conversion kit to enable the fitting of Vicmarc jaws to Nova chucks. Works quite well. I have just fitted a set of vicmarc long nose jars to a Nova chuck. The only issue was drilling out the 5 mm holes in the Vicmarc jaws to 6 mm. No drama really, drill press, sharp 6 mm drill bit and a vice to hold the jaws. One other thing, in the case of the long nose jaws, the inside screw has a head diameter that is too large. Again, an easy fix. I fitted each screw in turn to the chuck of my drill, tightened firmly by hand so as to NOT damage the threads, and gently filed the screw down to the required diameter.

That having been said, I think the best option is the Vicmarc option. They seem to have a wider range of jaw options and they are an Aussie company manufacturing in Aussie. Not a Kiwi mob manufacturing in China.

[turnerted]

aak

I would just buy the VM100 chuck with the standard jaws to start off with . After you get more experience using it you will have a better idear of which extra jaws to buy . These chucks will grip both inside and outside . I have a VM100 and a VM120 but I have a VL200 lathe .

Ted

[aak]

Thank you Al, EG and Ted.

Regards
Andy

[artme]

Vicmarc - the brand says it all.

[Tornatus]

Me again, Andy

Despite my chuck addiction problem, I agree that you should just buy your first VM100 with the standard jaws, as they will certainly allow you to do basic bowl-turning, and can even grip spindle blanks if you first mount the blank between centres and turn a spigot on one end. Don't splash out on more specialized jaws until you have done more research, preferably "hands-on".

I would strongly recommend that you join your local woodwork club, if there is one, or try and find a fellow turner in your area - this forum might provide some contacts if you ask around. If you are starting on a limited budget, like most of us, there is nothing better than spending some time with a person or group who already have the equipment you are interested in and are willing to let you "test-drive" it. That way, you can decide for yourself which jaws, for instance, would best meet your needs/interests, before you spend your precious dollars.

I notice you are just across the bay from Jim Carroll's place at Drysdale, so I suggest a visit and a chat with Jim would be a good investment.

[Willy Nelson]

Hello Andy
Yeah, I call em cole jaws, but they are the big 450mm Vicmarc bowl holders for finishing the bums.
Are designed to hold either the inside, or the outside. I have yet to use them in expansion mode.
I also have a nova scroll, but haven't touched it since getting the Vicmarc
Cheers
Willy

[jefferson]

Andy,

I'm a Vicmarc fan too. I have 3 sets of chucks - the 100, 120 and the 150. All work a treat. And they fit both the small and larger Vicmarc lathes, which is very handy. (Not that I use the big chucks on my VL100).

Follow Jim's advice and you can't go wrong. Just start putting some cash away for a VL300!

Jeff

[bowl-basher]

Hello Andy
Yeah, I call em cole jaws, but they are the big 450mm Vicmarc bowl holders for finishing the bums.
Are designed to hold either the inside, or the outside. I have yet to use them in expansion mode.
I also have a nova scroll, but haven't touched it since getting the Vicmarc
Cheers
Willy

I use the cole jaws at least twice a week the are the best way to finish the spiggot or internal spiggot on a bowl or platter have made several shaped sets of blocks for odd shaped bowl or platter edges but be warned the blocks or buttons have a great love of finger tips (about the same as the old feeling of six of the best from the headmaster)
Bowl- Basher