four- (or three-)jaw chucks for a midi-lathe?

[brenthenze]

Hi all,

I picked up a Delta midi-lathe awhile back on clearance, and I'd like to add a decent chuck so that I can try doing some small bowls, goblets, etc. Any suggestions on what's a good chuck for this purpose? Anything I should watch out for? I haven't used one before, but I see that there are three- and four-jaw versions (any advantages to one vs. the other), and I also see that different chucks use different procedures or tools to expand.

Since I just have a midi-lathe, I guess I don't need the biggest, fanciest chuck available--any piece that I do will be limited by the lathe's 10" swing. I'd also like to keep the cost reasonable, but without buying junk either. Suggestions/recommendations appreciated!

 

[Monty]

I have the same midi lathe as you - Lowe's clearance, right? ;-)

The choices in chucks seem overwhelming, especially when you're shopping for your "first" one and don't really know what to look for.

4 jaw is good. Make sure you don't get the ones with independant jaws - you'll want one with concentric movement of the jaws. This would be either a scroll chuck or a keyed chuck, IIRC.

There are two basic styles of these: the scroll chuck uses two tommy bars to expand/contract the jaw opening (kind of like you use two wrenches to change the bit in your router):

The keyed chuck uses a single chuck key (either a large hex key or one that looks like you would use in your drill press).

I tried the tommy bar method but didn't really like it - I'm not coordinated enough to hold the bowl blank up with one hand and tighten the bars with the other, although people with more experience than me seem to have very little trouble with this. I went with the keyed style instead.

There are other things to look out for, but I'll have to post later, when I have more time. This should get you started...

 

[Monty]

OK, I'm back. There are many other considerations, such as how the wood is gripped in the jaws. There are basically two main styles of jaws to consider: either "profiled" (straight with ridges), or dovetail (smooth). This obviously affects the shape of the sides of the tenon that you make on your workpiece. This pic shows the two basic styles:

There is a theoretical (and probably real) advantage to the profiled style. If you look carefully, you can see the inner rim along the top of the profiled jaws do not make a smooth circle, but instead sort of a wavy circle:

At the "optimum" diameter, both the smooth (dovetail) and the profiled jaws probably grip the same (fig 1). As the diameter increases (jaws spread farther apart), the dovetail jaws really only grip on the corners, whereas the gripping surface is better on the profiled jaws (fig 2). The contrast is similar on square stock (fig 3).

Other considerations include size & weight, capacity (jaw spreading capacity), upgradability (availability of accessories), and portability (ie, when you finally buy that Powermatic 3520, will you have to buy a new chuck), and of course price. It seems to me that the major contenders are Oneway and Nova, but there are plenty of other offerings out there (for example Grizzly has some reasonably priced chucks that I've heard favorable things about, IIRC). The key is knowing what to look for.

I think it really is a personal choice (kind of like Ford vs. Chevy). Given all the considerations, I chose the Oneway Talon. I happened to find it on sale (rare, but it happens!), and the local Klingspor shop here in town is a Oneway dealer, which I like.

Here is an article that I found when I was first looking into buying chucks: Buying a Chuck. Hope this helps...




Edit: Sorry about the long posts... I don't want to give the false impression that I'm some kind of expert! I just find the subject very interesting for some strange reason... I'll be quiet now...

 

[Phillip]

i've used a talon also and i like it fine. i have several nova chucks (regular and super) because i used to work at a woodcraft. either chuck, nova or oneway, or vicmarc, or axminster, for that matter, will hold any possible block you could put on the midi lathes. take a look at the available jaw sets and see if there are any that are especially appealing to you and then see if it fits your budget. the nova midi chuck takes all of the regular nova jaws and is around a hundred bucks. i use the 50mm jaws constantly, the pine platter in my gallery is about 14" diameter and i used them in the expanding mode to hold it, with only about a 1/8" deep recess. also check out www.woodturnerscatalog.com for pretty good info, though the prices can be beat if you shop around. by the way, the next chuck i buy is going to be a vicmarc with shark jaws. good luck. oh, and like insomniac says, you really want a 4 jaw scrolling chuck to start with.

 

[Big Mike]

Not much that I can add to the very fine job that Insomniac did in presenting the pros and cons of the various chucks and jaw profiles. My only problem is that I have heard some bad things about Grizzly chucks with regard to run out and concentricity. I have no personal experience with their products but two people I know that bought them had to return them multiple times before they received one that ran true.

If you have any inkling that you will become addicted to turning then you should go ahead and buy a chuck that has many options for different sized jaws and jaw functions. The insert that fits your spindle can be replaced if you get a different lathe for most chuck systems of any quality.

Insomniac, you did a wonderful job. You should go into the tool review business.

 

[Monty]

If you have any inkling that you will become addicted to turning

<whispering> ssshhhh... let's not tell him about that!!!! ;-)

 

[brenthenze]

Isn't addiction pretty much inevitable? I've never met anyone who started turning and isn't still turning (though WHAT they're turning changes)! Let's just say that for now my shop is just about the right size for a midi-lathe, but no matter how big it gets, there'll always be scrap wood the size of pen blanks, door knobs, and little bowls to contend with (and I can't possibly just throw 'em away!)

Insomniac, wow! I think I owe you a couple hours of shop time for that detailed summary of chucks--you've answered my questions and then some. Someday maybe I'll know more about something than you do (ha!), and I'll do my best to reciprocate. Or at least I'll post some pics of whatever I wind up turning. Thanks for the information!