4 Jaw Chuck Suggestions?

[terry1166]

Looking for opinions about 4 jaw chucks. I bought a Jet mini-lathe about a month ago and am in the market for a chuck. I have a 50 dollar gift certificate for Woodcraft and was considering the Woodriver chuck that sells for $86.50. I decided to look at what was offered by PSI and found a chuck #CUG3418CX that is on sale for $89.95. This chuck comes with 2 sets of jaws, adapters for 3/4 X 16 TPI and 1" X8 TPI spindles and also a free set of 8" flat jaws. Of course I would have to pay the shipping charges of around $8.00. I added up the same parts for the Woodriver chuck from Woodcraft and the total comes up to around $155.00 for the same parts. I am wondering if I should buy the chuck from PSI and use my gift certificate for something else at Woodcraft. All the reviews posted on the PSI website were very positive about this package. Does anyone have any experience with this chuck? It looks very similar to the Woodriver chuck. I know that there are better, much more expensive chucks out there, but at this time I'd like to limit the amount I spend.

Thanks in advance.

Terry

 

[Sully]

I've been happy with all purchases I've made from PSI. Both the PSI chuck you mentioned and the woodriver chuck are lever tightening. I've never used either of them but it would seem like you'd need 3 hands to mount a blank with the chuck on the lathe.

I've been very happy with my barracuda2 chuck from PSI although it is more expensive ($149.95 shipped from www.woodturningcenter.org).

J

 

[Ken Massingale]

Do yourself a big favor and get a good chuck from the get-go.
I recommend the Nova G3. It is available at Woodcraft, but is cheaper on ebay ($115 with insert)

I've bought from Bob and he is great to deal with.

Ken

 

[sushinutnc]

I bought the PSI Utility Chuck in September. I was really on the fence about spending over 1-1/2 times as much for a NOVA G3 or going with the PSI with all the extras that come with it. I decided on the PSI, and I'm happy with it so far. I just couldn't rationalize the extra expense, relative to how much (or little) turning I expected to do. (Like you, I seriously wanted to limit the amount I spent).

WRT better chucks-- the extras that came with the PSI chuck is what far outweighed me investing in a better chuck. I never buy the best I can afford (hear that a lot on here). I buy the best value, relative to my needs/purpose. For the limited amount of time I expected to be turning, it was a no-brainer.

Re: the extras from PSI-- I also needed the 2nd set of jaws and the flat jaws to convert some partially completed turnings I had started using a faceplate. They were essential for me. Again... no-brainer.

Some Negatives/Lessons Learned--

• The lever chucking action is a pain at first-- not knowing how much force is needed to secure a piece versus overtightening and possibly splitting the wood. This is more a problem during the initial stages of roughing out the blank... particularly a problem for unbalanced blanks. After 4-5 times of something flying off the chuck, I finally figured out how much force was appropriate.
• Sometimes while tightening, one of the levers may slip out of its hole... can cause a bruised knuckle if you aren't careful. Just make sure the levers are seated fully in the holes.
• Apparently, my brain hasn't latched onto which direction is open and which is closed. Because the chuck can be used for external jaw pressure (around a tenon) or with internal jaw pressure (like in the mouth of a hollow form), I frequently forget which way is currently which. It seems that every time I need to remove a piece, I have to fiddle with the lever directions to figure which way is right. The reason I bring this up is perhaps the most annoying aspect of a lever chuck-- getting the piece OFF without it falling on the floor. (The third hand issue). Chucking up a blank is no problem. It's very easy to position a piece and hand tighten the chuck enough to hold it until you get the levers in.

Hope this helps!

 

[erasmussen]

I have both the PSI utility chuck and the wood river chuck.
I use both all the time with no problems, I do like the 2 lever chucks as I can easily feel just how tight they are.
I keep the cloe jaws on the psi most of the time, and use the wood river chuck for most everything else.
I like the wood river best as it is heaver and stronger then the PSI, but both have served me well.

 

[sushinutnc]

I like the wood river best as it is heaver and stronger then the PSI, but both have served me well.

Glad you mentioned! The video on the Woodcraft site sure makes it appear that the Wood River isn't nearly as hefty. I even looked for weight specs, but they don't have that on their site.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Some Negatives/Lessons Learned--

• The lever chucking action is a pain at first-- not knowing how much force is needed to secure a piece versus overtightening and possibly splitting the wood. This is more a problem during the initial stages of roughing out the blank... particularly a problem for unbalanced blanks. After 4-5 times of something flying off the chuck, I finally figured out how much force was appropriate.
• Sometimes while tightening, one of the levers may slip out of its hole... can cause a bruised knuckle if you aren't careful. Just make sure the levers are seated fully in the holes.
• Apparently, my brain hasn't latched onto which direction is open and which is closed. Because the chuck can be used for external jaw pressure (around a tenon) or with internal jaw pressure (like in the mouth of a hollow form), I frequently forget which way is currently which. It seems that every time I need to remove a piece, I have to fiddle with the lever directions to figure which way is right. The reason I bring this up is perhaps the most annoying aspect of a lever chuck-- getting the piece OFF without it falling on the floor. (The third hand issue). Chucking up a blank is no problem. It's very easy to position a piece and hand tighten the chuck enough to hold it until you get the levers in.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for this useful information Mike. Are these issues specific to the PSI model you have, or are they common to all the chucks mentioned so far (i.e. PSI, Nova, Woodriver, etc.)? I don't have one, but have been thinking about getting one.

Thanks again! This is helpful.

Bill

 

[eyekode]

I am not Mike but I have the same problems with my Nova midi chuck that uses T-bars (levers). Sometimes I cannot remember which way tightens and I have done some damage to myself when the bars slipped. But my biggest issue with my chuck is how short it is. The threads on my lathe spindle are too long for the short chuck body. I will probably pick up a G3 next (115 from a seller through amazon with insert).

Salem

 

[sushinutnc]

Thanks for this useful information Mike. Are these issues specific to the PSI model you have, or are they common to all the chucks mentioned so far (i.e. PSI, Nova, Woodriver, etc.)? I don't have one, but have been thinking about getting one.

Thanks again! This is helpful.

Bill

I have to say I've never used a keyed lathe chuck, so I'm taking a stab at this... PSI and Wood River ones mentioned are Lever Chucks. The NOVA G3 (and essentially all the top end ones) are keyed.

Amount of force/overtightening-- I have no idea if this is something you have to get used to with a keyed chuck. I assume this is also a MAJOR factor of how much of a brute-force kinda guy you are. Some people have gorilla arms and may be prone to overtightening ANYTHING, so I'm guessing this is something where your mileage may vary.

Slipped Levers-- clearly a lever chuck problem. I would guess that some people using a chuck key may occasionally not seat it into the key hole, causing it to slip the gear. (I know I've done that many times on my drill press)... so again your mileage may vary. Some keys have a pin on the end to help center the key's gear. Some are ball gears to allow for a wide angle of insertion into the chuck. It would seem to me that the ball gear is more prone to slippage, but again... just a hunch. The problem with the levers is the force is moving front-to-back, perpendicular to the lathe/bed, so I invariably hit a knuckle on some part of the lathe.

Removing a workpiece-- assuming you only need one hand to turn the key on a keyed chuck, then this is solely a lever chuck problem. Clearly, the design and primary benefit of the large T-bar key is to allow single-handed operation. Again, I'm guessing some gorillas out there need two hands to occasionally loosen a key. If that's the case, then it would be the same problem I experience with the levers (dropped work piece). This problem is really an experience thing though, so I don't expect this continue to be an ongoing issue... just an occasional annoyance. If I ever do some delicate turning, I'll probably place a towel in a box to catch the piece.

FYI-- if you want to see how the two chucking actions work:

See this video for how to chuck up a lever chuck (chucking at 0:49). It clearly shows how to hand tighten with one hand while holding the piece with the other, in addition to the lever action.

And a SuperNOVA2 demo for keyed chuck operation (chucking at 1:57). And another.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Thanks Mike, the two videos were very helpful. It was interesting on the Wood River chuck that Charles Neil had trouble w/ loosening vs. tightening, something others mentioned as a problem.

Bill

 

[Mark Stewart]

I have been using the wood river for about a year now. I completly love this chuck I use it and the three other sets of jaws constantly. I have the flat jaws, the ID Jaws and a set of 100 mm jaws someone made for me as wellas the regular set that comes with the chuck. So far it has never let me down.

Thanks MArk

 

[terry1166]

Thanks to all for your suggestions, personal experiences and thoughts. I guess it is up to me now to make a final decision. I got my lathe to make some small feet for a project I was working on for a wedding gift. I also saw having it as a way to complement other woodworking that I would be doing such as legs for tables, turned feet for pieces, etc.

Once I get more involved turning, my use of the lathe may expand rapidly. I've got to admit that turning a piece of wood is very enjoyable (except for catches). I also like the fact that turning is a "hands on" talent that must be learned through practice and there is a lot of room for personal expression in the pieces that are turned. Also, unlike other machinery I have in my shop, you can cut up two by fours into blanks and practice turning with very little expense involved. Before I turned the cherry feet for the wedding project, I made several (and messed up several) identical feet out of two by four stock.

Terry