self-centering 4- jaw chucks

[wayne]

Anybody have one of the self-centering chucks that woodcraft has in their sale paper that just came out.
There are 3 different ones part #'s 146800,01,and 02 respectively. they are on sell for 69.99 with a savings of 15.00, anyone have one and care to comment on it.

Wayne

 

[DaveO]

If this is what you're talking about - http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20042&mode=details#tabs
It doesn't look like a bad deal. I suspect you'll get what you pay for. I don't care for "tommy-bars" to tighten the chuck, they take more hands than I have.
IMO if you are wanting a good value priced chuck system this is what you should be looking at http://www.pennstateind.com/store/csc3000c.html

By the time that you get the WC chuck body, insert and all the jaws, you'll be right up there with the cost of the Barracuda2. I have that chuck, it's not a Oneway, but it is pretty nice for the costs.
Dave

 

[WoodWrangler]

I had that exact same one, but recently sold it to Badabing (Joe) when I decided I wanted a larger chuck. It was a really nice chuck by any measure I had and is built exactly like its direct competition. The nice part about it are that it's affordable, it comes with a decent case to store it, and the accessories are affordable too. I didn't find the tommy bars to be a problem, though people often complain about them. Personally, I found them easy to use and tighten.

What didn't I like? A little smaller than I wanted (I ended up going to the Oneway Stronghold). The dovetail-style jaws (Oneway uses a serrated jaw that looks like it would work better).

 

[wayne]

Thanks for the response Dave and Jeremy.I'm considering buying a chuck to use and am looking for inexpensive which is not always the best but when there's a learning curve involved and not sure how much use it will get sometimes the way to go.Also thinking if want to upgrade down the road then would want something that cost could be a factor when getting rid of.

Wayne

 

[DaveO]

As long as you get a chuck that has the option of different threaded inserts to accommodate different head stock spindle sizes you should be able to use that chuck on any lathe you might have. It is often adventitious to have multiple chucks. I generally use my PSI chuck with the jumbo jaws, and my Oneway chuck for general bowl chucking. I hate changing out the jaws...it takes like 6 minutes :roll::roll:

Dave

 

[Kenith]

Dave, what do you recommend I should get to start turning bowls. I just sold my old craftsman lathe replacing it with a Rikon midi lathe. Is there any particular chuck you would look for considering I don't have too much money to put in right now?

Thanks,

Ken

 

[DaveO]

Dave, what do you recommend I should get to start turning bowls. I just sold my old craftsman lathe replacing it with a Rikon midi lathe. Is there any particular chuck you would look for considering I don't have too much money to put in right now?

Thanks,

Ken

IMO if you're looking for a good value priced chuck with a lot of accessories the PSI Barracuda2 http://www.pennstateind.com/store/csc3000c.html
is your best bet. It will handle any bowl or spindle turning that you might want to do on any lathe other than one with a huge swing (16" or greater)
If you have more money (lots more), any chuck from Oneway is a good deal. The PSI Barracuda2 chuck is a very nice clone of the Oneway Talon, not as heavy duty, but it will handle the job.
Dave

 

[John Jankowski]

I have one of those Barracuda2 but you can usually get it cheaper from Amazon. I got mine last spring for about $110 from the Jungle. Works very well for smaller things.(in the Rikon midi vein) I use a large Vicmarc for my larger turnings.

John

 

[Mike Davis]

The thing about the Oneway Stronghold is you can turn a bowl, take it out of the chuck to oil it , let it dry a few days and put it back. The bowl may shrink and become oval but it will be perfectly centered. I never had another chuck that would let me do that.

Maybe they are all better than they used to be, but I was very much surprised.

 

[Rob]

Just ordered me a Barracuda2 from Amazon, $149, also had a package deal with a jumbo jaw. I'm stoked, can't wait to use it.

 

[Shavingsinmypockets]

The oneway talon chuck is very nice for what im doing ( not extremely large bowls the largest was 9-1/2 in. ) i can also do spindles with it. I used it at a klingspors woodworking shop bowlturning class and liked it so much that the next time i came back i bought it.

 

[DaveO]

Just ordered me a Barracuda2 from Amazon, $149, also had a package deal with a jumbo jaw. I'm stoked, can't wait to use it.

That's the deal :icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum You almost ROCK until you post some pics

I paid almost $200 for my Oneway with only one set of jaws. The rest of the jaws will run me another $150-200. You got a nice complete package for under $150. Dave

 

[eezlock]

Wayne, I had the same delimna the other day, got tired of waiting and waiting for money situation to improve and after much deliberation and thinking....I called Woodcraft, they still had it on sale. I went to the store and bought it and the threaded adapter 1"x8tpi for my Jet lathe and I'm glad I did! Got them both out the door, tax and all for $76.00 !

I have been using it since Saturday and so far I really like it. If you have the indexing feature on your lathe, using the "tommy bars" instead of
chuck key, like stronghold or talon they are no big deal. If you do buy it....clean that cosmoline off it really well, inside and out, lube it up with Wd-40 and it's ready for action! eezlock

 

[Rob]

Got my Barracude2 today, very nice. Didn't have a chance to clean all the cosmoline off of it and use it as I was kegging some home brewed beer. Maybe this weekend. Oh wait, I'll be at a picnic this weekend.