Lathe Chucks

[giospro]

What Type/Kind of Lathe chuck are best for turning the briar (Stummel)??

[Streamline]

I was thinking the same question. I'm thinking of buying a OneWay Talon for my shopsmith and making some wooden blocks to put on two of the face a la this website.

I've seen some custom chucks with a pin in them. What is the pin for? Is it to center on the hinge between the draft hole and the bowl? Thanks for the insight.

[giospro]

That's Funny i have an Shopsmith as well (1987 to Present) love it.
but any ways, may have to try that out.

Thanks

[FredS]

I've seen some custom chucks with a pin in them. What is the pin for? Is it to center on the hinge between the draft hole and the bowl?

Yes. That way both holes "aim" at the same point. It's not foolproof - you still have to be careful and drill to the proper depths in order to get them to meet correctly.

[KurtHuhn]

If you're looking to do this on a budget, get one of these:
http://www.oneway.ca/chucks/oneway.htm
(Oneway chuck)

And half a set of these:
http://www.oneway.ca/chucks/accessories/tower_jaws.htm
(#2 profiled Tower Jaws)

[SimeonTurner]

If you're looking to do this on a budget, get one of these:
http://www.oneway.ca/chucks/oneway.htm
(Oneway chuck)

And half a set of these:
http://www.oneway.ca/chucks/accessories/tower_jaws.htm
(#2 profiled Tower Jaws)

Yep. I use the exact same set up only mine is a Nova chuck instead of OneWay. Same thing, different brand.

It works pretty well most of the time. The only real limitation is the width your chuck will open to.

[smokindawg]

I use a oneway and it works great. I have a set of custom made jaws from aluminum for mine, but also have a set of the #2 profiled jaws.

I'd be willing to sell or trade off the set (2 jaws) of the profiled tower jaws to anyone that might be interested. If you are, let me know.

[TimGeorge]

Is this the same oneway chuck that is frequently recommended on this site? If so, it looks like a good deal. I know I would still need the tower jaws. Thanks!

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... i_13736960

[KurtHuhn]

The very same - be sure that this will fit your spindle thread. 3/4"-16 isn't a very popular thread size, so just be aware.

[TimGeorge]

Thanks, Kurt. Wrong size for me now that you mention it ...

[TimGeorge]

Just for the record, if anyone else is outfitting a lathe, I ended up buying this when I found out you can get the correct thread adapter at oneway for $25. So, I spent about 240 total and ended up with the oneway chuck and four sets of jaws (3 came with the home depot clearance kit + tower jaws and adapter from oneway).

[Dave in Maryland]

There's no inexpensive way to get around getting a chuck. I bought a Supernova chuck a few years ago and spent more for the chuck than I did for the lathe, which I bought used more than 25 years ago. I do a lot of turning and now I wouldn't dream of having a lathe without a chuck, especially for turning bowls.

Earlier this week I decided it was time to make custom pipemaking jaws for my chuck. I just welded two rectangular bits of mild steel from the scrap bin at a 90-degree angle to two other bits I had drilled and countersunk to screw into the face of the chuck. After a bit of grinding I have a pair of jaws that really do the job. Having a pair of parallel jaws specifically made to hold a pipe makes the job a lot easier, so in my case, especially since it involved no extra expense, the hour or two I spent manufacturing a pair of jaws was well worth the time.

For some reason I can't get images to display on the forum, so here's the link to the photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48497434@N07/4444300480/

Hope this helps.
-Dave

[Uncle Arthur]

Very nicely done!

[kkendall]

There's no inexpensive way to get around getting a chuck.

Amen! Each chuck costs about what the lathe cost. One for wood, one for stems. (it's a PIA to have to keep changing the jaws, so I got the second chuck)

[Tyler]

Man, you guys are fancy. I still (when I make a pipe) just use the little 1/2" long jaws that came with my Oneway. The chuck works so well you don't have to have a complete grab on things to make it work.

I'd certainly enjoy some new jaws, but if you are on a budget, you can do a LOT of good with the little jaws that come standard on a Oneway chuck. You can upgrade the jaws down the road when the money starts ROLLING in from pipe sales.

[SimeonTurner]

I just got my custom chuck from Trent Rudat about a month ago. I love it, but it's crazy to think how expensive it was. Definitely money well spent, but definitely lots of money.

[kkendall]

Man, you guys are fancy. I still (when I make a pipe) just use the little 1/2" long jaws that came with my Oneway. The chuck works so well you don't have to have a complete grab on things to make it work.

I'd certainly enjoy some new jaws, but if you are on a budget, you can do a LOT of good with the little jaws that come standard on a Oneway chuck. You can upgrade the jaws down the road when the money starts ROLLING in from pipe sales.

Before the second chuck came home, I had the regular #2 Profile jaws that came with the chuck. It just didn't have the bite on the block it needed (or rather, "I" needed)... Bought a set of the #2 Profile Tower jaws. These have a MUCH better bite on the block. Not terribly expensive and makes things MUCH safer and the block is a lot less likely to slip while working.

[KurtHuhn]

+1 on the Oneway Tower Jaws. Lots of capacity, and loads of bite.

[pennsyscot]

I use the tower jaws. I often find it necessary to glue a piece of wood to the briar block in order to get a good grip. If one the gripping surfaces of the curved jaw falls over the edge of the block, I can't get the block to chuck squarely. Anyone else doing something similar?

[KurtHuhn]

I think I understand what you mean - but no, I've never had that problem. There's two types of Tower jaws, smooth face and serrated. I imagine that the smooth face would present that problem, based on the pictures of them that I've seen. The Serrated face jaws actually have a more square inside face, allowing you grip some pretty oddball shapes.