Looking for an affordable chuck

I don't know how hard pressed you are on the $150, but for a few dollars more this one is getting some really good play across the net:

The advantage to the Penn State chuck is that they have a lot of accessories for the chuck. But for >my< buck, it would go here:

I have heard nothing but great, rave reviews about that chuck, and it is a direct and purposely copied version of my VicMarc. I have seen posts (I think on WoodCentral) where some have verified that jaws for the Vic even work on this one. Hard to beat the $99 tag on it, too. If you go to the link, look under the price and check out the PDF manual to see how it is made and how easy it would be to maintain and clean this chuck.

Robert

Hi JD,

The Grizzley is definatley worth checking out. I have a buddy with this one and it works great.

Dan

I have seen the relatively new Pinnacle chuck which is available for around $80.00 with a 50mm jaw set. It seems heavy and of good quality and I wouldn't mind getting one to try out. The Pinnacle tools are mediocre, but the chuck looks well built. The drawback is that jaws from other manufacturers don't seem to fit it. But for a beginner on a college budget, it might not be a bad choice. Woodcraft sells them.

Alexis

JD wrote:

I just went chuck shopping. I had a very early Penstate chuck - the older kind what was cast iron. After reading reviews

I realized I had only a couple of choices. Since the Stronghold was out of my price range, I ordered the Axminister from CraftSupply for $175 - $179. I have a Talon and it works well. You might go with the Talon (Southern Tool has a good price on it) but if you are looking to spend $150.00 why not go for the Axminister?

Deb

Get the Fred Holder book. I haven't seen it, but it's filled with DIY chucks...

I bought one to complement my Nova Midi chuck, which doesn't have a very wide jaw movement. I haven't used it yet, but would echo the above comments as to its construction.

BTW, on the Nova Midi, instructions say to use a stop screw to keep the jaws from coming off. Doing so greatly restricts the movement range. I took mine out and while the range is still small, it's a lot better. And I couldn't force the jaws off with it out. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Was it just something the lawyers added?

I would have suggested the Nova G3 which, with 1"-8tpi insert comes in at exactly $150 at Woodcraft, but then I saw this post about the Grizzly chuck which seems to be a knockoff. You can get it $50 cheaper right now or wait (maybe a long while) for Woodcraft to offer a sale on Nova chucks again (unless Woodcraft will compete on price - it can't hurt to ask). Regardless, if the Grizzly chuck really works like the Nova then it's a nice one.

J.

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:

Woodcraft and Hartville Tool will periodically have the One way chucks on sale.

I know this is a bit above your price range. I know money is tight in college, but if you could work a couple extra hours to scrape up another $50 or so, you'll probably have a chuck that lasts your entire lifetime. If you ever upgrade your lathe, you could get another adapter and reuse it.

Thanks everyone for your help. I ordered the Grizzly. After reading up on it and everything you had to say about it, I figured it could make for a nice accessory. Now, just waiting for it to get here.......

Thanks, D.

After you've used it for a couple of weeks let us know how you like it and what, if anything, you may not like about it.

J.

JD wrote:

Sorry been so long getting back. I've been turning.........I bought the Grizzly and needless to say, I'm happy. After using the old Craftsman for so long, this chuck is great. Thanks for all the suggestions and input.

Safe turning, D.

JD I didn't comment on your question when this was raised but only now came aware of it.

My opinion is turning can be dangerous, and for this reason the LAST thing I would scrimp on would be the chuck, I'd use faceplates , etc. ,whatever, but I would not go for an inferior chuck Period

A chuck is a nice piece of equipment to have, but you do not need one, save your money a little longer, then buy a quality chuck, and NO I'm not going to make any money on it if you buy one or the other or none.

I would hate though for you to get hurt when this could be prevented.

I'm no scaremonger either, but chunk of wood spinning around at 1500 or 2000 rpm can do a lot of damage in an instant.

Everyone seems to be chasing the "Best deal", however this is NOT the Best deal, just the cheapest, for a moment, hope you will never regret going the cheap way.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo