questions about Nova chucks

One other thing ...

This is for a Jet 11442 so I assume I would need th 1" x 8.

Thanks Darren

I believe the Nova tightens with two rods you stick in holes and push one and pull the other. I have two Super Novas which tightens with a T-shaped wrench. You can hold the wood with one hand and tighten with the other.

Depends on where you buy. You will also need a set of jaws for it and an insert to make it fit your lathe. Some places charge extra for these. At KMS tools, they came with mine, for less than many places want for the bare chuck. The wrench (or tommy bars) come with all.

It seems like I can you do "spigot" turning (where you clamp

Travel means just that. If the jaws you get open to 4 inches, they will close to 3 inches. If they open to 2 inches, they will close to 1 inch. And there are pin jaws that close to nearly nothing, but will only open one inch from that size. I personally like the spigot jaws, but have not tried other types. They will not do dovetail, though.

I like the Super Nova better than the Super Nova 2. I have one of each, but don't think you can still get the first anymore. You won't regret getting one.

I think so, but I use my Super Nova a lot, probably somewhere like 6,000

- 10,000 operations a year. YMMV.

If your lathe has a headstock lock the tommy bar type chuck might work ok, but I can remember strugling with those darned things when I first started out.

I think it usually ships with the 2" jaws and worm screw, but best check with whoever you are buying from incase they offer any variations.

The 1" jaws will grip a spigot as small as 3/8"

I don't have a Super II, but I do use regular and Super. Everyone keeps mentioning _two_ Tommybars, but both of mine have a pin spanner and a bar, which makes one-handed operation simple, since there are six opportunities to drop a pin in the outside ring. Nice, reliable equipment. My older is a dozen years I guess, and needs its third cleaning soon, since it's getting a bit grumpy. I don't do finishes on the chuck any more. Too messy.

The two Supers have the "T" wrench, and have been great performers as well. Someone will probably chime in with the observation that the jaws do not close with a right turn, but a left. Not a big deal. I'm an "innie" lover, so for me they loosen left, tighten right, it's just that "Lefty Lucy doesn't spread 'em for Chuck." They're bulkier than the regulars, and would be a problem to get off the lathe spindle if it wasn't for the pin spanner that came with the regular Novas. Pin in a chuck hole, and a quick tap loosens them nicely. Your clearance may allow you a Crescent wrench, but if not, a strap wrench can also serve.

The jaws I use most often are the pin jaws and the 50mm

, with dovetail hold in mortises for bowls and dovetail tenons for things like goblets. They generally come with the 50 mm, and I would get the pin jaws as well. I also own the Powergrip jaws, which will safely hold a 50 lb. chunk that will scare you to turn on your lowest speed, the spigot jaws, which are about useless, and the jumbo jaws which can come in handy for some operations. Any of these can be purchased later. Buy a threaded insert, not the threaded chuck, just in case you get another lathe. I have one threaded Nova which will remain with Ol' Blue when he relocates after my eldest gets back from Iraq. The others are adapted for my 3000.

The older Nova was closed and opened with a rod in one hole and a bent handle in the other. It has the same jaws as other newer models. I had trouble getting the jaws tight enough with the two rod chuck. The Super Nova uses a hex wrench with a "T" handle to adjust the jaws. I t will tighten too much if I am not careful. The Super 2 has a closed back and the "T" handle. Both are bigger phyusically than the old Nova chuck. You will need to get an insert to fit your lathe spindle. Usually they come with the chuck. Some sellers charge you extra for the insert. You must use and insert or a threaded chuck to fit your lathe.

The worm screw is used when you want to screw the chuck into the blank. You fasten it into the jaws and literaly screw it into the blank after first drilling a hole in the blank since the screw is about 1/4" in diameter. I have used the screw but don't like it. It is much easier to turn a tennon and use that in the jaws of the chuck than screw a "bolt" (the screw) into the wood piece.

The jaws of the Nova are interchnagable for all Nova chucks. The standard is about a 50mm I think. You can get other dimension jaws that will squeeze a smaller tennon. All the jaws can be used in an expansion mode to fit a dovetail recess and expand the joaws into it to hold the blank.

Nova (Technatool) has a web page that shows their jaws and the various attachements.

Are you dead set on a Nova or have you given consideration to a Oneway or Vicmark?

There are other jaws you can get that can do that. Some can be used to grip long dowels, letting you feed the dowel as you work on each piece. Others allow you to grab the outer rim of a bowl. Others work inserted in a deep hole in the blank.

Look at kmstools.com - Check the package #5

6 sets of jaws with the chuck for a package deal.

The worm screw can be used with the basic jaws. Some people use this to quickly mount and turn a blank, while the lathe is spinning.

One thing to note - after I ordered from them, I had to pay an extra US customs charge. I think it was about $20.

Hello Darren, I purchased a Super Nova with the 3"-4" (approx) jaw set. I chose that one at the recommendation of the sales person at Woodcraft and have been satisfied with it. The locking mechanism is similar to a chuck key for a drill motor. I thought this to be a lot easier than messing around with two levers. You can do both inside/expansion clamping (cut a dovetail recess in the bottom of the piece and the lip of the jaws wedge into place) or outside/contraction clamping. When you order the chuck it will have, among other specs, the maximum and minimum contraction and expansion diameters. You will need to order an adapter to fit the spindle on your lathe. This is easily installed. Another nice thing is the rather wide variety of jaw sets that can be purchased. One not so good thing about this lathe is the screws used to hold the jaws in place. They can get a bit too tight for removal. Purchasing a couple extra sets is a good idea.

I own two Super Nova's and use them a lot. A question for other Super Nova users, though. I'm noticing lately some lateral play in my jaws. Would a good cleaning tighten this up, or is there a fix available? Any info would be appreciated.

rick

Hello Darren,

I purchased my first Nova chuck in 1990 about the time they hit the market in the United States. I bought a second one a year later and have purchased a couple of more over the years. I also have 3 or 4 Super Nova Chucks, which have performed quite well. When the SuperNova 2 came on the market, I purchased two of them and find they are the best of the lot in this size. If you are doing really large stuff the Titan chuck is outstanding. All of these chucks will use the wide range of jaws that Teknatool has available for these chucks, except the smaller chucks will not use the three screw Titan Chuck jaws, but it will use all jaws.

The Nova and SuperNova chucks normally come with the 50mm or 2" jaws. That means they will fit into a 2" recess. They will close down onto a 1-3/4" tenon and work best expanded into a 2" recess. If you do any small stuff, a set of the

25mm jaws are very nice. They will close onto a 3/8" tenon and will fit into a 1" recess.

I think you have had most of your other questions answered. The normal chuck from Teknatool comes with a set of 50mm jaws, and tools for opening and closing. You generally have to purchase an insert to fit your lathe spindle. Some places sell the insert as a part of the chuck price. On some sales, extra jaws are thrown in with the chuck. KMS in Canada is famous for this addition on their specials.

For your purposes, I would recommend a SuperNova 2 and a couple of extra jaw sets: the 25mm for smaller work and the three or four inch jaws for larger tasks. I own most of the Nova jaw sets, but use the 50mm size the most.

Fred Holder

I too have a Jet 1442 and the SN^2 (yes, that is "squared" not "two"). The heft, the smooth operation and the fine machining will make wou want fondle and fiddle with it ... Or by contrast, sometimes you buy something mail order and and you are a little undrwhelmed when you get to see it in person... this was *not* the case.

The wrench that comes with your 1442 along with the spindle lock makes it a snap to remove. It's a good match for the 1442 because it moves the work out beyond the odd motor placement.

You will need the 1x8 TPI adapter.

I too, ordered from KMS tool. I did *not* get hit with a customs fee. Just lucky I guess.

-Steve

Thanks for all the feedback.

I looked at other non Nova chucks, but I must admit I was heavily leaning towards Nova chucks because I couldn't find a single negative review on them. Everyone has been happy with them.

I ended up buying the Super Nova with an extra 25mm jaw set. I figured I would spend the extra money to get the Super Nova instead of going with the original. I am anxious for it to get here so I can try it out.

Thanks again.

Darren