After spending a month with a $60 made in China lathe, I upgraded to a Jet Mini lathe. You cannot imagine how good it feels when you can adjust the toolrest without bruising your knuckles. It also helps when the "on" switch does not pop up at a random intervals.
I am still happy that I got the cheap lathe first. I turned a couple of bowls on it and I realized that I love turning and I am ready to invest a little more time and money into it. And I sold it for pretty much the price paid, so I have nothing to complain about.
I will be turning mainly bottle stoppers and bowls on the new lathe, so I need to get some sort of chuck for it. For bottle stoppers I would love to be able to hold it in a chuck to be able to finish the top and drill the hole at the bottom (I can never get a straight hole in the drill press). I would also like to use the chuck to hold the bowls.
As I am a beginner I have no idea what kinds of chucks are out there. There are so many kinds in the catalog, all sorts of different chucks, jaws, faceplates, and I have not clue what goes with what.
I would appreciate advice about where to start and what to look for. What kind of chuck shall I get for my Jet? Will one kind be enough for my purposes or will I need more then one? What brands would you recommend.
I have a Oneway Talon with the standard jaws, #1 jaws and the mini-jumbo jaws. Altogether they probably cost more than my Delta-Midi but they were worth it. They are well made and cover the range of sizes that I turn. I don't know about the other chucks in this size range, but the Talon won't disappoint you.
I have a Jet Mini and first bought a Nova Compac chuck. It works fine, but is quite limited in capacity.
Then, I bought a Super Nova chuck with the 1" and 2" jaws, 45MM spigot jaws and the step jaws. I also have a screw chuck and a Beal collet chuck with 1/4", 3/8" 1/2", 5/8" and 3/4" collets.
Looking back I should have bought the Super Nova first and skipped the Compac, although I find uses for both. Buy one chuck now and a couple of sets of jaws, either a Super Nova or a Oneway Talon, but expect to add to your collection as your skills improve.
Congratulations on your Jet Mini. IMHO there is not a better lathe made for the money.
Hi Harry, You may want to but you certainly don't _need to buy another chuck just yet. Many very good turners use a pin chuck or screw chuck or a face plate which is just a multi screw chuck. Glue blocks are another option. Now is a good time for using the Jet's spur center and faceplate. After all, you just bought them, and learning how to use them now will likely serve you well some day and IMHO won't impede your fun or learning curve. Arch
You need a mandrel and/or chuck. The Jet Mini uses a Morse Taper #2. So look for chucks/mandrels with MT#2.
Let's see....
Woodcraft sells a bottle stopper starter kit for $26.99. This includes Mandrel (Normally $4.99) Bit 4 kits
The catalog mandrel doesn't say if it's a Morse Taper mandrel or the size. Anyone know?
I saw an ad in Lee Valley for a $14.95 "expanding collet" mandrel. It's for for a 1 3/8" opening. Lee Valley warns that if you remove an object and reposition it, it may not be centered. It's for small bowls and clocks. It also has a "mini" screw chuck feature. The price is attractive.
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Another mandrel (I own and like) is the J. R. Beall Treen/Turned Box Mandrel. You drill a 1 1/4" hole in the wood for the base, which slips over the mandrel. The mandrel has a sharp outer edge, which helps hold the wood in place (it does not expand). It surprised me that it held the wood so well without any expansion capability. I use the tailstock at first, and remove it for final work. A downside is that the hole for the box is a fixed size - 1 1/4".
For the top - you drill a 1/2" hole and glue an insert, which screws into the mandrel. This set is $60 (with two kits). If you go to Beall's web site,
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can get a mini-expansion chuck for the above mandrel ($15.25) - itmakes a nice 1/2" expanding collet chuck for small items. It's thesmallest expansion chuck I know of. Dang. I just noticed that Woodcraft sells this for $60 without the expansion collet check, but Lee Valley sells it WITH the expansion collet for $50. I think this is mis-priced. Woodcraft charges ($60 without the collet). Bealltool sells the starter kit ($47.50) and collet ($15). I spend $75 and could have gotten it from Lee Valley for $49. Dang. My suggestion - Buy one before they realize their mistake.
Beall also makes a collet chuck. It's about $160 for a complete set of
5 collets (i.e. holds 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" 5/8" and 3/4" dowels). Essentially you either turn a spigot, or drill a hole and glue a dowel into the hole.
Another option is to get a pro pen mandrel (Woodcraft - $10 or $29, Lee Valley - $20, Craft Supplies USA - $20 or $27) Some can be used as a
1/4" collet chuck as well.
craft supplies (woodturnerscatalog.com) has a dowel chuck - 3/8" for $40 and 1/2" for $40.
If you want flexibility and a dowel chuck grip system, the Beall has the most options (and a higher price). I have never used one, so I can't say how good they are. I was thinking of getting the pro pen mandrel, and see how it works as a collet chuck. That's probably a good choice for beginners.
Then there are the scroll jar chucks. Nova, SuperNova, Axminster, Oneway Stronghold and Talon, Vicmarc. I got a SuperNova Bonus Package #2 from kmstools.com for my Jet 1236. Chuck and 4 jaws for $251 US plus shipping and import fee. Search the archives of different opinions. Scroll chucks are more expensive - but they can grip in expansion mode and contraction mode, and have different jaws. So the flexibility is very nice.
You need different chucks for different jobs. That's why woodworking is so much fun. :-) Seriously - each gripping system has different advantages and disadvantages. Some of the differences
How it grips How strong? Will it distort the surface? Will the surface need to be repaired later? How quick can the item be mounted and unmounted? Does something need to be glued before you can use it? Can you combine grips on one chuck? What is the size of the gripping area? Width/depth? In or out?
I'd first get catalogs from
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Next I'd start with inexpensive mandrels - just so you learn more about them at a smaller price. This includes
The pro pen mandrel (pen and dowel) for under . * Bottle Stopper - (whatever this is) * Expanding Collet/screw chuck -
Next - try another kind. Either get a single size dowel chuck, or get one with replacable collets. I've had fun with the Treen mandrel, and recommend the 1/2" expansion chuck with the treen mandrel for small items. (The Treen Mandrel adapter can also be used with the Beall Wood Buff System). Hint - Lee Valley.
If you have the money a scroll chuck is wonderful and flexible. And expensive.
And don't forget other gripping options, using faceplates, jam-fit cups, home-made cup chucks, etc. These new mandrels are new. Older techniques work as well.
Second, Artak if you don't have one, think about buying a #2 Morse taper Jacobs chuck for about $9.00 at H,F. You will find many uses for it, including using a 3/8" bolt with the head cut off as a pin chuck for bottle stoppers. Drill a 3/8 hole in the blank. Fill with water.and let stand for a few minutes before pouring out. It will swell the wood for a tight holding fit, You might want to add a draw-bar to your Jacobs chuck (see rcw archives). Arch
Artak, Whatever kind of chuck you get, make sure it's a key-operated type, and not the type with the two "tommy bars". This is important because your Jet Mini doesn't have a spindle lock. The tommy bars usually require using both hands, and then you need a third hand to hold the bowl when mounting it. With a key-operated chuck you just turn the key with your left hand while holding the bowl with your right. If a lathe has a spindle lock the tommy bars work fine because if the spindle is locked only one tommy bar is needed, thereby freeing up the right hand to hold the bowl. You won't have that option, so stay clear of that type. The Vicmarc V100 (3 1/2") is an excellent chuck for your purposes. It uses a 9 mm hex key rather than a drill chuck type key, which makes it even easier to operate. You don't have to exert inward pressure on the key, and if you ever lose the key it's easily replaced at a hardware store--not so with the toothed drill chuck-type key.
Regular Nova has a pin spanner and bar. Don't need a spindle lock (not that you'd need one anyway if you had a wrench on the outboard, like you'll probably use to loosen the chuck) to operate the chuck.
Jim The opinion that a tommy bar chuck is unwieldy has been voiced on this group several times, usually, but not always by someone who does not use one. I have a One Way chuck with tommy bars and find it no problem to use with one hand while holding the wood in the other. That includes its use on my bowl lathe that that neither spindle lock nor tail stock for extra support. If I lose a tommy bar I can just cut another length of steel rod.
I have used both a Nova and a Oneway scroll chuck and find them both a pain to use because of the way they operate, and that is why I have a Vicmarc key operated chuck.
I concure - I have a Oneway, and it's quite easy to manipulate both bars w/one hand. The holes are positioned such on a Oneway chuck that there are always two near each other so it isn't a problem to squeeze or expand. It doesn't take much pressure to secure the vessel, and afterwards you can use both hands to increase the grip if necessary...
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