A question about chucks

Hi Don,

I've used a SuperNova for a few years now and it has worked well. I have several sets of jaws but usually only use the pin jaws or the

50mm jaws. I use the chuck on three different lathes and Inserts can be purchased easy enough to make the chuck work with most lathes.

The chuck grips and holds the wood just fine but the longer I've used it the more I wish I had bought a Oneway or a Vicmarc chuck instead. The SuperNova's T-handled tightening wrench is difficult to line up and to tighten the chuck in compression mode you need to turn the handle to the left. In the newer Nova models they seem to have fixed the problem with the handle lining up and have a hex type like Oneway, Vicmarc, and others but I think the newer models still tighten by turning to the left instead of the right.

I also had some difficulty when I ordered some extras screws that hold the jaws on. I ordered them from Craft Supplies and they were out of stock . I had to wait quite a long time before a shipment came from overseas to get the screws. I could have cancelled the order with Craft supplies and ordered from Packard or somewhere else and it may have been faster. But the situation made me wonder, that if I needed some other replacement part for the chuck, whether I'd be able to get it in a reasonable time or not. I have also been disappointed in my emails to the company that makes the Nova chucks.

Over the years I've grown used to the way it works and am able to use the chuck but after several years of use it sometimes still aggravates me during use and for that reason I would rather have a One way or a Vic marc chuck.

When I bought the Supernova I'd never seen any other chucks or knew any other turners but since then I'd seen and used other chucks and find them much easier to use and as far as I'm concerned the ease of use and quality of the chuck is more important than the number of jaws that may be available for the chuck.

I don't know anything about Vicmarc's service but I do notice that many of the professional turners use and speak very highly of Vicmarc chucks and lathes and I suspect service is the same. I have visited the Oneway company booth at the Craft Supplies Super Wednesday that's held the day before the Utah Symposium in Provo, and I believe that quality built equipment , service, satisfying a customers concern is very important to them and I am pretty sure that my next chuck will be from them.

I don't own a Oneway or Vicmarc lathe and am not associated with any company or business that may gain favor, sales, or advertising dollars by from what they may or may not say about a piece of equipment and I am in not trying speak ill of or their equipment.

I will say though, at the risk of being flamed to death, that some companies seem to find turners and others that are willing to say the "right" things in this newsgroup to promote sales of their equipment over others.

Hope this helps.

Yeahbut, they don't make the SuperNova anymore. The replacement SuperNova2 is a new animal that addresses your complaints. I would not have bought the SN, but I DID pick the SN2 over the Talon, which is certainly no slouch in the chucking department.

No affiliation with Teknitool or Oneway or anyone else but myself.

FWIW,

Greg G.

Greg,

Yes, they have addressed some of the problems with the newer model SuperNova2, but not my main difficulty with the chuck, - which is, you need to turn the handle counter-clockwise to tighten the chuck when in the compression mode.

I haven't seen one of the new ones, but according to the manual on Teknatool's web site, the SuperNova 2 is the same as the older models in that respect. I'm also pretty sure the larger Titan 5" chuck they make is the same configuration also- as least I've been told that by salesmen that sell the larger chucks. I was considering buying a Titan chuck especially since I have several sets of jaws already that would work with it until I learned it tightened the same as the SuperNova did. Since you have a SN2 maybe you could clarify whether it is tightened by turning left or right.

It may be that my hands are getting weaker with age, but trying to hold a blank in the jaws with my left hand while tightening the chuck by turning my right hand toward me is very awkward and has a limited range of motion for me. Twisting the right hand to the right is much easier for me. It is also a more comfortable and natural motion for my hand and gives me greater range of "twist" or a larger circular motion thus making the process easier, faster, and not frustrating at all because I don't have to think about which way to turn the handle.

I'm not saying that the SuperNova 2 would be a bad choice for someone that needs a chuck and as I said I use a SuperNova a lot. And it surely shouldn't be considered in the slouch category but I do feel the counter-clockwise tightening is a bad engineering decision that can be difficult for many users. And at any rate, for most people it will take some getting used to and I feel that is good information for a new turner to know before buying the chuck.

While I know that other turners also feel like I do now on the "backward" tightening issue my opinion has been formed by using the chuck over several years - often for many long days and weeks at a time. When I first bought my chuck I didn't see how it could be much of a problem but the longer I've had it and tried to use it in different ways, the more I became aware of what worked well for me and what didn't. I also have made it a point to look at the chucks the professional turners and demonstrators use and I've yet to see one using a Teknatool chuck.

I may be wrong but I think if Teknatool's engineers had come up with a better idea than the "lefty-loosey, righty-tighty" then some of the other major lathe chuck manufacturers would have caught on to that "secret" and made some of their own using the better technology. And if it worked better or even as good as the other chucks, some of the well know turners and demonstrators would be seen using it.

At any rate my thoughts and opinions are submitted with the intent of helping a new turner make a choice of which chuck to choose. I don't mean to indicate anyone has made a poor choice or to create a turmoil in the newsgroup.

However it is possible that I've hung around this group long enough to be tossed in the COC category that is sometimes present here! :-)

Happy turning,

Bertie

Note that the Supernova is righty-tighty if you're using it as a spigot (expanding) chuck. The manual makes it seem like this is the preferred mode for this chuck.

Well, it does operate differently than the Talon, but whether you consider that backwards or not depends on whether you are used to "tightening" around a spigot or into a dovetail recess... I use a recess more often than a spigot/tenon.

Maybe I don't notice it as much due to the fact that I'm a lefty and am also used to left-hand threads. It does have an arrow stamped into the pinion for those who just can't remember. :-\

I'm not trying to sell anyone on either, but there has been far wider acceptance of the SN2 than the original SN. The ball headed chuck key is a nice touch that eliminates the need to be "straight-on" to the chuck. Some might appreciate the indexing holes, but I haven't had any use for them yet. The captive woodworm screw is also clamped by the jaws, and prohibited from rotating. Perhaps I have a subconscious desire to own Australian products. ;-)

I am simply reporting that it works fine for me and is well machined.

FWIW,

Greg G.

It definately matters as to the way its used and its much easier for me when I'm using it in a recess and I do more tenon type turnings than recesses.

It's possible I may have the same complaint with another brand of chuck if I used it more often in a recess than with a tenon.

You make a good point about using the chuck with the left hand being dominant verus the right. I can see how it would be different than what I'm doing and in fact may be a better choice for left-handers than other chucks.

Thanks for the info.

Bertie

I suppose you have a problem with the left end of your grinder and the arbor of your tablesaw, too? It's a left-hand-thread. No mystery. It's that way because the folks who designed the chuck figured the thing would be used predominantly in the expansion mode, where Lefty Lucy still works.

In case you'd like a new mnemonic, remember that Lefty Lucy doesn't spread 'em with Chuck.

Hi George,

I don't have any problem with left handed threads on tools or whatever

- at least not where they make sense anyway. :)

I like your memory aid but now that the new nova chucks have an arrow to tell people which way to turn the wrench I guess most can forget about ole loosey lucy. Makes me wonder though why the arrow was necessary if no one had a problem with the direction of turn. I suspect my complaint has been heard quite a bit by Teknatool.

Vicmarc made a CCW chuck for a while also but I think they have discontinued it for the CW models. I don't know why but I doubt they would have done that if there was demand for the item.

Selecting a chuck is a matter of personal preference. And yes the way a chuck is primarily used certainly affects that choice. To each his own and there will always be some of us that like or dislike any piece of equipment for any number of reasons.

And if one were to do an archived newsgroup search they would find postings from several years ago where I had a completey different opinion about this chuck.

I just hope the person that started this thread by asking about chucks has gained some insight in the matter and that we have been helpful in his decision of which chuck to choose.

Bertie

You'd love the 3000, where the tailstock is secured leftie tightie for reasons known only to Teknatool.

As I said, the reason for the apparent other-handedness is that the designers anticipated that regular usage would be in the recess mode. Means start-up inertia tightens it, too.