Chuck

"Bill Gooch" wrote: (clip) want something simple that I don't have to buy a bunch of jaws for. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You don't HAVE to buy a bunch of jaws for ANY chuck. But, think of it this way: a chuck is a fairly expensive item. By comparison, jaws are relatively cheap. Each time you add a set of jaws to your setup, you extend the usefulness of the chuck, so you are buying a lot for a little. You will have the chuck and jaws for the rest of your life. The sooner you buy them the less of your life you waste.

I think Leo gave the most important message concerning the question "To chuck or not to chuck", which is the essence.

I have tried most of the good ones, and a couple of the cheap ones, and now I own a Talon and a Stronghold, both from Oneway.

It is my opinion that all the chucks in this price-class, Novas and SuperNovas included, of course, are all very much usable and reliable. Go ahead and buy your SuperNova, I am sure you will be happy with it. I am sure your choice of the SuperNova must be partly for the wide range of accessories.

As for jaws, you should have two, the "normal" jaw (50mm) wich is the "must have" if you only want one, and the spigot jaws for holding the small and the thin.

Best of luck with your decision.

Bjarte

Hello Bill,

I bought the SuperNova and think it came with the 3" to 4" jaw set. This was fine for a time but within the last couple years I bought two more jaw sets - the small 1" and the 2". I purchased the teknatool chuck because pretty much all the teknatool jaws will fit on the same body. I am also strictly a hobbyist and the chuck amply serves my needs. It's all the toys asscociated with turning that eat up my budget.

Don't get a threaded one, get one with an insert that you can adapt to your next - yes, he said "next" - lathe.

If you're doing the Super, get the standard 50 and the 25mm "pin jaws." I use them about 90% of the time.

After getting my first chuck and all of the sets of jaws that I thought I would need, I found that I use three jaws; a small set on my small chuck, a large set on my big chuck, and a smaller extended set (one inch outside, and 1/4 inch inside) on my other small chuck. It got to be a hastle to change jaws, so I bought an extra chuck. All of my chucks are Vicmark, and I have used and abused them severely, and they hold up fine. robo hippy

I've been using my Vicmarc 120 now for about 7 - 8 years now, really hard. Large objects, off center turning, you name it. Solid as a tank, even after my no so gentle use.

The only thing now is that it does seem a little bit smoother when tightening to grip. It has been bulletproof.

By deciding if you will turn from spigots or mortises, you will determine how you will grip, and hence what jaws you will need. I have the jaw that came on my chuck, and sprung for a set of small long nose jaws. Never needed anything else.

In fact, when I am holding something I don't want scratched, I use a jam chuck held in the scroll chuck jaws... talk about too easy. Just because you now have a scroller doesn't mean you stop using the other tools and ways of turning.

I do agree that once you pass a certain point of $$ they are all nice chucks.

Robert

I spent a few bucks more for the Oneway Talon, at the suggestion of a few members here... it's my first chuck and I had no idea what I was doing.. *g*

After about a year and a couple of hundred of turnings, I'd never change.. but since I've never used any other chuck, my opinion is very bios.. I love the one hand use with the key, the way it holds and how much easier it has made turning.. especially on bowls... YMMV

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I got my first lathe recently and bought the SuperNova2. It's easy to use and works fine for me. I bought it thru Amazon and got a good price on it compared to what I'd see at the Woodcraft store. You can't order thru Amazon anymore for this company as they have switched over to eBay.

Go to

to get to the storefront. They seem to have very reasonable prices. My set came with the 2" bowl jaws, 25mm pin jaws, woodworm screw, and insert for my lathe. All for $193. After ordering, you will get an email requesting your lathe type so they can give you the proper insert. Brad Curfman

"More power" to 'em.