Scroll chuck maintenance

[Dean Center]

I use an older, possibly the original model, tommy bar Nova chuck at a club shop. The edges of the dovetail jaws seem to have gotten smoothed off over the years of use and don't seem as sharp as on newer chucks I've handled. Do the jaws need to be tuned in some way? If so, how would you do this? Is it sometimes necessary to replace them due to wear?

I've also read allusions to cleaning the open back on Nova chucks. Is there a recommended way to do so? What sort of a schedule should I follow?

Thanks for the help.

Dean Center

 

[MichaelMouse]

Smooth or round makes no difference, as long as the slope is still there. If you have some dings from drops, take them off with a file so they won't affect the smooth hold. I cannot figure out how normal use would generate any "wear."

The manual is here, http://www.teknatool.com/products/Chucks/Nova/downloads/Nova Chuck Manual.pdf and if you have pliers for the circlip, it's easy to diassemble. Me, I'd pump a bit of graphite into a tight system, tighten the grub screws on a loose one. Work it back and forth a couple times and all should be well. Took mine apart about five years ago when I somehow added a chunk of wood to the scroll that air wouldn't eject. Think it had maybe a dozen years on it then.