My apologies if this question is like beating a dead horse for some of you. I've been turning with glue blocks a little bit and wanted to "graduate" to a chuck. What system would be best for a beginner? Thank you in advance for any help on thism
Hi Larry, I'll approach this from lathe size and motor power, for it really is not a matter of beginner vs. experienced.
Regardless of chuck brand, if you are using a smaller lathe (let's say 12" swing or less) with a motor of one hp or less, I'd suggest a smaller chuck, examples of which are the Oneway Talon and Vicmarc VM100. These chucks weigh in the 4 pound neighborhood, are excellent in design and construction, are a bit more affordable due to their size, offer accessory jaws, and the lighter weight won't tax the limited motor power. I bought the first production run Talon directly from Oneway around 1997/98 before they were even released to the market after they explained it was a chuck designed specifically for this size family of lathes. And if the Vicmarc VM100 is on par with their larger VM120 which I own, it, too, would be a great chuck to consider.
If you own a lathe with a larger than 12" swing, and with a motor greater than one hp, then the Oneway Stronghold or Vicmarc VM120 are at the top of the list for me. These are chucks in the 8+ pound category, strong enough to crush wood fibers with their grip, have a large range of accessory jaws, and will confidently hold whatever you want to turn that will fit on a lathe up to a 24" swing. The quality of these two brands is without a fault. The big difference is the style of how their jaws hold wood, serrated jaws (Oneway) vs. dovetail jaws (Vicmarc). I've owned both brands for 2 decades, and in the final analysis, to me it is six of one and a half dozen of the other. Use the chuck as the manufacturer intended and all is good.
Yes, there are other brands, but I have no experience with them, but they should be considered as well.
Steve.
It's easier to work close to the tenon when using a smaller chuck and the smaller chucks hold just as well as the larger chucks.
I have to confess to doing the opposite sometimes using my vicmark 120 when I demo bowls on small lathes. I do it so the extra weight will compensate a little for the light lathe and let me get a higher rpm.
Good point. I have done something somewhat similar. I have a ten-inch diameter Oneway cast iron faceplate that I have used with some turning blanks that were heavy on one side. The faceplate weighs 12 pounds 6 ounces and sure does a great job of smoothing out vibrations.
I wonder if adding well distributed weight can further reduce the vibration level.....?
Both Kelton and Vicmarc make a faceplate/Chucks whose purpose is to “Add well distributed weight”
balancing the weight of turned objects reduces vibration. By using a heavy faceplate or Chuck you add balanced weight that then reduces the % of off balanced weight. In wood, a non-homigenious, medium the weight is never 100% evenly distributed within the blanks. Obviously first mounted un turned blanks have uneven weight because of the off center parts.
There are a couple of chucks/faceplates in the market place designed for off set turning.
They work using movable weights that can moved to counterbalance the weight if pieces intentionally moved off center. They reduce the vibration a great deal.
https://www.kelton.co.nz/Kelton Eccentric Faceplate.html
https://vicmarc.com/index.php?optio...mart_product_id=100&virtuemart_category_id=14
I think that is what Bill and I said to start this tangent. A heavy in balance faceplate adds in balance weight to the turning. It doesn’t change the wood but does reduce the wood’s out of balance weight contribution to vibration.was not thinking of the ability to mount a turning independent from the spindle axis, or a flywheel to resist changes in rotational energy....but to reduce the tendency of an out-of-balance turning to effect the contact of the turning tool edge,
what we need is a faceplate designed to accept balancing weights, much like the wheel weights added to rims when balancing one's tires!
Odie, what we need is a faceplate designed to accept balancing weights, much like the wheel weights added to rims when balancing one's tires!
I have an off-center vacuum chuck. The base disc (MDF in this case) is attached to a steel faceplate (8"?) that has a slightly raised edge on the back side. I used rare earth magnets in cups which are moveable and positioned against or near that edge....act just like wheel weights. The centrifugal force doesn't have any effect on their placement while resting against that edge. It's the one on the left.Odie, what we need is a faceplate designed to accept balancing weights, much like the wheel weights added to rims when balancing one's tires!
Likewise, some way to determine where to put those weights.....like those machines that do that for tires.
Generally, this takes three iterations or less. In lieu of adding weights, you can shift the piece of wood ... at least in the initial roughing stage.
Since RPM is directly related to vibration level, and each individual lathe has it's own threshold.....I wonder if adding well distributed weight can further reduce the vibration level.....?
This is the method I used for placing the magnets in the above post. Also for other off-center turnings when adding weights.That's easy because static balancing works well enough. Just loosen the drive belt so that it doesn't touch the spindle pulley. Next, give the spindle a spin by hand and let it coast to a stop. Mark the low point with a pencil or Sharpie or your favorite marker. Repeat the spin test several times to verify that it stops spinning close to the same spot. Once you have confirmed the heaviest side, add some weight 180° from the pencil marks. Then repeat the spin test to see if the added weight was not enough, just right, or too much. Generally, this takes three iterations or less. In lieu of adding weights, you can shift the piece of wood ... at least in the initial roughing stage.
In an earlier post you suggested:
While it might seem counter-intuitive, just the opposite is the case ... vibration amplitude is inversely proportional to RPM. As an example, suppose that we put a very unbalanced piece of wood on a lightweight lathe and, for now, assume that there aren't any structural resonances. At very low RPM we would see the lathe rocking from side to side. Being brave (or foolhardy) we increase the speed and while the lathe is still shaking, the rocking ha diminished. Being encouraged by this, we increase the speed further. We can feel the vibration when we touch the tool rest, but we can't actually see the vibration. If we increase the speed even further we find that we can get decent interrupted cuts. At this point, we can still feel some vibration and possibly begin to hear the vibration. Even though the amplitude of the vibrations is inversely proportional to the RPM, the kinetic energy of the vibrations is increasing with increasing RPM ... not just proportionally, but with the square of the RPM's ... in other words, if we double the speed the kinetic energy increases by a factor of four. This kinetic energy is bound to excite any structural resonances of both the wood and the lathe which can make it difficult to get a fine detail finish. This information is a convincing argument for going after the root of the problem by balancing the load either by shifting the wood or using weights.
Nova just came out with a new line of chucks so, the G3 and supernova 2 (insert chucks) will probably be going on sale.
By doing this wouldn't it require you to re-balance/move your weights frequently as you cut away the unbalanced portion of the wood stock .Both Kelton and Vicmarc make a faceplate/Chucks whose purpose is to “Add well distributed weight”
balancing the weight of turned objects reduces vibration. By using a heavy faceplate or Chuck you add balanced weight that then reduces the % of off balanced weight. In wood, a non-homigenious, medium the weight is never 100% evenly distributed within the blanks. Obviously first mounted un turned blanks have uneven weight because of the off center parts.
There are a couple of chucks/faceplates in the market place designed for off set turning.
They work using movable weights that can moved to counterbalance the weight if pieces intentionally moved off center. They reduce the vibration a great deal.
https://www.kelton.co.nz/Kelton Eccentric Faceplate.html
https://vicmarc.com/index.php?optio...mart_product_id=100&virtuemart_category_id=14
By doing this wouldn't it require you to re-balance/move your weights frequently as you cut away the unbalanced portion of the wood stock ....
It depends. If i's something like a soup ladle or a one piece hand mirror then it may not be necessary to adjust the weights. And a heavy chuck or faceplate could also be useful in swamping out the relatively small change in weight distribution of the wood.On something like a bowl or platter, you could probably do away with the weights once you're half way through the initial rough shaping. I don't bother with weights when doing bowls and platters. Instead, I just center the wood to get it in balance. Once you do that, the piece will be balanced all the way to completion.
I have the Vicmarc and also the Vermec chucks for offset turning. And, I just ordered the biggest chuck out there, a VM150.Both Kelton and Vicmarc make a faceplate/Chucks whose purpose is to “Add well distributed weight”
balancing the weight of turned objects reduces vibration. By using a heavy faceplate or Chuck you add balanced weight that then reduces the % of off balanced weight. In wood, a non-homigenious, medium the weight is never 100% evenly distributed within the blanks. Obviously first mounted un turned blanks have uneven weight because of the off center parts.
There are a couple of chucks/faceplates in the market place designed for off set turning.
They work using movable weights that can moved to counterbalance the weight if pieces intentionally moved off center. They reduce the vibration a great deal.
https://www.kelton.co.nz/Kelton Eccentric Faceplate.html
https://vicmarc.com/index.php?optio...mart_product_id=100&virtuemart_category_id=14
What about adapters? Should Larry by chucks that match the arbor/thread size? Does an adapter add to the vibration possibilities? I've been thinking of replacing my chucks with the matching thread n size and eliminating the adapters....