I am interested in learning how to use an off center chuck. Does anyone have experience using Ron Brown’s off center chuck and/or other off center chucks? I am a beginner (2 years turning) and this is a fantastic hobby. Thank you.
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Off center chucks
- Thread starter David Friedman
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The off center chucks with all the holes give me a headache. I have a big one that goes off center by sliding and. Tilting.
There are lots of simple off center turnings you can do to get a feel for it and build up skills and a sense of what will happen.
You don’t need a commercial chuck for the small stuff.
I think doing a few off center spindles is easier to learn on your own. After you get comfortable with spindles then do some small pendants with double sided tape.
The chucks are good for exact repeatability.
3 sided napkin rings are great fun and skill builders. Everyone can use a set of napkin rings.
I’ve done a few workshops with beginners and they all get 3 napkin rings in about 90 minutes.
Here is a handout I use in demos
I have video of a demo I can hunt up if you’re interested.
There are lots of simple off center turnings you can do to get a feel for it and build up skills and a sense of what will happen.
You don’t need a commercial chuck for the small stuff.
I think doing a few off center spindles is easier to learn on your own. After you get comfortable with spindles then do some small pendants with double sided tape.
The chucks are good for exact repeatability.
3 sided napkin rings are great fun and skill builders. Everyone can use a set of napkin rings.
I’ve done a few workshops with beginners and they all get 3 napkin rings in about 90 minutes.
Here is a handout I use in demos
I have video of a demo I can hunt up if you’re interested.
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I have the Vicmarc and the Vermec. I would recommend the Vermec. After all, Enzo fabricates parts for Ferrari in the same shop. That should give you an idea of the quality of his work. Call Enzo or Nadine direct, or email them. Even with shipping is a great deal. Tell Nadine I say hello.
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If you can find the book, "Woodturning Jewellery" by Hilary Bowen, it has some good information on using the small off-center chucks. It's a British book as you might have guessed by the different spelling of the word Jewelry.
Thank you!
Thank you, I ordered book through Amazon. Again thank you!
I have the Ron Brown and have used it maybe five times. I used a SN2 which is a bit heavy but with slow speed will work. I did a goblet with it and worked well. If there were weights to balance it could be better I just have not gotten round to doing that. I also use it for cutting rings in platters and just adjust the work in the chuck for each cut once the right circle was set by the RB chuck.
I just wish I had spent some on a small chuck for it.
I just wish I had spent some on a small chuck for it.
Thank you. I have looked at the Ron Brown offset, I guess I hesitant to buy an expensive tool and then not make much use of it. Not familiar with SN2, could you provide full name. Again, thank you.
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I believe it refers to the SuperNova II chuck.
Myself, I do little offcenter turnings but when I do, I just chuck up a waste block and glue the blank to the waste block on a pre-determined center - takes a bit more time & maybe not as repeatable, but then like I said, I do very little off-center turnings (Though I like to do the offcenter spindles, which of course are done between centers.... )
Recommend you play with some of glue block and other cheap solutions to get an idea what its like. Spindles are easy just using off center holes. There are some utube “off center turning” vids. If you really like it then consider one of the chucks.
David, you might also want to consider multi-axis turning. It does not require a specific chuck but uses multiple centerlines on your turned objects. Barbara Dill has a great website that delves into all aspects of multi-axis turning - www.barbaradill.com.
I also have some YouTube videos on multi-axis turning that will give you some ideas on the subject. Here's a link to one on turning a 'Half-Twist Bowl':
Enjoy!
Brian Horais
Knoxville, Tennessee
Here are a couple off center turnings. These were done on my CNC machine with the work stationary upright and the cutter moving around the part.
The one on the left is simply a circular cutter path stating at the bottom moving up about .010" per pass and offsetting and decreasing the radius. The wood was labeled "English oak". If the part was sliced horizontally the cross sections would be circular.
The one on the right is 6" tall. This one, a cross section would be elliptical. And the offsets from center were two axis and rotated giving the spiral. Wood is Eastern hard maple.
No sanding needed on these. The maple piece has an almost burnished finish.
I'm more interested in the finished piece than the journey so my interest in hand turning is about zero. Having the CNC in retirement from my business it's easy for me. But, it isn't as complicated as it might seem for anybody and getting easier as time goes on. Also no where near the dollar investment most serious turners have (these two pieces could be done on everything purchased at Woodcraft for well under $4K). A bit of a learning curve, maybe no more than all this endless business about getting the right grind and learning to hold your tool correctly.
Any other CNC'ers here? Bill Ooms is the only one I know of. His work is world class. But, the way he approaches CNC using free open source software and homemade machines IMO makes it extremely difficult.
The one on the left is simply a circular cutter path stating at the bottom moving up about .010" per pass and offsetting and decreasing the radius. The wood was labeled "English oak". If the part was sliced horizontally the cross sections would be circular.
The one on the right is 6" tall. This one, a cross section would be elliptical. And the offsets from center were two axis and rotated giving the spiral. Wood is Eastern hard maple.
No sanding needed on these. The maple piece has an almost burnished finish.
I'm more interested in the finished piece than the journey so my interest in hand turning is about zero. Having the CNC in retirement from my business it's easy for me. But, it isn't as complicated as it might seem for anybody and getting easier as time goes on. Also no where near the dollar investment most serious turners have (these two pieces could be done on everything purchased at Woodcraft for well under $4K). A bit of a learning curve, maybe no more than all this endless business about getting the right grind and learning to hold your tool correctly.
Any other CNC'ers here? Bill Ooms is the only one I know of. His work is world class. But, the way he approaches CNC using free open source software and homemade machines IMO makes it extremely difficult.
Brian: Thank you very much. I ordered a book by Barbara Dill and watched your videos, appreciate all the help from your website, very appreciative, again thank you! David
Look at the 'gallery' section at the end of Dill's book to see just how incredibly diverse the possibilities of multi-axis turning are. Derek Weidman's work in particular is mind-bending, since almost all of the cutting is done a lathe. No chuck required. I took a class with him several years ago. You never think about turning the same way.
Doug, I like what you are doing. I use a cnc router in my cabinetmaking work, mostly drilling, sizing and cutting 2D curves. There are many more possibilities as you suggest, and for off axis work like this cnc is well suited. Do you have a 4th axis setup (rotary)? With my machine's limited z axis I would be limited to fairly small work.
That said, there is a great deal to woodturning that I love that is the antithesis of cnc work - arriving directly at a shape using manual skill, changing in midstream according to emerging characteristics of the workpiece, speed, not using a computer or listening to a router.
Thanks for offering a different perspective and inspiration. I doubt you will convert many here but who knows? Cnc work has much in common with ornamental lathe turning.