Slight rocking with my Nova G3 chuck? Need to know if this is fixable...

[Jon Rista]

I have been turning spindles the last couple of days, and have been having a lot of problems with vibrations. I originally thought that the issue was in the lathe, or with the set of the chuck on the spindle. But I've checked and rechecked those, and there is no issue with any of that. I then held the chuck firmly, and pushed and pulled a little on the blank I had in the chuck, and I could hear a bit of a click. On deeper investigation, it seems like my chuck jaws, may in fact be a little loose. I first pulled the blank out, and checked the tightness of every jaw screw. All were quite firm and the jaws themselves are not loose. It seems to be the slides that the jaws screw into, that are loose. Not a lot, but enough that it is causing a very problematic vibration, even with very short blanks (2-3 inches, which I've never had a problem with vibrations with before).

I am not really sure why the slides would be loose, but that seems to be the problem. I am now wondering if this is fixable...

 

[Bill Blasic]

Every one of my chucks regardless of brand has a tiny bit of movement of the slides left and right while looking at the face of the chuck when not clamped on a piece of wood, but there is no visible or feel of looseness when pulling up. When clamped against a piece of wood this movement of the slides (left and right) cannot happen. If you are able to pull on that piece of wood and get movement back and forth (not side to side) you have a problem that Teknatool should be shown that problem and the chuck replaced. I've owned a lot of chucks and have never run into that problem. Slides are like an inch long and all four slides would have to be really really messed up to get movement when pulling outward. The jaws pull on the slides in an upward direction. It is hard for me to fathom that happening but you never know?

 

[Bill Alston]

Just an observation but I’ve noticed a difference in the clearance between the Chuck body and the Jaws (slides) on various chucks. The tightest are my metal work lathe chucks.
My Axminster SK100 chuck is also very good. My Record Power and Nova chucks display more movement. The RP and Nova chucks have cast Jaws whilst all the others are machined.

I’ve not noticed any significant vibration that I could attribute to Jaw movement though.

 

[Webb Willmott]

Perhaps a little chuck maintenance might help? Take the slides out and give everything a good cleaning.

 

[Bill Alston]

I know some on here disagree, and have even stripped it all out, but Teknatool recommends lubricating their chucks. I suspect even a modest amount of grease might help with vibration? They recommend a Heavy Viscous Grease in their literature.

 

[John K Jordan]

When mounting jaws I always follow the instructions:

• Clean dust and debris from all slides and jaws.
• Place the jaws in a circle in the right order looking from above (1-4 clockwise)
• Open the slides a bit.
• Place each jaw on the grooves on the slides, one at a time starting with any slide. (Nova changed orig instructions at some point.)
• Insert screws and initially tighten them LOOSELY. I "snug" then back off a partial turn.
• Close the jaws with the key till they all meet and tighten the screws firmly.

Don't mix up individual jaws from other jaw sets, at least with older jaws which were made differently than I think they are now.

Don't know if the above will help with what you are seeing, but with my 20+ Nova chucks and numerous jaw sets I have never had a case where I could wiggle the wood the slightest bit once firmly mounted.

Also, once I bought some used chucks very cheap from a fellow woodturner. They were almost worth what I paid for them. He must have secretly been the Incredible Hulk or used long cheater bars but the chuck bodies were distorted such that it was nearly impossible to make them function correctly. It tool me days of rework until I was happy with them. I'm assuming new chucks won't have this type of problem. If these are old chucks, maybe something is worn.

JKJ

 

[Doug Freeman]

All slides/jaws will be loose when “free”. You don’t describe the shape of the blank(s) mounted. Sometimes I hear a click as you describe, and find that one jaw is not loaded. Happens with stock that isn’t quite square, or a tenon that isn’t quite round, especially one that warped a bit from drying.

Sometimes I can make it go away by tightening the jaws, other times I need to correct the shape of the work, and other times I just let it be - not an option if it is affecting your cut.

 

[Bill Hamilton]

I have been turning spindles the last couple of days, and have been having a lot of problems with vibrations. I originally thought that the issue was in the lathe, or with the set of the chuck on the spindle. But I've checked and rechecked those, and there is no issue with any of that. I then held the chuck firmly, and pushed and pulled a little on the blank I had in the chuck, and I could hear a bit of a click. On deeper investigation, it seems like my chuck jaws, may in fact be a little loose. I first pulled the blank out, and checked the tightness of every jaw screw. All were quite firm and the jaws themselves are not loose. It seems to be the slides that the jaws screw into, that are loose. Not a lot, but enough that it is causing a very problematic vibration, even with very short blanks (2-3 inches, which I've never had a problem with vibrations with before).

I am not really sure why the slides would be loose, but that seems to be the problem. I am now wondering if this is fixable...

 

[Bill Hamilton]

the jaws have to be slightly loose so they can be tightened and loosened with the chuck key.

 

[Jon Rista]

All slides/jaws will be loose when “free”. You don’t describe the shape of the blank(s) mounted. Sometimes I hear a click as you describe, and find that one jaw is not loaded. Happens with stock that isn’t quite square, or a tenon that isn’t quite round, especially one that warped a bit from drying.

Sometimes I can make it go away by tightening the jaws, other times I need to correct the shape of the work, and other times I just let it be - not an option if it is affecting your cut.

When mounting jaws I always follow the instructions:

• Clean dust and debris from all slides and jaws.
• Place the jaws in a circle in the right order looking from above (1-4 clockwise)
• Open the slides a bit.
• Place each jaw on the grooves on the slides, one at a time starting with any slide. (Nova changed orig instructions at some point.)
• Insert screws and initially tighten them LOOSELY. I "snug" then back off a partial turn.
• Close the jaws with the key till they all meet and tighten the screws firmly.

Don't mix up individual jaws from other jaw sets, at least with older jaws which were made differently than I think they are now.

Don't know if the above will help with what you are seeing, but with my 20+ Nova chucks and numerous jaw sets I have never had a case where I could wiggle the wood the slightest bit once firmly mounted.

Also, once I bought some used chucks very cheap from a fellow woodturner. They were almost worth what I paid for them. He must have secretly been the Incredible Hulk or used long cheater bars but the chuck bodies were distorted such that it was nearly impossible to make them function correctly. It tool me days of rework until I was happy with them. I'm assuming new chucks won't have this type of problem. If these are old chucks, maybe something is worn.

JKJ

Ok, this might be a factor. I think I may indeed have mixed up jaws from two 50mm sets. It looks like maybe 1/4 of the jaws is from the other set. I have two sets of 50mm jaws, and I suspect I haven't kept the closest eye on them. I did not notice the issue, until just now, closing the jaws all the way down and one of them does not seem to align with the others. All four jaws are attached to their corresponding numbered slide, so I think its the 4th jaw that is incorrect. Hopefully, this means that one of the jaws isn't clamping properly causing the issue... Will see in a bit here.

The blank itself does visbly move. Its not a ton, its maybe a millimeter rock at most. However, that is more than enough to cause problems turning spindles, even when there are only a couple of inches or so of spindle to turn. With 6+ inches, its pretty wild, I've had to keep the tailstock engaged until the last possible moment. Really hoping the issue is this swapped jaw...and that something is just not clamping down right.

FWIW, these two chucks, my G3 chucks, get very regular cleanings. They gum up and pack in dust really easily, and I have to clean them all the time. They are very clean, but...not greased. I don't really like the idea of greasing them, I feel that just makes them accumulate dust even faster, but, maybe it is necessary.

I haven't damaged these in any meaningful way. Some scratches from sandpaper here and there, but otherwise they are in good condition. I may sell them, and get some other chucks. Someone mentioned their Axminsters are very tight tolerance. I have an RP as well, an SC4, which seems very good to me. I have just never really liked the G3 chucks...so maybe its time to sell them and move onto another brand. The RP is compatible with all my Nova jaws, so maybe another SC4. Did I read recently that Axminster released a new line of chucks as well?

 

[John K Jordan]

I think I may indeed have mixed up jaws from two 50mm sets.

When I remove jaws, I've started putting the sets in zip-lock sandwich bags to keep them together. Since all the chucks came with 50mm jaws I have a box of spares of those! If one gets dinged up or just dirty, I swap it out for new, pretty jaws.

Maybe I'll do an art installation with the extras and sell it in a ritzy NY gallery and retire. No wait, I've already retired, almost 20 years ago...

 

[Bill Alston]

Ok, this might be a factor. I think I may indeed have mixed up jaws from two 50mm sets. It looks like maybe 1/4 of the jaws is from the other set. I have two sets of 50mm jaws, and I suspect I haven't kept the closest eye on them. I did not notice the issue, until just now, closing the jaws all the way down and one of them does not seem to align with the others. All four jaws are attached to their corresponding numbered slide, so I think its the 4th jaw that is incorrect. Hopefully, this means that one of the jaws isn't clamping properly causing the issue... Will see in a bit here.

The blank itself does visbly move. Its not a ton, its maybe a millimeter rock at most. However, that is more than enough to cause problems turning spindles, even when there are only a couple of inches or so of spindle to turn. With 6+ inches, its pretty wild, I've had to keep the tailstock engaged until the last possible moment. Really hoping the issue is this swapped jaw...and that something is just not clamping down right.

FWIW, these two chucks, my G3 chucks, get very regular cleanings. They gum up and pack in dust really easily, and I have to clean them all the time. They are very clean, but...not greased. I don't really like the idea of greasing them, I feel that just makes them accumulate dust even faster, but, maybe it is necessary.

I haven't damaged these in any meaningful way. Some scratches from sandpaper here and there, but otherwise they are in good condition. I may sell them, and get some other chucks. Someone mentioned their Axminsters are very tight tolerance. I have an RP as well, an SC4, which seems very good to me. I have just never really liked the G3 chucks...so maybe its time to sell them and move onto another brand. The RP is compatible with all my Nova jaws, so maybe another SC4. Did I read recently that Axminster released a new line of chucks as well?

Yes Axminster released a new range a while back. They are expensive but extremely well made in Stainless Steel to tight tolerances.
They also sell the biggest range of Accessory Jaws as well, some types being unique to Axminster. They make 88mm, 100mm and 114mm diameter models.

 

[Doug Freeman]

FWIW, these two chucks, my G3 chucks, get very regular cleanings. They gum up and pack in dust really easily, and I have to clean them all the time. They are very clean, but...not greased. I don't really like the idea of greasing them, I feel that just makes them accumulate dust even faster, but, maybe it is necessary.

I have two g3 chucks. When received, they were disassembled, degreased, deburred, alox rust preventive all over, past wax on all moving friction surfaces. In ~5 yrs use, they have not been apart again. I blow out the wood dust as needed.

 

[Bill Blasic]

At the peak of my turning I had over 40 chucks (I had 11 lathes and they were used a lot for hands on with different pros 2 and 3 times a year with the jaws the pro wanted) that were used on my lathes. I have never had to clean any of them regardless of brand. All I have done all these years is use an air hose to blow off the dust, never had a problem with any chuck except one Nova chuck that I had to replace the pinion gears as I believe the ball end allen wrench supplied was the culprit (I cut off the balls of these wrenches and have never had a problem since).

 

[Tim Hunter]

You have apparently experienced vibration and made a likely unrelated observation, yet in your mind you have directly connected the two. Jaw slides in these chucks will always have some clearance, but when holding a workpiece is arrested.

Tim

 

[John K Jordan]

never had a problem with any chuck except one Nova chuck that I had to replace the pinion gears as I believe the ball end allen wrench supplied was the culprit (I cut off the balls of these wrenches and have never had a problem since).

I do the same thing with the T-handled wrench even before the damage reports started coming in. I gave a lathe and chuck to a friend recently and showed him the ball end and explained the reason but he didn't want it cut off - so I just have him two, one with the ball and the other without. And a chuck wrench.

I wondered if part of the damage was from when people insert the wrench in the pinion socket and slam or hit it with a mallet to get the chuck off the lathe. I always use the Nova chuck wrench to loosen chucks - these fit the hex end of the insert on all my chucks but one. The direct thread Titan didn't have any place to use the wrench. Some say they use a strap wrench around the body of the chuck. Some people suggest simply clamping a board between the jaws for leverage but that won't work if I want to leave the piece mounted. I sometimes have 3 or 4 chucks with work mounted for different projects or for a student or two in the middle of projects.

A question related to "How many tools is enough" might be "How many chucks is enough". Some are happy with only one.

JKJ

 

[Jon Rista]

You have apparently experienced vibration and made a likely unrelated observation, yet in your mind you have directly connected the two. Jaw slides in these chucks will always have some clearance, but when holding a workpiece is arrested.

Tim

You have made some assumptions too. Go figure.

I tested every single connection in the system. I also checked inside the headstock to figure out if there were any loose things in there (and realized I had the belt slightly too tight, causing a clicking in one of the bearings), checked the spindle itself, a 1 1/4"->1" adapter, checked the chuck itself (the body), checked the slides (very slightly loose except for one, which seems to be fairly loose), checked the jaws (which of course pick up any looseness in the slides, but I was also checking that the screws holding the jaws to the slides were appropriately tight.) The only one that allows the rocking is the jaw slides. Even when locked down tight on the bank, there is one slide in particular that seems to have a fair amount of play regardless. This results in movement in the wood, with minimal force. I can hear the click in the slide when I push or pull lightly on any blank locked in the chuck. The workpiece is definitely not arrested properly. The problem also disappears if I use my RP chuck instead.

The issue is not in my head, and not due to anything else. Now, with long blanks, of course there is vibration at the end of a blank extending 5-6" or more away from the chuck without support, however the issue I am running into occurs even right up next to the chuck. So there IS a problem, and it is not just something I have assumed or mistakenly "connected"... RP chuck is fine. This particular G3 chuck is not.

There is an issue with the jaws, my 50mm jaws have indeed all been mixed up, and I'll have to see if I can figure out which jaws are part of which set, and sort that out. However I don't think that is the issue here...I think this one particularly loose slide is.

 

[Jon Rista]

I have two g3 chucks. When received, they were disassembled, degreased, deburred, alox rust preventive all over, past wax on all moving friction surfaces. In ~5 yrs use, they have not been apart again. I blow out the wood dust as needed.

I have to take all the 50mm jaws off my G3 chucks here to sort out the sets. I'll see about using paste wax on all the surfaces. I am wondering if this one particular slide has some damage, but as far as I can tell that seems like it could be the source of the problem. I tested all other potential sources, and the only think that seems to allow any play are the slides of this particular chuck (see my previous post.)

 

[Jon Rista]

Yes Axminster released a new range a while back. They are expensive but extremely well made in Stainless Steel to tight tolerances.
They also sell the biggest range of Accessory Jaws as well, some types being unique to Axminster. They make 88mm, 100mm and 114mm diameter models.

I'll have to look into them. Despite the flawless performance of all chucks that other people have reported, the two G3 chucks I have have been a pain from shortly after I bought them. I have an RP chuck that I have had for nearly as long, as well as some cheap off-brand chuck that I bought a couple years ago, and those two never have problems (and I've never had to clean either, FWIW). The G3 chucks have just been a pain, and I'm ready to move beyond them. The Axminster's look really nice...those machined parts are pretty!

 

[Bill Alston]

I'll have to look into them. Despite the flawless performance of all chucks that other people have reported, the two G3 chucks I have have been a pain from shortly after I bought them. I have an RP chuck that I have had for nearly as long, as well as some cheap off-brand chuck that I bought a couple years ago, and those two never have problems (and I've never had to clean either, FWIW). The G3 chucks have just been a pain, and I'm ready to move beyond them. The Axminster's look really nice...those machined parts are pretty!

My own personal view is that of all the chucks I’ve seen and handled, Axminster are at the top of the tree. They aren’t cheap though.
The last time I looked they also made about twice as many different accessory jaws as most other suppliers. There are other high quality chucks available in Germany which curiously accept Axminster Jaw Slides. If I could only have one chuck it would be an Axminster.

 

[John K Jordan]

I have to take all the 50mm jaws off my G3 chucks here to sort out the sets.

Jaws seem to be machined as one piece then two saw cuts separate them into four pieces. I haven't looked that closely, but wonder if inspecting the saw marks might help with the matching.

You can remove the slides to inspect them.
Inspect the chuck body itself too. I bought some used SN1 chucks which were almost unusable until I worked on them for several hours. Worked fine since.

I've only had two G3 chucks and they were fine. I liked them and I'd still be using them but I gave them to a friend who had a smaller lathe. (I also like the chuck key on the G3 better than the SN1 keys.)

JKJ

 

[Jon Rista]

Jaws seem to be machined as one piece then two saw cuts separate them into four pieces. I haven't looked that closely, but wonder if inspecting the saw marks might help with the matching.

You can remove the slides to inspect them.
Inspect the chuck body itself too. I bought some used SN1 chucks which were almost unusable until I worked on them for several hours. Worked fine since.

I've only had two G3 chucks and they were fine. I liked them and I'd still be using them but I gave them to a friend who had a smaller lathe. (I also like the chuck key on the G3 better than the SN1 keys.)

JKJ

Yeah, I was trying that. ITs pretty subtle stuff. I am now going to, starting with 1, and moving through each position, swapping out each option until I get a complete matched set. I am hoping that once I have a matched set, that the jaws will form a proper circle without misalignments at their corners with each other. They used to, as far as I recall. Right now, all the corners are actually misaligned, so I think I have two and two mixed up jaws. That said, there is this problem with the jaw slide in the one chuck, so I'll probably be testing on the RP instead, actually.

I may see what I can do with some work. Because these pack in dust, to the point where it is hard to expand and contract the jaws, I've had to take them apart several times. So I'm fairly familiar with that. I originally greased them as per the instructions, but haven't since as that seemed to accumulate even more dust that it packed in there like cement. I haven't tried the paste wax yet, though, so I will likely try that.

 

[Jon Rista]

My own personal view is that of all the chucks I’ve seen and handled, Axminster are at the top of the tree. They aren’t cheap though.
The last time I looked they also made about twice as many different accessory jaws as most other suppliers. There are other high quality chucks available in Germany which curiously accept Axminster Jaw Slides. If I could only have one chuck it would be an Axminster.

They aren't bad price wise either, though. I've long had my eye on one of the quick release EWT Easy chucks. There are a lot of features that I do like about it...however, jaw selection is not great, as far as I can tell. No specialties at all, from what I know, unlike Nove and Axminster. The RP is compativle with Nova jaws, which, is a bonus... Its basically the same as the Supernova as far as I know, though. The axminsters are around $220-$300, while the EWT Easy Chuck STARTS at $430! So the Axminsters are actually somewhat attractively priced in comparison.

I suspect I'd get either the SK100 Evolution, or a GK100 which can apparently be converted into an SK100 Discovery. I guess the latter provides more protection of the gear for the slides, as it largely seals them off. The interchangeable backplate is like the inserts for the RP SC4, I guess, but if I am understanding correctly they machine the entire backplate to ensure its as true as possible (which, sometimes, is not entirely the case with interchangeable inserts...) I think another RP SC4 would be $170 or so, but I wouldn't need to buy a bunch of new jaws....

 

[John K Jordan]

I am hoping that once I have a matched set, that the jaws will form a proper circle without misalignments at their corners with each other.

Remember there should be a small gap the width of a metal-cutting saw blade at the teeth. I've got several such saws but never thought to measure them. Guess the size and use spacers.

Once sorted, an engraver to mark the sets might be handy.

 

[Jon Rista]

Remember there should be a small gap the width of a metal-cutting saw blade at the teeth. I've got several such saws but never thought to measure them. Guess the size and use spacers.

Once sorted, an engraver to mark the sets might be handy.

Hmm, good point about engraving. I can keep that relatively simple, a symbol on each piece of a set. Single dot for set 1, double dots for set 2, something like that.

I did get them sorted, however, that did not actually seem to resolve the misalignment on the chuck. I think I may have a deeper problem, in that the slides were mixed up. Only one time did I disassemble both at the same time, and I did not think to check which slides went with which chuck. This may explain why one of them is so loose, so...I need to sort out the slides as well.

 

[John K Jordan]

Hmm, good point about engraving. I can keep that relatively simple, a symbol on each piece of a set. Single dot for set 1, double dots for set 2, something like that.

If they are Nova jaws they should already be numbered. I have a large number of Nova jaws and they are all numbered 1,2,3,4.

Sometimes the numerals are stamped on the bottom of the jaw (occasionally not stamped clearly)
Sometimes they use little punch marks: one if by land - oops, wrong story - one dot for jaw #1, two dots for jaw #2, ..
Arrange them 1 through 4 clockwise, as viewed from the above.

My most recent jaws have larger easy-to-see black dots on the outer edges of the jaws, visible from the side even when mounted on the chuck. This is the simplest and easiest method to verify ever. Jaw #1 has one dot on the left side, four dots on the right where it needs to meet up with jaw #4. Jaw #2 has a single dot on the right and two dots on the left, etc. Makes it almost impossible to mix up the order! Still doesn't help if you swap jaws between sets!

I use my vibrating engraver a lot in my shop. I like to engrave "Stolen from John K Jordan" on things.

JKJ

 

[Bill Alston]

Some manufacturers may still saw their Accessory jaws into four but in a recent video I noticed Axminster Tools CNC them into four pieces with a milling cutter. Axminster number everything clearly with 1, 2, 3 & 4, on Chuck Body, Chuck Jaws and Accessory Jaws. Not completely necessary but it should make things much easier for novices?
My Supernova 2 has dots on the Chuck Jaws underneath, but the Accessory Jaws from RP and Charnwood are clearly numbered. I don’t yet actually own any Nova Accessory Jaws!

 

[Doug Freeman]

One of things I like about Oneway chucks/jaws is the jaws can be placed in any position. The jaw with a roll pin will fit one of 2 positions, depending how far you want to open the jaws. The roll pin can be put into any jaw of the set.

 

[Doug Freeman]

I did get them sorted, however, that did not actually seem to resolve the misalignment on the chuck. I think I may have a deeper problem, in that the slides were mixed up. Only one time did I disassemble both at the same time, and I did not think to check which slides went with which chuck. This may explain why one of them is so loose, so...I need to sort out the slides as well.

As long as you have 1 thru 4 # slides, in proper order, It shouldn’t matter if you swapped between chucks. Nova sells replacement slides, which says to me they are machined accurately enough that it doesn't matter. A miss machined slide is a different matter.

Could it be that the slides were not put in correctly when you reassembled? One slide not “catching” the scroll? I have done that one before. Do the “V’s” of the slides all come together at the center when tightened down?

 

[Jon Rista]

If they are Nova jaws they should already be numbered. I have a large number of Nova jaws and they are all numbered 1,2,3,4.

Sometimes the numerals are stamped on the bottom of the jaw (occasionally not stamped clearly)
Sometimes they use little punch marks: one if by land - oops, wrong story - one dot for jaw #1, two dots for jaw #2, ..
Arrange them 1 through 4 clockwise, as viewed from the above.

My most recent jaws have larger easy-to-see black dots on the outer edges of the jaws, visible from the side even when mounted on the chuck. This is the simplest and easiest method to verify ever. Jaw #1 has one dot on the left side, four dots on the right where it needs to meet up with jaw #4. Jaw #2 has a single dot on the right and two dots on the left, etc. Makes it almost impossible to mix up the order! Still doesn't help if you swap jaws between sets!

I use my vibrating engraver a lot in my shop. I like to engrave "Stolen from John K Jordan" on things.

JKJ

Oh, i was thinking of marking each jaw in a set with a common mark, so I could easily identify which jaws were part of which sets. Each set IS marked 1-4 for each jaw in a set, and dumb me, I missed that one used stamps on the edge, and the other were engraved on top. There was just one jaw out of each that was mixed up. I didn't even notice that they were marked differently at first. I have three sets of 50mm's in total, though, so, I think I'll still try to mark each set so I can quickly identify which belong to which even if the other marks wear off (the 1 on one set, does seem to be wearing away, and the "engravings" on the other, I think, were made with marking spray so they may not last forever either.)

I NEED to mark my stuff with "Stolen From Jon Rista"! That's great!

 

[Jon Rista]

Some manufacturers may still saw their Accessory jaws into four but in a recent video I noticed Axminster Tools CNC them into four pieces with a milling cutter. Axminster number everything clearly with 1, 2, 3 & 4, on Chuck Body, Chuck Jaws and Accessory Jaws. Not completely necessary but it should make things much easier for novices?
My Supernova 2 has dots on the Chuck Jaws underneath, but the Accessory Jaws from RP and Charnwood are clearly numbered. I don’t yet actually own any Nova Accessory Jaws!

Hmm, if they machine each independently, does it matter if they are 1-4 in order? I imagine with CNC they are probably machined to such a precision that it wouldn't really matter, right?

 

[Jon Rista]

As long as you have 1 thru 4 # slides, in proper order, It shouldn’t matter if you swapped between chucks. Nova sells replacement slides, which says to me they are machined accurately enough that it doesn't matter. A miss machined slide is a different matter.

Could it be that the slides were not put in correctly when you reassembled? One slide not “catching” the scroll? I have done that one before. Do the “V’s” of the slides all come together at the center when tightened down?

Hmm, interesting. Well, I'm going to check out the slides regardless. There is something about this one particular slide that seems to have resulted in it being fairly loose. At least, at a certain range on the scroll plate. As far as I can tell all the jaws in both chucks are seated properly on the scroll. They all have the same positions when fully closed and fully open, and if one was mis-seated the discrepancy should be rather obvious. The V's do come together when fully closed.

I did turn a couple more things, and I REALLY cranked the jaws tight. It took some effort and I actually hurt my hand, but, once I did that, the rocking vanished. So I was eventually able to take up the slack, it seems, but man, I don't like the amount of force that was required to do it. Anyway, I'll be disassembling one at a time here, and checking things out. I'll also see if paste wax helps things here. Hoping there isn't any damage to the scroll plate or the slide.

 

[John K Jordan]

, I think I'll still try to mark each set

When I remove a set of jaws from a chuck I put them in a zip-lock sandwich bag OR hold them together with a piece of wire or cable tie through the screw holes so they can't get mixed up.

I did turn a couple more things, and I REALLY cranked the jaws tight. It took some effort and I actually hurt my hand, but, once I did that, the rocking vanished. So I was eventually able to take up the slack, it seems, but man, I don't like the amount of force that was required to do it.

If that much force was needed something is certainly wrong.

Two chucks I bought used from a club member were apparently WAY over-tightened, I'm guessing with a cheater bar. If I remember correctly, one was tight and wouldn't open and close easily and the other one was sloppy (I think the top of the chuck body was warped). I made both usable but it was a big effort.

When tightening any chuck, consider the advice to tighten first one pinion, then the other, then the first, etc. Each time using a bit more pressure until the piece is snug. No excessive force is needed at any step.

This is another thing that might benefit from another pair of eyes, preferably from someone with long experience.

Hey, has anyone else ever dozed off with hands on the keyboard then opened eyes to see a letter repeated 1000s of times on the screen?

JKJ

 

[R Henrickson]

When I remove a set of jaws from a chuck I put them in a zip-lock sandwich bag OR hold them together with a piece of wire or cable tie through the screw holes so they can't get mixed up.

I do that with each of the too many sets I have of 50 mm jaws. Most others -- all unique -- I store in small rectangular plastic boxes. Given the number of chucks I have, the most often used are simply 'stored' on a chuck.

 

[Jon Rista]

When I remove a set of jaws from a chuck I put them in a zip-lock sandwich bag OR hold them together with a piece of wire or cable tie through the screw holes so they can't get mixed up.



If that much force was needed something is certainly wrong.

Two chucks I bought used from a club member were apparently WAY over-tightened, I'm guessing with a cheater bar. If I remember correctly, one was tight and wouldn't open and close easily and the other one was sloppy (I think the top of the chuck body was warped). I made both usable but it was a big effort.

When tightening any chuck, consider the advice to tighten first one pinion, then the other, then the first, etc. Each time using a bit more pressure until the piece is snug. No excessive force is needed at any step.

This is another thing that might benefit from another pair of eyes, preferably from someone with long experience.

Hey, has anyone else ever dozed off with hands on the keyboard then opened eyes to see a letter repeated 1000s of times on the screen?

JKJ

Yeah. I didn't get much more out of it. I tightened it normally, for which I do cycle through both pinions, then after I couldn't normally tighten it more, I tried to see if I could get any more out of it. Crushed the tenon a bit, and managed to get a little bit more, and that stopped the rocking. The rocking wasn't much either...about 4" or so out from the chuck, the movement was probably just about 30 thousandths, maybe. Not even a millimeter. It was slight, but as the piece was moving, it was problematic.

I'll be taking the two G3's apart tomorrow to see if there is any damage, or if it is maybe mixed up slides. I put the two now correctly matched sets of 50mm jaws in the chucks, and they don't close down properly. That did not used to happen, not that I can recall. So I wonder if somehow there are slight discrepancies in the machining of the slides from one chuck to the other (I would say, they were probably bought a year apart, or so...), and if the slides were mixed up then maybe that is leading to the issues I'm seeing.

There was only one time I cleaned both at the same time, and I guess I didn't think to keep things sorted while doing so, and I suspect that's when things ended up mixed up...jaws & slides. Well, tomorrow will tell, I guess.

 

[Bill Alston]

I suppose I’m lucky in that I have four completely different wood turning chucks. There is zero chance of me mixing up the Jaw Slides.

The reason for buying at least three of them was to take advantage of the different Acccesory Jaws available for them.
Sticking with just one make can I suppose have advantages, but is a bit limiting in the different Accesory Jaws available to you.

 

[John K Jordan]

I put the two now correctly matched sets of 50mm jaws in the chucks, and they don't close down properly. That did not used to happen, not that I can recall.

Are you installing the jaws each time as recommended by Nova, closing the jaws with loose screws then tightening? I insert the two screws into each slide, snug them down, then loosen them a bit (maybe 1/2 turn or so until the jaw wobbles a bit), close the jaws with the key, then tighten all screws.
I agree that examining the slides would be my next step, but I have no experience with comparing slides. (I rarely have to disassembled a chuck and never more than one at a time.) I suppose if the two chucks were made at different times the slides might be slightly different.

Are you sure the slight "rocking" is from the chuck jaws and not the whole chuck on the lathe spindle or in the spindle itself, bearings or something?

I might test the slides by gripping a length of steel rod (or round, unhandled tool) with just the slides (jaws removed) and see if there is any play. If there is play, a dial indicator could show exactly what is causing the movement. These tools are very helpful to have around for debugging but are not free unless you have a machinist friend bring one. There are cheap alternatives on Amazon. I use the Noga magnetic base (single knob control, quick to set up) but it's $100 by itself and the dial indicator is more - a Starrett can be about $200 but that's probably overkill for casual use at the wood lathe.

However, there are cheap Noga knockoffs, some that come with what looks like a useful dial indicator. For example I see:

https://www.amazon.com/Clockwise-Tools-DIMR-0105-Indicator-Measuring/dp/B07C756TCM

If you have or can borrow another chuck it might help narrow down the problem.

JKJ

 

[Bill Alston]

I insert the two screws into each slide, snug them down, then loosen them a bit (maybe 1/2 turn or so until the jaw wobbles a bit), close the jaws with the key, then tighten all screws.

JKJ

That’s how I do it, but from comments I’ve read online quite a number of turners aren’t aware of the procedure.

 

[Doug Freeman]

Are you installing the jaws each time as recommended by Nova, closing the jaws with loose screws then tightening? I insert the two screws into each slide, snug them down, then loosen them a bit (maybe 1/2 turn or so until the jaw wobbles a bit), close the jaws with the key, then tighten all screws.

Excellent point. If not done, the “loose jaw” scenario can happen, done it myself.

Also, check the mating sides of the jaws for burrs or build up. Anything extending from the surface won’t allow the jaws to align properly when they are brought together to tighten them.

 

[Jon Rista]

Are you installing the jaws each time as recommended by Nova, closing the jaws with loose screws then tightening? I insert the two screws into each slide, snug them down, then loosen them a bit (maybe 1/2 turn or so until the jaw wobbles a bit), close the jaws with the key, then tighten all screws.
I agree that examining the slides would be my next step, but I have no experience with comparing slides. (I rarely have to disassembled a chuck and never more than one at a time.) I suppose if the two chucks were made at different times the slides might be slightly different.

Are you sure the slight "rocking" is from the chuck jaws and not the whole chuck on the lathe spindle or in the spindle itself, bearings or something?

I might test the slides by gripping a length of steel rod (or round, unhandled tool) with just the slides (jaws removed) and see if there is any play. If there is play, a dial indicator could show exactly what is causing the movement. These tools are very helpful to have around for debugging but are not free unless you have a machinist friend bring one. There are cheap alternatives on Amazon. I use the Noga magnetic base (single knob control, quick to set up) but it's $100 by itself and the dial indicator is more - a Starrett can be about $200 but that's probably overkill for casual use at the wood lathe.

However, there are cheap Noga knockoffs, some that come with what looks like a useful dial indicator. For example I see:

https://www.amazon.com/Clockwise-Tools-DIMR-0105-Indicator-Measuring/dp/B07C756TCM

If you have or can borrow another chuck it might help narrow down the problem.

JKJ

I am reassembling one of them now. I'll be testing it out in a bit here.

I did a lot of checking previously, and I'm sure its not the whole chuck itself, nor the insert, nor the spindle of the lathe. I tested all of those connections thoroughly, and none of them moved an iota. The only thing that moves are the jaws, and its more of a "click" than a lot of movement, when the jaws are clamped (with a normal amount of pressure) onto a spindle. This has all been happening with spindles lately, BTW. I can push on the end of the spindle near the tailstock, and it will move. Not a ton, but enough that its problematic for turning.

The only thing that stopped it, was OVERtightening as I previously mentioned.

I have a dial indicator, one with a magnetic base in fact. I haven't tried to grip a steel rod like that with just the slides. I have a mandrel from my beall buffing system...it was the original mandrel that was actually machined incorrectly, the MT2 was not actually correct, the angle was quite off, and I had Lee manufacture a replacement for me. The mandrel itself is quite strait, and has a centered dimple for the tailstock end. I imagine that could do the trick to check runout.

I have two other chucks. I have checked the, and they are fine. One is a rather cheap one...Vevor maybe? I picked it up a couple years ago to use as a tailstock chuck for something, and its now just another chuck. That one only has 50mm jaws. Its one of those chucks you tighten with two handles you can insert, rather than a pinion. I have never had any issues with that one. I've never even cleaned it outside of blowing dust out of it. For as cheap as it was, it seems to perform better than my G3s. I also have the RP SC4, which is my favorite of the chucks I own. Its been excellent and I've never had any issues with it in the...I'd say close to 5 years now that I've owned it. I think I bought it late summer 2020... So those have been my check and balance, and they work just fine.

I have the Nova G3 manual up right now and I've been reading through the maintenance process, to make sure I'm reassembling correctly. As far as I can tell, I have. Counter-clockwise slide order, as well as the procedure to seat the scroll plate. I cleaned things up "dry" this time, just with my stiff plastic bristle brush, some fine steel wool to just clean up all the edges, and in a few cases some metal polish to clean up some rough spots. No solvents. Put SC Johnson paste wax on the various contact surfaces as someone recommended earlier in the thread. This is G3 #1 and I'll see how it works in a little bit here.