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Vicmarc chucks

M

Manny Yabar

Joined
Sep 26, 2025
Messages
51
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18
Location
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Hello friends,

I have compiled a list of Vicmarc chucks/jaws that I'm considering purchasing. I would greatly appreciate your feedback and suggestions on my list before I make any purchases. Thank you
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I would suggest purchasing just the VM120 and the shark jaws to start out with. Unless you are doing very large bowls, the shark jaws and standard jaws the chuck ships with should cover all of your needs for awhile. They can grip small 1x1 inch square stock all the way up to 2x2 inch square stock as well as most round tenons found on small/medium sized bowls. It is very well made, but is heavier then the Oneway Talon, so be aware.

Also I am not sure where you are purchasing from, but the shipping seems way too high. Try Craft Supplies USA, the VM120 and shark jaws are in stock.

woodturnerscatalog.com

Vicmarc VM120 Chuck w/ Jaws

For woodturners who want the very best, Vicmarc chucks are often considered the gold standard, known for their exceptional quality and dependability. The 5” Vicmarc VM120 lathe chuck is perfect for wood lathes with a 16 to 24 inch capacity swing. The Vicmarc VM120 chuck offers key advantages...
woodturnerscatalog.com woodturnerscatalog.com
woodturnerscatalog.com

Vicmarc 1-3/8 Inch Shark Jaw Set

The Vicmarc® 1-3/8" Shark Jaw Set fits VM100, VM120 and VM150 Chucks and can be used as traditional dovetail jaws or to clamp down on a tenon. Serrated ridges along the interior and exterior of the jaw provide an aggressive grip. Durable machined steel Black oxide finish VM100 Chuck Jaw...
woodturnerscatalog.com woodturnerscatalog.com
 
I have several Vicmark 120s. I think there are multiple reasons why turners like Mike Mahoney and Glenn Lucas use them, other than them being built like tanks. I use a recess 99% of the time on my bowls, so the standard jaws work fine. I drill a recess in the top of the bowl blank, 2 5/8 diameter, and expand into that for mounting the bowl blank to turn the outside. Form the recess, and reverse it and then core and finish turn the inside since I once turn my bowls. This is fine for bowls up to 14 inch or so, and I never turn bigger than that, they just don't sell very well.

robo hippy
 
A couple reasons to buy direct, when I looked no US dealers had direct thread chucks available, you had to use inserts (which for me always unscrew at inopportune moments, even with set screws); even with higher postage and tariffs added the total cost is quite substantially cheaper (like $100 less for a VM120).

I guess I don't see the point of buying chucks of different brands and/or with incompatible jaws. What can you do with a VM100 that you can't do with a VM120? I find it pretty convenient that I can mount any of my jaws on any of my chucks.
 
I second Gabriel's wise response. Buying from a US Distributer will avoid the high shipping and add on tariff charge you show.

Additionally, pick a chuck you like and if you want extras, get one with shared jaws. you will end up with multiple jaws but why buy multiple jaws from several makers? If I am correct, the VM100 is similar to the Talon. Why both?
 
Hi Manny. Remind us again of the lathe it will be used with.

Vicmarc- thumbs up! My 25 year old VM120 is bombproof. (I also have 2 Talon chucks which are great on my 12" lathe.)

Chomping down my lunch and thinking about this, I've boiled down chuck choices this way: 12" swing and smaller, and 1hp and less, and 1" spindle size, go with the smaller VM100 chuck. Over 12" and greater than 1hp, and increased spindle sizes, go with the VM120 chuck. This is the same rationale Oneway had in the later-90s when they introduced the Talon (VM100 competitor), designing it for the mini lathe market. A Stronghold on a Jet Mini lathe was like driving 10d nails with a 4lb maul... Same with a Vic VM120.

The VM120 weighs 8 pounds before jaws, and shark jaws get heavy fast as their size increases. 10-12 pounds total, a lot of rotational weight for the smaller motors, and there's no wood yet. Or tools cutting the wood.

If you've been watching Richard Raffan videos where for the past few years he was turning on the 12" VL150 lathe, he used the smaller VM100 chucks (4'ish pounds for the chuck body). When he stepped up to the larger 16" VL200 lathe and its stronger motor, he also invested in the larger VM120 chucks.

Raffan really shows how to get the best grip performance from the Vicmarc jaw sets. You can't go wrong with Vicmarc.
 
Steve Tiedman said:
Hi Manny. Remind us again of the lathe it will be used with.

Vicmarc- thumbs up! My 25 year old VM120 is bombproof. (I also have 2 Talon chucks which are great on my 12" lathe.)

Chomping down my lunch and thinking about this, I've boiled down chuck choices this way: 12" swing and smaller, and 1hp and less, and 1" spindle size, go with the smaller VM100 chuck. Over 12" and greater than 1hp, and increased spindle sizes, go with the VM120 chuck. This is the same rationale Oneway had in the later-90s when they introduced the Talon (VM100 competitor), designing it for the mini lathe market. A Stronghold on a Jet Mini lathe was like driving 10d nails with a 4lb maul... Same with a Vic VM120.

The VM120 weighs 8 pounds before jaws, and shark jaws get heavy fast as their size increases. 10-12 pounds total, a lot of rotational weight for the smaller motors, and there's no wood yet. Or tools cutting the wood.

If you've been watching Richard Raffan videos where for the past few years he was turning on the 12" VL150 lathe, he used the smaller VM100 chucks (4'ish pounds for the chuck body). When he stepped up to the larger 16" VL200 lathe and its stronger motor, he also invested in the larger VM120 chucks.

Raffan really shows how to get the best grip performance from the Vicmarc jaw sets. You can't go wrong with Vicmarc.
Click to expand...
Hello Steve, I have a Powermatic 4224B
 
Your list looks good to me. Although I don't think the multi purpose jaws are a good idea. I would get the 3 or 4 inch dovetail jaws for the 100 and 6 or 7 inch jaws for the 120. I have a Vl300, and I probably use a the vm100 chuck more often than the vm120. Large chucks with small jaws never made much sense to me.
 
Roger Wiegand said:
A couple reasons to buy direct, when I looked no US dealers had direct thread chucks available, you had to use inserts (which for me always unscrew at inopportune moments, even with set screws); even with higher postage and tariffs added the total cost is quite substantially cheaper (like $100 less for a VM120).
Click to expand...
You never know when you may want to change out the insert when using a different lathe, e.g. M33x3.55mm or 1"x 8 tpi especially when demonstrating. It would be less expensive to buy an insert than a whole new chuck.
 
I am curious about Vicmarc pin jaws. For the VM120 chuck I own, they have two sizes- 25mm (25mm/1" tall x 25mm/1" closed diameter), and 35mm (41.5mm/1-5/8" tall x 35mm/ 1-3/8" closed diameter).

Any words of wisdom with pin jaw buying and usage? I lean toward the larger 35mm version for the bit of extra length, but is the extra 3/8" diameter that meaningful considering most times these jaws would be used in expansion mode? Thanks.
 
Gabriel Hoff said:
You never know when you may want to change out the insert when using a different lathe, e.g. M33x3.55mm or 1"x 8 tpi especially when demonstrating. It would be less expensive to buy an insert than a whole new chuck.
Click to expand...
I switched from Nova to Vicmarc last year. I’ve been using the vm100 and the vm120 almost daily and assure you that the insert will not unscrew unless you really want it to.
 
Jaramiah Severns said:
I switched from Nova to Vicmarc last year. I’ve been using the vm100 and the vm120 almost daily and assure you that the insert will not unscrew unless you really want it to.
Click to expand...
I've never had even an inkling of a moment of doubt with my chuck insert loosening in an unplanned way. But then, I dismount my chuck from the spindle using a knockout bar in the round insert hole, not with the Allen key in the hex gear tightening hole. I've never liked the idea of loosening the chuck from the spindle by way of the Allen key, even though that seems to be the only way on direct fit, insert-less chucks. It may be a baseless worry of mine, but I just think it may place undue stress or wear upon the moving gear parts in someway, where that knockout bar hole in the insert will never be negatively affected.
 
If the spindle is of a common size I would definitely buy direct threaded chucks. I have mostly super nova 2s, vicmarc vm100 and 120 and all are direvt threaded.
I don't see the point of a big chuck for turning small things. What are you going to turn?

The VM100 is a very compact chuck and the VM120 is a hell of a lot bigger and more powerful. If the price difference is only $30 I would have considered buying a Nova for use with smaller jaws and instead going for an extra VM120.

I recommend buying the chuck without jaws. On the VM120 I would rather go for the smallest dovetail jaws 85mm. The shark jaws have a pretty deep dovetail at the top which makes them incredibly versatile.

The step jaws are more of a gimmick and I think they will quickly gather dust.

The smallest shark jaws for the VM100 are a good replacement for the standard jaws.

Like so many others I prefer to have the jaws permanently mounted on the chuck. Another option with Vicmark is to buy an extra set of backing jaws for the extra jaws. This eliminates the problem of stuck screws and makes changing the jaws very easy.



Jawslides: https://www.vicmarc.com/product-page/spare-parts?currency=USD
 
Manny Yabar said:
Hello friends,

I have compiled a list of Vicmarc chucks/jaws that I'm considering purchasing. I would greatly appreciate your feedback and suggestions on my list before I make any purchases. Thank you
View attachment 84373.
Click to expand...

Manny Yabar said:
Hello friends,

I have compiled a list of Vicmarc chucks/jaws that I'm considering purchasing. I would greatly appreciate your feedback and suggestions on my list before I make any purchases. Thank you
View attachment 84373.
Click to expand...
What is the source of this quote?The pricing on the VM 120 appears to be far lower than other sources.
 
Steve Tiedman said:
Any words of wisdom with pin jaw buying and usage? I lean toward the larger 35mm version for the bit of extra length, but is the extra 3/8" diameter that meaningful considering most times these jaws would be used in expansion mode? Thanks.
Click to expand...
I have the 25mm pin jaws (VM120). I mostly use them for holding spindle blanks (3/4 ~ 1", square or round) and they're great for that. Plenty long enough to hold well. I'd probably be better for me to have the same size jaws on the VM100 just to lessen the knuckle-banging potential. But I didn't exactly choose them over the others, they came from an estate sale and you use what you have.

If you're deciding based on mainly expansion mode use into a recess, the more important thing IMO is the diameter you expect to be expanding into.
 
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