Vicmarc chucks

[Manny Yabar]

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
.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

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.

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

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

 

[robo hippy]

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

 

[Roger Wiegand]

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.

 

[Lance Mirrer]

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?

 

[Steve Tiedman]

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.

 

[Manny Yabar]

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.

Hello Steve, I have a Powermatic 4224B

 

[Steve Tiedman]

Hello Steve, I have a Powermatic 4224B

Oh yeah, big lathe, big chuck, good as gold.

 

[Wyatt Holm]

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.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

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).

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.

 

[Manny Yabar]

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.

are you talking about this: https://www.vicmarc.com/product-page/superseded-2-step-dovetail-jaws?currency=USD

 

[Wyatt Holm]

are you talking about this: https://www.vicmarc.com/product-page/superseded-2-step-dovetail-jaws?currency=USD

I was referring to these https://www.vicmarc.com/product-page/dovetail-jaws-vm90-100?currency=USD
However the ones you have link to are half the price. They should still work well.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

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.

 

[Jaramiah Severns]

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 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.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

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.

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.

 

[Andre Omland]

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

 

[Kevin Jenness]

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.

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.

What is the source of this quote?The pricing on the VM 120 appears to be far lower than other sources.

 

[Andre Omland]

What is the source of this quote?The pricing on the VM 120 appears to be far lower than other sources.

I think its the Vicmarc homepage

 

[Dave Landers]

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.

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.

 

[Adrian Wilson]

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.

That's the advice Ken Rude, the Canadian distributor at Branches to Bowls gives. I was going to get a 120, but he advised me to get a 100, and he was right.

 

[Manny Yabar]

What is the source of this quote?The pricing on the VM 120 appears to be far lower than other sources.

It is Vicmarc

 

[Scott Horton]

For my needs the VM100 is plenty. There's a thread on here somewhere where I went through these choices, picking the brand in the end. Go mine direct from AU before the Tarriff BS, and the exchange rate was in my favor, and it was drastically cheaper even after shipping on my larger, similar order. Be sur eif you are looking at their website prices to understand that is in AU$, have to convert to USD. I also ordered Jaw carriers for all my jaws (see other thread), so I can wind jaw sets in and out in seconds like Axminsters. Just have to be careful to not overextend the jaws when the safety pin isn't there anymore. This is my jawset list FYI. This is all of them IIRC, Green are mine:



For ordering in the USA, Ken at Branches to Bowls (in Canada) would be my next stop. Email him your list and he’ll quote. And if you speak to him he’ll probably also convince you to get the 100.

 

[Kevin Jenness]

I think its the Vicmarc homepage

I looked there and found

It is Vicmarc

I did look at the Vicmar

It is Vicmarc

I looked at the Vicmarc site and it showed the VM 120 at $304 + nearly $100 for delivery to VT, but it didn't specify currency. With the AU dollar at .68 US dollars, the website must be in AU. Still considerably lower than Craft Supplies or Packard, perhaps due to tariffs? Will you get hit with a tariff/import fee if you buy from the factory?

 

[Omer Klee]

you could try Ken at Branches to Bowls. He's in Canada and stocks pretty much everything Vicmarc offers.
I don't know what the tariffs from Canada will be but shipping is less than from Australia.

 

[John King]

Opinion: Avoid purchase of multi-purpose, step jaws and similar. Buy jaws best suited for the job at hand. - John

 

[Scott Horton]

Opinion: Avoid purchase of multi-purpose, step jaws and similar. Buy jaws best suited for the job at hand. - John

Agree. In my case they had a sale on a multi purpose jaw that effectively was 2 flat dovetails in one. Inner part removable. So I removed it and got the larger jaws (dovetail 144) cheaper than the non-sale regular jaws. And if I ever need that inner size it’s there (unlikely). They aren’t step jaws.

 

[Dave Landers]

I looked at the Vicmarc site and it showed the VM 120 at $304 + nearly $100 for delivery to VT, but it didn't specify currency. With the AU dollar at .68 US dollars, the website must be in AU. Still considerably lower than Craft Supplies or Packard, perhaps due to tariffs? Will you get hit with a tariff/import fee if you buy from the factory?

Their web site doesn't scroll well left-to-right for me, so I have to stretch my browser way wide to see the currency selector in the upper-right corner. $205.34 + $65.52 ship to CO.

 

[Andre Omland]

I looked there and found

I did look at the Vicmar

I looked at the Vicmarc site and it showed the VM 120 at $304 + nearly $100 for delivery to VT, but it didn't specify currency. With the AU dollar at .68 US dollars, the website must be in AU. Still considerably lower than Craft Supplies or Packard, perhaps due to tariffs? Will you get hit with a tariff/import fee if you buy from the factory?

I think you get hit with tariff/import fer. It you choose delivery it shows the price without vat

 

[Dean Center]

Over the years there have been a fair number of comments in other threads saying that people end up not using/liking step jaws. No personal experience with them. That might also apply to the multi-purpose jaws. Most people use 1 size of jaws for most of what they do, I suspect, and have a bigger and smaller set for occasional specific needs.

 

[Mick Fagan]

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.

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

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

I'm not sure about the second blurb, with regard to the Vicmarc Shark Jaws being interchangeable between the VM100 and VM120 chucks. In short; they aren't interchangeable.

The bolt holes to lock the individual jaws to the chuck are further apart on the 120 than the 100 chucks, plus the bolt size for the VM100 and VM120 chucks to lock their jaw sets onto the respective chucks are different.

You cannot bolt a jaw set from a VM100 chuck onto a VM120 chuck.

With regard to the stepped jaw set, I have a two step, stepped jaw set for the VM100 chucks. I personally use it a lot, but then again the design philosophy for this set of jaws was for the bowl maker using a spigot clamp for a couple of bowl spigot sizes, to enable one to use one set of jaws for two different sizes of bowl spigots. This is something I do a reasonable amount of. I'm the only person I personally know, who not only owns this jaw set, I'm the only one who owns this jaw set and uses it.

I would suggest if there is any jaw size that you would like, and Vicmark make a Shark Jaw version, then I would order the Shark Jaw version. Shark jaws have changed my turning for the better as they are incredibly versatile.

I have three VM100 chucks and one VM120 chuck. The 120 chuck is a direct screw onto the lathe spindle, it is really a better arrangement than using an insert. All of my 100 chucks have inserts, and they really do stick out a fair bit. If you have a short lathe bed, this may be a consideration for you.

All of the genuine Vicmarc inserts, come with a locking grub screw. This grub screw, which utilises a 3mm Allan keyed drive, screws into the base of the machined part of the chuck. In normal usage I've never had any of the inserts come loose. In your part of the world the available inserts may be manufactured locally, so they could be different.

The below picture is my VM120 chuck without an insert, where you see the join at the rear of the chuck, everything to the left of that join, is the drive spindle from the lathe. For very heavy work my preference is the shorter the better.

 

[Terry Vaughan]

Over the years there have been a fair number of comments in other threads saying that people end up not using/liking step jaws. No personal experience with them. That might also apply to the multi-purpose jaws. Most people use 1 size of jaws for most of what they do, I suspect, and have a bigger and smaller set for occasional specific needs.

I have a set. I often used the outer step, rarely the inner ones. The steps are quite shallow, so will sometimes not grip a warped tenon, it bottoms out. And the outer steps can get in the way of a tenon sized for the inner steps. The inner steps only work with a somewhat raised foot. Raffan I think said if that makes people change the design of the bowl, it would not be a bad thing! I have now switched to a plain set of large jaws and find them more useful, but I have other jaw sets similar in size to the inner step jaws. If you work with dry wood and make bowls with a taller foot, the step jaws would be great.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

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.

Thanks Dave. Last night I ordered a set of the 35mm pin jaws for the VM120 chuck. I ordered directly from Vicmarc, $114AD/$77USD, and the total USD price with shipping and our new special contribution to Dear Leader of $10.49, I paid $115. That's actually a bit lower than a domestic purchase, which can't be made right now anyway due to lack of inventory at US dealers. They'll be here in about 2 weeks.

Anyway, I justified the 35mm version in that I do own a Talon chuck for my Vicmarc lathe (came with the lathe from my friend who previously owned it), and with that chuck I own Oneway's similar pin chuck, which is smaller in size. So I should be set.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

Vicmarc's prices include the tariff in the shipping charge to the US. Bought a chuck from them about two months ago, came within two weeks, no surprises, painless transaction. The only bit of an issue was that it disappeared in the USPS tracking system for a week after it had cleared customs in Los Angeles. Time from order to clearing US customs was about five days. I don't think I can blame Vicmarc for that.

 

[John K Jordan]

We all have different "needs".

When I buy chucks and jaws I consider :

• Jaw compatibility with existing chucks. Quality of all chucks I have and have had has been excellent.
• The ability to remove the chuck from the lathe without banging on the chuck key.
• What I like to turn or might want to turn.
• What projects might suit visitors or students.
• The minimum and maximum capacity for gripping round tenons and square spindle stock.
• The reasonable external diameter range for expanding into recesses..

At the moment I have jaws that tighten from larger than I ever use down to 1/8" diameter, and jaws that expand in the range from about 1/2" to over 6". So far, with the things I've turned, I've never encountered a need that my jaws couldn't handle.

I've not once had a problem with inserts loosening. Seems like if that happens there is something wrong. I prefer to buy chucks with inserts so I can change the insert for a demo on a different lathe or to loan or give the chuck away.

JKJ