I did a search on the forums and couldn't find any info, so here's my question. How does one decide to use a worm screw or a face plate?
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Worm screw vs face plate
- Thread starter David A Morris
- Start date
By what you are comfortable with, have equipment for. I think for real big pieces, a large faceplate is safer.
Well, I turn a LOT of bowls. I don't use either. I thought I learned it from Richard Raffen, but asked him and he couldn't remember. He now does his bowls with a tenon on the bottom which is sized to exactly fit his chuck jaws. For mounting my bowl blanks, I drill a recess on the drill press, and expand my chuck jaws into that recess. Most of the time, I will drill it deep enough so the bowl blank sits against the flange on the bottom of the chuck jaws. Since I do batches of bowls, I drill them all at the same time, and this is a lot faster than drilling for the screw chuck, or drilling the screws into a face plate, and unscrewing them later, and then threading the chuck back on. Same with the work screw. With the work screw, most who use it will have the lathe spinning and start to screw it on while running. I guess I could get used to it.... I would still have to open the chuck up and remove the screw or there are some that screw directly on to the lathe. Oh, my big chuck uses a 2 5/8 diameter forstner bit. I do use a recess on the bottom of my bowls.
robo hippy
robo hippy
Hi @David A Morris, here are a few Richard Raffan videos (amongst many he's posted) that should help you. But, I've never seen him use a multi-screw faceplate before, only single-screw screw chucks and faceplates converted to screw chucks. I agree with Alan, "really big" pieces, multi-screw faceplate. If you are on a 12-14" lathe, the single screw method should be just fine. (I don't turn big stuff anymore, a single screw works for me for everything.) Listen to what Raffan explains about the size of the bearing face of the screw chuck, that face is where the real work of cutting support occurs. He has a lot of videos, watch enough of them and you will pick up his work method patterns- you'll know what he's going to do next. 50+ years as a production turner, he knows his stuff!
Holding with the chuck with no jaw marks-
View: https://youtu.be/DV2T6oJgCi4?si=ahlRB066RHl2IWyP
Explains screw chuck options-
View: https://youtu.be/Vg79ogftGiQ?si=CSCu4WPEiDAp8ruX
"Throwing" a bowl blank onto a screw chuck (not a fan of the method myself, but you see him do it in just about every video so here is the method. I mount it with the motor off and spindle lock locked. I'm a chicken.)
View: https://youtu.be/cNAXwQZNMzE?si=d_wC42Jbg050B3xi
Making a wood collar for a chuck screw (worm screw) to use as a screw chuck-
View: https://youtu.be/3-P6qGkob34?si=HPuhLzIiUzJdyf7Y
Here's Tomaslav Tomasic (Raffan protoge') making a faceplate into a screw chuck-
View: https://youtu.be/ebcqT49xCNs?si=zzI2kiBruMseqIzt
Have fun with it, but be safe.
Holding with the chuck with no jaw marks-
Explains screw chuck options-
"Throwing" a bowl blank onto a screw chuck (not a fan of the method myself, but you see him do it in just about every video so here is the method. I mount it with the motor off and spindle lock locked. I'm a chicken.)
Making a wood collar for a chuck screw (worm screw) to use as a screw chuck-
Here's Tomaslav Tomasic (Raffan protoge') making a faceplate into a screw chuck-
Have fun with it, but be safe.
Thank you. That's a lot of info, and staying safe is good practice.
You're welcome. And the similar thread I started a few weeks ago, making screw chucks from faceplates.
What you see here is the ingredient list to make 3 faceplate-based screw chucks, including the 1-1/8" thick beech board, 8" wide.
On the left are 5" and 3" faceplates, 1-1/4" x 8tpi for my 16" Vicmarc. On the right, a 3" faceplate, 1" x 8tpi for my 12" Oneway.
I don't use faceplates really. But I enjoy watching Raffan more than rerun TV, and three quarters of his projects start with mounting a lump of wood onto a purpose built screw chuck (the Vicmarc 3-in-1 version for him). Since I have everything on hand, I thought I'd go with the faceplate style to begin with before...
On the left are 5" and 3" faceplates, 1-1/4" x 8tpi for my 16" Vicmarc. On the right, a 3" faceplate, 1" x 8tpi for my 12" Oneway.
I don't use faceplates really. But I enjoy watching Raffan more than rerun TV, and three quarters of his projects start with mounting a lump of wood onto a purpose built screw chuck (the Vicmarc 3-in-1 version for him). Since I have everything on hand, I thought I'd go with the faceplate style to begin with before...
For starting a bowl blank I usually use a wood worm screw in my chuck then bring the tailstock to support the piece until the outside is trued up and a tenon or recess is started, move the tailstock out of the way to complete the tenon or recess. This is safe as long as you stabilize it with the live center since even if the threads strip the blank can't go anywhere and by the time you are ready to finish the tenon you will be working at a small diameter of less than 1" or 25mm.
I do the same although I do own a couple of screw chucks and several faceplate rings, rarely use either.
DIY screw chuck out a chuck adapter and what we would call a Lag bolt
Attachments
I quit using faceplates years ago except for special projects. This, frame, for example, was tricky to turn because of the need to exactly cover the embroidery frame and no more (they didn't leave quite enough white space) so we made plywood disks for holding, fastened to a faceplate.
A friend of mine, however, uses a faceplate for every bowl.
I don't like the wormwood screws and only use them when there is no other choice.
However, the Glaser screw chuck is amazing - I think the precision machined screw is better than the typical wormwood screw. The multiple bearing diameters make it flexible for large and small things.
I've used the screw chuck with blanks up to the capacity of my lathe (20") and on bowl blanks up to maybe 6" thick. The only requirement is the surface must be flat. (When cutting blanks from slabs I like to flatten both top and bottom on the drum sander. For several reasons.) Obviously, the lathe can't be too wimpy for the weight and balance of the blank.
The screw chuck is great for these, blanks usually 8" to 11" across, 2-3" thick.
Just drill a 1/4" hole (in the top) with the drill press and thread the blank onto the screw chuck by hand. I like the Glaser chuck so much I got one for a friend and keep two at my lathe, the spare is for "just in case."
JKJ
A friend of mine, however, uses a faceplate for every bowl.
I don't like the wormwood screws and only use them when there is no other choice.
However, the Glaser screw chuck is amazing - I think the precision machined screw is better than the typical wormwood screw. The multiple bearing diameters make it flexible for large and small things.
I've used the screw chuck with blanks up to the capacity of my lathe (20") and on bowl blanks up to maybe 6" thick. The only requirement is the surface must be flat. (When cutting blanks from slabs I like to flatten both top and bottom on the drum sander. For several reasons.) Obviously, the lathe can't be too wimpy for the weight and balance of the blank.
The screw chuck is great for these, blanks usually 8" to 11" across, 2-3" thick.
Just drill a 1/4" hole (in the top) with the drill press and thread the blank onto the screw chuck by hand. I like the Glaser chuck so much I got one for a friend and keep two at my lathe, the spare is for "just in case."
JKJ
Gotcha!