I bought a set of 100 mm jaws for my Supernova chuck but after doing the changeover tonight to use on a bigger bowl I realized that swapping jaws in and out is kind of a pain in the behind. Do most folks have a chuck for each jaw size?
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Would you like one chuck or two?
- Thread starter David Wrate
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odie
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David......
You're right that it's a PITA to be constantly changing jaws. It's a common practice for turners to have multiple chucks. How many depends on your particular needs. I have four Oneway stronghold chucks. I added them one at a time, for exactly the reason you are considering a second chuck. Now, I only very occasionally change out jaws on my chucks.....and, if I need to do that, there is one chuck that is designated to be the one I switch jaws on.....
I bought all my chucks long before the first "quick change" chucks were marketed. If I had it to do over again, I'd consider having just one chuck with the quick change jaws.
-----odie-----
I have two supernova chucks, would like to have a third for the reasons you and Odie listed. Just so you know record power sc4 jaws will interchange with your nova chuck. Maybe someone else knows of others that will interchange with it.
I have four chucks with different sizes on each chuck. It really does come in handy.
Check out Easy Wood Tools "Zoom" chuck. Quick change jaws allow change from one size to the other in seconds. To be fair and avoid any sudden rise in blood pressure....they are expensive but worth every penny.
As with everything in the 'world that turns" you'll find at least two schools of thought.
I never leave jaws on my chucks. For me, I don't find it onerous to take them off or put them on.
I do have 3 Super Nova 2's so that I can have a second project on a chuck and still have one available to swap mountings. I also have most of jaw sets that Nova makes. So I'd need a lot more than 3 chucks if I wanted to transfer "schools"
.
I never leave jaws on my chucks. For me, I don't find it onerous to take them off or put them on.
I do have 3 Super Nova 2's so that I can have a second project on a chuck and still have one available to swap mountings. I also have most of jaw sets that Nova makes. So I'd need a lot more than 3 chucks if I wanted to transfer "schools"
.I have a number of chucks and more sets of jaws than chucks. A couple were bought when the price was simply too good to miss. A couple chucks essentially never have their jaws changed. The others have jaws changed as needed. Some things, such as lidded bowls which I teach as a class, require the use of two chucks. Changing jaws is not a big deal nor time consuming when needed. I'd rather take the cost of a single Easy Wood Zoom and buy two (or three) chucks. Either way, you have to pay for the additional jaws.
You will get better/quicker at changing out jaws, but….having more chuck bodies is always nice. Really just comes down to $’s.
1st step is a larger or smaller chuck . Sizing chucks and jaws to the work is helpful. Never been a fan of the quick change chucks - jaw type availability and $’s just didnt make sense to me.
1st step is a larger or smaller chuck . Sizing chucks and jaws to the work is helpful. Never been a fan of the quick change chucks - jaw type availability and $’s just didnt make sense to me.
I have the Easy Wood chuck, and do need far more time with it. Biggest problem I have is that all the jaw sizes are different from my Vicmark chucks. Even as a newbie with it, I can change 4 jaws off and on in maybe a minute. Other than that, many chucks with many jaws.
robo hippy
robo hippy
Tom Gall
TOTW Team
Yup! ... I do. Eleven 4-jaw chucks and even more jaw sets from 6 different brands. The first was the Nova with tommy bars (1990) which is vary rarely used anymore. The latest purchased was 2 weeks ago and not yet used. A Record SC2 - boy, that's a little chuck - only 2-1/2"Ø.
Chucks are definitely not cheap. A bare SuperNova with insert is $170. I wonder if it make more sense to get a bare G3 for the 2" jaws and use the 4" on the Supernova I already have.
Edit- - scratch that... the G3 chucks use a different style wrench.
Edit- - scratch that... the G3 chucks use a different style wrench.
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Well one will do. It is sort of a luxury to have multiple chucks. I used to have one chuck a long time back.
A great thing about teaching is you can justify having lot of tools and chucks.
When you get into using different jaw set you can often be more efficient changing jaws less often
When I turn hollow ball Christmas ornaments I turn balls with #2 jaws, finials with #1 jaws
I can turn a ball switch jaws turn the finals repeat or
Use a more efficient process
Turn balls one day(s), Change jaws, Turn finals 1 day.
It is somewhat rare where you would be swapping jaws more than once a day.
Our last club demo our guest had an easy wood chuck. I think he sold 2 or 3 when he showed how easy it was to change jaws.
He had two easywoods - that was a story of having filled one with super glue and buying a replacement. He then sent the glue filled one off to be cleaned….
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That's a very good point, thank you!
Pat Carroll, host of “Meet the Turner” has sort of a contest going on, who has the most chucks. I think somebody has well over 20. @Bill Blasic has a lot of them, but he has as many lathes as Arrowmont, LOL I have 7 Vicmarc chucks. I got tired of stripping screws. Now I use anti seize lube, but, I never have to change jaws, I simply grab another chuck.
For me it came down to buying the same brand chucks so the jaws are interchangable. I bought an Axminster brand chuck years ago (they are not cheap) but hardly did any turning back then. Now I'm trying to get back into turning and I felt forced to buy another Axminster chuck again so the jaws could be swapped out with each other. Some chucks can use other brand jaws, but I was unable to find anyone that found 3rd party jaws for the Axminster brand. I needed a second chuck to be able to use cole jaws on the tail stock while using regular jaws on the spindle to align segmented rings.
I have a super nova 2, G 3, Record Power SC-4, Record Power SC-3 and mini Record Power. I think I need one more Chuck. Nova jaws can be used on Record Power chucks.
I have 6 Nova chucks ... a Titan II, 2 G3's, 1 Supernova, and 2 Infinity. The Infinity chucks get the most use ... I have 6 quick change jaw sets for them.
I have over 40 chucks but someone told Pat Carroll that they had more. About half are Novas the rest being Vicmarc, Oneway, Bulldog, Axminster and a few secondary branded chucks.
I have but a single SuperNova, with 4 jaws. While changing jaws is not overly difficult not time consuming, it is significant enough that I will try to focus on one type of turning for a while. That limits the times I need to change jaws. It is rare that I'd turn something with 4" jaws, and then need 1". Been turning for only a couple years, and recently upgraded to a lathe with a different spindle size. Could have bought an adapter for the old G3 to run it on the larger lathe, but felt that the person who bought that lathe would appreciate it more.
Does anyone else use a power driver to change jaws? I've been doing so all along, with an cordless impact driver loaded with an Allen key.
I'm pretty sure the formula for the right number of Chucks is similar to fishing rods and cam be expressed by n=n+1 where N is the current number of chucks one has.
Someone told me that the lathe is the cheapest part of turning, and that my initial free lathe would turn out to be expensive. Both statements are true and the desire to make things easier by having multiple chucks plays.
Does anyone else use a power driver to change jaws? I've been doing so all along, with an cordless impact driver loaded with an Allen key.
I'm pretty sure the formula for the right number of Chucks is similar to fishing rods and cam be expressed by n=n+1 where N is the current number of chucks one has.
Someone told me that the lathe is the cheapest part of turning, and that my initial free lathe would turn out to be expensive. Both statements are true and the desire to make things easier by having multiple chucks plays.
I think you need to seek medical attention for a serious GAD infection. Gear Acquisition Disorder can empty bank accounts, make SWMBO really mad, and limit effective shop organization.
Someone once asked "Why do you have so many chucks?", I said "I need 5 for each lathe".
odie
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For those infrequent times I have stuck screws, I have an old fashioned impact driver that you strike with a hammer to break loose the screw.....like this one:
-----odie-----
I have used a cordless drill many times to change jaws. Most important thing I can think of when using one is to set the clutch to lowest setting. I have not yet stripped a screw, or had to drill one out because I broke it. Same when using a face plate, only the lowest setting needed to drive the screw home.
robo hippy
robo hippy
Nope, never. Hand tighten & hand loosen.
No - it would never have even occurred to me. Hand tightening ought to be adequate.
Not a question of power, but more of speed much faster to use the driver.
I have something like 5 Nova G3 chucks. Most have various jaws on them, some I swap from time to time others, I have no idea when I last changed jaws. I sometimes grab one when there is a sale and I have the extra cash. Just in case. Problem? No, I don't have a tool problem. No intervention necessary
David,
If I am understanding your situation correctly, with the size lathe I believe you are working with, you should not have a need to change jaws. You can do any bowl or spindle in your capacity with the 2" jaws that came with the chuck. If you start turning bowls or hollow forms of >12" diameter, you may need to move up. But for now, just leave one set of jaws on the chuck and make all your tenons the same size. KISS
Thanks Dean, that seems like a good plan!David,
If I am understanding your situation correctly, with the size lathe I believe you are working with, you should not have a need to change jaws. You can do any bowl or spindle in your capacity with the 2" jaws that came with the chuck. If you start turning bowls or hollow forms of >12" diameter, you may need to move up. But for now, just leave one set of jaws on the chuck and make all your tenons the same size. KISS
I have 2 Supernova 2 chucks for 2" and 4" jaws. Now looking at 5" jaws and will likely go for the Titan III so I dont have to chane jaws when coring larger bowls
Worst set of jaws that I never use, the stepped jaws. I guess they work for tenons, but you can't get to the bottom if you use the small tenon setting.
And I will repeat, the driver drills work great for removing and replacing the screws, IF, and only IF you adjust the clutch down. The newer versions do not have clutch settings on the screw guns, so very careful 'feeling' how much it is torqueing is essential if you don't want to have stripped screws and screw holes.
robo hippy
And I will repeat, the driver drills work great for removing and replacing the screws, IF, and only IF you adjust the clutch down. The newer versions do not have clutch settings on the screw guns, so very careful 'feeling' how much it is torqueing is essential if you don't want to have stripped screws and screw holes.
robo hippy
I was one that hated removing the screws to change jaws. I had 9 Nova/Record chucks all with different jaws and sold all of them and bought two Axminster chucks. I had two for a long time, but when Lee Vally closed out the brand I bought two more bodies, a luxury. It is so much easier to crank out one set of jaws and in another. I also have the O’Donnell jaws that replace many of the special jaws. You need to store chucks someplace, much easier to store jaw sets. Much happier with the chucks I now have.
Thanks, so now you have four chucks and swap jaws as necessary?
I also have four Supernovas and one Titan. A few days ago a neighbor had a cherry tree taken down and offered me the wood. As Jim described, I used the Titan to hold four of the 9 blanks I got while I cored them with the McNaughton (which I’m just beginning to feel competent with). Having multiple chucks made it easy to quickly turn the cores I got out of the largest blanks without constantly removing and remounting jaws. In total I rough turned 17 bowls from the 9 slabs. If the Titan jaws could hold a woodworm screw, my process might have been slightly different.
Yes, that is correct. With the Axminster chucks you buy jaw slides in addition to the jaws. You mount the jaws on the slides only once. Still cheaper than buying a whole chuck for the jaws.
Hmmm ... my Titan II came with a long woodworm screw, which I have used several times.
I have 6 SN2s and one G3 and still have two jaw sets with no chuck. Mmmmm think I will stop there.
You’re right Gerald. I should have been more specific. I’ve got the deep Power Grip jaws on the Titan III chuck and the screw that came with it is not long enough to use with those jaws, yet too long to use with standard jaws without a spacer. The attached thread I posted when I got the chuck details my effort to figure out if there was a way to use the woodworm screw with the Power Grip jaws, including communication with Nova.
Nova Titan woodworm - what am I doing wrong?
I just received my new Nova Titan III, and it seems to be a beautiful piece of work. I’m looking forward to using it, but I’m stymied by one thing. The woodworm screw that came with it seems to be too short to protrude the 3/4” beyond the end of the PowerGrip jaws, as described in the...
Well I have 8 chucks with several spare jaws acquired over time and hand tighten all the jaw changes on and off, along with hand tight on and off on the lathe. Truth beknown I could do with at least 2 more chucks.
Yes I found the same thing with my stepped jaws , have been contemplating modifying them, just havent quite decided which way to go on the modification.