Starter jaws for chuck

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marcros

marcros

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I am about to buy a first chuck for my lathe. The axminster k100 is on offer and it seems to get good reviews. I want to turn a few lidded boxes (probably 2 1/2" diameter), some small stuff like box feet, pens and maybe some small bowls- 6" diameter max. Can anybody suggest the most suitable jaws for these tasks and/or general usefulness? I appreciate that some if the things I mentioned may be turner between centres or using a pen mandrel.

The alternative is to wait for the rutlands chuck to be on offer next- I am in no hurry and ideally would prefer that somebody would tell me what I should do rather than sit on the fence!
 
A generally useful "all purpose" set of jaws is the 2" set. They're good for bowls in either compression or expansion mode, good for tenons on the base and lids of boxes. Not so much for pens as they generally have specialist mandrels and morse tapers that will be designed for your spindle so a chuck usually not necessary.

The Rutlands Dakota 3 or 4" models are generally around the £65 mark all the time and are well worth the money.
 
The rutlands one is 90 at the moment, no doubt it will come down a bit.

Price being pretty equal at present, is there any quality difference between the Dakota and the axi clubmans?
 
I've not used the clubmans but I have got a Rutlands chuck and a supanova 2 and the SN2 is obviously the more expensive of the two. It is better made, better machined with less run out than the Dakota. None of these little differences really affect the performance of the Dakota but it's just not as slick as the SN2, not as good quality in general. I'm willing to bet the clubman range is similar ie like the SN2. I've looked at them in store many times and handled them and they seem really well made to me. But...all the Axy range do seem expensive. The jaws seem expensive too and that's why I didn't plump for them in the first place. Also one of the reasons apart from price that attracted me to the Rutlands chucks was the jaw compatibility with the SN2.

It might be worth having a look at the RP2000 if the spindle fits your lathe. Its very compact at only 62mm and is very good value as are the jaws. I even wonder if its actually the same chaiwanese factory that makes these and the Dakota's???. Not sure about that. I've not got one but have promised myself one when a lot of small projects come up in the future because the smaller diameter means less stress on the lathe bearings, easier access to the chuck end of a workpiece and lower likelihood of leaving large quantities of knuckle bouncing around your workshop floor!

Here it is

http://www.recordpower.co.uk/product/co ... .VJSF5TpAA
 
The lathe was threaded originally at 3/4"bsp I think. The previous owner had an adaptor made which I would think is 1"x 8tpi. I need to check before I order anything but he did have a supernova chuck I think which would mean that it is at least something common.

I like the look of the record. To be honest I would rather buy something that is good for small things and not suited to big stuff than have something that is a compromise for everything. I will probably go for the record.
 
You can turn the smallest item on a very big lathe. You can't always turn a big item on a small lathe. Most people eventually want to turn something sizeable or out of true.
 
True but when I come to turn bigger items another chuck is just one of many items I may need. The swing over beds is 4 1/2" I think (ie 9" diameter). The lathe will turn outbound but I don't have the toolrests for that so will likely be looking at an upgraded lathe. The thread on the record is common so I would hope that I will only loose 30 quid if I sell it on in a year or two.
 
Personally I would say any chuck you get supplied with a set of auxiliary jaws that give you something in the region of a 50mm socket/42mm spigot would suit your needs.

I have basically 100mm diameter chucks for the bulk of my work but the most commonly used auxiliary jaws are those supplied for an 80mm chuck. (axminster brand all accessory jaws fit 80-100-120mm chucks)
Stems from when my first lathe fitted with a nova chuck had auxiliary jaws with this size.

Nothing wrong with a K100 fitted with C jaws, the socket/spigot sizes may be nearer 60mm can't remember exactly and they are some distance away at the moment so can't check. But the 80mm versions will fit the same chuck if needed.
 
What lathe?

If your spindle nose is 3/4" then it most likely to be 3/4"x16 UNF.
BSP stands for British Standard Pipe & I doubt very much you would find that thread on a lathe Unless it's been butchered for some reason. Even if it has, you would have to use a thread adaptor to use any modern chuck.

I posted a chuck summary at the beginning of this year which you may find helpful
- woodturning-chucks-some-info-for-those-new-to-the-hobby-t76139.html

I know that when I got my first chuck (Axminster) the standard 'C' jaws were too big for a lot of the wood that I had or I felt that it was such a waste to turn down larger pieces to make small items.

One chuck that I have never used & does't seem to have been mentioned yet is the Versachuck from The Toolpost. This has several advantages if they suit your needs. They attach to the lathe using a changeable backplate thus if you change your lathe you only need a new backplate. Secondly there are different carriers available to match other manufacturer's jaws.

The other thing to remember is that all jaws only make a perfect circle at one point in their travel & this size tenon is what gives the best grip.
 
Random Orbital Bob":2g9fefen said:
I've not used the clubmans but I have got a Rutlands chuck and a supanova 2 and the SN2 is obviously the more expensive of the two. It is better made, better machined with less run out than the Dakota. None of these little differences really affect the performance of the Dakota but it's just not as slick as the SN2, not as good quality in general. I'm willing to bet the clubman range is similar ie like the SN2. I've looked at them in store many times and handled them and they seem really well made to me. But...all the Axy range do seem expensive. The jaws seem expensive too and that's why I didn't plump for them in the first place. Also one of the reasons apart from price that attracted me to the Rutlands chucks was the jaw compatibility with the SN2.

It might be worth having a look at the RP2000 if the spindle fits your lathe. Its very compact at only 62mm and is very good value as are the jaws. I even wonder if its actually the same chaiwanese factory that makes these and the Dakota's???. Not sure about that. I've not got one but have promised myself one when a lot of small projects come up in the future because the smaller diameter means less stress on the lathe bearings, easier access to the chuck end of a workpiece and lower likelihood of leaving large quantities of knuckle bouncing around your workshop floor!

Here it is

http://www.recordpower.co.uk/product/co ... .VJSF5TpAA
Click to expand...
I was always lead to believe that the sn2 and the Rutland's chucks had different jaw mounts. Can you confirm that they are interchangeable as a second chuck would be handy and a Dakota to go alongside the sn2 would fit the budget
 
I'm pretty certain they are compatible because I bought it for that reason. The only caveat is if using the SN2 COLE jaws with the Dakota you'll need slightly longer countersunk machine screws. You will also need one spare for when you inevitably drop it into a pile of shavings under your lathe and then spent about an hour failing to find it!

Someone did a very useful thread a while back which matched all the chuck jaws.....but I cant find it...sorry.
 
Right, thanks for that Robbo....... that's interesting and I have to say a tad confusing. That pretty much contradicts the idea that the Nova series (G3 and SN/2) jaws Don't fit the Rutlands XT series chucks. Now either I'm having a seriously senior moment or that doesn't make sense to me because I have been labouring under the impression they were compatible. So much so in fact that I have bought the JSCOLE larger jaw set for reverse bowl finishing and mounted them on the Dakota chuck bought in that bumper deal Rutlands did last easter. (Think I paid about £65 delivered from memory).

I went through all the research at that time and concluded that the SN/2 jaws were compatible with the Rutlands chuck. The only caveat was that you needed longer (or was it shorter I cant remember) machine screws to mount the cole jaws which I bought and have been happily using it on the XT ever since.

So now I'm confused. I thought I had it straight in my head....now you've wobbled me with those 3 resurrected posts because they seem to have the nova series in a different category to the Rutlands chucks. That cross compatibility matrix is looking once again like its really needed isn't it.
 
Hi Bob
Any chance of popping out to the shed and clearing this up once and for all.
As someone who has both chucks, and presumably jaws for both could you test compatability both ways, I.e. sn2 jaws fit the Dakota chuck (which one do you have?) and also that Dakota jaws fit the sn2.
Thanks
Bob
 
A couple of things to note folks:-

  • 1. Distributers/suppliers of chucks are won't to change the format from time to time, and still market them under the same/similar 'brand' name, perhaps with a caveat of 'new' 'improved' etc. (Nova/Supernova/Supernova2)

    I believe the Versa Chuck may have had more than one format because of source/supplier changes over the years, don't know if they kept the same jaw carrier format for instance.

  • 2. Auxiliary jaws may fit the securing screw hole centres, but do the safety spigots that help with alignment and hopefully take the centrifugal loads if a screw comes loose engage correctly?
    I've seen one combination, unfortunately I can't remember which it was that had two socket/mortise components that fitted fine but did not have the addition location/safety tenon component

Looking at compatibility listings that are several years old whilst they can be very helpful they do need to be viewed with caution when looking at products being marketed by 'stock shifters' rather than major brand sources.

Unfortunately few suppliers of branded goods are going to list cross platform compatibility, in the first instance because of the potential to loose exclusive accessory sales, and secondly because of possible liability issues if some other brand changes fittings.
 
" Auxiliary jaws may fit the securing screw hole centres, but do the safety spigots that help with alignment and hopefully take the centrifugal loads if a screw comes loose engage correctly?"

My experience with the Supernova chuck vs the Rutlands XT..... was that they didn`t.

Ian
 

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