Buying a lathe, help required

[NeilO]

fellas,
Ive wanted to try a bit of turning, being overwhelmed with the kind of stuff CHJ and his fellow turners produce.....
now having read several ( if not all the lathe topics) i finally settled for the perform CCBL, but now im stuck with the chuck problem
several ppl here swear by the Axminster super precision chuck (with the same amount disregarding it as tosh :shock: )
now i can get it as package deal ( ie option a or b)but whats the differences between the two, i`ve read the catalogue several times but being new to turning its just gobble-degook to me. :?:
can any of you fine gentlemen steer me right as to which one to choose, i intend to try all aspects of turning at some point so the best allrounder would be the best choice.
HELP! please..

 

[CHJ]

Neil, I personally have a Nova chuck and have no complaints with it's use, however if I was to purchase another chuck I would go for the Versa chuck for the very reason that whichever "Branded" chuck you purchase you will be stuck with the accessory jaws peculiar to that brand due to the individual location patterns. The versachuck comes with jaws to suit more than one standard and others are available.

That way you will have access to Axminster, Nova, Record etc. accessories should you find ones you prefer.

Whichever you choose I would certainly make sure it is Chuck Key operated (not two tommy bars) unless you have three hands.

A set of built in indexing holes is another plus.

 

[Argee]

Option "A" comes with both internal and external stepped jaws, that is to say, jaws that grip the wood from the outside, or expand internally into a recess. Option "B" comes with accessory-mounting jaws. These would be what you'd need if the stepped jaws of option "A" weren't suitable for everything you'll need to turn (they probably won't be!).

So, for Option "B", you'd need to specify a set of jaws, such as the dovetail jaws (410158 or 410159), maybe. These will grip internally or externally, the part numbers relate to their different gripping capacity.

You'll need to make clear which lathe the chuck is for, as it will be supplied with a threaded insert to fit. This is an advantage, because if you upgrade your lathe to one with a different thread, all you then need is a new insert, not a new chuck. HTH

Ray.

 

[Alf]

Whichever you choose I would certainly make sure it is Chuck Key operated (not two tommy bars) unless you have three hands.

I dunno, Chas, that chuck I just got has two tommy bars and it's dead easy to use one hand to "nip" the workpiece to hold it while you tighten up with two hands. Not that a key isn't desirable, but...

Cheers, Alf

 

[CHJ]

Whichever you choose I would certainly make sure it is Chuck Key operated (not two tommy bars) unless you have three hands.

I dunno, Chas, that chuck I just got has two tommy bars and it's dead easy to use one hand to "nip" the workpiece to hold it while you tighten up with two hands. Not that a key isn't desirable, but...

Cheers, Alf

Point taken Alf, perhaps it's just me and so many years in engineering but it seems an unnecessary complication for a simple task.

I don't suppose you would attempt to fit a multi kilo pieceon that sort of chuck.

 

[SVB]

Neil,

I have a couple of the APTC Superprecision and it is an A1 chuck - however, it also has an A1 price and with each extra set of jaws you buy (if you are lazy like me) you will need a set of carriers in addition at £32.

As an aside: I also have a nova chuck but although I like the idea of the gimbaled chuck key I personally find the S/P easier to use. I also have a Vicmarc chuck which is excellent and I had the record power RP4000 (which is very similar to the vicmarc) which I sold with my lathe when I traded up which I also liked to use but was annoyed I could not buy extra jaw carriers for the different jaws so spent quite a lot of time looking for screws in shavings as I can be a bit clumsy with small screws!

Have you looked at this month's woodturning magazine? The Versachuck has a baby brother now. It is supplied with three sets of jaws, and with a thread that will fit the perform (1" x 8 if I remember correctly) as well as a 3/4 x 16 adaptor for record etc - all for about £60. The only downside is that it is not key operated but I would think that it will cope with anything the perform can do with no problem and should get you going with several sets of jaws for minimal outlay - (have you started on turning tools yet??? :wink:

Anyway, I hope the above has helped rather than confused but let us know which way you decide!