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It may be large enough to work on stems, or to get you started but it will be a limitation later on. I would save money and buy a big lathe if you can. The Chinese 7x14 and its variants are all pretty similar and work ok. I have one (different name, but same parts) and except for working on stems, run into frequent issues where I wish mine were bigger and sturdier. If I had to do it over, I'd have saved money to buy a bigger one in the first place.

I agree with Bruce and Jeremiah.

I finally purchased a lathe. I got a good deal on a Jet 1015 variable speed with a superNOVA 2 chuck. I figured I'd start out by learning how to carve on the wood lathe, and keep my eyes out for a nice metal lathe. All I need now is a good set of jaws.

I noticed once i got it home that the supernova chuck does not allow for the jaws to move outside of the width of the chuck, so they max out at the width of the chuck, allowing only for approximately 2 1/4 inch chucking capacity. Do other manufacturers make chucks that can expand past the diameter of the chuck to allow for larger internal chucking capacities?

Rbraniganpipes wrote:I noticed once i got it home that the supernova chuck does not allow for the jaws to move outside of the width of the chuck, so they max out at the width of the chuck, allowing only for approximately 2 1/4 inch chucking capacity. Do other manufacturers make chucks that can expand past the diameter of the chuck to allow for larger internal chucking capacities?

I got the one way chuck for this reason. They make different sizes, so you want something that goes from like 1.5"-3.5". Custom jaws from smokingdawg make a difference too.

sandahlpipe wrote:Custom jaws from smokingdawg make a difference too.

You're wrong. Custom jaws from smokingdawg make THE difference.

(Full disclosure: I am an adamant fan and unabashed evangelist of Steve's chuck jaws).

I talked to a rep at Oneway today, and he indicated that the talon chuck would be the way to go for the size lathe I use. He also indicated that with the #2 jaws on the talon chuck, I would have a center gripping distance of approximately 2 3/4 inches. Would it be any larger area with the smokingdawg jaws?

I believe the #2 is what I have. I have yet to find a block I can't drill on it with the jaws from Steve. While you can use their tower jaws, the jaws from Steve make a world of difference.

+1 on Steve's jaws. For the money, you can't beat it.

sandahlpipe wrote:I believe the #2 is what I have. I have yet to find a block I can't drill on it with the jaws from Steve. While you can use their tower jaws, the jaws from Steve make a world of difference.

Same here, I have the regular OneWay Chuck with #2 tower jaws. They're not ideal but have worked fine so far...

I purchased the Oneway Talon, and am now looking for some jaws to hold Rod stock. I am going to order a set of Shopdawg jaws for holding briar. If I were going to use 3/4 by 3/4 square acrylic blanks, would a set of #1 jaws for the oneway hold the blank well? It looks as if it would be good for round rod, but i wasn't sure about square. If not #1, can anyone recommend a different set of jaws? I found a set of nova jaws that look like they would work perfectly, but i am assuming you can't use nova jaws on a oneway chuck. Can anyone disprove that assumption?

Rbraniganpipes wrote:I purchased the Oneway Talon, and am now looking for some jaws to hold Rod stock. I am going to order a set of Shopdawg jaws for holding briar. If I were going to use 3/4 by 3/4 square acrylic blanks, would a set of #1 jaws for the oneway hold the blank well? It looks as if it would be good for round rod, but i wasn't sure about square. If not #1, can anyone recommend a different set of jaws? I found a set of nova jaws that look like they would work perfectly, but i am assuming you can't use nova jaws on a oneway chuck. Can anyone disprove that assumption?

These are awesome if you have a nova chuck. Steve's jaws work on Nova chucks as well.
http://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/te06034/

These are awesome if you have a nova chuck. Steve's jaws work on Nova chucks as well.
http://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/te06034/

These are the jaws that i wanted to get, but i don't have a Nova chuck. Does Oneway make a set that are comparable to these, or would it be beneficial for me to just go ahead and buy a nova g3 chuck for 90 bucks, and get a set of these jaws, and just run two chucks?

because if i were to buy a second oneway chuck, I'm looking at another $300 investment.

You can never have too many chucks, and for the price, Nova chucks are a solid deal. That being said, if you're just starting out, there's more useful ways to spend your money than buying a 2nd chuck.

mightysmurf8201 wrote:That being said, if you're just starting out, there's more useful ways to spend your money than buying a 2nd chuck.

Let me expand on this statement a bit. I realize after reading it that I kind of left you hanging. If you haven't already done so, there's other tooling up that needs to be done with a wood lathe. I'll mention a few things here. It goes without saying, but turning tools are required if you're going to shape on the lathe. I use the Easy Wood turning roughing tool to get my shape, then refine it with a sort of scraper that I made. You'll have to find what works for you. If you aren't using replaceable tip tools, you'll need a way to sharpen your tools. Lowe's carries a Delta 8" variable speed grinder that can be found on sale for $100 which works great. Don't go smaller than 8", and low speed is the way to go for sharpening. Sharp tools are a must. They are inherently safer and can eliminate a lot of sanding work. A Jacob's chuck for your tailstock is necessary for drilling. I won't go too much further here because I think what I've mentioned should be enough to at least get you going while not dumping too much money in. Make a few pipes with the basic tools and then evaluate what you would benefit most from acquiring next. Everyone has their own system of doing things as well as a tooling setup that is suited to their way of working. That's something you're going to have to figure out and it wouldn't do you any good to go out and spend a bunch of money on a tooling setup that isn't suited to your particular way of working. The most important thing is to keep making pipes. Practice is what will make you a better pipe maker, tools just make it go faster if used properly. I hope this was at least somewhat helpful.
BTW, didn't you mention earlier that you have a supernova 2 chuck? Won't the nova pen jaws fit on it?

Let me expand on this statement a bit. I realize after reading it that I kind of left you hanging. If you haven't already done so, there's other tooling up that needs to be done with a wood lathe. I'll mention a few things here. It goes without saying, but turning tools are required if you're going to shape on the lathe. I use the Easy Wood turning roughing tool to get my shape, then refine it with a sort of scraper that I made. You'll have to find what works for you. If you aren't using replaceable tip tools, you'll need a way to sharpen your tools. Lowe's carries a Delta 8" variable speed grinder that can be found on sale for $100 which works great. Don't go smaller than 8", and low speed is the way to go for sharpening. Sharp tools are a must. They are inherently safer and can eliminate a lot of sanding work. A Jacob's chuck for your tailstock is necessary for drilling. I won't go too much further here because I think what I've mentioned should be enough to at least get you going while not dumping too much money in. Make a few pipes with the basic tools and then evaluate what you would benefit most from acquiring next. Everyone has their own system of doing things as well as a tooling setup that is suited to their way of working. That's something you're going to have to figure out and it wouldn't do you any good to go out and spend a bunch of money on a tooling setup that isn't suited to your particular way of working. The most important thing is to keep making pipes. Practice is what will make you a better pipe maker, tools just make it go faster if used properly. I hope this was at least somewhat helpful.
BTW, didn't you mention earlier that you have a supernova 2 chuck? Won't the nova pen jaws fit on it?

Thanks for all of the advice!
As far as turning tools go, I purchased a 1/4'' parting tool, 1/2'' round nose scraper, and 1/2'' spindle gouge to get started.
I do currently have an 8" slow speed grinder with brand new grinding wheels, as I took them off to use it as a buffing station.
I don't have a Jacob's Chuck. I purchased a key operated 1/2'' x 2MT chuck by Wood River from Woodcraft.

What is the benefit of the Jacob's Chuck over other chucks out there?

As far as the supernova2 goes, I took that back and replaced it with the Oneway Talon, as I couldn't get the Supernova to expand wide enough for some of the blocks I personally would like to turn. The Supernova only expanded to internal gripping of 2 1/4'' while the Talon expands to 3".

I think the 1/2" chuck you have is a jacob's chuck, so you're set there.

I'd have to measure again but I'm thinking the jaws I make will open up over 3" with any of the chucks I've made them for. I'm also trying to come up with something that will allow you to hold the square pen blanks using the same set of jaws.

I have made one attempt so far and after looking at that set of jaws I may work on it a little different. I'll have to get more material and work on the design.

I found that while the tower jaws work for holding blocks they aren't anywhere near ideal. You can hold the block no problem, but getting it orientated in the jaws to drill the airway and then trying to turn it to do the chamber can be very frustrating. Getting it lined up to perfectly drill it can be a real pain. I also found that they tend to hold smaller blocks than a lot of the blocks being sold. I know this from using them when I first took up pipe making.

I was then gifted a set of jaws a lot like I'm making now. I just made a few changes over time as I got feedback and also as I used them myself.

Are the jaws I make perfect? No. Are they the best out there? No. Are they the cheapest? Perhaps not. Do they work? Yes!

A Jacobs chuck is just a drill chuck fit to whatever shaft it is that your tail stock holds. (Basically)

As for the jaws interchanging........ The bolt pattern and bolt size for both the Nova and Oneway chucks is the same. I don't have both chucks available to me but on the bottom side of the jaw in this post you can see a ridge. This fits in a groove in the chuck setting it in place and holding it there. It appears they both have it but it's not an exact match so they won't interchange. My jaws are smooth on the bottom which allows them to fit either.

Sorry for the long post and I didn't mean for it to sound like an advertisement for my jaws but wanted to explain some differences between what can be purchased to meed your pipe making needs.

Are the jaws I make perfect? No. Are they the best out there? No. Are they the cheapest? Perhaps not. Do they work? Yes!

Steve, Thanks again for all of the help. I look forward to the jaws coming in, and giving them a try!

Ok so i am about ready to order a second chuck ( nova g3) and a set of jaws for square acrylic, (pen jaws) but was wondering how most of you hold round rod stock in your chucks? Do you use any specific jaws, or do you try to center it in the chuck without any specific jaws on the chuck itself and use the live center in the tailstock to ensure it centers correctly?