Help me choose a lathe chuck (stupid Question #2)

[Ocelot55]

So I need some sort of chuck to get me started. I can't afford the really nice ones right now. My budget is about $250.

The nova chucks look good, but I've also read a lot of good things about the Oneway chuck on this forum. Any advice.

[Sasquatch]

They are pretty similar.

What lathe, and do they both have adapters that will fit for you?

The Oneway with profiled tower jaws is nice enough to get going with.

[Ocelot55]

Okay, I'm doing some searching on woodcraft right now and can't seem to find what I need. How do I determine the size I need?

Here are the basic specs:

http://www.ozarkwoodworker.com/10-x-24- ... p_764.html

Any advice?

[wdteipen]

You need a chuck with an 8 TPI (thread per inch) adapter. If I'm not mistaken you can measure the width of the lead screw (the part that your chuck screws onto) for the depth of the threads for the chuck you need. For example, 1" x 8 TPI is a pretty standard lead screw measurement.

[Ocelot55]

Ok, Wayne, remember I've got no clue about lathes. I'm confused. What does the lead screw diameter and tpi have to do with the spindle? I thought the lead screw was that long threaded rod that extends the whole lathe under the bed. The measurement on the lead screw on my lathe is 3/4" x 8 TPI. Would that also be the same for my spindle? I haven't been able to find a chuck that fits a 3/4" x 8 TPI spindle. Tons of 3/4" x 16 TPI, though.

[Alden]

Why dont you spend that money to send out the 4 jaw chuck you already have for some custom work ? Trent Rudat did mine and I'm pretty happy with the work.
Smokindawg here on the forum also makes custom jaws, at ridiculously cheap prices too.

[Ocelot55]

A three jaw chuck comes with mine.

[Alden]

A three jaw chuck comes with mine.

Ah, ok. The 3 jaw will be good for holding rodstock.

[smokindawg]

When I bought my used jet 9x20 I had to purchase a different chuck. I had a one way on my delta midi but the spindle threads are much bigger on the jet. I bought a scroll chuck from grizzly for less than $100. The bolt pattern is even the same as the one way so the jaws will work. The only difference is that the screws that hold the jaws are smaller on the grizzly. So I drilled and tapped them out and now the jaws interchange. I use jaws of my own making and the cheap chuck has works well for a couple years now.

[Ocelot55]

Ok, so I'm pretty sure the guy I bought my lathe from also included a back plate. It's a big heavy metal disk thingy (that's the technical ignoramus term). So can I use that to attach a chuck such as:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-3-Ja ... huck/G9833

Would this chuck be suitable for pipe making?

[caskwith]

Thats a funny looking 3 jaw chuck, do you count different in the US?

[KurtHuhn]

You need a chuck with an 8 TPI (thread per inch) adapter. If I'm not mistaken you can measure the width of the lead screw (the part that your chuck screws onto) for the depth of the threads for the chuck you need. For example, 1" x 8 TPI is a pretty standard lead screw measurement.

Just a quibble: the "lead screw" is the threaded bit on the front of the lathe that drives the carriage during threading operations. The thing the chuck attaches to is called "spindle threads".

If your lathe is a 10" Jet, it will have a minimum spindle thread of 1.5"-8, since the spindle bore is over an inch. Unfortunately the page you linked to does not say what the spindle threads are, so be sure to measure them before buying a chuck.

You can also get a regular Oneway chuck with tower jaws as Sas mentioned, then get a spindle adapter. They are available for a handful of common thread sizes.