Best Wood Lathe Chuck - Tested, Compared & Reviews

We need to celebrate the four-jaw bowl chuck, because it is a spectacular tool! This bowl chuck is a must for any serious bowl turner. We best chuck for craftsman wood lathe explore the integration of althe four-jaw chuck in the best chuck for craftsman wood lathe bowl turning process. Then we will discuss how the chuck works and how to go about selecting the right wood bowl chuck or rather chucks for your particular needs.

Some enterprising woodturners, frustrated with limited chucking options, borrowed the wood bowl chuck cyuck from the metal milling world. Initially, turners were using slightly modified metal milling chucks on wood lathes.

A kathe chuck was used exclusively for awhile around the s. Through the years, the four-jaw wood bowl chuck evolved wkod best chuck for craftsman wood lathe now designed solely to turn wood. Additional wood bowl chuck names include: four-jaw chuck, scroll chuck, lathe chuck, and spigot chuck. There are several components to a four-jaw wood chuck. The most obvious element is the jaws. Typically the jaws are attached to the chuck with a couple of recessed machine ceaftsman.

This easy connection is important, because it allows for quick access when changing jaws. Yes, in most cases the jaws of a wood bowl chuck can be changed. The jaws are attached to the jaw slides. Jaw slides are moving parts that expand or contract when the internal mechanism of the wood chuck is adjusted. The internal mechanism contains a scroll ring that allows all four jaws to move in unison when adjusted. Adjusting the jaws is done with a tool or key typically provided with the chuck.

The most common form of adjusting a craftwman chuck is by rotating an inset on the side of the chuck with a hex crfatsman or chuck key.

Usually, there are two inset screw points on opposite sides of the chuck to accomplish this process. The first thing to consider when purchasing a four-jaw chucm for turning wood bowls is the size of the bowls you will best chuck for craftsman wood lathe turning. A rule of ctaftsman ratio, depending upon to whom you talk, is about 30 to 40 percent base to diameter. In other words, it is a good idea to have a tenon or foot on a turned bowl that is at least 30 to 40 percent the size of the largest diameter of the bowl.

So, a inch diameter bowl should have approximately a three- to four-inch tenon on the base. In the 30 to 40 percent size range, the four-jaw chuck will perform well and provide ample support and stability. A three-inch tenon on a inch bowl would not offer enough support nor stability. Most bowls are much shorter than they are wide. However, in the process of making a taller bowl tor hollow form, the ratio of tenon size to diameter changes.

This change is necessary, because the wood form has moved away from the headstock. The farther the turned piece moves away from the headstock, or the longer it is, the more craftsmaan and instability may occur. If you are starting out and have not turned a bowl yet, you will probably want to start with a small to moderately sized chuck, one that will allow for the creation of perhaps six- to eight-inch bowls.

For example, this is an ideal chuck check Amazon link for current price for small to medium fro bowl turning. Keep in mind, depending upon the maker of the chuck, additional jaw options are usually available. I particularly like to use fof that give me optional jaw sizes, but there are limits, of course.

The chuck linked here also has afforadable optional larger jaws for creating larger bowls. The jaws of a four-jaw wood chuck best chuck for craftsman wood lathe designed to work on both sides. So if you turn a tenon, or a foot on the base of a bowl, the inside of the jaws grip the outside of that tenon. If you prefer to turn a mortise, or best chuck for craftsman wood lathe area, instead of a tenon, the outside of the jaws will grip the interior mortise with outward pressure.

Personally, I prefer the tenon, because it allows me to have more design control over the final crraftsman design. Besides, I kind of like to conceal how the piece was attached best chuck for craftsman wood lathe the lathe. A big mortise hole on the bottom of the bowl seems to give that little mystery away.

I do know some turners that turn mortises and use that space to hide decorative details and even epoxy coins as an added treat lateh people who closely examine the bowl. Most of the bowls I turn are side-grain oriented. Side-grain bowl blanks can work well with either tenon or mortise connections.

Side-grain bowls with narrow or small bases may not have chjck material to handle the outward pressure of the dor chuck in a mortise configuration. If you turn end-grain bowls, I would advise against using a mortise connection. The wood chuck will simply expand and stretch the end grain fibers in most cases. Cracked end-grain fibers make for a weak and unstable wood chuck joint. On the other hand, tenon compression with a wood chuck makes a firm hold on end owod bowl tenons and compacts wood fibers for a good grip.

Another thing to know before carftsman select a four-jaw chuck is the headstock spindle size of your lathe. The spindle size is expressed in diameter and thread count. Many manufacturers use inserts that will accommodate your specific lathe size. The interesting thing about this is if you have craftxman than one lathe and they have different sized headstock spindle inserts, you can best chuck for craftsman wood lathe purchase an inexpensive insert for each lathe and use the same chuck on lathw.

Another option is to use step-down or cratfsman adjustment pieces available to accommodate different sized headstock fpr. The jaws of a four-jaw chuck need to have chhck way best chuck for craftsman wood lathe hold onto the best chuck for craftsman wood lathe. After all, if the jaws were simply cylindrical quarter sections, the wood would come loose and shoot off the lathe. On both sides of the jaws are either dovetail or serrated teeth or grooves.

I prefer dovetail jaws. While lxthe learning to make a tenon properly may take slightly more time, dovetail jaws hold much better craftaman the serrated teeth jaws. The tenon best chuck for craftsman wood lathe off and the bowl fell to the ground.

My guess is that would have happened with the toothed jaws as well. I have had several pieces come loose while being held by toothed jaws. Typically the bowl, after taking an aggressive cut, will come loose in the toothed jaw chuck and vibrate off dor.

I stick to the dovetail jaws, and they hold on with great success. The final aspect to consider when selecting a four-jaw wood bowl chuck is the optional jaws available for a bets chuck. Personally, I own three chucks. Chukc have one that came with multiple jaws. I use that particular chuck for small turning projects.

I also have two larger dovetail jawed chucks; each has several optional jaw size configurations. If I choose so down the road, there are larger jaws for my largest chuck that will allow me to turn bowls with ltahe six- to eight-inch tenon — BIG bowls. I will first share with you the main way I use the four-jaw chuck in my bowl turning process. Then I will show you how you can turn a bowl entirely using a four-jaw chuck. Most bowls I turn are medium to large, approximately inches in diameter.

Here are the steps, in which I incorporate a four-jaw wood bowl chuck while making most of my bowls. Sizing and turning a secure wood bowl tenon starts by determining the correct tenon size. While the jaw slides on the chuck move the jaws a great distance in and out, this IS NOT to fit just any sized tenon. Cguck size of the jaws completely dictates the size of the tenon used on the wood ltahe. The wood bowl chuck jaw is turned as one piece when the four-jaw chuck is manufactured, ironically on a metal lathe.

Because the jaws were cut apart, there needs to be a slight gap when closing them down on a tenon, to form the original true circle. We never want all four jaws touching each other when tightened. That is also the limit at which they can grip.

If the tenon is oversized, say a five-inch tenon for three-inch jaws, the inside rim of the jaws will only be making minimal contact with the circle of the tenon—also something we do not want. The ideal sized tenon is just slightly larger than the four jaws and leaves a small gap between jaws once the vraftsman is snug on the wooden bowl tenon.

If you are turning green wood into a rough bowl shape and then drying the bowl to later re-turn to the final shape, the first tenon needs to be bigger. I know this flies in the face of what I just said above, but think about it. The green wood tenon will stretch best chuck for craftsman wood lathe shrink as it dries.

Once dry, the roughed bowl tenon will need to be re-trued or made round again. This process will remove material. It is important to start with a bit of extra material on the green wood tenon, knowing a portion of that will be removed later, making the final ideal sized tenon.

Mounting the bowl tenon flush and square to the four-jaw chuck is simple, but critically important. With a properly turned tenon, this is not a problem at all. Check for any debris that may be on or around the tenon and also best chuck for craftsman wood lathe at the jaws and make sure they are free from any shavings or debris.

Best chuck for craftsman wood lathe the jaws best chuck for craftsman wood lathe enough to insert the bext freely. Never force or push the tenon into the chuck, as this might damage the tenon. Once the tenon is inside the jaws, layhe it loosely and slowly tighten the jaws using the chuck key or hex wrench.

When the jaws start to make contact, lightly apply pressure to the center of the bowl, seating it squarely on the top of each jaw section. Snug up best chuck for craftsman wood lathe jaw grip best chuck for craftsman wood lathe, while continuing to apply pressure to the inside of the bowl, rotate the chuck and tighten the opposite chuck adjustment point.

Slow opposite tightening will balance tension and prevent the bowl from being too tight on one side or the other. Firm up the chuck until it is tight and the bowl does not move within the chuck.

Jan 08,  · I have that same chuck. I also have a Craftsman lathe I started with. I am very happy with the chuck. The way I turn bowls is drill a shallow hole in the bottom of the Best Wood Lathe For The Money Zoo blank, about 3/8" deep. Then I mount it to the chuck and turn it. I have never had a blank come off this way. I turn the outside first and then the inside. Largest Selection of Woodturning Chucks and Accessories. A quality woodturning chuck is an essential tool for every woodturner. We offer Vicmarc chucks that are famous for their quality and dependability along with Easy Wood Tools Easy Chuck, Oneway and Nova four jaw chucks.

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