# Craftsman chuck



## birdcarver (Nov 3, 2009)

Since I'm new at wood lathe, I wanted to ask a question of you guys. I am wanting a chuck, (but not to put alot of $$ yet) and a neighbor has a craftsman 4 jaw chuck. He had sold his lathe and happen to still have the chuck. its 6 " dia. and will hold outside & inside he said. I looked up in sears and the chuck sells for $99.95 but I can get it from my neighbor for $25.00
Would this be an ok chuck to start with? 
thanks
Tom


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## Barry Ward (Mar 22, 2008)

No don't by it,PS whats his phone number :laughing: :laughing:
Hey all jokes aside,if it will fit your lathe then go for it,cause you can't beat the price :thumbsup:


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## birdcarver (Nov 3, 2009)

thanks Ken, I think I will buy it. I think he said the jaws are reversable, but I believe the jaws are independent (not sure) so I guess that would be more of a problem getting the work piece centered
thanks
Tom


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

I know sears sells it as a wood lathe chuck but it isn't. You can do some work with it but if you want to hold bowls and such it will not hold it securely. The jaws were designed to hold metal, not wood.
If it is a 4 jaw chuck it is probably what we call an independant jaw chuck. This means that it is not self centering. Great for a machinist, extremely lousy for a woodturner. Each jaw must be closed seperately and to center something you need a dial indicator and a lot of patience.
True 4 jaw wood chucks are self centering and have curved jaws cut out of a circle. This holds wood better. When you close the jaws all the way they form a circle and are perfectly centered. If the sears chuck is like this it's probably pretty good. I have never seen them sell one of these. 
I would pass it up. You can buy a wood lathe chuck for as little as $100 although you get a better quality chuck for a little more. 
Go to www.pennstateind.com and look at the ones they have.


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## Lilty (Dec 20, 2006)

I agree with John Lucas that chuck is for metal.


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## birdcarver (Nov 3, 2009)

thanks John & Lilty, you gave some very useful information. I am passing this chuck up and going tomorrow to the woodcraft store close to me. Its always good for "newbies" like myself to ask questions! If its about carving a songbird or duck decoy then I can give advise, LOL!
Tom


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## Barry Ward (Mar 22, 2008)

Sorry Tom,I did not realize that.Thanks for catching this John.I'v seen a few folks that have the craftsmen lathes and didn't know that they were metal chucks on them.Although you may want to try it on your lathe,it may work,never know.Can you tell me where you found the info on that chuck? I may be interested,if you find it won't work for you.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

These chucks can actually be used for some things but I don't recommend them for the average person. The 3 jaw self centering metal lathe chucks are more useful but they still won't hold a piece as solidly as the woodturning chucks. The narrow jaws tend to crush the fibers so the wood comes loose easier.


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## dr. awsome (Nov 17, 2009)

I have this same chuck. It came with the lathe when I bought it. I've been using it some and I'll be looking to buy a better one. For the time being it will work well enough. For 25 bucks if you can't afford to get a nice one I would say go for it. It is a self centering chuck BTW.


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## Gordon Seto (Sep 23, 2007)

If the chuck looks like this, I don't think it should be used in woodturning.








Each jaw has relatively small contact area with wood. They can crush the wood fiber easily. Besides the spinning jaw slides are knuckle busters.
A chuck designed for wood has almost circular jaw.








It can provide better even support and gripping.

This is a safety issue. A bowl blank flying off the chuck at high speed can be dangerous. You don't really "need" a chuck. Chucks are relatively new invention. Face plate and glue block are safer alternatives to a metal chuck.


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

*Sale*

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080325/28578/Nova-Precision-Midi-Two-Jaw-Chuck.aspx Woodcraft has this one on sale so I bought one just before Thanksgiving with an additional 10% off. Now all I need are some bowl turning tools. I will be making small bowls since my lathe can only handle 8" dia. I have a Mercury Nova. Any suggestion where I can get lathe tools that are less than 22" they all seem so long for a mini lathe.


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## smeggy (Dec 7, 2009)

I'll come clean... I use a metalwork chuck for roughing out blanks. They're great for chewing down blocks that aren't square or even. Once in shape I can transfer to my wood chuck. They are dangerous to fingers and tools if you're not careful and I've been bitten a number of times, usually doing something I shouldn't be doing, but I love the simplicity and versatility of them. Their jaw range is far greater than any wood chuck and you don't need to spend all your time swapping jaws or treating them delicately. Reversing the jaws for even greater range takes all of about 2 minutes and it's a 4 jaw self-center. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for the feint of heart as it's almost inevitable that it will hurt you and your tools at some stage. I even managed to snap to tool rest off my lathe when it moved a little and the chuck hit it with extended jaws.


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## AZ Termite (Dec 20, 2008)

Bob, for turning bowls you want a tool with a longer handle. The longer handle allows for better control of the tool. I always rest them against my body to help with the control. It is amazing the difference it makes.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Ideally the tool should be against your body. We call it the turners dance because you control the tool by moving your body, instead of just your hands. It gives you much more control. Even when I use very small tools I lock the tool against my arm and then lock my arm against my body and still use my body to control the cut.


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

john lucas said:


> Ideally the tool should be against your body. We call it the turners dance because you control the tool by moving your body, instead of just your hands. It gives you much more control. Even when I use very small tools I lock the tool against my arm and then lock my arm against my body and still use my body to control the cut.


Thanks

I think I understand now why they are so long they just look intimidating after you have been turning small items. Should I go with a 1/4" or 3/8" bowl gouge for small bowls, (8" dia max) and what about the "fingernail" type as compared to the regular bowl gouge? I guess the scrapers are for getting a finished surface.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

bob A 3/8" or 1/2"bowl gouge is the most versatile. I did a survey a while back and the 3/8"/1/2" bowl gouge was the most frequently owned. Be aware that English bowl gouges are measured by the flute size and American gouges are measured by the rod diameter. Therefore a 3/8" English gouge is the same size as a 1/2" american gouge.


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

I guess than a Robert Sorby 1/4" would be a 3/8" etc. I'l keep htat in mind when I buy one.


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