# Best bet for new chuck



## JustinAhrens (Jul 8, 2013)

Hey guys, I have a $99 wood river chuck, and it has been ok, but I think it is time for an upgrade. I am torn between going for a high end chuck, like a Vicmarc, or the Easywood chuck, or getting a more economical Nova chuck. Just looking for opinions. I do a broad range of projects, from spindle work, to segmented bowls, to snare drums. Thanks for your input!


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## saculnhoj (May 18, 2015)

I have used a lot of chucks on the market and I think the Vicmarc beats the Nova in holding power. It also uses a standard 10mm Allen key so if you lose the key you can simply buy one at the hardware. There also aren't any keys to align when inserting the allen key. A much more efficient way of doing things I think. In fact I forgot the allen key one time when doing a demo and simply used a large flat blade screwdriver. Can't do that with any other chuck on the market. They have a wide variety jaws. 
If money is a problem Chucks Plus, and Grizzly both sell copies for much less. They aren't as good or as smooth but they accept all the inserts and jaws of the Vicmarc and are decent chucks. They also use the same size Allen Key for the chuck key.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

I started with the Woodriver chuck also but it has been years since I have used it. I went with Nova and have not been disappointed (now have 7). I have never orbited an item with the Novas but I do pay particular attention to the forming of the tenon or recess.
The SN2 and Infinity use an allen wrench style but I am not sure of the size, I assume it is ?mm.
If I were doing it again I would go with the Infinity quick change, Toolsplus has it on sale for $200. (They didn't make them when I started).
http://www.tools-plus.com/nova-lathes-8012.html


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## Jerry Maske (Dec 29, 2013)

And I've been impressed with Oneway's Stronghold. The only problem with them is you have to buy the different size jaws separately. Some of the others give you several sized jaws with your purchase. However, the Stronghold is as solid as a rock, assuming you can cut a tenon properly. And like all of them, a shot of WD-40 and a blast of compressed air from time to time makes them work really well.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I bought a SN2 and I wasn't impressed. I sent it back and bought a Oneway stronghold. I would recommend the Oneway to anyone. If it matters to you unlike the Nova, Oneway or Vicmark are NOT made in China.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

I have a large Vicmarc and I like it a lot. Like John says, no special chuck key is required. Expensive, yes, but a superb quality tool.

Another issue is that the Oneway Stronghold chucks not only have a specialized chuck key, but the key design means that they require a straight shot access for that key. 
In other words, there's no way you can operate the chuck if the workpiece obscures straight shot access of the chuck key, like if the chuck is "buried" inside a bowl for example - and that's a deal-breaker for me 'cos I run into that issue all the time.


But if the chuck is operated by an allen wrench style key (like the Vicmarc and clones), or if it's the older "tommy-bar" style chuck like the original Oneway, this problem is easily solvable.

I have three of the original Oneway tommy bar chucks and I'm a big fan. 
Oneway makes jaws both in the "profile" styles and in the "smooth dovetail" style (which I prefer), so they're extremely versatile and just the right size (at 4" dia) for almost anything except monster-big pieces.

I like tommy bar chucks though, which, judging from what I read in woodturning forums, most turners don't. 
I've read all kinds of complaints about them, ranging from them being slow to operate (they're not, they're faster) to the notion that they can't be tightened with one hand, which is just plain silly because of course they can.

This is the chuck I mean, and at about $130 including the spindle adapter for the bare chuck (ie, without jaws) it's one of the best deals on the planet. Very high quality with plenty of jaw options.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I could fix the straight shot problem on the Oneway. Buy a spare wrench and cut the handle off. Then weld a socket on the spider gear part. Now you can use a ratchet to tighten the chuck.


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## Mike Brazeau (Jul 17, 2015)

9thousandfeet said:


> I have a large Vicmarc and I like it a lot. Like John says, no special chuck key is required. Expensive, yes, but a superb quality tool.
> 
> Another issue is that the Oneway Stronghold chucks not only have a specialized chuck key, but the key design means that they require a straight shot access for that key.
> In other words, there's no way you can operate the chuck if the workpiece obscures straight shot access of the chuck key, like if the chuck is "buried" inside a bowl for example - and that's a deal-breaker for me 'cos I run into that issue all the time.
> ...


When do you need to bury a chuck inside a bowl? I have had a Stronghold for fifteen years as well as a couple of Talons and a Oneway and have never had occasion to " bury a chuck in a bowl". Can't recall ever having the work interfere with the Chuck key operation. I turn lots of natural edge as well as regular salad and small bowl configurations. Stronghold works as well now as when I bought it.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

Mike Brazeau said:


> When do you need to bury a chuck inside a bowl?


 When re-turning rough-turned bowls which have dried, a method I often use (which is basically one of Raffan's production methods) is to first grab the bowl by the tenon, quickly true the rim then turn a "recess" on the inside of the bowl which will accept chuck jaws in expansion mode. This takes less than a minute, usually.

Secondly I then reverse the bowl, now holding it on the inside with the chuck jaws expanded into the recess, which gives me unrestricted access to the exterior of the bowl (no tailstock in the way) so I can finish turn the outside profile, including finishing the foot.

I then reverse the bowl again, now holding it by the foot (with smooth dovetail jaws to which the foot has been carefully sized so it won't get dinged up by the chuck, or by some other feature like a bead or groove sized just right) to finish turn the inside.

If the bowl is large and deep, the chuck is often completely "inside" the bowl during that second operation, and this restricts the access for the Stronghold-style chuck keys.

I'm not questioning the quality of Stronghold chucks or Oneway products at all. I've used them and they're superbly made. 
They're just less versatile for the way that I often work, that's all.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> I could fix the straight shot problem on the Oneway. Buy a spare wrench and cut the handle off. Then weld a socket on the spider gear part. Now you can use a ratchet to tighten the chuck.


Sure, that would work.
If I had a Stronghold and needed to use it in situations where the chuck key access was blocked, that's probably what I would do.

Or more likely, I'd send it to you and have you do it, otherwise I'd have to buy a damn welder.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> I could fix the straight shot problem on the Oneway. Buy a spare wrench and cut the handle off. Then weld a socket on the spider gear part. Now you can use a ratchet to tighten the chuck.


Agree. I have a whole stable full of Oneway chucks (both Stronghold and Talon) and only use one of the keys for each size. There is no reason that I couldn't saw one off shorter and then drill a hole for the lever bar.

It must be the "big tool" syndrome that makes guys want to get the largest size of whatever tool is being considered. In most cases, I say that's a great idea, but it doesn't make sense with chucks. My lathe has a 25½" swing and probably 95% of the time I use either a Talon chuck or my Vicmarc 100 rather than going for my larger Stronghold or Vicmarc 120 or 150. It makes a lot more sense to use the smallest chuck that will do the job and that means that for anything under about 16" diameter, the Talon or Vicmarc 100 is just fine. It won't take long to figure out why a smaller chuck is better if you need to work on the headstock side of a piece as close to the jaws as you can possibly get. If you have a big honking chuck blocking access to that area, the reason is obvious. Also, the smaller chucks hold just as well as the larger ones hold. The amount of tightening force doesn't need to be as tight as you can possibly make it. Snug without going white knuckle works just fine. What about catches, you ask? You're not supposed to get catches! If you are, stop it. :laughing:


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

Mike Brazeau said:


> When do you need to bury a chuck inside a bowl? I have had a Stronghold for fifteen years as well as a couple of Talons and a Oneway and have never had occasion to " bury a chuck in a bowl". Can't recall ever having the work interfere with the Chuck key operation. I turn lots of natural edge as well as regular salad and small bowl configurations. Stronghold works as well now as when I bought it.


I've done it a few times and it was a bit close for the key, but I managed so far to do it without a problem. I had to use tower jaws a couple times. I've also left an "island" in the center when I knew that I would be reversing the bowl to true up the foot area.


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## JustinAhrens (Jul 8, 2013)

Hey guys, thanks for all the feedback! I'll look into them all.


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## Jerry Maske (Dec 29, 2013)

Bill, et all
Good info on the chucks. I'm a bit frugal so I only have the one chuck; the Stronghold. I've bought the Tower Jaws and use them all the time. They eliminate the problem of being too close to the chuck to clean up the bottom. You'll always have to reverse chuck in some combination, but the Tower Jaws make what is left to clean up a lot easier to deal with.

Thanks for all the guidance. You guys are the greatest.


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## Jim Beam (Oct 10, 2012)

I'll chime in, although I only have owned one chuck, the Nova G3. It has worked great and was affordable. I have 4 different sets of jaws for it. No complaints.


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## UnisawGuy (Jul 20, 2014)

First choice: Vicmarc
Second choice: Oneway
I prefer tommy bar chucks, I use both and the tommy bar is faster.


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## JustinAhrens (Jul 8, 2013)

Anybody have an opinion on the Easy Wood Chuck?


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

JustinAhrens said:


> Anybody have an opinion on the Easy Wood Chuck?


 Never actually seen one, but I won't let that stop me.
Expensive is the first word that comes to mind. Gimmicky is the second word that pops into my head.
It seems like a lot of money to spend to save a little bit of time changing jaws.

You could buy two Oneway tommy-bar chucks, each fitted with jaws of your choice, for the price of one chuck and one set of jaws from EWT, and that's exactly what I would do, personally.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

JustinAhrens said:


> Anybody have an opinion on the Easy Wood Chuck?


I have seen and touched one at SWAT. They are very well built. They are also very very expensive. They weren't selling well. Since initial introduction, the price has dropped, but they are still overpriced in my estimation. A huge chunk of change for a bit of convenience. Nova has since introduce an upgrade kit that allows quick changing of jaws. I wouldn't be too surprised if others also come up with some sort of fast changing jaws that can be retrofitted onto existing chucks. In my mind, fast changing of jaws is overrated. It only takes me a minute or so to change jaws on a chuck.

I have about five Talon chucks, a Stronghold, and a couple Vicmarc chucks. I have a bunch of jaws for those rare occasions when I need to install a special size such as 7" jaws or spigot jaws or Jumbo jaws, etc. Well known woodturner Bill Rubenstein showed me a trick that he uses for speeding up changing of jaws ... if you feel that it is really necessary. He just buys extra sets of "inner" jaws (the part that engages the scroll gear) and leaves the inner and outer parts permanently attached together and then removes the stop pin so that he is able to just unscrew one set of jaws and then quickly install a different set ... no screws to remove and reinstall.

FWIW, I spend more time cleaning chucks than changing jaws. What we really need is a fast self-cleaning chuck. :laughing:


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

9thousandfeet said:


> JustinAhrens said:
> 
> 
> > Anybody have an opinion on the Easy Wood Chuck?
> ...


Fully agree. Until they are priced similar to Oneway or Vicmark I will not buy one.


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## JustinAhrens (Jul 8, 2013)

Thanks for your opinions. I am drawn to the easy wood chuck for two reasons. 1) I like the square wood worm screw. My round one now tends to slip. I also like the 16" cole jaws. I make segmented snare drums that are 14,13 and 12 inches in diameter. Those jaws would allow me to do the sanding on the lathe (I make the shells with a router jig.

Does one way have cole jaws that large? I suppose I could make my own wooden cole jaws.

Thanks again


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

JustinAhrens said:


> Thanks for your opinions. I am drawn to the easy wood chuck for two reasons. 1) I like the square wood worm screw. My round one now tends to slip. I also like the 16" cole jaws. I make segmented snare drums that are 14,13 and 12 inches in diameter. Those jaws would allow me to do the sanding on the lathe (I make the shells with a router jig.
> 
> Does one way have cole jaws that large? I suppose I could make my own wooden cole jaws.
> 
> Thanks again


The term Cole is a Technitool trademark name, but Oneway has Jumbo Jaws and Mega Jumbo Jaws that are at least that large and maybe larger. From what I have heard from many different people is that the Oneway wood screw is the best of all of them. It is designed for use in chucks made by Oneway, but they work just fine in Vicmarc chucks and probably all others as well. I haven't seen the one that EWT sells, but it might possibly be as good as the one made by Oneway. BTW, you don't have to buy the chuck to get the screw. They are sold separately.

You might want to check out the ones that Vicmarc has. They have some that will go over 20 inches. Also there is the largest Longworth chuck in the Craft Supplies catalog that goes up to 20 inches and costs $299.99. If you aren't familiar with Longworth chucks, they allow a very wide range of gripping turnings without the need for moving rubber grippers by changing hole positions. One thing that can be a problem with Cole/Jumbo type jaws is that they do not always have overlapping ranges for each screw position. You won't run into that problem with a Longworth chuck.


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## JustinAhrens (Jul 8, 2013)

Thanks for your response. I am familiar with the Longworth, I even made one on my CNC, but never got it to work smoothly and hold well. The Oneway jumbo jaws only go to 10 3/4", so that won't work, but I could add extensions. 
Right now, I'm leaning toward the Oneway Chuck. Thanks


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## Jerry Maske (Dec 29, 2013)

The way I found out about the Stronghold chuck was by using one in a class I took. The turning shop was equipped with 13 Oneway lathes and each had, of course, Oneway chucks. Our instructor, a rookie named Beth Ireland (That was a joke, Beth) spoke at length about chucks and said two things that made sense. First, buy one that will last, second buy one that will do what you want it to do. The Stronghold is a monster. Heavy, somewhat awkward, but with a grip I've come to trust totally. To be sure, some of the others are strong too; I'm not challenging any of that. Learning how to set up the jaws for best use seems to be the trick. Fully expanded jaws aren't as efficient as ones that are close in. A small tenon in a Stronghold that's close to fully compressed is a solid fixture that's hard to beat.

Stronghold chucks are more expensive and you do have to buy the other jaws separate that Barracuda, for example, gives you and for less money, so there's that consideration. I'm of the opinion that you get what you pay for, hence, I got the Stronghold. Lots of ways to evaluate all the chucks and I believe all of them have their good points. I'm not suggesting the Stronghold is the absolute best and none of the others should be considered. I know what works for me, but that's the one I own. If I had one of the others, I'd figure out how to make that one work too.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

JustinAhrens said:


> I am drawn to the easy wood chuck for two reasons. 1) I like the square wood worm screw. My round one now tends to slip. ......I also like the 16" cole jaws....Does one way have cole jaws that large?


 I've never had any slippage in solid wood with either the Oneway or the Vicmarc screw and they are both round. 
Except when I've had a monster catch. The solution there is to not get monster catches. :yes:

I sure wouldn't make a decision on which chuck to buy based on the woodworm screw—they're inexpensive, available individually, and Oneway's screw can be used in Vicmarc jaws and vice versa. I'd suspect EWT's screw will work in other brand jaws too.

Vicmarc makes 3 different "jumbo" jaws, the largest being as big as a lathe with a 24" swing will allow. They'll handle a little over 18" dia in compression mode. They fit Vicmarc's largest chucks only, the 120 and the 150. Less expensive than the EWT rig for sure, and no worries about quality.

If you go this direction, let me know. I have a set of the large Vicmarc jumbo jaws which I don't need anymore now that I have vacuum chucking capability.


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## JustinAhrens (Jul 8, 2013)

Thanks for the offer, can you email me how much you would want for the jaws? That way, I can do the math and see which way to go!

Justin at ahrens.net

Thanks again!


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

I'll take $100 and will pay shipping so long as you live in the lower 48.
7 years old, quite a bit of use, but no damage and complete with all buttons in good shape and 8 screws to attach the jaws to the chuck. (The 'regular' jaw screws are shorter and won't work.)

If you decide to go this way, let me know here and we'll use email for the addresses and all that.


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## JustinAhrens (Jul 8, 2013)

That's a great deal, but I re-read your post and my lathe has a 20" swing, so I guess I would need the 14" jaws instead of the 18" ones.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

JustinAhrens said:


> ...so I guess I would need the 14" jaws instead of the 18" ones.


Yes, that's right.
I was going to double check with you about that. The jaws I have won't work for you on that lathe.

Just FYI going forward, there are a couple of things the tool catalogs usually don't mention about these kind of jaws, including the Longworth style chucks.

The first is that all of them (I'm pretty sure) have a recommended maximum speed of 600 RPM. 

While this is probably an overabundance of caution influenced as much by the legal department as the engineering department, that is what the manufacturers say. I've exceeded that limit many times without problems but running even faster has its own problems.

Even at 600, using the big jaws is like standing next to an airplane propeller so far as wind noise is concerned. And for turning near center—to finish a bowl foot for example—600 is infuriatingly slow. So there's a tendency to crank things up, which makes the wind noise fairly intimidating until you get the hang of it.

The other issue is that there's a lot of momentum with these large jaws, and on lathes with EVS control it's possible for that momentum to want to unscrew the chuck from the spindle if the EVS braking is even marginally aggressive. 
So a locking screw is a real good idea. Either that, or decelerate the lathe manually much more slowly.

If your primary need is to rotate your pieces for sanding, you'll be operating slower, so likely none of this will be an issue for you, but no harm in mentioning it.

Anyway, good luck.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

JustinAhrens said:


> That's a great deal, but I re-read your post and my lathe has a 20" swing, so I guess I would need the 14" jaws instead of the 18" ones.


Hmmmm ...... sounds like you need a bigger lathe. :laughing:

It sounds like you have the Powermatic 3520.



9thousandfeet said:


> Yes, that's right.
> I was going to double check with you about that. The jaws I have won't work for you ....


If you are still considering selling the Cole jaws, I am seriously interested. I was about to place an order to get one. I just wanted to make sure that you were talking about the Vicmarc jaws that will fit the 120/150 chucks.

My lathe will handle 25½" swing over the bed and as large as I dare off the end. I've been turning some really large native American basket illusion pieces that are too thin to safely do vacuum chucking -- sometimes they are so thin that I can see light through them and sometimes, I can see through them. :laughing:









I'm about to go for a really big hunk of mesquite that I bought at SWAT from the Unique Mesquite guy. If it doesn't explode on me, I have high hopes for a piece that will be about 32" diameter. I'm ordering an eight inch faceplate and considering a piece of plywood to increase the size to about 12 inches.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

Bill Boehme said:


> I just wanted to make sure that you were talking about the Vicmarc jaws that will fit the 120/150 chucks.


 These are the jaws I have, Bill.

You're in Tejas as I recall, so $100 with shipping included. 
Be aware too that full rotation of the standard "T handle" 120/150 chuck key is obstructed when these jaws are mounted. 
Nothing a 10mm allen wrench won't solve though. One with a ball end works great.

They're 7 years old and well-used but undamaged and totally functional. The neoprene buttons have a few stains and some tiny cosmetic nicks and dings, but no hardening or anything which affects functionality. 
Includes the extra-long screws needed for mounting.

9thousandfeet at gmail dot com

Right now I have one foot out the door to embark on a fall camping trip with Mrs 9thousandfeet, so I'll be offline totally for the next 5 days. 

If you're still interested, I'll be happy to attend to things the minute I get back. Probably Saturday next, Sunday at the latest.


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## JustinAhrens (Jul 8, 2013)

It is always time for a bigger lathe! I actually have the Nova 2024. Thanks for the advice on turning speeds with the jaws.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

How do your vacuum chucks work? I already have a vacuum pump. I know I will have to machine a vacuum swivel, but I'm not sure how the vacuum chuck works.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> How do your vacuum chucks work? I already have a vacuum pump. I know I will have to machine a vacuum swivel, but I'm not sure how the vacuum chuck works.


If you want to roll your own, here is a link to a couple of my *lessons learned and missteps*.


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