Lathe Question

[woodburner]

The Grizzly chucks shown on a link from an earlier post are definitely not what you want for a wood lathe. These are expansion chucks only and will not allow you to clamp onto a large tenon, such as on a bowl blank. To compare what the differences are between the Grizzly chucks and other actual woodturning chucks, go to these woodturning catalog websites:
www.packardwoodworks.com
www.woodturnerscatalog.com
Also, the chucks sold in these catalogs give you a choice of adapter size, including adapters that allow them to fit a Shopsmith.

The Grizzly chucks shown on the link also do not allow you to change to various sized jaws like the Nova, One-Way and other various chucks available. The Grizzly chucks shown on the link look more like metal lathe chucks than wood lathe chucks. They are very limited in what you can use them for on a wood lathe.

I know you said that money is tight, but a chuck is not something you should try and skimp on, as it is a very important part of woodturning. Attaching your workpiece to your lathe correctly, and as safe as possible, is at the top of the list if you want an enjoyable experience and not have a workpiece fly off and hit you in the head. Also, the weight and mass of the chuck is important as it lessens vibration and runout, making your projects easier to turn and better looking in the end. A heavier chuck is always better.

Save your money and purchase an actual wood lathe chuck. If need be, look on Ebay for a used, well-made scroll chuck made for woodturning. Most of the major manufacturer's chucks are pretty much indestructable unless they were very abused and left out in the rain. If you do buy one on Ebay, you can still purchase an adapter seperately from a catalog so it will fit the Shopsmith. Just be sure to purchase the same brand of adapter as the brand of chuck.

Hope this advice helps.

[heathicus]

Thanks for the info, Woodburner! That was exactly what I needed to know!