Lathe Chucks

[Cokecpl]

Hello - I would like to know which chucks people are using. I have read a lot of mixed reviews about the Nova G3 and Supernova2 chucks. Everything from total junk to the best chuck ever. Can you let me know what you are using and why. I have the Mark 7 and looking to expand my accessory box. Thanks for your input.

[reible]

I have both of those chucks. The super nova2 is a bit nicer and the one I most often use now. Surprising as it might seem having two chucks is nice because you can pull one off with the project as of yet unfinished and put the other chuck on for another project and then when your done switch back with minor changes happening to the first turning. Re-chucking a work piece in the same chuck seems to cause more issues, well at least that is what I found.

Nova chucks are about as far down the chain of chucks as I would want to go, now that is not saying they are of poor quality but rather that anything less is a real hit and miss event, you might get a good one or maybe not but who knows......... at least Nova has good support so if something does slip through they will make it right.

The other thing I like about nova is the fact that the jaws are interchangeable for the most part. Every jaw set I have works on either chuck. The exception to this are the very large jaws which you would not want to use on the smaller chucks.

One complain is that the tightening is backwards from what one expects, turning clockwise loosens, but now that I have the hang of it I don't even think about it anymore. And having both chucks work that way means I don't get confused by having to remember which chuck I have on. A good reason to stay with the same line also.

Nova also makes a shopsmith adapter so make sure you get the one for shopsmith and not the one for a plain 5/8" shaft. Other places you might get an adapter but is it really designed for a shopsmith?

The nice thing about using adapters is that if you at some point want to get a different lathe it will likely have a different attachment and a new adapter fixes that without having to get a new chuck.

Also the adapter fits pretty much into the chuck so you have a more compact unit which is a desired feature.

So I'll let some others have their turn on what they like but I don't think you can go wrong with the nova.

Ed

[Cokecpl]

Hello Ed - Thanks for the information and advice. I was wondering if there was a specific adaptor for the SS. What us the main difference between the G2 and Nova2? Also, have you ever noticed the jaws slipping on your project?

Thanks again,

Brian

[reible]

Hello Ed - Thanks for the information and advice. I was wondering if there was a specific adaptor for the SS. What us the main difference between the G2 and Nova2? Also, have you ever noticed the jaws slipping on your project?

Thanks again,

Brian

The adapter is a nova ISNS and has a "S" stamped on it. If you do go with that brand make sure you are getting the right one. If you get the G3 from shopsmith it is a done deal. Other places you have to watch out for.

The Super Nova is larger and heavier with a hex tightening wrench. The capacity is the same so no advantage there. The two use the same jaw sets and same adapter so that is pretty much a wash. In most things lathe related the heavier duty the better and that is the advantage over the G3.

I have never seen either chuck with what ever jaws ever slip. If you were to not tighten them enough of course that could happen but that is a user issue not the chucks fault. Again if you pick the wrong jaws for a project it is also a user issue. Most of these sort of issues are user issues but of course some of this becomes second nature and you learn to make sure the piece is secure before any power is applied and when possible you use the tail stock as much as possible.

Ed

[Hobbyman2]

Keep n mind some chucks are not reversible , I have a very good chuck ,barracuda chuck that came in a kit with several jaws including the pen jaws that work just fine and is well balanced , only issue is it is not reversible , the ability to reverse direction with out it spinning off the adapter may make a difference depending on what your intentions are .

[reible]

Keep n mind some chucks are not reversible , I have a very good chuck ,barracuda chuck that came in a kit with several jaws including the pen jaws that work just fine and is well balanced , only issue is it is not reversible , the ability to reverse direction with out it spinning off the adapter may make a difference depending on what your intentions are .

Good point on the reversible lathe, like the mark7. The nova chucks are reversible and I find that very useful especially for sanding. Nova also offers a stebs like set of centers which I also love. I had a set from PSI but they were of pretty low quality so I've replaced them with the nova ones.

You will also want to look a good quality live center. Nova makes one which I have but the Oneway that I have has some nice features too. The shopsmith one isn't bad and has a few tricks up it sleeve as well. You end up using the live center a lot and it has some value on most projects when truing stock. They also have ones that work especially well with mandrels for things like pen turning or turning rings etc.

Not sure what kind of lathe work you think you will be doing but there are a few other additions that you might want to think about. The bad news is that all this stuff gets pretty expensive..... and I know because I've got a lot of additions in the last several years. It is pretty easy to get caught up in the joy of turning.

Ed

[Hobbyman2]

Reversible MK7 sounds nice ,,I have put the chuck on the back side { out put shaft
} of the MKV headstock when sanding .

[kd6vpe]

Not have the knowledge and talent of many on here, I own a Oneway Talon chuck I got from Woodcraft. I think it works ok. But I don't turn enough to know if it is a good one or not. Just wanted to add it to the list. It has a shopsmith adapter but it might not be a true shopsmith adapter I can't remember. I think the difference is the way the set screw is drilled in if I remember the correctly reading the forum. Curious what Ed says about this chuck.

[wa2crk]

My favorite chuck is the Oneway Talon which I got from SS years ago at an owners seminar. Later I bought a Nova G3 and I did not like it as much. The two are very close in quality and performance so it comes down to personal preference. If you buy the G3 first you will probably be very happy with it. The thing that annoyed me the most was the fact that when you turn the key on the G3 clockwise the jaws opened. Exactly the opposite of the Talon which is confusing when switching between the two. I sold the G3 to a friend who is very happy with it. Fit and finish on both is about the same. Another thing about the Talon is that the jaws have serrations on the jaws which help to hold the work more securely. Anyway that's my story and I am sticking to it.
Bill V

[geocaljr]

I have inherited a SS Mark V and am researching chucks for small bowl & plate turning. The Nova G3 Chuck 30th Anniversary bundle looks like a good deal, but is this particular chuck adaptable to the SS? I’m a little confused about insert and reversible chucks. Is this bundle only for Nova lathes?