Recommendation - 3-jaw chuck for turning metal tube

[iowahill]

I just acquired a clean 1981 Mark V with the GE 1 1/8 hp motor as another toy for my shop. I want to get a 3-jaw self-centering reversible chuck capable of at least gripping a 5" diameter tube for polishing. I have put a live center on the tail stock and zeroed it in using a Jacobs chuck and pointed round stock. I picked up a 1"-8 threaded adapter to use with a compatible chuck, so any advice as to what might be a decent chuck for low bucks would be most appreciated. Thanks, -Tom

[BuckeyeDennis]

Does it have to be a 3-jaw chuck? Folks here tend to use their 4-jaw self-centering woodworking chucks for polishing Shopsmith way tubes. The Nova G3 chuck that Shopsmith sells is popular, and inserts are available to fit the Shopsmith spindle directly.

5" is a lot bigger than the SS way tubes, of course. But Nova does sell jaws in that size range -- both Cole jaws and conventional dovetail jaws. I'd think that the Cole jaws would provide adequate grip for tube polishing. They're generally used for bowl turning, but their large adjustment range makes them very versatile.

Here's a link to Nova's chuck-jaw line: https://www.teknatool.com/wp-content/up ... lowres.pdf