Hello All,

Sooo since I have a direct line to Santa, I called him the other day and he says I am getting the TurnCrafter Pro lathe for Xmas.

My question is, do I need to get a chuck for this? I saw the Nova 25MM jaw set and they also have a 4 jaw chuck. I plan on doing cork grips & wooden handles. These chucks looked pretty nifty but I dont know what the heck sakes and all that goes with it. Basically I have no idea what I am doing or what I need.

Any help would be appreciated

Regards

Scott

If you're only turning square stock, then the headstock spur that should come with the lathe will be about all you need. But most lathe owners ends up wanting to do a little more than just turn stock. If you plan to do any center boring, or end work, or the ability to hold a mandrel, then you'll need some type of chuck. For most of us, a self centering 4 jaw wood working chuck fills the bill nicely. The NOVA is a good chuck. I use a OneWay Talon myself. There are other good ones as well.

I'd also suggest getting a Jacobs Chuck (Golden Goose brand at most woodworking stores is under $40) for the tailstock. This will allow you to hold a drill bit for center boring. It can also be used in the headstock for chucking up a mandrel up to about 1/2 inch in diameter (1/2 inch chuck).

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Scott,

You need a chuck, it doesn't come with one. The Nova chucks are good but the main thing to consider if you are turning both grips and wood reel seats/handles is that you will need a chuck that can hold mandrels down to 1/4" as well as wood stock up to 1 1/2" or 2". PSI has some of these utility chucks on sale. Nova, the Barracuda system is good and their Utility chuck is okay but be sure to get the pin jaws to get down to 1/4".

You'll need a set of turning tools for wood as well.

Good luck!

Terry

Use the search feature on this board and you will find a ton of info.

There are some excellent sales on chucks going on right now.....a good time to buy. You will need tools as well.

The advice on this board is better than top notch, take it all in.
good luck.

The Nova Precision Midi Chuck, without any jaws mounted will hold a 1/4" mandrel just fine. I've been doing it for more than a year. I also use it that way to hold rifle casings so I can drill out the primer end to make rifle casing pens and the casings don't even get scratched. And, save yourself a pile of money and get a Jacobs chuck from Harbor Freight, mine cost $9.99 and runs absolutely true. I know many woodturners who use it and have never heard a complaint.