What type of chuck should I buy?

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athenstrestle

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Hi all,

I'm a relatively new penturner, I have been turning for the last two years, although only during the summer months when it's warm enough in the garage! I'm wanting to broaden my turning skills and last summer purchased some kits for chain pulls and the like, which need a chuck to turn. I have looked through some catelogues and seen that there are a variety of them, and have no idea what I will need. I suppose I would like something that could possibly be used to turn some bigger items too, maybe a bowl. I'm using a King mini-lathe and I believe the headstock has a Morse 2 taper. If anyone can give me some suggestions, I would certainly appreciate it. I am from Canada and will likely buy from Lee Valley Tools, if possible, so if anyone has any recommendations regarding the stuff they carry that would be great. Thanks everyone!

Cory
 
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Hi Cory!

I bought a Oneway Talon chuck about 5 years ago and to this day it remains probably the best lathe investment I have made next to my lathe itself. This chuck is extremely versatile and I have used it for everything from drilling my pen blanks to turning custom dowels and also large bowls and platters. Also, I have always found LV very good to work with.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=45612&cat=1,330,49238&ap=1

for anyone else that may follow that link please note that it is listed in Canadian currency for Corys sake.
 
I am not familiar with your lathe, but I recently purchased a Talon chuck and am very happy with it. I have a midi chuck I used for my Jet mini for over a year and it worked well, but it also has tommy bars, which I am not a fan of. Talon had a key. There are three major points why I bought the Talon:

- relatively lightweight = less wear and tear on lathe
- can easily be adapted to different spindle sizes by changing out the insert = it is fully capable of growing with your lathe addiction - can easily go up to a 16" swing
- Oneway quality, although not really any more expensive that other decent options

Keep in mind that chucks are defined by the thread diameter and TPI, not the Morse taper.
 
I have the oneway talon as well. Be sure when you buy it that you get the right jaws to hold pen blanks. The one it comes with is too big.
 
I have the Barracuda2, and I have been really pleased with it. You can get it on amazon for something like 170 with free shipping and it has 4 sets of jaws.
 
I had posted the same question a few weeks ago, and I found the Barracuda 2 to be a really good deal, especially since you get all the jaws, the people I talked to really love it. I still have not enough money to buy one, but that will be the one I get.
 
Whatever you get, get bigger and better then what you think you need and make sure you can get extra jaws for it. The one I got is too small and I can't get the bigger jaws for it so it's hard to make bowls properly.
 
I vote for the Talon (readily available in Canada). You can buy different jaws for it, and can Turn very small to quite large pieces.
I also have a stronghold, and the issue I have with the larger ones, is they can get in the way when trying to turn smaller pieces, because the body can be that much larger than the bottom of a piece you are turning.
The school I do some teaching at has the Barracuda for a bunch of it's lathes. I would recommend these to an occasional turner, but not to a production turner because the fit and function is a little less than the others.

I also think the top ot the line are the vicmarks, even though I own none of them, after working on a few of them.

Just my .02

Jerry
 
The Talon is a great chuck if your not on a tight budget, But being less than affluent, I bought a Barracuda 2000 and other than having to use "tommy bars" to tighten it, it's been very nice to me. Price was right, on Amazon
 
Ditto on the Barracuda 2000. With the exception of the tommy bars, it is a very versatile chuck and a great value as it comes with pretty much all the jaw sets needed for midi lathe turning. Good luck with your search.
 
since you want to buy from Lee Valley..your choices are limited..go with the talon ..it will fit small & large lathes..I have one & it is excellent
 
Hey all,

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I've been largely without internet all summer, so I took the akbar24601's advice when his was the only reply. Bought the Talon, and my only regret is that I don't have the time to do it justice. I'm really happy with the purchase, and glad to see so many of you have been suggesting it in the meantime. Thanks all, happy turning!
Cory
 
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