Problems with Nova Titan chuck

[Smashedfinger]

I would suggest trying a different adapter: one that is actually made by Teknatool. Some places sell third-party adapters for the Nova chucks that are not very good. My local Woodcraft sometimes has the Teknatool in stock and sometimes only has the third-party.

Once you have an adapter that actually fits your lathe, take out the adapter and the rubber washer in your picture and put the good adapter in without the washer between the adapter and the chuck. That soft material will cause a some wobble when you are turning anything rough or making anything except the lightest cuts.

If your machinist friend is evaluating the chuck in the configuration you posted (thinking that that is what you needed), then his evaluation may be biased by the improperly installed adapter.

It is still possible that there is a problem with your Titan chuck. They had some production problems with that model for a while that lead to them being out of production for a number of years. It just is not fair to evaluate the chuck with a bad adapter that was improperly installed.

The titan chuck is built with a 1 1/4 thread. There is no adapter as it is a direct thread chuck.

[Smashedfinger]

You say you are not using the set screw but isn't that what we are seeing in the picture?
Could that be keeping the chuck from getting fully seated on the spindle?

The set screws are turned up so they don't catch anything.

[iclark]

The titan chuck is built with a 1 1/4 thread. There is no adapter as it is a direct thread chuck.

It has been a while since I used mine and I am away from my shop. So, I was replying from memory. Sorry if I got it wrong.

That picture looks to have a washer that I do not understand how it could be direct-threaded and have that washer. I did some more searching and found taht what I thought was a washer is actually a snap-ring.

Googling, I see that the Titan 2 and Titan 3 chucks came direct-threaded in either English or metric. I could not find the original Titan specs tonight.

[Sawdust60]

I  have the Laguna 18/36 and was looking at the Nova Titan Chuck documentation and compared it to the Super Nova chuck that I use.  The body of the Nova Titan appears to be smaller than the Super Nova chuck which is preventing your chuck from seating all the way to the spindle.  Here's what's stated in the Titan Operators manual:

CHECK THE FOLLOWING: Although  the  Chuck  may  screw  on  part  way  it  may  not  contact  properly  with  spindle  spigot  -  a spacer may be necessary.  This would be the responsibility of the chuck user.  Make sure the chuck is screwed to lathe thread properly - a good check is to see whether it screws home on the spindle same as any another lathe fixture such as a faceplate. POOR FIT OF CHUCK TO LATHE SPINDLE CREATES A SERIOUS HAZARD WHERE CHUCK COULD DISLODGE FROM LATHE.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE CHUCK UNLESS THE CHUCK IS CORRECTLY FITTED TO LATHE SPINDLE.


https://teknatool.freshdesk.com/support/...n-ii-chuck

Hope this helps.....

Rick

[Arlin Eastman]

Not sure what version of the Titan you have new 111 models come direct threaded, so don’t need to buy a threaded adapter.  Doesn’t matter if add spindle washers to fill the space. You can buy or make your own!

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/112...dle-Washer

It could be your spindle is deeper then what the chuck can handle so I would also do a plywood washer of the width of the outside of the chuck and just a bit wider then the gap.

[Smashedfinger]

so here's what it ended up being. The shoulder that the chuck was supposed to go over; in order to match up with a true flat surface; was slightly larger than the recess in the chuck. So I took a mill file and filed it down slightly it was kind of buggered up by set screws. I didn't have to remove anything but the bumps and lumps, then the chuck went right on and was running true.
By the way; Nova chuck customer support is horrible. They NEVER answer the phone, are always "training, or in a meeting". Twelve emails with what appears to be the only person that handles problems; and I was told "We don't have any left of that model (under warranty) so You can buy another one from one of our distributors". I got this Titan chuck in the box (sealed) and registered it, it was under the 6 year warranty and they would not cover it. If I had the money I'd get a Vic mark or easy-chuck. The machining was poor and it bound up.
Next time I'll buy from a brick and mortar store so if there's a problem, I can bring it back. Lesson learned with Mr. Chuck!

[Timberwolf]

I think the shoulder is what the set screws would tighten against? Since it won't go over the small shoulder at the back of the threads; I can't tighten them down because they would be right on the threads.

...................
Here's a tip for you....remove the set-screws in the chuck and drop a small lead shot in the threaded hole..When you replace the set-screw, it will compress the lead, and form it against the threads
without harming them. You may have to use two lead shot depending on how large the hole is..Or you can use a snippet of lead solder..it will work just as well and the chuck wont unscrew accidentally...but will unscrew when you want to remove it. Do not use ACID core solder but rosin core solder is ok....Acid core will cause corrosion..rosin core wont.

This trick can work on pulleys also, preventing the point of the set-screw from damaging the shaft.