Multiple Chucks?

[Jason28]

Is there a good reason to have multiple chucks for a single lathe?

[Herb G]

Yeah, if you can afford them. Saves time changing the jaws out.

[AHill]

+1. I have mostly Nova chucks, because the jaws are interchangeable between them. My one set of Oneway jaws hold my Longworth jaws. It may also be useful - if you have a larger lathe - to keep different size chucks: one for larger bowls and one for smaller bowls. I do both pens and bowls. One chuck is set up with pen jaws. One with bowl jaws, and one with the Longworth jaws aforementioned.

Herb G said:

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Yeah, if you can afford them. Saves time changing the jaws out.

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[theeviltwinn]

Big chuck for big work; small chuck for small stuff

Also you can take a work in progress off the lathe by unscrewing the chuck to work on something else. Taking a piece out of a chuck adds the possibility of error when putting it back on.

Twinn

[Steve K]

Jason28 said:

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Is there a good reason to have multiple chucks for a single lathe?

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Absolutely! Chucks are like clamps! LOL, can't have too many.

[Angus]

Be careful, first you want a chuck for every jaw set. Then you want a lathe for every chuck

[robo hippy]

Stuart Batty commented at a demo once, "The difference between an American turner and a British turner, is that the American turner had 10 chucks with 10 sets of jaws, and a British turner has 1 chuck with 10 sets of jaws." Kind of true. I don't need another chuck, but after seeing the Easy Wood Tools chuck (Carl Jacobson who has a bunch of videos), it has quick change jaws, which will change out in seconds rather than most other chucks where you have to remove 8 set screws, then fish at least one out of the shavings. With that set up, I can easily see one chuck with 10 sets of jaws.... They ain't cheap though, probably in part since you will only need one...

robo hippy

[Ruler2112]

I have a woodriver with 3 sets of jaws. 95% of the time, it has the pin jaws on since I got a supernova2 with bowl jaws. (The cole jaws were a waste of money. ) Got a regular Nova at a garage sale for $20 that only has standard bowl jaws on.

I like having multiple chucks because A) I was able to get a less expensive chuck (wood river) when I first started turning, B) it saves time changing out jaws, but there's no way I'd spend the money just to save 3 minutes when I want different jaws on, and C) it allows me to have multiple projects going.

In fact, I just came up from the basement and have a bowl with a rim inlay still in the chuck sitting on my bench. This illustrates point C - the outside is done, so I do not want to remove it from the chuck or else the rim around the inlay will be uneven no matter how careful I am putting it back in the chuck. (DAMHIKT) It will stay in the chuck until the epoxy cures and inside complete, only coming off when I finish turn the bottom. (I'm obviously not turning anything else at this very moment, but I have before and may well wish to do so before this bowl is complete... epoxy takes 72 hours before it's fully hard.)

[Mike67]

Yes! Changing jaws is a PITA. This is a small thing, but if you go with multiple chucks, consider getting several of the same chuck, that way you can use one wrench/key for all of them.

[NCPaladin]

I like having multiple chuck but would have stopped with two.
However, I kept running across wuttenbuts on ebay so I wound up with seven over 3 - 4 years.