ez chuck

[triw51]

I saw a video on the new ez chuck where you can change the jaws in 30 seconds. novel idea but has anyone used one? I wonder how strong the jaws would be and how they would hold up the a 10 to 20 pound bowl blank.
Any one have any personal experience?
I was thinking that would be a nice idea for santa.

Thanks William

 

[KenV]

Don't own one but have held one. This is a premium chuck that will do as well as any other premium chuck. Compares well to the vicmark in quality of movement.

 

[SkookumPens]

I purchased one at AAW. It is well made and I am very happy with it.
Craig Chatterton
Puyallup, WA

 

[walshjp17]

I have one as well, but have not turned with it yet. I have played with the quick jaw change mechanisms and they are sweet.

I really got interested in it when Nick Cook (one of the AAW founders and an excellent teacher/demonstrator) switched to it for his demo work. He only brings one chuck to the demos and uses several different jaw sets. With only a few seconds between jaw changes it makes demos (and most other turning operations) go much smoother.

It is pricey, but every so often, EZ Wood Tools offers a 'scratch & dent' sale which is where I got mine for a nice discount.

 

[shastastan]

These kinds of upgrades have tempted me in the past and caused me to spend big $$ over the years. I'm sure I would love to have that ex chuck, but I already have a One Way stonghold chuck, a talon chuck and a vicmarc chuck. I do keep different jaws on these chucks which does lessen the changeover time. If I got the ez chuck, I probably would sell the ones I have at a loss for sure. I do buy upgrades and/or new products of smaller items. I am really thankful for them, too. I'm also thankful that woodworking hasn't reach the point of tech stuff where we have forced upgrades of hardware and software.

Okay, I guess I'll go watch the ez chuck demo now.:redface:

 

[shastastan]

Well, I just watched some videos on the EZ Tool website. Pretty good job on the videos. I just can't justify that kind of money for their chuck right now. Their price is $400 and I would also add a chuck that costs $70. If I had lots of $$, I would just buy it. I'll be watching for more reviews over time.

I think that they have found their niche in the woodturning industry. I do have a few of their carbide tools that I use a lot. I've noticed that these demos seem to be done with soft woods. I would never use the woods that the demos do for turning. I've had some difficulty in getting a smooth surface on hard wood, too. What works for me to get the wood smooth is a skew. That suggestion came from this forum which I'm grateful for. I will admit that I would probably do better smoothing with carbide tools if I practiced more. However, once you learn the basics of a skew, the results are well worth the time spent.