Hi Kim!
Great pictures! And I like that carving!
The Beall collet chuck is a great way to hold a mandrel. For those with Jet mini lathes, Beall used to have some chucks that were machined a little tight, but still work great on Jet lathes (1" x 8tpi). They sold these chucks for about half price. I got one, but haven't used it yet because I'm waiting for the right price on some ER 32 collets. If you're interested in this chuck, call J. R. Beall and see what he can do for you!
Scott.