What Lathe Chuck do you recommend for drilling

[bigcountry7]

I got a ton of advice to drill on the lathe

Mica Pearl Blanks

These are mica pearl blanks from psi. I had my first explosion today while drilling. I wound up setting the depth stop so I left 1/8th and then sized to length. It really doesn't like being worked. They also chip out a ton while turning, but the chipout is pretty controlled, so you can...

www.penturners.org

I have a psi Jacob's chuck for my lathe. I do not have small enough jaws for my oneway scroll chuck to grip the blanks.

What sort of jaws/chuck do you recommend?

I see there are dedicated chucks that cost just a little more than new spigot jaws for my oneway chuck.

 

[bigcountry7]

I also just saw Keith's writeup on using the psi collet chuck after turning a blank round. It seems like this requires a blank exactly 3/4" round

Drilling Pen Blanks on the Lathe

I find it more accurate, both in terms of the hole size and drilling through the center of the blank. Click on the image below to begin download of PDF. Author: Keith Larrett

www.penturners.org

 

[monophoto]

I use either my PSI 'utility' chuck with appropriate jaws, or my PSI collet chuck.

Which jaw set do you have for your Oneway chuck? "Normally" (and who among us is truly normal?), you would either turn a tenon that is no larger than 3/4" (and probably a bit smaller), and that means that you jaw set would need to grip a tenon that is less than 3/4" in diameter. Most chuck manufacturers offer a 'pin' jaw set that closes down to less than 1/8" as shown here;

But there are a couple of workarounds that may be possible. One is that it is often possible to grip a tenon than is smaller than the minimum opening of a jaw set by gripping the tenon at the back of the jaws rather than at the front as shown here.

Alternatively, on some chucks, you can remove the jaws and use the sliders themselves to grip the tenon.

If the cross section of the blank is reasonably square, it may be possible to grip the blank directly, without turning a tenon. This requires that the jaw set be able to close down to less than 3/4", and that may be possible if you look at the back of the jaws rather than the front.

As to collet chucks - the tenon must be sized to match the collet. Starting with a 3/4" square cross section, I would probably turn a 5/8" tenon and use a 5/8" collet.

 

[Woodchipper]

I have the pen jaws for s Supernova 2 chuck. Surely Oneway would have some.

 

[bigcountry7]

The oneway 4087 holds square tenons but it is out of stock everywhere.
There spigot jaws hold round tenons.

Both are $55

Is changing out jaws annoying enough to get a new chuck?

 

[jttheclockman]

As you probably have been noticing that this hobby can get expensive and yes it is true. But I will say this you are wise to be involved with this forum and ask questions. We have all been through the same path you are on. Now we all maybe found different approaches as to what works for us as well as what tools we wanted. To this question, I started out with a pen jaws set of teeth for my nova chuck also but did not like changing jaws so bought a seperate chuck and that worked for awhile. then I read on this forum about PSI dedicated pen chuck. Bought one and it worked for awhile but then the jaws would not close all the way properly and basically it wore out quickly. They replaced the jaws for me at no charge but still never the same so I then bought a better quality one from Timberbits and have not looked back since. Yes it is expensive but have tried to stick to the old motto buy once and buy quality. That is what this chuck is quality. I do on occasion use a collet chuck but most my blanks are square. This is the chuck I use.

https://www.timberbits.com/pen-making/tools/blank-chucks/

 

[monophoto]

The oneway 4087 holds square tenons but it is out of stock everywhere.
There spigot jaws hold round tenons.

Both are $55

Is changing out jaws annoying enough to get a new chuck?

Your $ - your choice. I opted to buy multiple sets of jaws (generally on sale). It only takes a couple of minutes to change the jaws, and I don't do it all that often. Probably the main frustration is keeping spare mounting screws - if you drop them,, they get lost in the shavings under the lathe. DAMHIKT

There are manufacturers who offer a few relatively inexpensive jaw sets,s and there are chuck manufacturers who offer (at least in their catalog) a wide variety of jaw sets but they are more expensive and often out of stock. And because they aren't interchangeable, they don't play well together.

Its true that spigot jaws normally hold round tenons, but it is possible to think outside the box and hold a square shape in spigot jaws.

 

[wimkluck]

I use a record sc 1 with pen jaws. Works fine. You never have enough chucks.

 

[Woodchipper]

The oneway 4087 holds square tenons but it is out of stock everywhere.
There spigot jaws hold round tenons.

Both are $55

Is changing out jaws annoying enough to get a new chuck?

No, and I'm cheap so anew chuck is out. The time for changing jaws isn't a factor for me.

 

[dogcatcher]

Before i even think about a pen I turn my blanks round between centers. Once they are round you can basically see the good bad and ugly of the blanks.

Then I decide on the pen kit. I then drill using my collet chuck. Next is cutting blank to length and glue in the tube.

Most blanks will turn to at least 5/8" diameter. But usually turn to the blanks largest possible diameter.

 

[bigcountry7]

I really don't mind spending money on things I use.

I don't like buying things and having them just sit and take up space.

I also don't love the time spent hunting for thre right seller with the right stiff in stock...

 

[KMCloonan]

I have been using the NOVA 6034 pen plus jaws on my Nova G3 Chuck for the past 7 or 8 years. The chuck can accept different jaws, and I have a couple sets, but I rarely change out the pen jaws. They work very well.

I also started with a keyed drill chuck in the tailstock, and used it for several years until I treated myself to a keyless chuck, which I like a lot.

The only time I ever have any difficulty with centered drilling is if the blank is significantly not square. I try to square up a blank on my bandsaw if needed (make them not rectangular in the cross section).

 

[Mike]

I use these jaws on my Nova G3 chuck to hold the blanks.

I place the flats as shown in monophoto's post above to hold square stock.
Sometimes the blank is not square, more of a rectangle and sometimes they have a curve in the length. I put the blank about halfway in the chuck and snug it enough to hold it. I turn it by hand to check the fit to the jaws. If the blank is not square, I loosen and move it, adjusting as many times as it takes until the space between the jaws that do not contact the blank and the blank are close to equal. I had one blank that was so far out of square I had to take it to the belt sander and square it up a little.
I then move the tailstock up with the bit in it and check the center is close enough. I then tighten the chuck and drill at slowest speed, I thing about 600RPM. I have done this on about 10 or 15 pens and have not had a blowout yet. I have had no issues with the blank moving around either. On blanks that I think have high blowout potential, I mark the drill bit and stop short of the end and cut off on the bandsaw. I am not in production pen making mode and only do this because I enjoy it and so am not in a hurry. I do not have a pen blank vise and have had a few holes not centered through the blank using the drill press, but so far there was enough material it was not an issue.

As always, this is just my method with available tools and so far it has worked well.

Mike

 

[jttheclockman]

And when you use the chuck I showed all you do is secure 2 opposite corners and it does not matter how bad the blank is not square. Just saying.

 

[egnald]

I use the same setup as Kevin, the Nova 6034 Pen Plus Jaws on a Nova G3 Chuck and have been very happy with them. I think they are an outstanding design with long contact surfaces and a nice relief for the corners of the blank. I bought the Insert version of the chuck so that I can lock it onto the spindle for reverse turning if I should ever need it. I also really like the self centering feature of the Nova G3.

Regards,
Dave

PS I bought my G3 chucks from Woodworker Specialties in BC, Canada. The chuck (no jaws) cost about $130 and the Pen Jaws were about $50.

 

[KenB259]

I use the same setup as Kevin, the Nova 6034 Pen Plus Jaws on a Nova G3 Chuck and have been very happy with them. I think they are an outstanding design with long contact surfaces and a nice relief for the corners of the blank. I bought the Insert version of the chuck so that I can lock it onto the spindle for reverse turning if I should ever need it. I also really like the self centering feature of the Nova G3.

Regards,
Dave

PS I bought my G3 chucks from Woodworker Specialties in BC, Canada. The chuck (no jaws) cost about $130 and the Pen Jaws were about $50.

These are what I use too, had them for years, no complaints, they work very well.

 

[Jarod888]

Collet chuck for round blanks. Collets come in all sorts of sizes, both imperial and metric. Go for an er32, it will offer the greatest variety of collet sizes (at least for most wood lathes which utilize mt2 for the head stock.)

Vickmarc pen chuck for squares.

The biggest key to getting great holes when drilling is to ensure your head and tail stock are dead nuts aligned.

Ensure your lathe is perfectly level, both in the length of the bed and perpendicular to it.

1. Clean your Morse tapers, there is a special Morse taper reamer that is made of plastic, or you can just use a cloth with some denatured alcohol or acetone. Clean both the head and tail stock.
2. Put a dead center in the head stock and a live center in the tail stock. Both should have 60 degree tips.
3. Bring the tips together and verify that they are exactly point to point. If they are not, you will need to raise or lower one or more corners of the lathe using leveling feet. This will slightly twist the bed of the lathe to align the points. It probably won't take more than an eighth or quarter of a turn.
If your head stock is adjustible or moveable, there is also an alignment bar which has a Morse taper at both ends and a precision ground center that is perfectly round. Witha dial indicator, you can see if there is an alignment issue.

 

[bigcountry7]

I'm still torn between the vicmarc pen chuck, waiting on pen jaws for my oneway lathe, or getting a collet chuck. The collet chuck seems like a good general purchase, so I may start there...

 

[monophoto]

Woodturning is a vortex that draws you in and encourages you to buy more tools. And because we all tend to be tool junkies, well, we buy lots of tools.

A point that should be clarified in this context is the distinction between 'pin jaws' and 'pen jaws'. "Pin jaws' come in sets of four and are mainly intended for either gripping small diameter tenons, or expanding into small diameter mortises. In some cases, they have two or more outside radii, and are called 'stepped jaws'. And some manufacturers call them '#1 jaws'. They are quite useful to have. Here's what simple 'pin jaws' (not stepped) look like:

"Pen jaws' come in sets of two and are designed for the single task of gripping opposing corners of small cross-section pen blanks. Blanks are normally square, but 'pen jaws' can also grip a tenon. They are very useful for pen turners, but not so much for folks who do other things. Here's what they look like:

I occasionally do pens, but that's not my main interest, so I have never invested in 'pen jaws'. YMMV

Both 'pen jaws' and 'pin jaws' mount on standard four-jaw scroll chucks. But there is a special case of 'pen jaws' that are permanently affixed to a scroll chuck and labeled a 'pen chuck'. Pen chucks' can only be used for one thing - holding pen blanks and possibly other small squarish blanks (like perhaps bottle stopper blanks). To my mind, that's an extreme case of a special-purpose tool although I'm sure that some of our colleagues here enjoy using one.

Collet chucks are chucks that grip round tenons using special spring inserts called 'collets'. They are superior to scroll chucks because the grip extends uniformly and continuously around the circumference of the tenon. However, the downside is that the expansion range of a given collet is only about 1 mm, or 1/32", so you need multiple collets to have the flexibility to address whatever tenon size you might encounter. Scroll chucks have a much greater range of size adjustment, but to get the best grip you do need to make sure that the tenon (or recess if you are using them in expansion mode) matches the 'perfect circle' diameter for a given set of jaws.

 

[jttheclockman]

Excellent explanation as usual Louie. I wanted to say something about those using the 4 jaw chuck on pen blanks and how unbalanced that can be. The 2 jaw pen jaws is what you need to use that type chuck again just my opinion.

 

[howsitwork]

Your $ - your choice. I opted to buy multiple sets of jaws (generally on sale). It only takes a couple of minutes to change the jaws, and I don't do it all that often. Probably the main frustration is keeping spare mounting screws - if you drop them,, they get lost in the shavings under the lathe. DAMHIKT

There are manufacturers who offer a few relatively inexpensive jaw sets,s and there are chuck manufacturers who offer (at least in their catalog) a wide variety of jaw sets but they are more expensive and often out of stock. And because they aren't interchangeable, they don't play well together.

Its true that spigot jaws normally hold round tenons, but it is possible to think outside the box and hold a square shape in spigot jaws.

View attachment 346633

magnet on a stick solves the lost screws Louie! Or you can get the rare earth magnet on an extending handle both work for me

 

[monophoto]

Excellent explanation as usual Louie. I wanted to say something about those using the 4 jaw chuck on pen blanks and how unbalanced that can be. The 2 jaw pen jaws is what you need to use that type chuck again just my opinion.

John - I don't disagree - gripping the corners does improve balance. But if you are only drilling occasionally, then an unbalanced grip may be just fine. The only absolute requirement is that the holes at both ends of the blank must be far enough away from the edges to leave material for turning. After the hole has been drilled and the tube glued in, the blank will be mounted on the lathe ether on an mandrel or on centers such that the axis of the hole will be the axis of rotation when it is being turned, snd off center no longer matters.