Thanks Bill I presume by rebate you mean drill a hole maybe 1" diam in the
base? And then expand chuck jaws to hold?
Regards

"Bill B" wrote in message
...
It is very difficult to rechuck a piece so that it is spinning as
before.

When I rough something like a vase, I start between centers, just to get
it somewhat round and balanced. Then I cut a tenon or rebate on what is
to be the bottom, generally a rebate so I don't have to do anything
extra to finish the bottom, and then transfer to a chuck before doing
any shaping. Make sure that the tenon or rebate is shorter than the
dovetails on the jaws. If you look closely, most jaws have a shoulder
below the dovetail that is the same diameter as the top end of the
dovetail. If your tenon or rebate reaches the shoulder on the jaws it
will not hold worth a hoot. On my Nova chucks anything deeper than 1/4"
is asking for trouble.

One other thing that you learn by trial and error, mostly error, is how
tight to chuck things. Too tight and the wood fractures and will come
off rather easily. Too loose and ditto.

I would suggest not doing vases until you have mastered hollowing out
shorter forms. Lots of leverage out there on a 8" vase. And don't be
afraid to "Cheat" and drill out most of the material.


--
Bill Berglin