On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 15:09:40 GMT, "cyrille de Brebisson"
wrote:

You'll want a scroll chuck, tools, and some way to sharpen your tools.
I imagine that I should have a 3 or 4 linked jaws chuck, the HF one, with 4
independent jaws is probably not a good idea, isn't it?
Do you have advices on a cheap OK chuck?

I've been using a Grizzy 4-jaw scroll chuck for two and a half or
three years- while it may not be as good as a Oneway or similar chuck,
it hasn't let me down yet.

Here's the link:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/g8786

It uses tommy bars for tightening, and not a key, but as long as
you're careful to make sure the wood is sound and you've got it seated
properly, it does the job pretty well- and it's under $50. They've
got a few different thread sizes to choose from.

A few notes on using a cheaper chuck like this-

Try to make the tenon or recess close to the size of the chuck when it
is closed- the closer it is, the more metal is actually gripping the
workpeice once it is clamped.

Set the workpiece flat on a bench, then set the chuck (unscrewed from
the lathe) on top of it to allow gravity to seat it while you're
tightening with the tommy bars. If you try to do it while it's on the
lathe, you're going to struggle with it.

Make the tenon long enough (or deep enough, in the case of a recess)
to ensure that the end of the tenon seats firmly against the jaws.
This will really help if you need to remove the piece and remount it
later.

Don't crank on those tommy bars too hard- after a certain point,
you're just damaging wood and bending the bars. If you're having
trouble with grip, see the first tip.