I have been turning for years but I have always done it with face plates or
spindle turning. I find myself wishing I had a Nova chuck that I could just
clamp things in place. Can someone help me out a bit by explaining these
chucks a bit better. I have looked all over the web and think I understand
but I thought I would check here first before spending that kind of money.
http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/supernova.html seemed to have some good
info.

* Is it really worth it to get the Super Nova vs Nova - there is a
significant price difference and it looks like Super Nova is easier to use
(locking mechinism)
* When you buy a Nova chuck what all comes with it? They all say wood worm
screw. It seems like I can you do "spigot" turning (where you clamp down on
the wood) and "dovetail" turning (where you put the clamp in an opening and
"press outward" to hold it? Maybe I have my terms wrong.
* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does that mean
it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?

Any other words of advice?

Thanks
Darren

One other thing ...

This is for a Jet 11442 so I assume I would need th 1" x 8.

Thanks
Darren

"Darren" wrote in message
...
I have been turning for years but I have always done it with face plates or
spindle turning. I find myself wishing I had a Nova chuck that I could
just clamp things in place. Can someone help me out a bit by explaining
these chucks a bit better. I have looked all over the web and think I
understand but I thought I would check here first before spending that kind
of money. http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/supernova.html seemed to
have some good info.

* Is it really worth it to get the Super Nova vs Nova - there is a
significant price difference and it looks like Super Nova is easier to use
(locking mechinism)
* When you buy a Nova chuck what all comes with it? They all say wood
worm screw. It seems like I can you do "spigot" turning (where you clamp
down on the wood) and "dovetail" turning (where you put the clamp in an
opening and "press outward" to hold it? Maybe I have my terms wrong.
* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does that
mean it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?

Any other words of advice?

Thanks
Darren

Darren wrote:
One other thing ...

This is for a Jet 11442 so I assume I would need th 1" x 8.

Thanks
Darren

"Darren" wrote in message
...
I have been turning for years but I have always done it with face plates or
spindle turning. I find myself wishing I had a Nova chuck that I could
just clamp things in place. Can someone help me out a bit by explaining
these chucks a bit better. I have looked all over the web and think I
understand but I thought I would check here first before spending that kind
of money. http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/supernova.html seemed to
have some good info.

* Is it really worth it to get the Super Nova vs Nova - there is a
significant price difference and it looks like Super Nova is easier to use
(locking mechinism)

I believe the Nova tightens with two rods you stick in holes and push
one and pull the other. I have two Super Novas which tightens with a
T-shaped wrench. You can hold the wood with one hand and tighten with
the other.

* When you buy a Nova chuck what all comes with it? They all say wood
worm screw.

Depends on where you buy. You will also need a set of jaws for it and an
insert to make it fit your lathe. Some places charge extra for these. At
KMS tools, they came with mine, for less than many places want for the
bare chuck. The wrench (or tommy bars) come with all.

It seems like I can you do "spigot" turning (where you clamp
down on the wood) and "dovetail" turning (where you put the clamp in an
opening and "press outward" to hold it? Maybe I have my terms wrong.
* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does that
mean it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?

Travel means just that. If the jaws you get open to 4 inches, they will
close to 3 inches. If they open to 2 inches, they will close to 1 inch.
And there are pin jaws that close to nearly nothing, but will only open
one inch from that size. I personally like the spigot jaws, but have not
tried other types. They will not do dovetail, though.

Any other words of advice?

I like the Super Nova better than the Super Nova 2. I have one of each,
but don't think you can still get the first anymore. You won't regret
getting one.

Thanks
Darren





--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

How much deeper would the ocean be
without sponges?





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Darren wrote:
* Is it really worth it to get the Super Nova vs Nova - there is a
significant price difference and it looks like Super Nova is easier to use
(locking mechinism)

I think so, but I use my Super Nova a lot, probably somewhere like 6,000
- 10,000 operations a year. YMMV.

If your lathe has a headstock lock the tommy bar type chuck might work
ok, but I can remember strugling with those darned things when I first
started out.


* When you buy a Nova chuck what all comes with it? They all say wood worm
screw. It seems like I can you do "spigot" turning (where you clamp down on
the wood) and "dovetail" turning (where you put the clamp in an opening and
"press outward" to hold it? Maybe I have my terms wrong.

I think it usually ships with the 2" jaws and worm screw, but best check
with whoever you are buying from incase they offer any variations.


* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does that mean
it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?

The 1" jaws will grip a spigot as small as 3/8"

--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com/TheToolrest/ - a blog for woodturners

"Darren" wrote in message
...
I have been turning for years but I have always done it with face plates or
spindle turning. I find myself wishing I had a Nova chuck that I could
just clamp things in place. Can someone help me out a bit by explaining
these chucks a bit better. I have looked all over the web and think I
understand but I thought I would check here first before spending that kind
of money. http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/supernova.html seemed to
have some good info.

* Is it really worth it to get the Super Nova vs Nova - there is a
significant price difference and it looks like Super Nova is easier to use
(locking mechinism)
* When you buy a Nova chuck what all comes with it? They all say wood
worm screw. It seems like I can you do "spigot" turning (where you clamp
down on the wood) and "dovetail" turning (where you put the clamp in an
opening and "press outward" to hold it? Maybe I have my terms wrong.
* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does that
mean it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?


I don't have a Super II, but I do use regular and Super. Everyone keeps
mentioning _two_ Tommybars, but both of mine have a pin spanner and a bar,
which makes one-handed operation simple, since there are six opportunities
to drop a pin in the outside ring. Nice, reliable equipment. My older is a
dozen years I guess, and needs its third cleaning soon, since it's getting a
bit grumpy. I don't do finishes on the chuck any more. Too messy.

The two Supers have the "T" wrench, and have been great performers as well.
Someone will probably chime in with the observation that the jaws do not
close with a right turn, but a left. Not a big deal. I'm an "innie" lover,
so for me they loosen left, tighten right, it's just that "Lefty Lucy
doesn't spread 'em for Chuck." They're bulkier than the regulars, and
would be a problem to get off the lathe spindle if it wasn't for the pin
spanner that came with the regular Novas. Pin in a chuck hole, and a quick
tap loosens them nicely. Your clearance may allow you a Crescent wrench,
but if not, a strap wrench can also serve.

The jaws I use most often are the pin jaws and the 50mm
http://personalpages.tds.net/~upgeorge/index.html , with dovetail hold in
mortises for bowls and dovetail tenons for things like goblets. They
generally come with the 50 mm, and I would get the pin jaws as well.

I also own the Powergrip jaws, which will safely hold a 50 lb. chunk that
will scare you to turn on your lowest speed, the spigot jaws, which are
about useless, and the jumbo jaws which can come in handy for some
operations. Any of these can be purchased later.

Buy a threaded insert, not the threaded chuck, just in case you get another
lathe. I have one threaded Nova which will remain with Ol' Blue when he
relocates after my eldest gets back from Iraq. The others are adapted for
my 3000.

The older Nova was closed and opened with a rod in one hole and a bent
handle in the other. It has the same jaws as other newer models. I had
trouble getting the jaws tight enough with the two rod chuck. The Super
Nova uses a hex wrench with a "T" handle to adjust the jaws. I t will
tighten too much if I am not careful. The Super 2 has a closed back and
the "T" handle. Both are bigger phyusically than the old Nova chuck.
You will need to get an insert to fit your lathe spindle. Usually they
come with the chuck. Some sellers charge you extra for the insert. You
must use and insert or a threaded chuck to fit your lathe.

The worm screw is used when you want to screw the chuck into the blank.
You fasten it into the jaws and literaly screw it into the blank after
first drilling a hole in the blank since the screw is about 1/4" in
diameter. I have used the screw but don't like it. It is much easier to
turn a tennon and use that in the jaws of the chuck than screw a "bolt"
(the screw) into the wood piece.

The jaws of the Nova are interchnagable for all Nova chucks. The
standard is about a 50mm I think. You can get other dimension jaws that
will squeeze a smaller tennon. All the jaws can be used in an expansion
mode to fit a dovetail recess and expand the joaws into it to hold the
blank.

Nova (Technatool) has a web page that shows their jaws and the various
attachements.

On Thu, 15 Sep 2005 10:24:55 -0700, "Darren"
wrote:

I have been turning for years but I have always done it with face plates or
spindle turning. I find myself wishing I had a Nova chuck that I could just
clamp things in place.

Are you dead set on a Nova or have you given consideration to a Oneway
or Vicmark?

--
LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

http://www.woodbutcher.net

Proud participant of rec.woodworking since February, 1997

Darren wrote:
I have been turning for years but I have always done it with face plates or
spindle turning. I find myself wishing I had a Nova chuck that I could just
clamp things in place. Can someone help me out a bit by explaining these
chucks a bit better. I have looked all over the web and think I understand
but I thought I would check here first before spending that kind of money.
http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/supernova.html seemed to have some good
info.

* Is it really worth it to get the Super Nova vs Nova - there is a
significant price difference and it looks like Super Nova is easier to use
(locking mechinism)
* When you buy a Nova chuck what all comes with it? They all say wood worm
screw. It seems like I can you do "spigot" turning (where you clamp down on
the wood) and "dovetail" turning (where you put the clamp in an opening and
"press outward" to hold it? Maybe I have my terms wrong.
* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does that mean
it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?

Any other words of advice?

Thanks
Darren

"Darren" writes:

* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does
that mean it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?

There are other jaws you can get that can do that. Some can be used
to grip long dowels, letting you feed the dowel as you work on each
piece. Others allow you to grab the outer rim of a bowl.
Others work inserted in a deep hole in the blank.

Look at kmstools.com - Check the package #5
6 sets of jaws with the chuck for a package deal.

The worm screw can be used with the basic jaws. Some people use this
to quickly mount and turn a blank, while the lathe is spinning.

One thing to note - after I ordered from them, I had to pay an extra
US customs charge. I think it was about $20.


--
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail to this account incurs a fee of
$500 per message, and acknowledges the legality of this contract.

Hello Darren,
I purchased a Super Nova with the 3"-4" (approx) jaw set. I chose that one
at the recommendation of the sales person at Woodcraft and have been
satisfied with it. The locking mechanism is similar to a chuck key for a
drill motor. I thought this to be a lot easier than messing around with two
levers.
You can do both inside/expansion clamping (cut a dovetail recess in the
bottom of the piece and the lip of the jaws wedge into place) or
outside/contraction clamping.
When you order the chuck it will have, among other specs, the maximum and
minimum contraction and expansion diameters.
You will need to order an adapter to fit the spindle on your lathe. This is
easily installed.
Another nice thing is the rather wide variety of jaw sets that can be
purchased.
One not so good thing about this lathe is the screws used to hold the jaws
in place. They can get a bit too tight for removal. Purchasing a couple
extra sets is a good idea.




"Darren" wrote in message
...
I have been turning for years but I have always done it with face plates
or
spindle turning. I find myself wishing I had a Nova chuck that I could
just
clamp things in place. Can someone help me out a bit by explaining these
chucks a bit better. I have looked all over the web and think I
understand
but I thought I would check here first before spending that kind of money.
http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/supernova.html seemed to have some
good
info.

* Is it really worth it to get the Super Nova vs Nova - there is a
significant price difference and it looks like Super Nova is easier to use
(locking mechinism)
* When you buy a Nova chuck what all comes with it? They all say wood
worm
screw. It seems like I can you do "spigot" turning (where you clamp down
on
the wood) and "dovetail" turning (where you put the clamp in an opening
and
"press outward" to hold it? Maybe I have my terms wrong.
* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does that
mean
it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?

Any other words of advice?

Thanks
Darren

I own two Super Nova's and use them a lot. A question for other Super
Nova users, though. I'm noticing lately some lateral play in my jaws.
Would a good cleaning tighten this up, or is there a fix available? Any
info would be appreciated.

rick

Hello Darren,

I purchased my first Nova chuck in 1990 about the time they hit the market in
the United States. I bought a second one a year later and have purchased a
couple of more over the years. I also have 3 or 4 Super Nova Chucks, which have
performed quite well. When the SuperNova 2 came on the market, I purchased two
of them and find they are the best of the lot in this size. If you are doing
really large stuff the Titan chuck is outstanding. All of these chucks will use
the wide range of jaws that Teknatool has available for these chucks, except the
smaller chucks will not use the three screw Titan Chuck jaws, but it will use
all jaws.

The Nova and SuperNova chucks normally come with the 50mm or 2" jaws. That means
they will fit into a 2" recess. They will close down onto a 1-3/4" tenon and
work best expanded into a 2" recess. If you do any small stuff, a set of the
25mm jaws are very nice. They will close onto a 3/8" tenon and will fit into a
1" recess.

I think you have had most of your other questions answered. The normal chuck
from Teknatool comes with a set of 50mm jaws, and tools for opening and closing.
You generally have to purchase an insert to fit your lathe spindle. Some places
sell the insert as a part of the chuck price. On some sales, extra jaws are
thrown in with the chuck. KMS in Canada is famous for this addition on their
specials.

For your purposes, I would recommend a SuperNova 2 and a couple of extra jaw
sets: the 25mm for smaller work and the three or four inch jaws for larger
tasks. I own most of the Nova jaw sets, but use the 50mm size the most.

Fred Holder
http://www.fholder.com

In article , Darren says...

I have been turning for years but I have always done it with face plates or
spindle turning. I find myself wishing I had a Nova chuck that I could just
clamp things in place. Can someone help me out a bit by explaining these
chucks a bit better. I have looked all over the web and think I understand
but I thought I would check here first before spending that kind of money.
http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/supernova.html seemed to have some good
info.

* Is it really worth it to get the Super Nova vs Nova - there is a
significant price difference and it looks like Super Nova is easier to use
(locking mechinism)
* When you buy a Nova chuck what all comes with it? They all say wood worm
screw. It seems like I can you do "spigot" turning (where you clamp down on
the wood) and "dovetail" turning (where you put the clamp in an opening and
"press outward" to hold it? Maybe I have my terms wrong.
* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does that mean
it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?

Any other words of advice?

Thanks
Darren

I too have a Jet 1442 and the SN^2 (yes, that is "squared" not "two"). The
heft, the smooth operation and the fine machining will make wou want fondle
and fiddle with it ... Or by contrast, sometimes you buy something mail
order and and you are a little undrwhelmed when you get to see it in
person... this was *not* the case.

The wrench that comes with your 1442 along with the spindle lock makes it a
snap to remove. It's a good match for the 1442 because it moves the work out
beyond the odd motor placement.

You will need the 1x8 TPI adapter.

I too, ordered from KMS tool. I did *not* get hit with a customs fee. Just
lucky I guess.

-Steve

Thanks for all the feedback.

I looked at other non Nova chucks, but I must admit I was heavily leaning
towards Nova chucks because I couldn't find a single negative review on
them. Everyone has been happy with them.

I ended up buying the Super Nova with an extra 25mm jaw set. I figured I
would spend the extra money to get the Super Nova instead of going with the
original. I am anxious for it to get here so I can try it out.

Thanks again.

Darren

"Bruce Barnett" wrote in message
...
"Darren" writes:

* The site says "There is one-inch travel to full closed." - does
that mean it can't grip a spigot less than 1"?

There are other jaws you can get that can do that. Some can be used
to grip long dowels, letting you feed the dowel as you work on each
piece. Others allow you to grab the outer rim of a bowl.
Others work inserted in a deep hole in the blank.

Look at kmstools.com - Check the package #5
6 sets of jaws with the chuck for a package deal.

The worm screw can be used with the basic jaws. Some people use this
to quickly mount and turn a blank, while the lathe is spinning.

One thing to note - after I ordered from them, I had to pay an extra
US customs charge. I think it was about $20.


--
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail to this account incurs a fee of
$500 per message, and acknowledges the legality of this contract.