I've got a Nova midi-chuck and want to turn a few things from dowels
but I have a conundrum. Thinner dowels fit and the thicker do not. I
can fit thinner directly into the chuck and turn just fine. The larger
diameter is too big for the chuck and too small for my jaws. I would
prefer not to have to buy another set of jaws right now.

Anyone have a suggestion for a jig or way I can fit the dowel?

My tools consist of a jet midi with it's standard mount and center, a
Nova midi with 50mm jaws and a Jacobs chuck.

`Casper

Casper wrote:
I've got a Nova midi-chuck and want to turn a few things from dowels
but I have a conundrum. Thinner dowels fit and the thicker do not. I
can fit thinner directly into the chuck and turn just fine. The larger
diameter is too big for the chuck and too small for my jaws. I would
prefer not to have to buy another set of jaws right now.

Anyone have a suggestion for a jig or way I can fit the dowel?

My tools consist of a jet midi with it's standard mount and center, a
Nova midi with 50mm jaws and a Jacobs chuck.

`Casper

Am putting pictures on ABPW of how I made jaw inserts to make them
hold smaller items. I turned a round piece to fit inside the jaws,
drilled a hole in the center then cut it into 4 pieces. An added touch
is magnets embedded in them to make them stay in place.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

It's a damned poor mind that can only
think of one way to spell a word.

"Gerald Ross" (clip) I turned a round piece to fit inside the jaws,
drilled a hole in the center then cut it into 4 pieces. An added touch is
magnets embedded in them to make them stay in place.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Try holding the dowel in the wooden adaptor/bushing without cutting it in
quarters. The wood may be compressible enough to grip the dowel just from
the force of the jaws of the chuck. If that doesn't work, try making the
saw cuts partially through, but leaving the pieces connected at the back.
Then if the jaws press on it mostly at the front, it should close enough to
grip, and stay in place in the chuck when the jaws are open. In order to be
sure the jaws apply pressure only where needed, you could turn the back of
the wooden spacer/adapter a little smaller.

Let us know how you finally solve it.

Leo Lichtman wrote:
"Gerald Ross" (clip) I turned a round piece to fit inside the jaws,
drilled a hole in the center then cut it into 4 pieces. An added touch is
magnets embedded in them to make them stay in place.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Try holding the dowel in the wooden adaptor/bushing without cutting it in
quarters. The wood may be compressible enough to grip the dowel just from
the force of the jaws of the chuck. If that doesn't work, try making the
saw cuts partially through, but leaving the pieces connected at the back.
Then if the jaws press on it mostly at the front, it should close enough to
grip, and stay in place in the chuck when the jaws are open. In order to be
sure the jaws apply pressure only where needed, you could turn the back of
the wooden spacer/adapter a little smaller.

Let us know how you finally solve it.


I like your ideas--if you just need to hold one diameter dowel. I
actually made mine to bridge the gap between my pin chuck max opening
and the minimum gripping diameter of the spigot chuck.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

It's a damned poor mind that can only
think of one way to spell a word.

Hi Casper,

I think everyone is over thinking this. I would just put the dowel between
centers and part the end down to a size that fits the midi-chuck, then put
the dowel in the midid and finish your work. Seems simple to me.

Dan


"Casper" wrote in message
...
I've got a Nova midi-chuck and want to turn a few things from dowels
but I have a conundrum. Thinner dowels fit and the thicker do not. I
can fit thinner directly into the chuck and turn just fine. The larger
diameter is too big for the chuck and too small for my jaws. I would
prefer not to have to buy another set of jaws right now.

Anyone have a suggestion for a jig or way I can fit the dowel?

My tools consist of a jet midi with it's standard mount and center, a
Nova midi with 50mm jaws and a Jacobs chuck.

`Casper

"djcordes" wrote in message
...
Hi Casper,

I think everyone is over thinking this. I would just put the dowel
between centers and part the end down to a size that fits the midi-chuck,
then put the dowel in the midid and finish your work. Seems simple to me.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Well, with all due respect, I believe you are under-thinking it. Any
centering error in the first step of your procedure will hurt you when you
move to the Midi-chuck. Once you make an impression on the end of the dowel
either with the spur drive or the live center, it becomes very hard to move
it in small increments.

I made a small collar for my check ,drilled a hole for the dowel and put
a screw in the side of the collar to keep the dowel from spinning. Just
the tip of the screw is all I needed to keep the dowel from spinning
Jerry


http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutc...oodWorkingPage



http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutcher/1974RuppCentair

Can you turn the jaws inside out ?

Do you have more than 1 jaw set ? I have 5 or 6.

Make a wooden chuck that holds the dowel and use the Nova to hold it!

Martin

Casper wrote:
I've got a Nova midi-chuck and want to turn a few things from dowels
but I have a conundrum. Thinner dowels fit and the thicker do not. I
can fit thinner directly into the chuck and turn just fine. The larger
diameter is too big for the chuck and too small for my jaws. I would
prefer not to have to buy another set of jaws right now.

Anyone have a suggestion for a jig or way I can fit the dowel?

My tools consist of a jet midi with it's standard mount and center, a
Nova midi with 50mm jaws and a Jacobs chuck.

`Casper

On Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:57:59 -0500, Casper wrote:

I've got a Nova midi-chuck and want to turn a few things from dowels
but I have a conundrum. Thinner dowels fit and the thicker do not. I
can fit thinner directly into the chuck and turn just fine. The larger
diameter is too big for the chuck and too small for my jaws. I would
prefer not to have to buy another set of jaws right now.

Anyone have a suggestion for a jig or way I can fit the dowel?

My tools consist of a jet midi with it's standard mount and center, a
Nova midi with 50mm jaws and a Jacobs chuck.

`Casper

Well, if you don't want to buy whatever Nova calls spigot jaws, try this:

Turn a split jam chuck from a piece of scrap.. just a disk that will fit your
jaws..

Drill a hole the size of your dowel and cut a slot from the hole to one outside
edge..
put it in your chuck and go..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I like your ideas--if you just need to hold one diameter dowel. I actually
made mine to bridge the gap between my pin chuck max opening and the
minimum gripping diameter of the spigot chuck.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Or...just drill the hole size needed, on the lathe, turn the OD to a size
you can chuck on. Then saw through only one wall. Bushing will hold
together. Called a "split bushing"

On Nov 23, 7:04*pm, "Leo Lichtman" wrote:
"djcordes" wrote in message

... Hi Casper,

*I think everyone is over thinking this. I would just put the dowel
between centers and part the end down to a size that fits the midi-chuck,
then put the dowel in the midid and finish your work. Seems simple to me.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Well, with all due respect, I believe you are under-thinking it. *Any
centering error in the first step of your procedure will hurt you when you
move to the Midi-chuck. *Once you make an impression on the end of the dowel
either with the spur drive or the live center, it becomes very hard to move
it in small increments.

I guess it depends on how long your dowel is to be when finished. I
do it that way as needed. I turn a tenon between centers that will
fit my chuck jaws, then mount in the chuck.

I then retrue the dowel to reflect its new position in regards to
center. Turn as usual after that.

No problems so far.

Robert

Am putting pictures on ABPW of how I made jaw inserts to make them
hold smaller items. I turned a round piece to fit inside the jaws,
drilled a hole in the center then cut it into 4 pieces. An added touch
is magnets embedded in them to make them stay in place.
Gerald Ross

Gerald,

Sorry for the delayed response. Was unexpectedly away for the holiday,
and I think I ate way too much. LOL Hope everyone had a good day!

Thanks for the idea. I am going to try that this week. Initially I may
forgo the magnets until I'm sure my pieces are going to handle the
job. I'll let you know how it comes out.

`Casper

I guess it depends on how long your dowel is to be when finished. I
do it that way as needed. I turn a tenon between centers that will
fit my chuck jaws, then mount in the chuck.
I then retrue the dowel to reflect its new position in regards to
center. Turn as usual after that.
No problems so far.
Robert

I've tried turning them between centers but they always seem to end up
off center and I have to cut too much away. If I can make an easier
way to hold them, I can avoid that and turn them much faster.

I am makeing them as long as I can fit on the midi, about 11-12". When
I turn thinner dowels in the chuck, I loose about 1" total and have
managed to squeak out a total length of 13". Turning between centers I
am getting less because of splits. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, or my
dowels are flawed and I can't see it. If I turn a raw limb, that's
well seasoned, it doesn't split as much. I would think it's all about
the diameter and dryness of the wood. Am I wrong??

`Casper

"Casper" (clip) If I turn a raw limb, that's
well seasoned, it doesn't split as much. I would think it's all about
the diameter and dryness of the wood. Am I wrong??
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You're not wrong, but an important difference is grin orientation. In the
manufacture of dowels, the grain direction is more-or-less lined up with the
dowel axis, but the grain may wander off quite a bit. They're not going to
throw away a piece of wood just because the grain isn't perfectly straight.
A piece that you select yourself is more likely to have grain that doesn't
leave the premises.