One of the best advances in wood turning has come from the world of metalworking in the self centreing jaw chuck. There are certainly ways to make anything on the wood lathe without a scroll chuck, but this speeds up many of the processes dramatically. When I purchased my lathe almost a year ago, I couldn’t really afford a scroll chuck and so it went on my “wish list”. In January, I was asked to conduct a couple of band rehearsals for a local community band and they paid me for the rehearsals. As it was “found money”, so to speak, I decided that I could finally make this purchase.
This is called a scroll chuck because there is a scroll beneath the jaws that moves all the jaws in or out at once when the chuck is tightened or loosened. The jaws are interchangeable and come in different sizes and designs for different pieces. This chuck is a Talon Chuck made by Oneway in Ontario. Oneway makes a fine line of lathes and accessories for wood turners. The Oneway lathes are among the highest rated lathes on the market at present as are the Oneway chucks. These chucks have a rather unique jaw design that grips the workpiece very securely. The Talon has a chuck key and can be tightened with one hand while I am holding the piece in the other. Oneway also has a Basic chuck that uses two bars in a lever action to tighten the jaws. It is another approach that turners seem to like. I chose the Talon because of the key system and the fact that it is only a few dollars more than the basic chuck.
The project that I am starting to plan is a wine goblet. I have been having problems with end-grain turning and will need to practice and sharpen my tools a bit better. I still seem to be catching the gouge an awful lot and need to refine my technique. I suppose that another marathon YouTube session is in order to see if I can pick up any helpful hints.
To Everything, Turn...Turn...Turn 