Nova .vs. Talon and stronghold chuck
bones
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I just took a intro to bowl turning class at my local woodcraft and had a great time. We used a delta minilathe with a nova chuck. The instructor was very patient and helped me get the basics down. I am a complete novice at turning. I managed to turn out a small bowl with out blowing it. After the class I asked what he recommended for a chuck for my setup. I have a shopsmith. He suggested the Talon by oneway. I did a little digging and I am considering buying the Stronghold (the bigger version of the Talon). Any experience with the Nova or Talon? Any thoughts from the experienced bowl turners out there would be appreciated. Secondly, If you use a shopsmith, what limitations have you found?
Thanks in advance.
Edited 4/21/2004 1:18 pm ET by bones
Edited 4/21/2004 8:17 pm ET by bones
Replies
Nice first bowl - keep that one.
I have the Supernova chuck, which is about equivalent to the Talon. Teknatool just came out with the Supernova Titan, which is close to the Stronghold. Any of those chucks would suit your needs right now and they all have one important feature - you need an insert to attach the chuck to the spindle. So if you get really into turning and decide you need a dedicated lathe, all you ned is a new insert, not a new chuck.
You only really need the Titan/Stronghold for larger work (bowls over 12-16" diameter), which is probably more than your Shopsmith can handle. But if you have the money, the bigger chuck is no great disadvantage on smaller work.
The Teknatool and Oneway product lines have a wide range of jaws which work on both the smaller and larger chucks. Largely the choice is down to personal preference. One feature of the Teknatool chucks that some people don't like is that they operate "backwards" - you turn the handle clockwise to expand the jaws. I don't find this a problem but to a production turner using different chucks I could see it being an issue.
HTH
Graeme
Great first effort! I have about 1200 bowls/platters and 120+ boxes under my belt over the last six years, (they are a great break from cabinet/furniture work, start and finish on one machine!). I have done all of them with an original Nova chuck with a couple sets of jaws. I can highly recommend it, but as always, bigger is better.
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