Do You Use a Screw Chuck?...A Glue Block?...

[Wally Dickerman]

I'm talking about a real screw chuck, not the one that comes with a scroll chuck. My experience with a screw chuck goes way back, long before 4-jaw chucks or even the screw chucks of today were available I had to make my own. I'd seen the shopmade ones the professional Myrtlewood woodturners on the Oregon coast were using, so I copied theirs. A faceplate, a block of wood, some epoxy and a shortened lag bolt did the trick. Today I use a Glaser, a big improvement over my shopmade chuck. There are some good screw chucks on the market at half the price of a Glaser

For a long time I attached the screw chuck directly to the blank. A wood plug in the bottom of the bowl was much better than dealing with faceplate screw holes as just about everybody did in those days. The wood plug was acceptable then. Richard Raffan even has a photo of the bottom of one of my pieces with a plug in his early book on form.

Most turners in the early days who used a glue block inserted some paper between the blank and the glue block. Made it easier to remove the glue block. I found that messy and had one or two flying bowls because it came off too easy. So then I started just parting the block off. I still do that today.

I use glue blocks on most of my pieces. I like the fact that it separates the vessel from the faceplate, screw chuck or 4-jaw chuck. Gives me more room to work...for example when I'm doing a fully beaded piece, with beads clear to the bottom. If I'm turning a shallow piece there's no room for a tenon. I do my finishing in a different way than most turners. I do it while the piece is still mounted on the glue block and on the lathe. Works great for applying the finish and for polishing. After the finish is completed I part the piece off and reverse it to do the bottom. The glue block allows me to do that. I much prefer finishing that way and recommend it. When I was teaching, my students all did it that way and many still do.

I find the screw chuck easy to use and IMO is a more secure way to fasten than a chuck. I do however own several 4-jaw chucks and use them, often with a tenon cut on the glue block. If I use a glue block on an endgrain vessel I cut a small tenon on the blank and bore a corresponding hole in the glue block with a forstner bit. I use a faceplate if the piece is tall. Otherwise I cut a tenon and use a chuck. Most secure way of fastening is the faceplate.. I don't trust an end grain glue joint. A tip...Most screw chucks come with a 3/4 inch screw. I grind mine off to 5/8 inch. The hold is just as good and the hole in the glue block isn't as deep. Another...When applying a finish the piece comes on and off the screw chuck several times. I use a 1/4 inch plywood insert so that that there aren't as many screw threads. Easier on and off. Couple of spins of my nine inch handwheel.

In the photo I'm using a chuck with a glue block. When the finish is done I'll part it off at the glue line. In case you're wondering why the headstock is backwards, I do my hollowing in reverse on the outboard side of my lathe

[Scott Lux]

Wally,
I read your posts with great enthusiasm. I think you've forgotten more about turning than I'll ever know. Thanks for sharing this.

Scott

[Thom Sturgill]

Wally, always a treat to read your posts.

I have used a glue block, and will in the future, but it is just one more option to me, not the default. I also use the worm screw that comes with my chuck on occasion. I do not (yet) own a true screw chuck.

I went to the GAW symposium last weekend and one session was on wood characteristics and the presenter had a blank with a domed face and three small burls. After saying that you want to have the burl be in the surface of the vessel, he proceeded to suggest turning a bowl natural edged with a tenon on the flat face. That would lose most of the burl figure. I suggested that a glue block in the area between the burls would allow better presentation of the burls and could be fastened by using a screw chuck on the other face to turn a flat surface. He looked at me surprised as he had not even thought of that.

[Justin Stephen]

Like Thom, I regularly use the worm screw with my chucks. I turn a lot of platters lately and pretty much always start that way and have been happy with the hold. I remember people here going ga-ga about the Glaser screw chuck a few years back and was intrigured, but couldn't justify the $$.

All of my segmented pieces start with a glue block. I remember being pretty skeptical of them when I first started using them but man do they ever hold well. I use Titebond and also skip the paper layer.

[charlie knighton]

recently I observed Lyle Jamison do a rotation, one of his points, was to use a faceplate with or without a glue block for bowls and hf. he advocated using a larger blank (stuff grows on trees) . he used the same lathe as sb (sb used chuck), where sb had small amount of tearpout where lj used faceplate with no tearout.......it was very interesting day at fisherville

[Justin Stephen]

...where sb had small amount of tearpout where lj used faceplate with no tearout.......it was very interesting day at fisherville

What is the theory as to why?

[Wally Dickerman]

What is the theory as to why?

More secure. Little less vibration.

[charlie knighton]

sb attributed the tearout as dirt under the moveable headstock, sb did turn the tearout away, lyle attributed sb's tearout to the chuck, he advocated using the faceplate, just use a larger blank......both sb and lyle will be doing rotations at pittsburg.......sb said Saturday night that he was doing 6 rotations plus working his vendor spacestation at lunch, not sure how many rotations lyle will be doing, would really like to see a panel on any subject with both of them on it with maybe an extra wildcard like raffen added.....or maybe Wally could attend the panel, give us a chance to meet him....

lyle said glue block with faceplate fine

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Wally, I read your posts with respect and enthusiasm. I usually can't wait to go try something you advocate.
I am looking at the picture on your post and realizing how much working room you have between the hollow form and the chuck. I assume you left more thickness there to do the hollowing then worked down the outside of the bottom when the inside was nearly finished.
Too bad California and Pennsylvania have so many states between or I would haunt your shop. Thanks for any of your experience you are willing to share.
faust

[charlie knighton]

Terry M. and I got together midweek after the symposium....we talked about sb 40/40 grind....and then we talked about faceplates and chucks........we did decide using the chuck with the screw provided you still ended up with the same as a chuck......Terry was in favor of using a screw chuck.....I had only used the screw chuck with chuck so did not know anything.......Terry uses faceplates with waste block on all his bowls........just something to put in the back of your mind.......have 2 @ 6" faceplates steel, have bunch of 3" alum faceplates......my good screws do not fit my alum faceplates.......$52 for 4" steel faceplate, more for a screwchuck........hoping something will pop up..........

[Wally Dickerman]

Wally, I read your posts with respect and enthusiasm. I usually can't wait to go try something you advocate.
I am looking at the picture on your post and realizing how much working room you have between the hollow form and the chuck. I assume you left more thickness there to do the hollowing then worked down the outside of the bottom when the inside was nearly finished.
Too bad California and Pennsylvania have so many states between or I would haunt your shop. Thanks for any of your experience you are willing to share.
faust

Faust, you are exactly right. A lot of what I do in turning you probably won't find in books or videos. My style....developed over a lot of years. A lot of us in Arizona are a bit insulted if you refer to us as Californian.s

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

A lot of us in Arizona are a bit insulted if you refer to us as Californian.s

Woops!! Sorry Wally. Let's see, Arizona.......That's a few less states in between. You're getting closer by the minute.
faust

[charlie knighton]

you really do not get the full effect of the vanishing with a small footed hf when its on the lathe, need to view from above

[David Delo]

Timely subject for me as I have started to do more deeper hollowing of vases and look to begin making some true HF shapes and trying to decide what the shape is going to be and how I'm going to fixture it. Currently I either turn between centers or use the chuck worm screw to form a tenon or recess. I'm under the following assumptions for using glue blocks. 1.) If using dry block to dry blank, the proper glue type would be something like Titebond and then you need to wait 24 hours.2.) If using dry block to wet blank, the proper glue type would be CA glue and you could machine it almost immediately. Regardless if the block is held by a screw chuck or tenon, I guess my hang-up with trying the glue block idea thus far has been the wait time of conventional glue or the expense of the CA glue versus the benefit of the gained working space. C & C welcome, I'm learning.

[robert baccus]

I evolved a method years ago that has been used on many 100# vase blanks. Start with a very hard glueblock (dogwood,beech) 1.5"x3" drilled and mounted on a 5/8" nova 2 screw chuck. True it to your machine every time. Most of my turnings are endgrain and very green so screws are out. I use thick fresh CA glue on the blank/block. Center it up with the tailstock and apply a bit of pressure. These hold for ourside turning and deep hollowing and finishing. One advantage is you can remove the piece from the screw in seconds and work on other pieces while your vase is drying. The long glueblock will last for years after parting off. Being long you can grab the glueblock with a big channel locks and remove it just holding the glueblock for finish drying. You can get 6-7 pieces going off and on with some drying all the time. CA is the only glue that holds well on wet wood.