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Thread: Would Like Input On Whether Cole Jaws Make Sense For Me

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Manlius, NY
    Posts
    109

    Would Like Input On Whether Cole Jaws Make Sense For Me

    I'm a new turner with a Jet 1221vs lathe and a Nova G3 chuck with standard 2" jaws.

    I've just started to practice making small bowls but do not have a reasonable way to finish the bottoms after shaping the sides and the insides.

    I'd rather not spend time making donut or jam or other miscellaneous home made chucks to allow me to finish the bowl bottoms and I'm thinking that purchasing Nova's Cole Jaws might make sense. My lathe has a 12 1/2" swing over the bed and Nova's standard Cole jaws requires a minimum of a 12" swing.

    So I have two questions:

    1. Are Cole jaws that fit my Nova G3 the option that makes the most sense based on what I've said above?

    2. If so, do the standard Cole Jaws that require a minimum 12" swing make sense verses Nova's mini Cole Jaws that require a 8" minimum swing? I only ask because although the bowl size capacity of the standard jaws is desirable, is having only a 1/4" clearance over the bed potentially problematic?


    I would appreciate your thoughts and input.

    Thank you

    Dom

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    San Diego, Ca
    Posts
    1,647
    I have a set of Cole jaws for a Grizzly chuck. I also use a flat homemade mdf faceplate to which I hot-melt larger items that don't fit the Cole jaws. When I started with my smaller original lathe, I didn't have cole jaws. Instead, I would often plan my work so that the foot was finished before I reversed it and worked on the other side. I also hot-glued bowls to an mdf faceplate then as well. If you draw concentric circles on the mdf with the lathe spinning, it is easy to center the bowl. Also, if you left a dimple from the tail stock live center, that even makes it easier to center the bowl. With it centered, then I apply the hot glue. When it cools you can snap off the glue. If residue remains, paint thinner will remove it.

    I haven't examined the specs for the Nova Cole jaws but suggest that you check to see if the 12" minimum swing requirement is with the jaws fully extended. If it is NOT, then I don't think that this will work. If the 12" swing is with the jaws fully extended, you should be in good shape.

    Just one opinion.

  3. You can make a jam chuck with a piece of scrap plywood, an old piece of carpet pad, and the faceplate that came with your lathe......use the tailstock and live center for pressure forward on your tenon, and turn the tenon down to a nub and then chisel the nub off. Probably save you nearly $100 and works better IMHO........just sayin! I hardly ever use my Cole jaws any longer.

    Other jam chucks can be a lot simpler, just turn a tenon on a piece of wood to fit inside your bowl, and put an old mouse pad inside to protect from marring the freshly cut or finished inside.
    Last edited by Roger Chandler; 04-27-2016 at 7:32 PM.
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Coshocton Ohio
    Posts
    167
    I know I'm not answering your questions but have you considered a vacuum chuck? I used Cole jaws and a Modern Longworth chuck for several years but recently purchased the Holdfast system from Craft Supplies. No more cole jaws for me.
    If you already own a small compressor the system isn't terribly expensive.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Occidental Ca
    Posts
    112
    I just use a face plate, turn the outside and a dovetail recess - sand.
    Reverse the bowl and hollow.
    I have a set of HTC 125 cole jaws but don't use them much.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    South Carolina
    Posts
    303
    I know you said you don't want to make a jam chuck, but for many things you may not need to make anything. I often put an old mousepad between the inside of my bowl and my chuck, bring the tailstock up and put pressure against the tenon. Cut down as small as you dare, remove and sand or chisel away the last little bit. I did find that the live center that came with my lathe was a poor choice for this. A 60-degree cone center solved that problem. Take light cuts at low speed when doing this. Just as with a cole chuck, this is not a situation where you really want a catch (although the tailstock pressure makes it a little more safe).

    I've never used a cole chuck, but I hear lots of horror stories about the bowl coming off and I think there's a fairly narrow limit on just how much bowl it can practically handle. Vacuum chucking sounds much more promising, but is quite a bit out of my means.

  7. #7
    A jam chuck is better, cheaper, and easier. Less than 5 minutes to make one. I have had Cole jaws that as part of a multi-jaw set for 45 yrs, and never used them. I have also had a vacuum chuck for several years that has never been used. A jam chuck can be made from scrap. I have 30-40 that I have accumulated. Make one to fit the needs of a given item. Sooner or later you will either use it, or modify it for another use.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Lincoln, NE
    Posts
    1,213
    As a couple others have said, use a cushion of some sort to rest the bowl against then bring up the tailstock and turn away as much of the tenon as you dare. Saw, chisel or whatever works best then sand to remove the rest. Just about free and you don't have the bowl jumping out of the cole jaws. Works for any shape of rim so I would recommend not using your hard earned dollars for cole jaws. Vacuum really works nice but certainly not free.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Fredericksburg, TX
    Posts
    2,576
    Earlier posts pretty well say it, but I will add this. You can make jam chucks out of 2x4 or 2x6 scraps that will fit the general contour of your bowl interior, and then use a pad (I use the cheap rubber shelf liner) to pad, and the live center for pressure to turn down to a nub. I like to use a flush cut saw with protective layer (thin plastic or cardboard) to protect the bottom, and then a little 1" or even 2" disk sander in drill press or hand drill works well to sand cut area. That will work for natural edge bowls, worm hole bowls, bowls too large for cole jaws, and even with some modifications for hollow forms. Unless you have a dedicated cole jaw chuck, changing jaws is a pain, and a vacuum does not work on a "holey" bottom. The jam method is good to know and often the only option. Save the money at the early stage, and add later if you win the lottery.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Northern Ohio
    Posts
    524
    I rarely use my cole jaws. It was a waste of money, takes to long to sat up, and size limitations

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Manlius, NY
    Posts
    109
    It certainly sounds like conventional wisdom is to make and use jam chucks.

    The experience and opinions of the members of this forum are good enough for me so I will work on making and using jam chucks.


    Thank you for everyone's input.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Kapolei Hawaii
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    3,236
    Awesome! I was going to add that I use jam cucks the most. But I guess we already changed your mind! I have the holdfast vacuum system. It works well for those items that you have to hold without a tailstock. Not the greatest vac system, but it works. I have Longworth chuck too. They are both better than cole jaws IMO.

    About those 2x4 or 2x6 scraps, be careful, and do not use treated lumber, the dust gets in the air and although I'm not sure if the borate or whatever is harmful to us, it certainly couldn't be good for your lungs..... Just saying....

  13. #13
    Never owned cole jaws but did buy one of those "modern longworth" chucks several years ago and quickly decided it was mostly garbage. I subsequently built myself a doughnut chuck "system" (one base with several matching outer rings) and still use it to this day. No doubt a good vacuum chuck would be even better, but I have never been able to justify the money/time since the doughnut chuck works well.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Boston
    Posts
    1,740
    I have the mini Cole and it works ok. You need to use the tail stock to keep the bowl from flying. They don't trip tight enough to not use the tail stock.
    Don

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Don Jarvie View Post
    I have the mini Cole and it works ok. You need to use the tail stock to keep the bowl from flying. They don't trip tight enough to not use the tail stock.
    Yup, my experience with the modern longworth as well. To finish the bottom, I would end up taping the bowl to the longworth with several long strips of painters tape and take only very light cuts. That worked, but its a very kludgy solution.

    Not an issue with the doughnut chuck. I lined my doughnut chuck base with adhesive 1/4" neoprene which not only protects the top of the piece, it also makes it that much more difficult for the piece to ever move once tightened down. I've taken some reasonably aggressive cuts with mine and haven't had an issue. Combine that with the fact that you can construct one to be within a hair of the maximum swing of your lathe and you only lose a little for the inset for the carriage bolts. So, basically, I can finish a piece up to about 18 3/4" in diameter on my 20" lathe, which is pretty darn good IMHO. The only real downside is that you need to remember to mark your bottom center with a dimple since tailstock centering is more critical with a doughnut chuck than with a longworth or cole jaws.

    So again, just my opinion, if one is not ready/able to buy a good vacuum system, a doughnut chuck is the next best choice.

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