EWT Chuck

[Ronald Campbell]

Have 3 EWT (Easy Wood Tool) chucks. Having them only months I had one that tied up. Will only travel a short distance and binds up. I have another friend with a couple chucks and he too had to send one back. After getting the chuck back he again has to send that chuck back. Anyone know what the problem is. I hope I get this resolved knowing there are problems with the parent company, Pony.

Ron

[John Keeton]

As you noted, Pony has suspended operations but indicated that the effect on EWT should be minimal. However, not knowing the financial arrangement between Craig (EWT) and Pony, it is difficult to assess the current situation. You should contact EWT direct, speak with Craig, and see what sort of acceptable resolution can be arranged. I hope it works out for you, and that all EWT customers continue to receive warranty service, etc.

[Geoff Whaling]

Ron, do you have an idea why the chuck is binding? Do you think it is the scroll & backing (Master) jaws binding or the the backing (Master) jaws binding in the slide, the pinion to scroll , or the "zoom ring"?

I have seen reports about issues with other chucks involving the pinion gears wearing at unacceptable rates, poorly machined scrolls, machining debris left in the chuck body, loose or overly tight machining tolerances, and simply designs that allow easy ingress of dust from dry turning or "wood juices" from green / wet turning etc.

All chucks will bind eventually if they are not serviced regularly, and some turning tasks will cause maintenance issues pretty quickly. Its not that difficult to service the chucks yourself and these days with digital cameras it is so easy to take photos of the chuck before each disassembly step so you know the correct assembly sequence to put them back together again.

I have had reservations about the design and the service life of the EWT Easy Chucks and the Nova Infinity chucks. I guess some of the longevity and manufacturing issues will start surfacing as they have been about for a few years now.

[John K Jordan]

Ron, do you have an idea why the chuck is binding? ...

I bought some Nova chucks used and two of them were binding. On closer inspection I found the chucks must have been tightened by a 900 lb gorilla or a human with a cheater bar. The steel in the chuck body around the slot was deformed. It took some effort but I repaired them and they are like new now. But I'm still glad I didn't pay much for them.

Disassembly, cleaning, and inspection of the insides would be the first thing I did. Close examination with a good light and a small straight edge (6" steel ruler) should tell if this is the problem with the chucks in question.

JKJ

[Ronald Campbell]

I did not want to take any of these apart as they were new. They had only been used a couple of times. I did return this one to EWT and waiting for a reply

Ron

[Geoff Whaling]

I did not want to take any of these apart as they were new. They had only been used a couple of times. I did return this one to EWT and waiting for a reply

Ron

Ron, That doesn't sound very good at all. I hope you have some success with a warranty fix.

[Ralph Lindberg]

As you noted, Pony has suspended operations but indicated that the effect on EWT should be minimal. However, not knowing the financial arrangement between Craig (EWT) and Pony, it is difficult to assess the current situation. You should contact EWT direct, speak with Craig, and see what sort of acceptable resolution can be arranged. I hope it works out for you, and that all EWT customers continue to receive warranty service, etc.

Pony bought Craig out, at the time Craig continued to work for Pony. But I am uncertain if he still does. But EWT does continue to operate, at least the last time I checked.
But contacting EWT direct is your best option

[Ronald Campbell]

Received a call from EWT yesterday and they are going to replace the chuck. Glad to hear. Great customer service

[Geoff Whaling]

Received a call from EWT yesterday and they are going to replace the chuck. Glad to hear. Great customer service

Ron, that is good news and a bit of a relief for you.


In Australia our consumer legislation sets out a standard of consumer guarantees so a repair or replacement is mandatory for a "major failure." A manufacturer or supplier would (may???) be compelled to effect a satisfactory remedy if they did not do it voluntarily.

We also have laws about deceptive conduct in advertising and misrepresentation of goods and the suppliers & products ability to fulfill the manufacturers / sellers claims & / or consumer expectations.
A good or product has a major failure if:

• the consumer would never have bought it if they knew about the problem
• it’s dangerous to use
• it’s very different from a description, sample or demonstration model
• it’s broken and can’t be repaired easily, which means they can’t fulfil their usual purpose

&

• Failure can happen at any time in the reasonable life of a good or service.
• A reasonable life is how long you can realistically expect it to last. This will depend on the product or service.

In 2010, before the new legislation came into effect, I took on a major electrical / electronics retailer (now in liquidation) over deceptive conduct that was always intended to upsell customers into a more expensive product through very deliberate "bait advertising" and manipulation of stock levels "we have one in stock but can't locate it, we have plenty of these though!" - they lost. Seems a lot of other customers walked as well.

With another retailer we negotiated a resolution very much in my favour after they switched major components in a PC purchase, not like for like as displayed - in that instance they admitted fault & I believe they were not being deceptive but it would have been a better option to have told the customer and given them the option to opt out of the purchase. I first found out about the substitution when receiving the goods - no point argueing with the storeman.

The EWT chuck or any product "not operating smoothly for its intended purpose" would be considered a major failure here. For a chuck that "reasonable life" could be several years.

Did EWT give you any indication why the chuck was binding? I have had a few theories about the construction & design of the EWT & Nova Infinity chucks and how normal wear could cause problems but yours were new. It will be interesting to hear more if that info is ever forthcomming.

[Ronald Campbell]

Ron, that is good news and a bit of a relief for you.


In Australia our consumer legislation sets out a standard of consumer guarantees so a repair or replacement is mandatory for a "major failure." A manufacturer or supplier would (may???) be compelled to effect a satisfactory remedy if they did not do it voluntarily.

We also have laws about deceptive conduct in advertising and misrepresentation of goods and the suppliers & products ability to fulfill the manufacturers / sellers claims & / or consumer expectations.
A good or product has a major failure if:

• the consumer would never have bought it if they knew about the problem
• it’s dangerous to use
• it’s very different from a description, sample or demonstration model
• it’s broken and can’t be repaired easily, which means they can’t fulfil their usual purpose

&

• Failure can happen at any time in the reasonable life of a good or service.
• A reasonable life is how long you can realistically expect it to last. This will depend on the product or service.

In 2010, before the new legislation came into effect, I took on a major electrical / electronics retailer (now in liquidation) over deceptive conduct that was always intended to upsell customers into a more expensive product through very deliberate "bait advertising" and manipulation of stock levels "we have one in stock but can't locate it, we have plenty of these though!" - they lost. Seems a lot of other customers walked as well.

With another retailer we negotiated a resolution very much in my favour after they switched major components in a PC purchase, not like for like as displayed - in that instance they admitted fault & I believe they were not being deceptive but it would have been a better option to have told the customer and given them the option to opt out of the purchase. I first found out about the substitution when receiving the goods - no point argueing with the storeman.

The EWT chuck or any product "not operating smoothly for its intended purpose" would be considered a major failure here. For a chuck that "reasonable life" could be several years.

Did EWT give you any indication why the chuck was binding? I have had a few theories about the construction & design of the EWT & Nova Infinity chucks and how normal wear could cause problems but yours were new. It will be interesting to hear more if that info is ever forthcomming.

The only thing they said is that it was an internal failure and it was nothing I had done. I have another friend that is returning his for the second time. Not sure what the problem is but they are standing behind their product. So little customer service any more this is one great time