chuck wobble

[jeff oldham]

I was turning a spindle and using the tail center and the spindle was turning true,,when I removed the tail stock I noticed it wasn't true running in the chuck which is a super nova,,,as a matter of fact after it stoped I could pull on the spindle and see the play or movement in the chuck,,i removed the insert and thought it might need tightening but it would not go any farther in,,i just bought this lathe about 6 months ago,,its a jet 1642,,im just wandering if its in the spindle or the chuck itself,,if you do not have anything chucked up it seems to be running true,,but it does have play in it without the tail stock,,can anyone help,,,

[Al Wasser]

I had a Nova G-3 that woodcraft replaced because it would not run true so you might have another that was made wrong. Be sure the insert is a nova, not some other brand

[jeff oldham]

I think I might have to try that first,,

[Allan Ferguson]

Make sure that the insert is in tight contact with the bearing face of the drive spindle.

[Dom Garafalo]

Just wondering how long was the spindle and what jaws were you using in your chuck?

[John K Jordan]

... I could pull on the spindle and see the play or movement in the chuck...

You could feel play in the chuck? Yikes. You need to find out exactly what is moving. You can test at various points with a dial indicator or a dial test indicator. But lacking that, you can usually feel what is moving by putting a thumb or finger on a part while moving the work back and forth. There should be no detectable play in either the lathe spindle or the chuck.

I have never experienced play between the jaws and the chuck. Are screws tight? If play is there I'd remove and clean the jaws, check for burrs or debris, and reattach firmly.

If the chuck body is moving on the adapter, remove, clean and tighten.

If the chuck plus adapter is moving on the spindle, check the mating surface of the insert for debris or a nick. Chris Ramsey (cowboy hat turner) said he always wipes off both mating surfaces before mounting a chuck on the lathe.

If the spindle itself has play, it might be in the bearings.

If using one of those fiber or plastic washers advertised to keep the chuck from sticking on the spindle, get rid of it use a wrench to remove the chuck - several people have found these washers introduce wobble.

Note that a spindle not running true with the tailstock is not unusual if the chuck is retightened after the tailstock in contact with the end (The wood under the jaws can deform non-uniformly and push the spindle to one side) or if the point of the live center is deflected by the grain as the tailstock is firmed up. (I usually make a small hole where alignment is critical.) However, neither issue would result in the play you mentioned.

JKJ

[Michael Mills]

Since you stated "if you do not have anything chucked up it seems to be running true" I am going to assume it is not the spindle or the chuck.
Dom asked about the jaws and length of the spindle. The standard 50mm jaws are bowl jaws and not intended for extended work without tailstock support. Their 35mm spigot jaws give lots of support with a long 1"+ tenon (these are not the 35mm bowl jaws, completely different).
It looks like most everything else is already touched on.

[Reed Gray]

I would have to see it in person to be able to figure it out for sure. So, seats firmly against the headstock when screwed all the way down? Does the chuck run pretty true with nothing in it and at low speed? The jaws should also run true if they are closed all the way. Jaw screws all secure? Other than that, I can't count the number of times I have started a spindle where I turn a tenon on one end, reverse, tighten, then at slow speed ease the tailstock spindle into the other end to turn. I get done with turning and remove the tailstock, and there always seems to be a little run out on the tailstock end. Same happens if I just start on marked centers on a spindle. If the headstock and tailstock do not line up perfectly, that could contribute. With the sliding headstocks, and tailstocks, you can get some shavings between the base of them and the ways of the lathe which can cause them to be out of line. If you have a short tenon, that will cause more play than having long jaws to fit the spindle into.

robo hippy

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Jeff can you chuck up a thicker piece of steel rod into the chuck ??, does it wobble if rotating the chuck/spindle ??

Grab that rod and pull it up down sideways, it should give you an indication on what is loose or moving, spindle is possible, but I doubt that, seating/fitting of the chuck adaptor to the lathe or in the chuck is much more likely, and last the jaws within the chuck also possible but less likely than the previous one.

All the treaded pieces is something I never liked in the Nova chucks, to easily off center and able to move within the separate parts, having a taper fit rather than the treaded inserts like Oneway chucks have does away with that part of the possible problems that can happen.