SuperNova II Chuck

[Mike Lipke]

Woodcraft this month is offering this chuck at a sale price of $160.
You must add to that the insert for $25, for a total of $185, saving about $40.

Is this the chuck I want, or should I spend the extra cake and get the OneWay Talon (with insert) for $220, or the Stronghold for $235?

I only want one chuck for now, and value your collective advice.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mike....I've got a SN2 chuck that has taken a beating on my Jet VS Mini. I hope to use it on a bigger lathe later this year.

[Gordon Seto]

Mike,

You won't be disappointed with any of the brand name chucks. They are have their fans.
The Nova makes most economic sense. All their jaws (except one) can be used in any of the 4 different size chucks. You don't have to repurchase all the accessories you already have when you add a bigger or smaller chuck down the road. (Jaws for Talon won't fit Stronghold). I also like their long nose jaw and faceplate rings. One of their bowl jaw has very wide shoulder to provide good support. The biggest complaint about Nova chuck is the "lefty tighty". It is confusing for people who are not used to the key turning direction. But as long as you don't have other chucks to confuse you; you will get used to it.

Gordon

[Ralph Lindberg]

Mike, I own nothing but SN-2's, can't say they are the wrong choice, it might be better to get a Oneway, simply because they appear to offer a wider variety of jaws.
IMO, Woodcraft is way to in-love with what they sell. When their sale prices are higher then other firms regular prices.... KMS Tools eBay store
http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPERNOVA-2-CHUC...QQcmdZViewItem
Wood Chips http://www.woodchipshome.com/mm5/mer...&Store_Code=WC


Lastly, if you do want the SN2, buying a kit, with several jaws and a full accessory kit can save you money
http://www.kmstools.com/main.php?scr...ts/cat.php?4&2
I bought one of the #5 sets

[Bernie Weishapl]

Mike the SN2 is a good chuck. I do like my Vicmarc better. The Vic also has a wider choice of jaws. If you decide you need a cheap chuck for a second, you can get the $99 Grizzly which is the same or looks to be the same as the Vic and all the Vicmarc jaws fit it. I have two and one is dedicated to my cole jaws. Just a thought.

[Paul Engle]

Mike , I have a G3 and a SN2 and like em both. I switch back and forth depending on size of project. I got em out of Canada as they had the besst price, the SN2 is body only as I already had three jaw sets , got the insert free. Below is their nova page , I have no finical intrest in this company , just have great deals.

http://www.kmstools.com/main.php?scr...ts/cat.php?4&2

[Gordon Seto]

I forgot where I saw it. The $5 Pinnacle chuck insert from Woodcraft fits Nova chuck. Can anyone confirm this?

Gordon

[Dennis Peacock]

I have the SN2 and would like ANOTHER SN2 to help me with my vortex.

[Mike Ramsey]

I've used both the nova's & the Talon, I opted for the talon with 3 sets
of jaws, actually I have 2 talons..would recommend it highly.

[George Tokarev]

The S2 will do all you want, I'm sure. Lesser prices and house brands may put you at a bit of a disadvantage as far as support and innovation go. I've got two plain and two supers myself, and they'll swing what I want with the smallest jaw sizes. If you get it, depending on the size of your lathe, I'd recommend the so-called 75mm dovetail jaws as a good buy. The 50's will handle 16", but they're not great at holding tenons, if that's your preference. It's not mine, so I use the pin jaws and the 50mm most, using the 75 and the larger power grip set only for smaller stuff or things like box reversals.

[Gilbert Vega]

I bought 3 of the SN2 along with a G3, SN, midi and the original Nova. I have found no fault with chucks (this should be obvious if I have 7 of them). Woodchips has excellent price and provide EXCELLENT customer service.

[Nick Clayton]

Mike,

When I bought a nova lathe last month I opted for the Talon. Mainly because I'm new to turning and rockler sells them for much less than woodcraft. Also, I had a 25% off coupon for rockler so I think I got it for a little over $140. Like I said I'm very new to turning, but it has done what I have asked of it so far.

[Gordon Seto]

In the big picture of the dark hole in turning spending, $20 is almost nothing - not enough to buy you half a set of jaws.
You have to compare the jaws and accessories. A lot of time, I find the long nose jaw set very valuable for things other than bowl. It gives clearance between your chuck and the bottom of your blank.
With Oneway, you have to get the Stronghold Collet Jaw set ($167 from Packard) which can only used with Stronghold chuck.
I also like the faceplate rings better than individual faceplates. I don't have to remove the ring prior to reversing. It allows me to change my mind flipping the blank while I can still use the tailstock.
BTW, Oneway also has Versa-Mount faceplate rings.
Oneway makes high quality products with best service at a price. IMO, Nova has the better value.

Gordon

[Kurt Whitley]

I forgot where I saw it. The $5 Pinnacle chuck insert from Woodcraft fits Nova chuck. Can anyone confirm this?

Gordon

Gordon,
I have not used it yet (in process of building a stand for my "new" Nova 3000), but last weekend I bought one 1-1/4" X 8 Nova insert and one 1-1/4" X 8 Pinnacle insert. To all appearances either will fit (both thread smoothly and appear to seat properly).
One difference is the Nova insert has a set screw, so it may justify the extra $$$ if your lathe reverses.

None of my (at least two years old) 1X8 Nova inserts have the setscrew so it may be a new feature on the Nova inserts. The newest Nova insert I bought came in a cardpaper box, whereas the older ones all had a simple plastic thread cover.

Cheers,
Kurt

[Gordon Seto]

Kurt,

Thanks for the confirmation.
I could be wrong. Not all Nova insert has set screw. Only the 1¼" X 8" "L" insert for Nova DVR 3000 lathe has the set screw. You don't want the set screw to bite into where there is threads.

Gordon