Hi there, i am looking to buy a chuck for my old draper wtl95 lathe. It has a 3/4x16tpi thread. Any suggestions, advice, would be appreciated. Thanks. Andy.
It will depend on how much you wish to spend - whatever you buy I would suggest you buy one with an insert and not a dedicated 3/4" x 16 threaded one, that way you can retain the chuck when / if you upgrade the lathe.
I was looking at the kit chuck from Axi in my club tonight and was really impressed with what you get for the money. A chuck body and three sets of jaws as well as a screw-chuck insert for £130. I think that's brilliant as a starter set, especially if you're turning smaller items. That said, there a set of gripper jaws which I reckon would take a decent sized bowl. Also, it comes with a 3 x 16 insert to the basic 1 x 8 thread, so it will fit a lot of lathes.
Thanks for the replys. When you say that the chuck is suitable for smaller items, what is a smaller item ? I'm only going to be doing small bowls, candlesticks and tealight holders up to 6inch diameter.