I'm curious if anyone knows if there is a faceplate that instead of screwing onto the spindle directly, can be held in a chuck? I have an EasyChuck if that makes any difference. I imagine anything that had a dovetail tenon, it should work, right?
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Is there a faceplate that a chuck can hold?
- Thread starter Joe Sheble
- Start date
Nova chucks have a faceplate ring available in two sizes. I have both, and they are a good way to hold. The ring is like a faceplate and screwed on the wood, and then the chuck jaws fit in expansion mode on the steel rings. They are heavy duty. I like mine.
Yes, Vicmarc makes a couple of them and Record makes another. I have a few of the Vicmarcs and like them very much. Mine can be gripped in an expanding mode by 2-inch jaws or in a compression mode by 3-inch jaws. You can also make your own from hard well-seasoned wood. Just turn a disk of suitable size, with a tenon to match your chuck jaws and bore holes in the disk for mounting your turning.
I know I'm in the minority, but I'm not good with home made tools and accessories... Are there generic ones that are not specific to a specific chuck? For example, could I use the Nova, Vicmark, or Record rings with my EasyChuck, assuming the dovetail fits?
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You might test several and find one that would fit but it is likely to be hit or miss. A faceplate ring designed by one chuck manufacturer to fit one set of jaws is unlikely to fit another using a completely different chuck jaw design. Exceptions of course are a Nova or Record Power faceplate ring would fit the standard jaws on either as well as the Sorby Patriot that just happen to have the same standard jaw configuration (size and dovetail angle).
What is the reason for doing this???
The nova rings are for their 100mm and 130mm jaws. I would thing they would fit with other similarly sized dovetail jaws unless the dovetail angle is way different. They are just steel rings with a dovetail recess to be held in expansion.
This is what I was kinda hoping. While each jaw might be different, they're all pretty similar in their dovetail angle, right? They're not all that expensive, so I get a couple and try them out. Thanks Mike... Love your videos BTW...
To not have to remove the chuck... Same reason for a worm screw in your chuck (which I have), as well as putting the spindle center in the chuck for spindle turning. Convenience...
Not to mention far cheaper than a faceplate! I got several of various sizes for a few dollars each, when the local Woodcraft disposed of them. Very useful.
Gotcha - it seemed redundant but I get the convenience aspect (a bit) - as a newb I'm not at the point where I need convenience!!
I was there about a year ago, being a newb myself, but I've grown and evolved a bit. There are a lot of accessories and neat tools out there, this can be a costly hobby...
But eventually, as you turn more and more, taking parts off or putting them on takes time, so if I can accomplish all the same things without ever having to remove the chuck (except for cleaning obviously) I can spend more time turning, which is the thing I really enjoy. Good luck in your new adventure, it really is the bee's knees...
This is what I was kinda hoping. While each jaw might be different, they're all pretty similar in their dovetail angle, right? They're not all that expensive, so I get a couple and try them out. Thanks Mike... Love your videos BTW...
Given that you have firm steel to steel contact, a significant miss-match of dovetail angles should not be a problem.
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it ain’t necessarily so ......
the tenon for vicmarc dovetail jaws is 14 degrees
Tenon for ONEWAY dovetail jaws is 7 degrees
also there is some variability in the perfect circle diameters
I tend to agree with @Dennis J Gooding that a slight mismatch may not matter much.
Certainly true for small pieces.
If you get to the limits of weight and diameter for a ring you may wish for a tighter fit.
It might be relatively easy to make your own Aluminum faceplate rings to custom match your chuck jaws, or you could have custom faceplate rings made to your specifications at a local machine shop.
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Maneuvering a large blank with a faceplate ring onto a chuck is far easier than trying to thread a faceplate onto a spindle!
As Dennis says.... It's so easy to make your own why spend the money? A drill press with a hole saw is an easy way. Taper is not needed, use a tee nut with a threaded rod through the spindle to secure it from coming loose in the chuck if you think it's needed.
I use Baltic birch plywood instead of solid wood. IMO wood is better than metal anyway, with wood you can turn right up or into the faceplate without tool damage.
Wood lathe chucks have such poor repeatably if you'll be taking the faceplate in and out of the chuck be sure to mark the jaw location to get it back as centered as possible.
Carter Products makes this : https://www.carterproducts.com/turning-tools/lathe-faceplate-mounting
Four sizes at a good price.
https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-faceplate-rings-ax22097
https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-faceplate-rings-ax22097
I have made a few of these over the years to mount various items to the lathe via the bowl chuck.
You can draw cross lines on the piece and line the piece up with the center holes and screw holes on the lines.
You can draw cross lines on the piece and line the piece up with the center holes and screw holes on the lines.
This is what I was kinda hoping. While each jaw might be different, they're all pretty similar in their dovetail angle, right? They're not all that expensive, so I get a couple and try them out. Thanks Mike... Love your videos BTW...
I'm not sure whether each manufacturer's dovetail angle is the same. That would be something to check out before investing in a particular one. I would also imagine that, if the angle isn't the same, it might not hold as well. The safest would be to buy one made for your chuck.
Randy,
If you are able to pull a steel on steel tenon from a chuck you would have to go out of your way to be able to make it happen. There is no compression or movement of the metal tenon compared to that of wood, just so long as the tenon does not bottom out in the chuck jaws there is no fulcrum leverage point to pry the tenon from the chuck during a tool catch. If your turning a 300 pound out of balance blank you will be using the tail stock for support and would most likely be using a heavy steel face plate screwed onto the headstock spindle.
The chuck rings and tenon face plates are a quick and easy mounting used for various accessories and tasks that you want to mount quickly.
I have a several different sized sanding disks with different grits of sand paper attached, these are quick and easy to change out with the chuck on the lathe.
If you are turning projects with multiple glue ups the metal rings or tenon rings can be left on the work piece and provide an accurate remount to the chuck.
If you are able to pull a steel on steel tenon from a chuck you would have to go out of your way to be able to make it happen. There is no compression or movement of the metal tenon compared to that of wood, just so long as the tenon does not bottom out in the chuck jaws there is no fulcrum leverage point to pry the tenon from the chuck during a tool catch. If your turning a 300 pound out of balance blank you will be using the tail stock for support and would most likely be using a heavy steel face plate screwed onto the headstock spindle.
The chuck rings and tenon face plates are a quick and easy mounting used for various accessories and tasks that you want to mount quickly.
I have a several different sized sanding disks with different grits of sand paper attached, these are quick and easy to change out with the chuck on the lathe.
If you are turning projects with multiple glue ups the metal rings or tenon rings can be left on the work piece and provide an accurate remount to the chuck.
We just had our monthly club meeting this morning. Our president brought in an Axminster ring and his One-Way chuck because they don't play well together. The "toe" or smallest diameter of the ring bottoms out in the throat of the chuck jaws and that's really the only point of contact. The inside angle of the jaws is not as sharp (almost a tiny cove) or defined as the point/toe of the ring's dovetail. He gets it tight and starts to work, and it starts to wobble and loosens up. I'm also noticing if I close the chuck jaws completely and hang the ring on the outside of of just one jaw, it's resting on that inner corner/cove. I can see a slight gap on the visible face. (between heel of ring and toe of jaw dovetails) If I slide the ring along the dovetails and put a bit of space between face of ring and face of jaws, to close the gap, the ring gets crooked. The angle of the ring is steeper than the angle on the jaws.
I have a metal lathe at home, so I'm hoping to take a little off the sharp point and adjust the angle of the ring. (assuming I have the proper tooling to do it) We'll see...
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Since I am always making bowls some 18 x 7 Mike has a very good point holding a 75lb wet block of wood into the perfect spot to thread a face plate onto your spindle is a tough task as you get older. I won't mention how I know this but it's true. I have replaced numerous faceplates over the years because the hardened threads of my spindle will eat up the cheaper faceplate threads when they get cross threaded because the weight of the whole thing makes it so hard to thread it easily onto spindle. Leaving your chuck on the spindle and matching it to dovetail ring would be much easier believe me. But smaller bowls not necessary.
I use a big forstner bit do drill a recess, and for my Vicmark chuck, that is a 2 5/8 inch bit. Done on the drill press. This is good for bowls up to the 16 inch range. I do once turn my bowls, and use a recess. I wish the EZ chuck had the same size jaws that my Vicmark chucks do....
robo hippy
robo hippy
I have a couple made by Record Power. They work great. I use them on all of my rough turned bowls.
Based on my limited experience, despite others advice, I'd say that, if you want use faceplate rings, you buy them for the brand of chucks you have. It may be true that steel on steel is very secure and won't let loose, but every brand of chuck jaws have their own profile, some dovetail, some straight, some with a more severe dovetail, some with a less sever dovetail. It would seem to me that you'd want a faceplate ring that exactly fits the profile of the jaws and that would mean buying a brand of ring that is the same as your chuck and jaws.
Good advice. For the record, Record Power and Nova are interchangeable.
I do have one faceplate which, I actually have never used. On the other hand, I've used my standard faceplate a number of times on larger blanks. The faceplate ring seems like a good idea if you want to have multiple bowls going at the same time or need to unmount and remount the blank more than once during turning. However, alternatively, you can buy about 3 faceplates for the price of one faceplate ring (at least at Nova's prices). To me, it doesn't seem like it's worth given I tend to turn one bowl at a time. If I need to keep the bowl oriented properly and had a bowl drying while turning another, buying a second faceplate would be much more economical and would serve the same purpose. Maybe I'm just missing something.
I have, and use, a number of Nova faceplates and faceplate rings. although never yet for a bowl! Long ago the local Woodcraft had an inventory clearance sale. I got a number of 6" faceplates for $10 each, and face rings for even less. All are steel; I avoid aluminum.
Seems like EWT already makes these for your chuck?
https://www.easywoodtools.com/product-page/3-easy-faceplate-ring and https://www.easywoodtools.com/product-page/6-easy-faceplate-ring
https://www.easywoodtools.com/product-page/3-easy-faceplate-ring and https://www.easywoodtools.com/product-page/6-easy-faceplate-ring
The inside of the ring was closer to a 10° and the chuck jaws looked like about a 7° dovetail. I matched the angle more closely and tried it out, and it worked great.
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After the rings came out my old faceplates went into retirement and rarely ever get to see the daylight nowadays.