Here at Long Island Woodworking Supply, we have been woodturning for decades. We’ve seen and used just about every product on the market, and are committed to bringing the best of the best woodworking supplies to you other passionate artists. We supply the most popular woodworking tools and woodturning essentials from brands you love like Oneway and Colwood.
In today’s blog post, we want to specifically talk about vacuum chucks. A vacuum chuck is pretty much what it sounds like. While jaw chucks for woodturning hold a piece in place using a set of strong jaws, vacuum chuck secures a workpiece to a lathe using a strong suction.
Check out this video from our very own Bob Urso when he led a woodturning class about these nifty chucks! Then, feel free to keep reading to learn just how useful a vacuum chuck can be, and how to get one for your own lathe from Long Island Woodworking Supply.
Vacuum chucks can do something that no other chuck can do. They can securely hold a piece of wood to your lathe without making marks, scratches, or drill holes. They are perfect for that almost-finished piece that just needs a few finishing touches without risking marring from typical jaws. This is ideal for finishing the bottom of a bowl or plate, easily remounting a work after removing it from the jaws, or applying an oil finish seamlessly to a finished piece.
Here at Long Island Woodworking Supply, we offer several vacuum chucks to take your woodturning to the next level. Our most popular vacuum chucks include those from Oneway. We offer these drum chucks in 3.5”, 5.5”, and 8”. For smaller works, you’ll obviously want to use the smaller chuck. However, keep in mind that the larger the surface area is that the vacuum covers, the stronger hold you will have. This means that you should use the biggest vacuum chuck you can for each project.
We also offer a vacuum chuck gauge kit. This special add-on will gauge how much suction is being generated through the vacuum while turning. This is a hugely important safety feature. As you can imagine, having a chunk of wood spinning at 40 revolutions per second secured to a machine only by a vacuum does have some risk factor. If your piece is strongly suctioned like it should be, you should be fine. However, a gauge kit can help you keep an eye on how much vacuum is being generated at any given time and will give you a heads up if you need to shut off your lathe.
People have been getting by without vacuum chucks for some time, but once you use one, you’ll never go back. They are a great addition to any woodturning workshop and can take your pieces to the next level. Get yours today!
Click here to see the Oneway 3.5” Vacuum Chuck
Click here to see the Oneway 5.5” Vacuum Chuck
Click here to see the Oneway 8” Vacuum Chuck
