Multistar Duplex question.
Cheryl French
Just started turning and bought a lathe very reasonably priced to start out
with. I read all I could find and have bought a basic selection of tools.
I saw an advert for a Multistar Duplex with loads of attachments (jaw sets I
assume?) plus a basal ring. All in for £40.00. Secondhand but in excellent
condition.
My question. Does anyone have experience of this chuck and how good will it
be for me to get started doing some small bowl work.
I am starting out don't forget, so please keep any information in plain
speak!!
Many thanks for any help I get.
Cheers
Frank.
mhordam
Hello...(not sure whether you're Cheryl or Frank, I assume you do)
I use the Multistar Duplex chuck and can recommend it for its type.
What do I mean for it's type? Well there are basically two sorts of
chucks, scroll chucks and collet chucks. The Duplex is a collet chuck.
These have slipped from favour in place of the scroll chucks which give
you a wider range of size that they can grip and an arguably stronger
grip, well .. a stronger grip no argument. That's not to say they are
obsolete, far from it. The Duplex is a well made chuck which is said to
self compensate for wear so that it will keep on gripping as it should.
Mine has had a workhorse life and still works well, I wouldn't describe
mine as excellent condition and I wouldn't part with it for £40 so I
reckon the price looks pretty fair. Try to find out what the loads of
attachments are exactly before you buy although if it's got a set of
jaws and some other bits I'd say get it. Parts are still available if
you want to extend its abilities i.e. for specialised methods of
gripping or for adding a screw chuck if that's not one of the loads of
attachments.
Caveats.... Not many, make sure the thread size is the same as your
lathe. The jaws can be a bit fiddly to put together and you have to
rearrange them depending on whether you're using compression or
expansion and you also need to mess about with a rubber band which puts
some people off. You'll get the hang of it soon enough. For small bowls
you'll have no problem with it, at least not problems that are chuck
problems, you might still have technique troubles but not the fault of
the Duplex.
If you go for it and you find yourself with a whole mess of bits that
you don't know what to do with get back to me here or by email and I'll
do my best to help you out. I've got most of the accessories myself so
should be able to help.
--
Regards,
Brian.
http://www.molehillturnery.co.uk
Sent via Deja.com
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Clive Deeming
I've been using a Multistar Duplex for a few years now and I absolutely love
it! The only problem with this chuch compared to a 4 jaw engineering type
chuck is that you have to be pretty accurate with the dovetail recess
diameter as it doesn't have as large an opening capacity. Apart from that at
40 quid it'sgot to be a good buy. This of course is only my opinion and
others might disagree.
Good luck with your turning, Clive Deeming
Cheryl French wrote in message <95f8dg$7k5$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com>...
Melvin Sage
ideal for your needs.
Multistar's Duplex chuck is one of the best chucks of its type, on the
market (possibly the best, but I haven't tried them all) (I live a short
walk from one of their factories but I'm not biased;) check out
www.stilesandbates.co.uk/multistar.htm for lots of pictures and details of
accessories.
Scroll chucks are better (providing your lathe can handle the extra weight
& you're pocket can handle the extra budget! ) check out Axminster's
woodturner's chuck ( www.axminster.co.uk) Ł100 with one set of jaws, but
then you would need other accessories (& lots more cash). Multistar also
make a nice small &
relatively light scroll chuck (Titan) but it only has about 6mm of
movement (the boss
showed it to me, but I haven't tried it).
Ł40 sounds like a good price (depending on what it comes with, & if you
need to get it rethreaded to fit your lathe [I think Axminster will do this
for a reasonable price]) - It works well, the weight won't strain the
bearings of smaller lathes, It can handle large bowls too. It has a smaller
diameter than most scroll chucks which can be an advantage. It is slightly
fiddly to swap jaws, but you'll soon get the hang of it..
Check it's got all the parts (spares are available) :-The jaws are held
together by a blue rubber band (but don't let that put you off), It has a
thin rubber tyred metal ring which acts as a hinge; plus a metal cone and
ring to convert it to expansion mode. The main jaws are A - E but you don't
need
them all. If it doesn't come with a screw chuck or a faceplate ring you'll
probably want to buy one (or both). The largest 'E' jaws are threaded so
that wooden jaws can be attached to them, but this is the one feature I have
not found useful.
Mel.
"Cheryl French" <Cher...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:95f8dg$7k5$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
> Hi all,
> Just started turning and bought a lathe very reasonably priced to start
out
> with. I read all I could find and have bought a basic selection of tools.
> I saw an advert for a Multistar Duplex with loads of attachments (jaw sets
I
> assume?) plus a basal ring. All in for Ł40.00. Secondhand but in
WPAssocs
I use a Multistar chuck and find it very easy to use and well made. It's
versatile - I don't just use it for faceplate work but for knobs, vases, etc.
Buy it!
Will
