Oneway Stronghold Chuck

Featured | 2009-08-29 | No Comments

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The monster of wood lathe chucks and arguably the best on the market is the Oneway Stronghold chuck.  Weighing in at 4.5lbs, this chuck is a beast and built like a tank.  The Stronghold is made for lathes with at least a 16″ swing, and while it would work on smaller lathes the Talon may be a better fit (same design, just smaller).

A few facts about the Stronghold:

  • Interchangeable adapter to fit virtually any wood lathe
  • Standard #2 Jaws can support externally support bewteen 1 3/4″ and 3 1/4″, and internally support between 2 3/8″ and 4″ tenons.
  • Comes with heavy duty, jumbo worm screw
  • Offers a 5 to 1 gripping ratio for powerful clamping
  • One-handed operation with included geared chuck key
  • Serrated jaws help secure work better

In use, the Stronghold is an absolute pleasure now, however when I first received the chuck that wasn’t so.  At first, using the chuck was a bit of work and the jaws moved in and out only with a struggle.  Having seen these in use before, I was surprised by how difficult they were to open and close.  And considering they were brand new, a bit disturbed.  However, after a few weeks of use I decided to take them off the lathe and give them a good cleaning.  A little lubrication and blowing the dust out and viola!  Easy gliding action and no more fighting with it.

No jaws will hold everything, every time.  If you are a turner then you already know, each piece of wood is different.  While I have had a few bowls tear away from the chuck and go airborne, none would I attribute to chuck failure (most being operator failure).  The serrated jaws on the Stronghold #2 jaws (and available on others) are one of the main reasons I chose this chuck (and of course, Oneway Manufacturing’s reputation as a top quality tool maker also helped!).  The serrated jaws really bite into the wood tenon and make me feel more comfortable about the hold (afterall, being comfortable is half the battle).

A few photos:

The Oneway Stronghold mounted on the lathe.

P1010367

A closer look at the #2 serrated jawsP1010368

The backside of the chuck showing the adapter and gears.  It is these gears that need to be kept clean and lubricated once in a while.P1010369

A closer look at the adapter.  It is attached with two bolts in a friction fit.P1010370

The worm screws, provided with the chuck, is massive (just how you want it!)P1010371

Would I recommend this chuck to a friend?  You bet I would, assuming they had a large enough wood lathe and the need for such mass.  The Stronghold isn’t cheap … price or quality.  Smaller lathes would benefit from the Oneway Talon instead.

More information about this product available here.

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