Metal threaded inserts can be adapted to make an inexpensive screw chuck for turners. First, screw a wood block to your faceplate, and turn a disc large enough to support the turning blank. Drill a centered hole through the disc, and then counterbore the hole on the back side to make a recess for a bolt head. Next, drill a pilot hole in the blank, and push in a metal insert, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Now, you can quickly attach the blank to the chuck with a bolt sized to fit the insert.

This chuck is particularly useful for securing a bowl blank while you turn a foot on it for remounting the blank in a collet or three-jaw chuck. The screw chuck leaves the top surface of the work unmarred, except for the small pilot hole, making it possible to finish the bowl with only a small opening on the top.

Dewey N. Garrett, Livermore, Calif.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, October 1991 No. 90

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