Finding the best budget wood lathe and starting those amazing shaping projects must be very exciting already? With every passing day, you try new things, learn fascinating stuff such as using a drill press and the whole experience is most pleasing.
Well, I was talking to the newbies, you could be an expert in this game too, Good Job in That Case! I just guessed someone curious about what is a reversible lathe chuck, might be in their beginning days.
Yap, I will be talking about reversible lathe chuck today and, there’s a special recommendation for y’all, that caught my attention recently. And might catch yours as well. Keep Reading!

So, What Exactly is a Reversible Lathe Chuck?
I hope you know that there are some lathes that do support reverse running. Now the problem is that, with these, there could be a chance of chuck being unscrewed while reversing. Because in most cases, the spindle nose would have the chuck or faceplate screwed on it. And going the opposite direction will also affect the screws, which eventually means they’ll start to loosen with reversing thing.
That’s Where Reversible Lathe Chuck’s Concept Enters!
It basically sums up a certain type of locking arrangement or you can say, set screw, that would prevent the unscrewing event when reversing motion takes place. Metal turning lathes are usually a good example of having chucks with reversible jaws. But in the wood lathe, things could be slightly different.
Are lathe chuck jaws reversible generally?
Nope. There are a variety of lathe chucks. And some can include a reversible jaw. But there are also the ones that don’t. For example, if you consider the buck 3-jaw, it isn’t a reversible jaw chuck.
There’s one interesting thing that has no explanation. With non-reversible ones. If you check the rack teeth, their curviness will explain that one direction scroll involvement is not a case. However, if it was a reversible jaw chuck, then racks’ teeth would show straight across cut. It sounds amusing to me, so just shared.
Now keep in mind that usually, 3-jaw chuck doesn’t come with reversibility. It’s usually 4-jaw ones that can provide.
I Have a Recommendation!
A lot of you will want to know about a recommendation for a proper reversible chuck. And quite fairly, the NOVA 48232 G3 Reversible Wood Turning Chuck seems to be a great one that deserves a shoutout.
Anyone wondering what is a NOVA chuck? Well, the G3 is a four-jaw chuck that comes with self-centering elements along with a dedicated type of thread, that can also go with other lathes fitting its specifications.
It would go well with the NOVA 46000 Comet II Midi Lathe, the one it’s designed for. But according to a lot of people, you can use it for more lathe. For example, it works fine with Jet 1221VS lathe.
Just make sure to retighten and check if there’s such need frequently. The Delta/Rockwell lathe also suits this chuck. You can try it for cheapo Harbor Freight 10–18 inches benchtop lathe as well. In fact, there’s no need for adapters here as well. By the way, the chuck reversing adapter does an excellent job with the lathe spindle that is 1-1/4″ x 8 TPI.
And the list of lathes it would work with, probably has a few more names as well, I just know till this.
Wrapping Up.
I’m going to keep it short today, as my intention was to answer this really often asked question, what is a reversible lathe chuck. But hey, there will be more from me on chucks, lathes, and much. So, stay tuned. And also, if you are still not sure about the concept of reversible lathe chuck, try checking videos of its demonstration. Definitely would help! Take Care.