Repair - Drill Press Chuck

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Repair... maybe replace?  The three key holes in my 1/2 inch drill chuck are no longer round - more like ovals and the key slips out when trying to tighten or loosen the chuck.Should I...a) weld the holes closed then drill them out again,b) drill new holes in between the existing ones,c) just buy a new chuckd) any other suggestionsComments/opinions appreciated...Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Just replace it.
Reply:I'd try drilling 3 new holes between the 3 old ones, and then replace the chuck if it didn't work.HH187Harris O/AInfrared thermometerHalf a dozen angle grinders
Reply:Buy a good Jacobs chuck. Look on ebay for a match. Yours should have a JT# stamped on it. That is the stub of your drill press. I really don't think you can drill new holes in it. If it is drillable and not hardned its not worth having anyway...BobBob WrightSalem, Ohio  Birthplace of the Silver & Deming Drillhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbend10k/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sawking/1999 Miller MM185 w/ Miller 185 Spoolmate spoolgun
Reply:You will have to make a wedge to drive off your old chuck off of the spindle...BobBob WrightSalem, Ohio  Birthplace of the Silver & Deming Drillhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbend10k/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sawking/1999 Miller MM185 w/ Miller 185 Spoolmate spoolgun
Reply:It is a POS chuck made in who knows where. Replace the damn thing for cryin' out loud!Why would you even mess with this?http://jackalopefab.com/MM210Synchrowave 200DXMiller XMT350 w/60series feederMiller Bobcat 250 with SGA 100 and spoolgunHTP PlasmaFull Machine shop with everything
Reply:I have a craftsman drill press which had a chuck very similar to yours which did the same thing. I replaced the chuck with a keyless chuck that I picked up from JTS Machinery, Works great, reasonably priced. Have one for my lathe also.
Reply:It sounds like the chuck is either very old or a "lot" of torque was used on the key to tighten the chuck.  I always get the best results moving the the chuck key through all three holes.  Tightening the chuck from a single key hole seems to bind it up and requires much more torque than using all three.  Just my way but it works for me..MillerMatic 252, HTP 221 w/cooler, Hypertherm PM45, Lincoln IdealArc 250 AC/DC"I'd like to believe as many true things and as few false things as possible"
Reply:If I were in a bind and needed to repair the one I had, I would clean the holes well, carefully make centering marks to show where the hole centers should be, and build up the insides with 'filled' epoxy; the kind which has small steel 'chips' or particles in it. After hardening, I would carefully re-drill the holes, using the marks to get the exact position, first using a slightly undersize bit, then opening it up to correct size last.
Reply:Originally Posted by aametalmasterYou will have to make a wedge to drive off your old chuck off of the spindle...Bob
Reply:If you really think this would work, then it might be a simpler procedure just to partial fill each hole with the expoxy mix and then squeeze in a grease covered drill bit, wooden dowel or something of similar diameter of the key-chuck. When the epoxy hardens, just slide out the greased bit/dowel and I should be good to go - the epoxy having filled in the 'oval-ness' of the hole.However, I doubt that metal-filled epoxy would stand up to the side-twisting action when torquing the chuck. I expect it would just crumble within a few uses - but I have no experience with metal-filled epoxy.
Reply:Toss it and get a new one or buy a rebuilt one on ebay.As far as i know only cordless drills have a screw in the throat to hold the chuck on.  Its pretty standard that chucks on drill presses are attached via an moorse or jacobs taper which is held in place via friction between precision machined surfaced.The 2 most common ways to remove chucks like this are as follows.1)Extend the quill all the way down and lock it in place.  Then look and see if there is a hole in the side of the quill. If there is then rotate the chuck until you can see all the way through to the other side.  Then insert a wedge and give it a light tap.  Make sure to have a cardboard box or a towel or something under the chuck to catch it when it falls off.2)If there is no hole in the quill then the chuck must be removed by tapping the chuck off or using chuck removal wedges which can be ordered online.  The easiest way to remove the chuck if you dont want to buy any wedges is to take a piece of wood and tap the edge of the chuck... see video below.Hope this helps!
Reply:Originally Posted by ggarnerThe easiest way to remove the chuck if you dont want to buy any wedges is to take a piece of wood and tap the edge of the chuck... see video below.Hope this helps!
Reply:Why didn't you just buy a new chuck?  If the material was too soft to start with then you still have a chuck that the 3 jaws will wear the housing and not hold a drill true.Russell
Reply:Rick, what kind of drill is it?  I have an extra quill from when I rebuilt my drill just laying in the garage if it happens to be the same model.  Mine is straight but the machined portion of my spindle was bent so I just got a whole new assembly.Its always kind of a crap shoot trying to get those damn things off.
Reply:Originally Posted by ggarnerRick, what kind of drill is it?  I have an extra quill from when I rebuilt my drill just laying in the garage if it happens to be the same model.  Mine is straight but the machined portion of my spindle was bent so I just got a whole new assembly.  Its always kind of a crap shoot trying to get those damn things off.
Reply:I agree, sometimes you just need to do a project to "see" how it goes. I have learned a lot more from failures than I did successes.  .02
Reply:If this repair ever fails get a good chuck.  Your hole failed because you were having to over tighten the chuck to stop the bits from spinning.I had this problem I bought a good childbearing chuck.  I have not had a bit slip.Spend the money and get a good chuck. You can take it off for your next DP and replace it with the POS.
Reply:they call Canadian tire crappy tire for a reason...you get a far better version of cheap Chinese crap from princess auto so you are better off not buying tools from (come on, lets all say it) crappy tire...
Reply:Hey there dumb-as-a-stump,Hmm, your CTC versus Princess Auto experience seems different from mine.Both sell tools manufactured in China.  On a good sale, I find the Mastercraft brand sold by CTC to be of better price and better quality than tools from Princess Auto.I got a little upset with Princess Auto when I purchased a 2-ton scissor jack and the piece of junk collapsed lifting about 500 lbs, dropping my boat and narrowly missed crushing my leg.  Poor fabrication allowed too much clearance between gears - they slipped past each other.  I get pretty upset when 'safety' equipment fails - send them an email... and never heard back.  (A lot they care about their customers’ safety!)   I took the twisted mess back into the store - got my money back but no apology.  That turned me off.In my opinion, Princess Auto have changed for the worse over the last couple years - prices have gone up, Italian mig wire was replaced with ChiCom wire, fewer welder related items seem to go on sale anymore - haven't seen welding consumables on sale for a long, long time.Used to be when the Princess Auto biweekly sale flyer came out, I would scan it immediately because I didn't want to miss out on a deal.  I could always find items I wanted.  That not so these days.. hard to find anything I want going on sale.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Rick,Interesting repair, nice photo documentary though.  Seems like an awful lot of work to do to fix the original cheapo chuck though.  If your 'shop' time is more for fun time, then that's fine too.Plain ordinary drill chuck, $10.  That's in US dollars though.  http://littlemachineshop.com/product...212&category=7Better drill chuck, same place  $30:http://littlemachineshop.com/product...3153&category=Better keyless drill chuck, same place $33:http://littlemachineshop.com/product...1660&category=disclaimer:  I don't work there, I don't own stock or any part of the company, I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express, objects in mirror may be closer than they appear, flammable materials may also be inflammable, but I am a satisfied customer from LMS.  They seem to have a good 'rep' and I haven't had any problems with a few small orders.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Glad you got the best of it Rick V, as for; Some chips tore out when drilling to key sizeWhy? Poor Procedure:- I used one less that the max settting on my Lincoln SP-175T (maybe 120 amps?); I should have used maximum amperage.- I welded in starts and stops - like tacking, instead of a continuous bead.- Also, I didn't take the time to make fresh cut ends on the MIG wire each time I stopped welding.The above caused some black deposits and consequent lack of fusion.
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseSeems like an awful lot of work to do to fix the original cheapo chuck though.  If your 'shop' time is more for fun time, then that's fine too.Plain ordinary drill chuck, $10. Better drill chuck $30.
Reply:Alright... I bought a new chuck.  Cost me $22 and tax plus a 50 mile drive.Heres the new chuck and the original chuck.  Can you guess which is which?I used a vernier caliper to measure the old chuck before I left and it seemed to correspond to the Jacobs Taper of JT33.Wow, I was lucky I took the old chuck with me!Looking in the locked glass cabinets, I could see they were all out of JT33 chucks!  So I asked the saleguy, he looks at my old chuck and says, "That's not a JT33, that's stamped B16.  Here's what you need - a B16 chuck."  Then he proceeded to show me how the JT33 and B16 tapers, while really close, are not interchangeable; a B16 chuck on a JT33 arbour seemed snug at first but you could feel it rock around a mite.  Live and learn.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Nice catch Rick, for a little tip, the thumb at ten or two o'clock, just tighten snug working around each of the three holes (you'll feel it pull up just a bit more) and go.See if it works a bit better for you.Matt