Drill Press Issue

[avengers63]

I was hogging out some pup cavities this weekend when the bit started to have a nasey shimmy to it. When I stopped the drill and raised the thing back up, the chuch had fallen off!!! I looked and looked to see what happened, but I couldn't even find out how the thing was attached in the first place. By the looks of it, it was just mashed onto the turney-thing (real techincal, huh) and held on with a hope & a prayer.

So... what do I do now?

[Flon Klar Guitars]

Assuming your press is "standard," the chuck fits onto a tapered shaft. Set the chuck back up on the shaft and knock it up with a hammer with a block of wood between the hammer and the chuck. That's all there is to it.

[avengers63]

You gotta be kiddn' me. It broke, and the way to fix it is to hit it with a hammer?

Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!

[joshvegas]

It didn't brake its called a morse taper.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_taper#Morse

[avengers63]

Seriously... the chuck is just jammed onto the verticle axle?

That seems hokey somehow. It seems to me that some kind of screw would be a much more effective means of holding it there than friction. Then again, I'm a network engineer, not a mechanical engineer,so I guess I'll just leace it to them.

Maybe I'll try putting a piece of wood underneath it and lower the press hard onto the block to jam it into place.

[mammoth guitars]

Hey Avenger, what will really get you is when you buy a new fancy drill press and the chuck is not installed!

[jmrentis]

Yeah, I opened up my last drill press (nothing too special, but better than some I guess) and found no chuck attached and was very confused. Then when I found the chuck in a bag and took it over to the press I was even more confused???? It was then time to read through the instruction manual. I too was very surprised to find that a hammer and block or rubber mallet was the installation procedure for a drill chuck. It was cool though and easy too. I think the way its designed like that helps to ensure you can't screw up the alignment on it, or at least thats what it seems. J

[joshvegas]

much easier to machine a tapered cone than splines (going back hundred + years ago) It's quick to swap parts (if you have two chucks imagine the difference swapping two chuck complete with bits than swapping the bits! it always centres/can't go on squint. All this and it works! genius!

you should shock it onto the shaft using a hammer it how its designed to be done!

Edited July 28, 2008 by joshvegas

[Mattia]

This is one of the many reasons a drill press is not a suitable router replacement, and isn't great for drum sanding.

[John Abbett]

DON'T LOWER the chuck onto the table to push it back in place. The table is cast iron and not designed to handle that kind of stress. Ask me how I know.

-John

[joshvegas]

How do you know?

[imott]

DON'T LOWER the chuck onto the table to push it back in place. The table is cast iron and not designed to handle that kind of stress. Ask me how I know.

-John

What's a replacement drill press table going for these days?

[joshvegas]

[John Abbett]

40 bucks plus shipping for a ryobi 10 inch table model. About 1/4 the cost of a new unit.

Ah well, live and learn. Not the first stupid thing I've done.

-John

[joshvegas]

And if you are anything like me not the last!

[soapbarstrat]

Woodenspoke once gave me what I think is good advice about these drill chucks. Mine had fallen out after never doing it before for about 10 years or so. Suddenly after using a warped Chinese bit, the chuck found it a fun new hobby to keep falling out on me.

Just wacked it back with hardwood scrap against the chuck ( jaws opened all the way so no contact with HW block).

But Spoke said I should heat the chuck in the oven, while putting the tapered spindle rod in the freezer to get nice and cold. Should provide a tighter fit when the hot and cold are wacked together and then cool to room temp.

[joshvegas]

That is what I call useful information! I've never had a problem with mine but if ever I do....

[Woodenspoke]

Woodenspoke once gave me what I think is good advice about these drill chucks. Mine had fallen out after never doing it before for about 10 years or so. Suddenly after using a warped Chinese bit, the chuck found it a fun new hobby to keep falling out on me.

Just wacked it back with hardwood scrap against the chuck ( jaws opened all the way so no contact with HW block).

But Spoke said I should heat the chuck in the oven, while putting the tapered spindle rod in the freezer to get nice and cold. Should provide a tighter fit when the hot and cold are wacked together and then cool to room temp.

Actually I don't remember saying that but I might have? I just want to elaborate on the theory here and about chucks and taper Arbors in general.

Having both a hot and cold surface will allow the chuck taper to go that much further into the chuck body when it is bashed together. However I had not had that experience where brute force was not enough to reattach a chuck. I would be careful about heating the chuck to a high temp as the grease may run out of the chuck. And as Soap said heat the chuck and cool the taper.

Most issues I have seen is the Morse Taper (MT) drops out of the drill press quill and the procedure is as people have stated, hammer, piece of wood, clean metal surfaces and no oil or grease. Open the chuck all the way so you are banging on the side of the chuck as Soap had said or you my damage the chuck jaws. Most of my drill presses have come with the chuck off and the MT greased for transport. So you are expected to clean both surfaces before you attach the chuck. Saves having them rusted together on that long trip from China.

The chuck to taper Arbor attachment is called a Jacobs Taper (JT), steeper angle but smaller surface area. Soap is referencing this attachment area with this procedure. Some chucks are integrated and are not two pieces, but in general most chinese chucks are two pieces on less expensive Drill presses.

Hopefully this is not too confusing.