I recently received a Delta 12 inch table top drill press and got it all assembled except for the final step, pressing on the drill bit chuck. Instructions called for rubber hammer. I tried that; got no where. Then graduated to a regular claw hammer buffered by a piece of oak. Still no grabbing. I then used a 5 lb sledge and the oak, and still got no grabbing at all. Any aideas out there? I find it a little incredible that this shaft wasn’t keyed and have a set screw for attachment. I don;t think there is enough room for a compression coloar of any kind.
Thanks for any help!
JLes
Replies
Do you have the correct chuck, does the chuck taper match the arbor? They should fit together well without any hammering. Make sure both mating surfaces are very clean. I use a copper fitting brush to clean the arbor hole. Insert the arbor and twist slightly to check for high spots on the arbor. Use some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper to remove high spots. When everything looks OK press both parts together. With the arbor removed from the machine hit it on the opposite end of the chuck, I use a dead blow mallet. If you have ever replaced a hammer handle this is the same principle. You hit the opposite end of handle/arbor and it will drive the head/chuck home.
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Edited 8/11/2008 8:49 am ET by JerryPacMan
Edited 8/11/2008 9:04 am ET by JerryPacMan
Something's definately wrong. Either the taper is dirty or the wrong size. When installing a drill press chuck, I back off the jaws so they are fully recessed in the body and lower the quill and press the chuck against the table.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Good idea about the table. Should their nbe grease on the arbor or Chuck, our should I remove it all, bet I can?
Thanks,
Les
If the fit is good and the mating pieces clean, heat the chuck on a hot plate to as hot as you can hold it with cotton gloves. A bump with your hand of a tap with a rubber hammer should hold it on there as long as you would ever want.
Tinkerer ,
Does the heat make the taper smaller ?
dusty
Heat makes iron expand. I am assuming that the chuck is female and the spindle is male. If the reverse is true, you can get the effect by putting the chuck in the deep freeze for a few minutes and then lightly tapping it on the drill press.
Clean the parts as best you can. Use mineral spirits to get any grease residue off, then install.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I advise against extraordinary measures because the very nature of a Morse taper is a friction fit. If it doesn't press on and hold, or with only a light tap with a rubber hammer, you must have a taper size problem. Or no taper at all.
I have an old Rockwell drill press -the drill press and I aged together -I bought it new! In any event the chuck came off once and wouldn't stay on any more, regardless of the mallet use and no matter how clean of grease or dirt it was. My solution has proved permanent to date: go down the grocery store and get a small piece of dry ice. Clean every thing up free of gease and dirt and run the spindle down into the dry ice and lock it in place (or run the table with dry ice up into the spindle). While the spindle is cooling and shrinking use a hair dryer or the like to heat the chuck so it expands - a few minutes on high should be enough. I put a thin coat of loctite on the mating part of the warmed up chuck. Raise the chuck up out of the dry ice and put the chuck on the spindle with a sharp wrap from your mallet or a wood block and hammer. You could also run the chuck into a wood block on the table and hold it there for a minute or two. Might just last 20 years like mine has!
Thanks for the tip, will give it a try!
I have the same drill press, first time went on with no problem, just a little tap, but about 2 weeks later it flew across the room during use. I cleaned it, reinstalled it and gave it a few harder taps, no problems in the last couple of years.
Tony
The chuck should go on without unusual means. If the chuck has a threaded hole, and the spindle has a thru hole, then it will tighten with a drawbar. This is unusual for a benchtop drillpress.If this is the case a threaded rod that fits the chuck is slid thru the spindle, then a washer and a nut on top of the spindle to draw the taper up.
After the chuck is tight,remove the drawbar.If this does not work you probably have the wrong taper on the chuck.Does the manual tell you what the spindle taper is?The chuck taper can be measured with a micrometer or calipers. I do not recall the exact dimensions for different tapers, you can google it. Benchtop drill presses I believe have a #2 morse taper or a jacobs taper.
mike
It is a Jacobs taper and after I cleaned the chuck and the spindle off with acetone, it seated....Thanks
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