Drill Press Chuck falls out

If it’s 20+ years old and has been happening repeatedly over the years I would tend to believe the taper and the quill are worn out from slipping.

-- Improvise.... Adapt...... Overcome!

I can share how I cleaned and installed the Morse Taper in my Rikon radial press.

First, I simple-greened it to remove all packing grease; using paper towels on dowel to get the inside.

I then used renaissance wax on the taper and the inside (you will only need 1 can per lifetime). The inside I applied using two microfibers on a scrap dowel, one cloth fairly loaded; the other clean for buffing (I use a dedicated pair for my machines). I use this wax everywhere except for moving metal-on-metal contact (gears); since this should remain seated I didn’t use machine oil here.

I expanded the chuck so the teeth are not exposed, just the outer lip. I then got a big soft chunk of pine, and a dead-blow mallet. You can probably guess the next step… or twelve. :)

Mine has been good to go since the first seating, and will stall out the belt pulley before that link slips. Welcome to LJ, and good luck getting yours squared away.

-- Chris @ Atlanta - JGM - Occam's razor tells us that when you hear hoofs, think horses not zebras.

http://www.youtube.com/user/capneddie/featured
I bought a reamer from Eddie. This is called a “Taper Mate”. Kinda green plastic thingy that will clean the inside of your chuck.
Be sure to look on the chuck for the correct taper. #2 is most common. Sometimes a #1 is there.
Ream the inside of the chuck and wipe the spindle taper with a solvent/degreaser, dry, and install per ITnerd’s instruction. Soft wood and a mallet. Tap the chuck on to the taper.
NO WAX/LUBE. Metal to metal.
Sure worked for my 1952 Craftsman/King-Seely.
I also use it on my lathe tapers.
Eddie has a video on his site about this very issue.
Not affiliated, just a customer.
Bill

-- bill@magraphics.us

Since the Morse taper is a friction fit how does the lubrication help?

-- "Checking for square? what madness is this! The cabinet is square because I will it to be so!" Jeremy Greiner LJ Topic#20953 2011 Feb 2

Thanks guys! I’m a little confused on wax? Seems that would be a lubricant? I’m going to try without first. And Bill I couldn’t find Eddie’s video on this. If you have another link than the Youtube link I’d love to have it. This is a picture of my chuck it has a JT3 stamped on it. I guess this means Tamper 3? It is a little scratched up should I be concerned about getting all these out? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Actually, JT# is a Jacob Taper #3.
Jacobs Taper and Morse Taper are NOT the same.
If your drill press calls for a MT3 and you are using a JT3, then that would explain why it keeps falling out.
Jacobs Taper was developed by the company that makes jacobs chucks.
You can remove the Arbor from the chuck by opening the chuck all the way, and driving the arbor out using a drift and a hammer. Put the drift in the open chuck and hit it hard. it will come out.
Then you only need to buy a new MT taper if that is what is supposed to be in that drill press.
NEVER put anything on the male or female part of any taper.

Actually, now that I think a little harder about this, the JT# taper is the taper that is holding the chuck on to the arbor. What is the diameter of the taper that keeps slipping out at the top and the bottom?

Mike

-- http://www.heartofsackville.ca/

KoiGuy, look at this.
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Shop___Safety___Shop_Supplies___Taper_Mate___taper_mate?Args=
I’ll look for Eddie’s vid.
Bill

-- bill@magraphics.us

How do I know if it is supposed to be a MT3? Is there a marking somewhere? This is the one that came with the drill press. You would think it’s the correct one, can you tell by looking up the receiver?

Hey Koiguy- I have a very humid location and have rust problems without waxing everything. I even use it on visiting relatives and friends.

Like you’re planning, I would go with the advice of the more experienced folks and perform the install (of the correct chuck) without anything on the mating surfaces.

I’ve experienced no issues, but then again I took special joy in the seating process and could have gotten lucky.

Good luck,

-- Chris @ Atlanta - JGM - Occam's razor tells us that when you hear hoofs, think horses not zebras.

Thanks Bill that is a neat little tool and I will invest in that as soon as I find out if I have the correct arbor. And thanks Bagtown I will be interested in knowing if Sears gave me the wrong arbor 20+ years ago. I wonder if I could take it back now and demand the correct one? ITnerd that is very interesting that yours works with the wax. You would think it wouldn’t. Yes it is very humid in Atlanta but we can have a fare amount her in Kansas as well. Good luck waxing those relatives.

A couple of things:

From the two pictures, it appears you have the correct taper for your machine.
Are you certain you are getting the slot and the key lined up correctly?

I always learned to never wax or lube friction fit.

The JT taper you show in the photo looks like it is burnt or galled near the top (Chuck end). If it is, it was slipping, but if you sand it down it will be too small and make the fit worse.
Lower down, it looks as if there was FOD in the fit at some time.

What model is this press? It might help someone with more experience than I have diagnose the problem.

-- Improvise.... Adapt...... Overcome!

Thanks Dallas by FOD I think you mean foreign objects? I don’t know if I’m getting it lined up this is the first I’ve heard of the slot and key. I would appreciate any and all info on this. I have found my owners manual finally and to my surprise I bought it in 1996 for $288. It’s a Model No.113.213151 a 15” Floor Craftsman. In the manual it shows installing the chuck onto an already in place arbor which I did back in 96 and it also shows a Wedge key that I don’t see anywhere. Maybe this is the missing Key, pun intended. You can see in the diagram.

Here ya go….

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/part-model/Craftsman-Parts/Drill-Parts/Model-113213151/0247/0713080/10035154/00003?blt=06&prst=0&shdMod=113213151

-- Improvise.... Adapt...... Overcome!

So it appears I am missing a wedge key. So that’s what really holds it in? This makes more since to me. I have no idea what happened to it or if it was ever there. It’s amazing it’s worked at all without it. It looks long in the diagram like it won’t fit in there are we sure it stays in there?

I think the wedge key (or Drift key) is used to remove the arbor. I have one and it is in a drawer in my tool box, I’ve never used it.

-- Close to Ottawa Ontario Canada