# Drill Press Chuck falls out



## KoiGuy (Mar 29, 2012)

I have a continuing problem with my Craftsman Drill press. The chuck falls out! It's old about 20+ years and has always happened but seems to be getting worse. I have read several forums on this and they are often contradicting either by saying clean with a solvent or not and by lubricating or defiantly not lubricating. One even says sand lightly. While all this is easy on the shaft it's next to impossible to get up inside the receiver. It Leaves me frustrated and wondering if there is a better way to fix this problem so I can get through a project.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

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.


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## ITnerd (Apr 14, 2011)

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.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

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


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

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


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## KoiGuy (Mar 29, 2012)

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.


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## Bagtown (Mar 9, 2008)

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


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

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


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## KoiGuy (Mar 29, 2012)

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?


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## ITnerd (Apr 14, 2011)

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,


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## KoiGuy (Mar 29, 2012)

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.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

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.


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## KoiGuy (Mar 29, 2012)

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.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

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


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## KoiGuy (Mar 29, 2012)

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?


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## pauljp (Jan 10, 2011)

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.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

It worked because the taper caused a friction fit when you pulled the handle down to bore with. There was some slippage so as the parts heated up, the clearance became a lot larger and the arbor would drop out.

With the wedge the arbor cannot drop and the more pressure you drive it in with, the tighter it will be.

Good Luck.

For $8.00 plus shipping, I'd go for it.


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## KoiGuy (Mar 29, 2012)

Well upon further investigating, which included a trip to my local Sears store, I have to agree with Paul. I don't think it belongs in there unless you are removing the arbor. Does yours have one in there Dallas? I'd be curious to know because the floor model at Sears does not have one. When I get time I will clean and try to seat again.I will let everyone know how it turns out. Thanks again to all for the help. I just found this sight and will be back often to ask and share knowledge.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/delta-17536-type-inch-variable-speed-drill-press-parts-c-3275_3279_10890.html

Maybe some tutorials might help, I'm not sure though. Good luck with that KoiGuy.

Scroll down a little bit and it's on the right.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

Put a piece of wood on your drill press bed and use it to force the chuck's morse taper up there into the spindle quill by bringing the wood below the chuck and using the driils downward force on the lever to force it up.Or slightly tap as suggested with a dead blow rubber hammer a few good whacks out to do it.The wedge or drift as it is called is used to remove a stubborn morse taper from the seating in the spindle when it is stuck.Not for securing the mt spindle.Alistair


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## Bagtown (Mar 9, 2008)

Wedge is for removal.
You obviously don't need it.
Alistairs advice is sound.
I'm sure you don't want to hit it as hard as is required, as that goes against everything you know…
Make sure it is aligned and give a few hard whacks.
I usually open the chuck all the way first so as not to damage the jaws, and put a piece of 2×4 across it and hit it hard up into the quill.


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## WoodKutter (Nov 27, 2008)

Hi KoiGuy,

The JT# 3 you saw on the chuck is the interface of the arbor to the Jacobs chuck. They are two pieces.The picture you showed is the arbor which inserts into the spindle of the drill press. This is known as the Morse taper. If there is a number size on it, it is normally located on one of the flat areas at the top {narrow end} of the taper. It can be hard to see because of dirt and age. They are not always marked. From the picture it looks to be a MT2 or MT3. My Craftsman drill press has a MT3.

The Morse taper is a very robust design. There are a few reasons for it to work loose. One is dirt and fine saw dust was caught between the arbor and socket when the chuck was inserted. Also as time goes by, fine dust particles build up inside the socket and make it difficult for the chuck to seat. Once the chuck has come loose while the drill press is running a couple times, the arbor gets dinged up a bit.

There are a few remedies for this problem. First, I would be sure there are no raised dings on the arbor. Indents are not so much a problem but bumps will prevent the arbor from fully seating. Place a piece of sandpaper in your hand. Enough to cover the palm of your hand. Lay the arbor in your hand and close it to make a fist. Rotate the arbor a few times. Wipe the arbor off. Any raised areas will be noticeable because they will be shiny with dark areas encircling them. File these down and repeat.

The next step is to clean the socket. The taper mate works well. You can also use some solvent and a rag but it is difficult to clean without the proper tool. In machine shops they usually have a Mose taper reamer. But these are pricey for us home users. They run about $70 to $100 dollars. With the drill press unplugged slide your finger around inside the socket and check for raised places and using a round file remove them. Do not be aggressive filing and sanding in the socket. If you overdo it in the socket, you will have to replace the spindle.

From the looks of the picture the lower seat area on the arbor is worn. What happens as you drill, the arbor will wiggle around slightly and the chuck will loosen. If this is the case, nothing you can do will stop the loosing and a new arbor is needed.

Hope this helps.

Gary S


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

i have also heard of an old engineers trick, though never tried it myself of using thin ciggarette tissue paper stuck to the mt taper with wd 40 then tapped lightly home the idea is that the paper takes up the slack it might be worth trying if the spindl;e is worn. Alistai


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Some good ideas that I had never heard of. Take heed…. these guys know more than I ever will!


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## jagans (Feb 25, 2010)

Go Here and get a new arbor http://www.ereplacementparts.com/arbor-p-968636.html

I have always been under the impression that most drill presses were Jacobs Tapers. My Delta is a JT33

The link above is for a craftsman arbor that I looked up from the part number offered by some other kind person.

I know this is going to sound funny, but I have done it before, and it works. Take the head off the DP and flip it over. Mix up some Plaster of Paris and fill the well where the arbor lives. work it around to get out the air bubbles leave a long screw in the plaster sticking up so yo can pull your casting out. Let it set up. After it does, pull it out, you now have a copy of the well, and can find out the taper anywhere online.


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