Replacing a Chuck on a Drill Press

[Dana Fish]

So I have lived with it long enough, my Craftman DP (yes I know you get what you pay for but....) has a slight wobble in the chuck making it difficult to drill clean holes.

What are my options to correct this problem? Are has anyone tried to replace a chuck on a Craftsman DP?

Thanks for your assistance.

 

[wouldentu2?]

Depends on the drill press model I think.

If you lower the quill like you are drilling a deep hole you might see a slot 2 inches above the chuck. You insert a tapered piece of metal in there ( It comes with the drill press when new) and give it a tap and if you had placed a board 1 inch below the chuck it will not have fallen on the floor

Make sure the shaft is clean inside and on your new chuck and insert it like you do on the lathe. Place a board under the chuck and with the chuck opened up all the way press down on the handle a little more than lightly to seat the chuck.

Now when you check your play you will find it probably never was the chuck, but some spindle bearing worn somewhere else .

 

[rkimery]

I did. I had a "self tightening" stinking chuck on my Craftsman Professional Benchtop unit, that never worked. The drilling part worked just fine, but it couldn't hold a bit! Replaced under warrantee and all. After the warrantee went away I popped it off and headed to Grainger (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml) with the piece and got a KEYED chuck and arbor to replace it. Probably didn't nee the arbor though. Much tighter, very solid and the DP works really well now.

(You can order on line if there is not one close)

They do have different qualities also. A couple cost more than my bench to model DP!

 

[KenV]

If you have an older to middle aged Craftsman drill press, you may have problems finding a replacement. Craftsman used a special chuck for many years that was made by Jacobs, but was not standard. Looked around for a replacement and found that it was not longer being made -- and even the chuck keys were hard to find.

Chuck fit to the tapers are critical and if the taper is not having excessive runout, you may be able to clean and tune the chuck fit on the taper -- use of a rubber mallet is needed. If the bearings and shaft have slop -- the best chuck made will not improve the situation because the bearing - shaft will still be sloppy.

A dial indicator may be your best friend