Delta DP220 Drill Press- Stuck Jacobs chuck

[Pmac55]

I have an old Delta drill press with a chuck that needs to come apart for cleaning. I can't get the chuck off the machine. I've used penetrating oil, steel wedges, and heat. Nothing seems to budge the chuck. Any suggestions?

 

[Packard V8]

FWIW, it's duck-soup-simple to drop the spindle out of the quill, just an Allen hex screw. I've separated the chuck by dropping the spindle down between the jaws of a big bench vise opened just enough to allow the spindle to fall through and when the bottom of the chuck hits the vise jaws, the inertia of the spindle popped it out of the chuck.

jack vines

 

[Pmac55]

Thanks Packard V8! I can give that a try, but I'm skeptical that it will work in my case. If you look at the pic I attached, you can see the steel wedges that I've hammered into the space above the chuck. That's a lot of force, and the darn thing hasn't budged. Additional, I've added both WD40 and heat. I'm really stumped.

 

[FrankLee]

I also had a very stuck chuck. The arms on my wedges just splayed open in that attempt. In my case, the chuck was fubar and I was just trying to save the spindle. You may be able to tell that I used serious heat.

Here's what eventually worked.

dismantled chuck


removed spindle from quill
drilled 3/8 hole through chuck body (started smaller)


inserted 3/8 socket head bolt


used puller

 

[Davefr]

Thanks Packard V8! I can give that a try, but I'm skeptical that it will work in my case. If you look at the pic I attached, you can see the steel wedges that I've hammered into the space above the chuck. That's a lot of force, and the darn thing hasn't budged. Additional, I've added both WD40 and heat. I'm really stumped.

Give the chuck a few lateral blows while working the wedges.

 

[Pmac55]

Davefr- I'll try that some more, but so far that hasn't helped.
Frank- thanks for the post. In reading other comments, I could not imagine that someone else had as much difficulty as I'm having. My main goal is to dissemble the chuck, clean, and lube it. Perhaps I'll pull the spindle and chuck out of the quill and use a gear puller to pop the outer cover off the chuck. Maybe I don't have to remove the chuck from the spindle at all...

 

[Davefr]

You could also open the chuck and drill a hole in it's center. (it's soft steel there). Then try punching out or pressing out the spindle if you have an arbor press.

 

[Pmac55]

OK, I think my best bet is to remove the spindle and chuck assembly so I can have better access to work on the thing. So, am I correct in thinking that I can just loosen the set screw in the drive collar and slide the spindle out of the quill? Or, is it more complicated than that? I can't tell from the parts diagram I have.

 

[Whitworth]

OK, I think my best bet is to remove the spindle and chuck assembly so I can have better access to work on the thing. So, am I correct in thinking that I can just loosen the set screw in the drive collar and slide the spindle out of the quill? Or, is it more complicated than that? I can't tell from the parts diagram I have.

That is the correct procedure.

 

[Model A Fan]

Any luck on that chuck?

 

[Pmac55]

Hey Model A- Partial. I couldn't find any way to free the chuck from the taper. So, I finally removed the whole assembly from the drill press and drilled a small hole through the chuck towards the taper. I put the chuck in a vise and then used a small punch and a big hammer swing. The taper shaft shot out with that trick. In trying to disassemble the chuck itself, no luck. I used a gear puller to try to take it apart. Wound up messing up the internals even more than they were to start with. Fortunately, I found a new USA made taper chuck for about $60, so I'm back in business.