Drill chuck suggestions

[T56 Impala]

Hi everyone. First time posting here so bare with me.

I have a new Porter Cable drill press. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to drill a decent hole with it! So I went and bought a mag base and and dial indicator. First time actually using one, but I’m familiar with their use.

I tested the OD and ID of the female MT shaft and got less than 1/2 a thousands runout on both. I’m happy with that. I then I inserted the supplied chuck and tested the shaft. Again right at 1/2 thousand runout. Then I inserted several new unused drill bits and measured. I got 13 thou runout. Kinda tells me the chuck is ****.

Fortunately I had another I use in my lathe. It’s a Woodriver brand from Woodcraft. I inserted it and made the same measurements. Again the shaft was good, but the chucked bit again had 12-14 thou runout. RATS!!

So, I’m asking, what brand of chuck, #2 MT, is any good? I’m setting this up to do some crude milling via a small milling table. I’d like to at least have a chance of making a decent cut. Any suggestions?

 

[iajonesy]

I would suggest a Jacobs chuck. They are widely used and liked by machine shops everywhere. You can often find them on craigslist or e-bay for a reasonable price. If you find one on C/L take your indicator with you to check runout.
Good luck.

Mike

 

[Murphy4570]

You don't use a drill chuck to perform milling operations. Not designed for side loading. Do not chuck end mills in a drill chuck unless you're just doing plunging operations. The drill press quill bearings aren't designed for side loads either. If you want to do milling operations, you would need a mill. Drill presses are far too flimsy and weak to use as mills.

For a quill that accepts #2 Morse, you can buy a morse to jacobs taper adapter. #2 MT to #2 Jacobs taper is common, and inexpensive. You can then attach the drill chuck to that.

I would get a USA made Jacobs chuck. German Rohm chucks are good quality as well. Be warned that they are expensive to buy new. Your best bet is to find a used one on craigslist, or at a local parts swap meet.

 

[T56 Impala]

Thanks for the suggestions. My “milling” would be nothing more than removing tiny, as in 2-3 thou in a pass. I would LOVE a mill, however I don’t have the space or money for one. Would it be possible to change the quill bearings for greater side load?

 

[yaidunno]

Thanks for the suggestions. My “milling” would be nothing more than removing tiny, as in 2-3 thou in a pass. I would LOVE a mill, however I don’t have the space or money for one. Would it be possible to change the quill bearings for greater side load?

Its not the bearings themselves at fault, rather, the small size of them, and the lack of rigidity of the drill press. There is no way around it, a drill press can not be used safely and reliably as a mill. Can you remove a few thou a pass on a cheap vice, sure, but its not what its made for.

Whatever nice new chuck you decide to purchase will soon have .013 run out, should you use it to hold an endmill and use it as a mill. A drill chuck grips the tool with 3 very small narrow contact points axially. A collet or proper tool holder will support the tool nearly all the way around the diameter.

Jacobs or Albrecht make top notch chucks. Glacern and Gromax both make some nice units at a more affordable price point.

 

[iajonesy]

I made my recommendation without reading the last line of the OP's post carefully. As stated above, never use a drill chuck for milling. Trying to mill with a drill press is going to give you fits.

Mike

 

[larry_g]

One mode of fail in the above vid. Milling machines will have a draw bar or other means of retaining the cutter.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[tarbellb]

C&P from another post but applies well:

I just went through upgrading my chuck on the DP. Read my review here- https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/...d.php?t=359134

Besides overall quality, the best upgrade was going to Keyless. So nice not needing to chuck up with a tool every time.

A few brands to look at:
_ Rohm (German)
_ Llambrich (Spain)- also produce Jacobs high-end line
_ Albrecht (German)
_ Yukiwa (Japan)

You can find all of these in 1/2" (13mm) in either new or excellent condition on Ebay and Amazon for >$100. Rohm often pops up in the Warehouse deals section, be careful to order the correct taper (I believe 2jt or 2mt will work?) and chuck opening size, again 1/2" or 13mm is best.
All Jacobs except their top of the line stuff is pretty terrible Chinese units, older USA stuff is nice and all over Ebay.

 

[matt_i]

The Jacobs Super (Ball Bearing) Chuck is nice, in good condition.

As others have suggested, milling with a drill press is a no-go. The taper isn't retained and the bearings are not a preloaded set of angular contact bearings. Get yourself a Bridgeport or a clone for success.

 

[dr_clyde]

The Jacobs Super (Ball Bearing) Chuck is nice, in good condition.

As others have suggested, milling with a drill press is a no-go. The taper isn't retained and the bearings are not a preloaded set of angular contact bearings. Get yourself a Bridgeport or a clone for success.

I was going to mention the taper if someone hadn't. The morse taper is not designed for milling, unless it has a drawbar. Some mills had this feature, but its fairly uncommon.

You're setting yourself up for failure attempting to mill with a drill press. Even in a machine with the correct spindle bearings, milling in a drill chuck is a bad idea. The cutter isn't supported properly, and in combination with the wrong spindle bearings, and a MT2 spindle, you have a recipe for chatter. Chatter can unseat the taper, or cause the the cutter to move in the chuck. Then, most likely catastrophic failure.

Is it possible to get away with it? Maybe. Is it the right way, or even a marginal way to mill? No.

However, if you simply want to replace a bad drill chuck for drilling, I have some suggestions. If you want a keyed chuck, a used Jacobs ball bearing Super Chuck is my favorite. I won't buy a new one, I am disgusted with the Apex tool group and try my damnedest to avoid the product lines they've gutted and ruined, Jacobs chuck being one of them. I will only buy the USA ball bearing chucks, IMO they were the best keyed chuck ever made.

The Germans make an outstanding chuck, a Rohm for keyed and Albrecht for keyless.

Yukiwa Seiko is the Japanese chuck of choice. They supply the high end chucks for top end power tools.

Llambrich makes a nice chuck in Spain.

 

[bullnerd]

What material do you plan on cutting?

 

[T56 Impala]

Thanks for the recommendations on chucks. I'll keep an eye open for one of the good ones listed.

As I said before, I do not have the need, space or money for a mill. I am a tinkerer not a machinist, mechanic or anything else. I just need to mill some plastics right now. Maybe a thin piece of aluminum in the future. Trust me. Just getting this mess trammed in to cut half way straight is a pain. Yet it's good practice, a chance to learn and a good time to buy more tools!

I did do a test cut on some 1/4" lexan. 4 flute end mill. I turned out pretty good for a first time. I need to test different speeds, but I'm pretty sure this will get me through my project.

Thanks again!