Drill press problems

[Hopsing]

I have an older Central Machinery, 16-speed, Heavy Duty, floor drill press. Model #1058; 1 hp motor; stands about 5' tall; about 9 3/4" swing; has a Jacobs #79/k chuck, 1/8" to 5/8"
or 3 to 16 mm.

I have been unable to source a new chuck key. I have been getting by with the wrong size key since 1995. That is when a tornado ruined my dads garage, tossing my drill press across the room.

I stumbled across this 'Journal' by accident and decided to join. Any help would be greatly appreciated. What I have learned is that the chuck itself is a bit hard to find. I would change chucks if that's what it takes.

 

[Bigmo1]

Should be able to get a Jacobs chuck key. Have you checked with the bigger equip/industrial supplier outfits MSC, Grainger, etc. The chuck surely can be changed too. Is there a slot to get a wedge in to remove the arbor or use a drift to knock rhe chuck off the arbor. If you can get the arbor out then get another chuck arbor combo that is the same size

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[RTM]

Are you sure it’s a 79K and not a 74K?

https://cloudfront.zoro.com/img/zoro_tips/drill_chuck_key_eZtip.pdf

Just googling the number of your chuck, add the word key, and lots of options usually show up.

https://www.mscdirect.com/industrialtools/jacobs-pilot-chuck-key.html

 

[macgee]

If the chuck is asian, then it might not be a normal Jacobs standard and could be a metric one.

Best way to size chuck key is to measure the hole that the chuck key goes into (pilot hole). This can be done with drill bits (non drilling side) stuck into the chuck key hole to measure, then count how many gear teeth. I think Harbor Freight sells a four way chuck key for a couple of bucks and wouldn't be surprised that it works just fine.

https://www.harborfreight.com/four-way-chuck-key-1745.html

If that doesn't work then a couple of pics of your chuck showing the markings on it would really help identify.

Having said that, replacing a chuck is not hard or too expensive, there's lots of decent overseas made keyless chucks for your drill press that would be just fine for it and available for around approx. $40-$50 on Amazon delivered to your door.

Here's a chart with Jacobs sizing:

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Never used the 4 way chuck from hf but i used another brand and it was completely junk. Very soft steel. If it fit though and was soft you could take it to a hardware or home improvement store for a new one. Can probably get the chuck off instead and take that to find one. I got my dads drill press and i have to find a chuck that actually fits correctly myself

 

[gnpenning]

Our local ACE hardware carries a good selection of keys. Under $5.