I picked up a Clausing 16sc 15" drill press. The previous owner said he replaced the bearings in the quill with new ones. There is a small amount of side to side play in the quill now. Is this adjustable? Or is it possible that he put the wrong bearings in it? I have a 15" Dayton drill press and there is no side to side play in the quill that you can feel with your hand. I have not measured the runout on either machine but I feel the Clausing should be tight like the Dayton. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Drill press quill runout adjustment
- Thread starter bmwguru
- Start date
To adjust quill play:
There will be a clamp bolt somewhere inside the head casting which should allow adjustment of the quill bore size, or simply drag on the quill. On my Monarch / Edlund 1 1/2 F12, the quill carrier is split down the middle with two clamp bolts. These are adjusted until a light drag is felt. That takes all the play out of the quill.
If you have a runout problem (which is not the same as quill play), it may be the bearings, or a bent quill shaft. Test the inside of the taper itself, not a dowel pin in the chuck. (All Jacobs-style chucks introduce runout to some degree.)
There will be a clamp bolt somewhere inside the head casting which should allow adjustment of the quill bore size, or simply drag on the quill. On my Monarch / Edlund 1 1/2 F12, the quill carrier is split down the middle with two clamp bolts. These are adjusted until a light drag is felt. That takes all the play out of the quill.
If you have a runout problem (which is not the same as quill play), it may be the bearings, or a bent quill shaft. Test the inside of the taper itself, not a dowel pin in the chuck. (All Jacobs-style chucks introduce runout to some degree.)
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
x2 on what apmech said. Is it just wobbly, or not running true? My drill press wasn't running true, the taper was cut wrong in the chuck.
Major Ramifications
Well-known member
Wow, a Clausing. Those are nice. Congratulations.
The slop or play I am talking about is when I grab the chuck I can move it side to side a bit. If I turn it on with a bit in it it seems to run straight. I am just worried that the play could cause some issues with accuracy if I am drilling steel. Wood shouldn't be a problem. I didn't know if it can be adjusted similar to steering head bearings in a motorcycle to take out the slop.
Aha! It's the spindle. The part that spins. Well now that I look a little closer it appears to have some play in both. If the chuck is extended down towards the table 3 inches or so there is more play. With the chuck extended there appears to be play in both. At around 3 inches if extension there is appx 1-2mm of side to side play. With it fully retracted the play in the quill seems to be less to almost none but there is still play in the spindle. If it will help I can snap a few pics.
Ok. I believe I have the "quill" play figured out. The adjusting lever for the slot in the head that the quill rides in was too loose. I have found the sweet spot for that adjustment I think. Still would like to eliminate the play in the spindle.
That functions as both the quill lock and the quill bore adjustment. Loosen the two stop screws a few turns. Wipe the quill with a light coat of gear oil. Then, tighten the large handle until you feel a light drag on the quill when moving it up and down. Adjust the stop screws until they bottom, plus just a little bit. Quill adjusted.
The spindle is a little more difficult. First, you need to remove the chuck to gain access to the spindle end. Your machine probably has either a ground Jacobs taper on the spindle end, or more likely, an internal #2 Morse taper. With the quill fully extended, look for a slot in the side that goes all the way though. Spin the spindle and line up the slot in the spindle. Then, use a taper wedge and lightly hammer it into the slot, releasing the chuck into your hand.
If a Jacobs taper is present (no slot in the spindle), you'll need a Jacobs taper wedge to remove the chuck. Insert the wedge between the top of the chuck and the spindle. Hammer it lightly until the chuck falls into your hand.
With the chuck removed, look on the underside of the spindle for a ring nut, which should be present. Use the proper sized spanner wrench to tighten the ring nut until a light drag is felt when turning the quill with the spindle drive belt removed.
