I’m going to make this thread even older…
I love stuff like this – If you use the “search” function it lets me go back years to find good information. After all, if you just post a question, you’re going to get hit with the “Did You Search First” replies.
Any way – Last night I was fighting with my $99 bench-top drill press because the bit was just wobbling up a storm. I looked up all kinds of information and found out that most setup problems come from the Chuck, not the actual press. Eventually I found that if you have a tapered spindle, you can just knock the chuck back off. However, I learned all kinds of stuff along the way…
I had checked the top of the chuck with my dial indicator and it was dead on. Well maybe some movement, but I could not even see 1/1000 off the dial. However, about 2-inches down on the bit (as measured on a solid rod) I was seeing 14 to 17/1000 runout – what a mess!!
So, I found out a few things. Relating to this thread, I had a Taper spindle on the press and the easiest way to get the chuck off is to use a hardwood block and knock the chuck off from the back. BTW, you need to have something soft underneath to catch it!! This worked like a charm, one quick smack on the back of a 1X2 and the chuck popped right off. Then I dial-indicated the drill shaft and it is dead smooth with no runout at all. I was very glad to see that.
Next I learned is that the “name brand” drill chuck with a JT33 taper X ½- inch jaw is $100 – WOW, that is as much as the press [laugh]. And, you can spend much more than that if you want a “good” drill chuck. The drill chuck that comes on these things is something like $7-14. Just a cheap piece to get the drill press off the shelf.
So, after looking around today I found a “mid-grade” chuck which says it is quality controlled with no more than 0.001 runout. I just ordered that for $50 and hope it gets me to where I can drill something and not tear up the work… I did not want to spend another $100 on a $90 drill press. We’ll see how it turns out.
I’ll post back after I get the new chuck in and check it with my dial indicator.