Quill Wobble???

tonybalc · Post by **tonybalc** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 4:48 pm

[quote="nuhobby"]Just throwing this in: A couple of years ago I did some steel-drilling on my SS]
I am going to take a very close look at my drill chuck. There could very well be something small stuck inside of it causing this problem. Like I said before, I could not see or feel the quill wobbling at all, but then again there are only a few inches of metal sticking out, so maybe the wobble at that point is so small that I would need a dial gauge to actually be able to measure it.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:03 pm

Do you tighten the bit in the chuck by tightening from ALL three key holes, and do so until there is no key movement?

tonybalc · Post by **tonybalc** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:58 am

JPG40504 wrote:Do you tighten the bit in the chuck by tightening from ALL three key holes, and do so until there is no key movement?

Normally no, but this morning I carefully did & got the same results. I also cleaned & oiled the drill chuck before testing it again. One thing that I did notice is that I can move the drill bit ever so slightly when I attempt to jiggle it while it is stopped. The movement appears to be where the drill chuck is mounted on the quill. I tried remounting it several times with varying positions (touching & not touching the quill collar) also varying the tension on the set screw with no difference. I would think that it should be rock solid with absolutely no movement at all, but I have never tried jiggling it before this happened. Could one of you guys chuck a long drill bit & see if there is even the slightest movement when you attempt to jiggle it while not running it of course. Thanks for you help.

wa2crk · Post by **wa2crk** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:26 am

Tony;
What speed are you drilling at. When you use a longer than normal drill bit it is necessary to slow the bit down. A piece of normal rod stock will whip a bit and increase the whip when the speed is increased. I also noticed some squeeling when drilling some pen blanks especially bocote. Also be sure to cleanm the drill bit flutes frequently when drilling. When I drill acrylic blanks I retract the drill more frequently as I go deeper. I was drilling some acrylic blanks for the seam ripper kits from Penn State and I only went about 1/4 inch at most near the bottom of the blank before clearing the flutes.
The acrylic can be a problem when the material which is softened by the drill hardens in the flutes and I believe that this attribute causes the acrylic to be overheated by the drill bit and develope gasses that build up pressure and can cause a side blowout. It happened to me a couple of times. So go slow at the bottom of the hole.
I also have some small blowout when the drill bit exits the bottom of the hole. To fix this I cut the blanks a little longer than necessary and drill all the way through and then cut the blank a little shorter and cut off the small blowout area.
Try to refine youir techniques and tell what results you get.
Bill V

tonybalc · Post by **tonybalc** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:29 pm

[quote="wa2crk"]Tony]
Bill, I was at one of the lower speeds. The thing that I can't understand is that the last time that I used my SS as a drill press I was not having this problem. Granted it was over 6 months ago, but I am using the same drill bit & blank vise. The brass tubes used to fit snug in both wood & acrylic but now they are loose & it is taking alot more time to glue them in solid. I am also using a fresh bottle of the same CA glue that I have used in the past on many pens. I also just oiled the motor per the manuals instructions & am having no other issues running the other set-ups.

greitz · Post by **greitz** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:52 pm

The set screw on the drill chuck may need to be filed flat, or roughened with sandpaper to get a better grip, if you're getting movement of the entire drill chuck on the quill shaft. Or you may have a burr on the shaft which is interfering with the set screw.

Gary

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 4:27 pm

A burr on the flat should not create wobble, BUT one on the round part might. The end of the shaft is round, and the inner part of the shaft that the chuck slips over is round also. Thus the chuck is held centered at two points in its bore. The setscrew merely prevents it from sliding on the quill shaft, and the taper helps prevent it from slipping off(the taper does not go all the way to the end).

Now if for some reason the quill shaft has gotten smaller. . . . or the quill bore larger. . . . or either no longer 'round'. . . .

P.S. have we discussed how to tighten the setscrew so as to center in on the flat(no slop).

alfatipo · Post by **alfatipo** » Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:14 pm

I found a similar condition. It is only a problem with the quill extended.

If the quill is locked when extended the wobble is virtually eliminated so I doubt it is the bearings. More an issue with whatever mechanism the quill lock affects.

I was going to remove the quill to check it (and reset the tension) but the set screw 'putty' is more like aluminum (or lead?). Glad I didn't use the suggested penknife, it would have been ruined. I have the later C type headstock.

The manual that came with the machine mentioned removing putty with a penknife from the setscrew. Was there a change when the C type was introduced?

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:11 pm

alfatipo wrote:I found a similar condition. It is only a problem with the quill extended.

If the quill is locked when extended the wobble is virtually eliminated so I doubt it is the bearings. More an issue with whatever mechanism the quill lock affects.

I was going to remove the quill to check it (and reset the tension) but the set screw 'putty' is more like aluminum (or lead?). Glad I didn't use the suggested penknife, it would have been ruined. I have the later C type headstock.

The manual that came with the machine mentioned removing putty with a penknife from the setscrew. Was there a change when the C type was introduced?

Which setscrew? There have been different materials used over the years. Some relatively easy to remove, some ^%$^# !:(

alfatipo · Post by **alfatipo** » Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:44 pm

I think I have the latter material. I 'll be more persistent with the screwdriver.

The set screw in question stops the quill from sliding out.