Replacing Shopsmith Drill Chuck

tsaguy · Post by **tsaguy** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:07 am

I did a quick search and didnt find any good info to use, but my concern is purchasing a new chuck. Because I am still new and loving my inherited SS, stand by:

1. What size is the shaft coming off the power unit? 5/8s right?

2. My drill chuck has a wobble, bad for drilling/turning. I called SS to order a new one but held back because they are on back order until November.

Does anyone use a drill chuck not sold by SS? If so can you provide details?

papahammer8 · Post by **papahammer8** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:44 am

theres always e- bay

BigEd · Post by **BigEd** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 9:56 am

I know a lot of folks with better advise will jump on this to help. but the easiest answer is to check that you are screwing the set screw onto the flat, dead on. Turn the shaft in both directions and try to tighten it further.

The problem. if this wasn't it, is probably in the quill or bearings that it feeds through. Others will be very helpful in walking you through testing this.

Good luck with your machine.

Big Ed

tsaguy · Post by **tsaguy** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 10:01 am

BigEd wrote:I know a lot of folks with better advise will jump on this to help. but the easiest answer is to check that you are screwing the set screw onto the flat, dead on. Turn the shaft in both directions and try to tighten it further.

The problem. if this wasn't it, is probably in the quill or bearings that it feeds through. Others will be very helpful in walking you through testing this.

Big Ed

I compared a long shaft in the chuck while running to a drill bit in the chuck, and then turned machine on. I then took both items, placed them into 2 other drills, and turning it on compared the variance of wobble at the tip. With my two other drills, tip wobble is minimal. With those items in the drill chuck, onvious wobble is noted. I then mounted the saw and cut a few peieces and measured for square, and also mounted stock to the flange, mounted to the headstock, and turned. Then measured the turned stock for square also. All items measure up to being square except when being turned using the chuck. The chuck is verfiable the problem.

Any way to 'knock' a chuck into square? Or what might cause a chuck to go out of square?

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:07 am

Damaged jaws!:(

Is the body of the chuck 'wobbling"?

iclark · Post by **iclark** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:38 am

tsaguy wrote:Any way to 'knock' a chuck into square? Or what might cause a chuck to go out of square?

if some kind of crud has gotten stuck to one of the jaws or gotten between a jaw and its slot, then that could cause a problem.

you talked about the wobble at the tip of the rod. how does that compare to the wobble at the base of the rod where it is held in the chuck? is the whole rod going side-to-side or is it going around in a cone (more wobble at the tip than the base)?

if no one gives you a better idea, you might try taking it apart, cleaning all the pieces, and double checking that one of the jaws has not gotten bent (say by being dropped and hitting just wrong).

based on a recent discussion here, if you take it apart, you probably want to keep track of the relative position of the jaws and their grooves. then again, if that thread is right, and you don't find the problem when you take it apart, then maybe someone took it apart before and got it wrong when they put it back together before.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:25 pm

If it HAS been disassembled, and the jaws improperly sequenced, the tips will NOT ALL THREE extend the same distance from the body when closed.

As difficult as they are to 'disassemble', It is unlikely that it has been.

Good point re 'crud'.

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 2:15 pm

tsaguy wrote:I did a quick search and didnt find any good info to use, but my concern is purchasing a new chuck. Because I am still new and loving my inherited SS, stand by:

1. What size is the shaft coming off the power unit? 5/8s right?

Yes, a 5/8" plain shaft.

2. My drill chuck has a wobble, bad for drilling/turning. I called SS to order a new one but held back because they are on back order until November.

Does anyone use a drill chuck not sold by SS? If so can you provide details?

A recent effort on my part, to locate a source of drill chuck that matches the SS output shaft, met with zero success. Waiting for a SS supplied one, or buying a used one may be your only options.

There are several links to discussions concerning this subject on this post.

greitz · Post by **greitz** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:53 pm

How about this: Victor Machinery Exchange has an arbor which has a 1/2" straight shank on one end to a Jacobs Taper arbor on the other. Then you can use a regular Jacobs Taper drill chuck (keyed or keyless) and hold the 1/2" straight end in the Shopsmith 1/2" router chuck.

http://www.victornet.com/report/Arbors- ... /1143.html

Possible?

Gary

tsaguy · Post by **tsaguy** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:10 am

O-k, I think I may have figured it out.

Someone asked a question about the wobble at the end of the drill bit compared to closer to the chuck itself; wobble will always be greater as you extend from the source. If it's not, then instead of a wobble you may be dealing with a bent shaft/drill.

It is true wobble, I am sure.

I beleive it was caused by tightening the tool-rest too close to the drill chuck. There is a slight wearing of the chuck that fits the nice profile of the end of the tool-rest.

Although my grampa was very careful, darn-near anal, he didn't use his SS too much so it may have been uneducation/inexperience. Also, I found recently he buoght his SS while in Florida and then moved it to Michigan in 1983.

I guess I will try to not drill holes in anything, I bought a ShopSmith pen mandrel as I was using the chuck and a generic mandrel. In addition, I am now forced to buy a chuck...

yay!