Chuck arbor stuck in the quill

[Matt Michaud]

So I bought an old 17" craftsman drill press that I want to dedicate to one task with a custom cutter. To do this I need to remove the chuck as the cutter will have its own arbor. Here is the problem - there is no drawbar and and the quill has no open slot. I am sure it is going to take same force given the age and oxidation, but I don't want to be make the situation worse by wacking away at it with a flathead. Any tips?

[Walter Plummer]

The round collar with the hole above the chuck unscrews and pushes the chuck off. If it is like my Walker Turner that will leave you with a male Jacobs #33 taper sticking out of the end of the quill. I'm not sure you will be able to do what you want. Sorry

[Lee Schierer]

On my Homecraft drill press, I have a pair of really thin wedges that I slip between the chuck and the collar that you tap together and it pops the chuck right off.

[Bob Vallaster]

Walter called it correctly. Probably a Jacobs 633C.
The round collar above the chuck works as a screw jack to force the chuck off the tapered nose of the shaft. You should acquire a pin spanner wrench with a pin matching the holes size in the collar (check with a drill bit). To use the spanner, first chuck a 3/8-1/2" bent hex wrench in the chuck to work as your opposing wrench, then apply the spanner to the collar. The collar has conventional right-hand threads. The collar should spin down to make contact with the chuck and force it off. Penetrating oil beforehand will make life easier.


BobV

[Roger Feeley]

I have an old Craftsman 17" drill press that I still use all the time. Walter and Bob called it. When I assembled mine (back in the '70s), I was instructed to use the chuck key. It hasn't been off for 30 years. Honestly, I don't know why I would remove the chuck unless I got a really nice keyless one or something.

I can't tell what model you have exactly and I'm not near mine. I can tell you that the quill on mine appears to be beefier than yours. Also the bed on mine is built with t-slots like the bed of a milling machine. At the time, Craftsman claimed that I could do milling on my machine. I didn't believe them.

[Matt Michaud]

I know its a late response, but wanted to say thanks. Walter and Bob - you were of course absolutely right. Like Walter suggested, I had to change the cutter design to just be chucked. Not originally what I had in mind, but so far its working fine.