So....

I finally find a 17/32 drill bit, by calling all sorts of places in Ft. Worth and asking for either 17/32 or 13mm.

I stack up my router bit drawer bottoms 4 deep, and tape them together, just like my hero Norm.

I start drilling the holes, and every once in a while the bit bogs down and I have to turn off the drill press and use a dead blow hammer to knock the boards off the bit. After a couple times, I try to take smaller bites with the bit, but I still get it stuck every once in while.

Well, the last time I used the hammer to knock the wood off the bit, the entire chuck came off the drill press.

I see that it is tapered, and seems to be held on my forcing it on until it sticks. I remember way back in the Pond days, a discussion about how to put the chuck back on. I think, but am not sure, it included heating the chuck in the oven. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I am loathe to use a hammer on it and risk damage my drill press, unless instructed that this is the proper technique.

I would appreciate any suggestions about how to get the parts to stay back together, so I might be able to continue working on my router table.

Oh, I found the 17/32 drill bit at Mr. C's Hardware on Precinct Line Road, if anyone in Ft. Worth needs one.

Thanks in advance for all the help I know I will receive.