Keyless Chuck Question

[Noah Barfield]

Hi all,

This past summer, I bought a keyless chuck from PSI. Since it arrived, it's been a bit of a nuisance. No matter what I do (cleaning, tapping, etc.), the chuck will not seat properly in the taper. I'm wondering if there's a way to permanently attach the chuck to the tapered spindle? I don't have access to a welder, so I'm wondering if epoxy, JB Weld, superglue, loc-tite, etc. would do the trick. Has anyone encountered this issue with their PSI keyless chuck? If so, how did you deal with it?

Thanks,

Noah

[Michelle Rich]

call PSI..see if they can take it back or help in some manner

[Michael Mills]

One thing to check is the tapers. Some lathes have different taper; maybe a 2MT in the headstock and a 3MT in the tailstock. If you try your live center and drive center than came with the lathe in opposite ends you should be able to tell if there is play or if they seat correctly. If you have 2MT in both, the chuck should be loose in the headstock also.
Also I see PSI offers the keyless chuck with a 1MT or a 2MT. Did you order the wrong taper or did they ship the wrong taper? I think this is the real culprit if other tapers fit properly.

Here is a chart if you have the means to measure it.
http://www.woodturners.org/tech_tips/morse_taper_sizes.htm

[Noah Barfield]

Thanks Michael!

I'm still new to woodturning, so I think I used the wrong terms. My chuck has a 2MT taper which fits my Jet 1642 headstock. The other tapered end (the arbor?) that fits into the chuck itself is the one I'm having trouble with. The chuck keeps slipping off the arbor unless I have my tailstock engaged. This makes it a little challenging to round off the end of a bottle stopper or to put in a recess for an insert.

Noah

[Richard Allen]

Clean the small taper and the matting surface in the chuck body with solvent. Open up the chuck so the jaws of the chuck are not protruding from the chuck body. Set the open end of the chuck down on a firm surface, like a concrete floor, with the taper inserted and the MT pointing up. Put a piece of wood over the end of the tip of the MT and give the taper a solid whack (or two or three) to force the small taper into the chuck body.

[Scott T Smith]

Thanks Michael!

I'm still new to woodturning, so I think I used the wrong terms. My chuck has a 2MT taper which fits my Jet 1642 headstock. The other tapered end (the arbor?) that fits into the chuck itself is the one I'm having trouble with. The chuck keeps slipping off the arbor unless I have my tailstock engaged. This makes it a little challenging to round off the end of a bottle stopper or to put in a recess for an insert.

Noah


Noah, the chuck end of the arbor usually has what is referred to as a Jacobs Taper. Usually if the hole in the chuck is clean, and the arbor is clean, you can seat the arbor in the chuck by hitting the end of the arbor with either a wooden mallet or a dead blow hammer. It should not pop back out; if it does - they you probably have the wrong arbor.

[Noah Barfield]

Thanks everyone! I think part of the problem is that I wiped the lubricant it was shipped with off with a paper towel, but didn't use a solvent. Would isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) do the trick? I'll clean it off and give it a whack this evening.
Noah

[Richard Allen]

I would use a fast solvent like lacquer thinner or acetone.

[Bob Bergstrom]

PSI is pretty good at either fixing or exchanging faulty pieces. Call and get it right.

[Noah Barfield]

Hi Bob,

I certainly will if the cleaning and tapping doesn't work. Last night, the chuck went flying off the lathe--made for a heart-pounding moment. I know it's my fault for trying to remove the oil with only a paper towel, but they should send out a warning / advice label to prevent idiots like myself from getting hurt. :D Fortunately I had the lathe running in reverse for final sanding / finishing. It left a nice dent in my drywall though (which is better than a dent in my head, any day).

Noah

[Richard Allen]

Dril chucks are designed for pressure to be push into the shuck and MT. In other words the chuck and mounting system isn't designed for pressure to pull on the chuck. It could be that you are mounting objects in the chuck in ways that are beyond the design capabilities. If this is the case you may wish to look into other work holding methods.

[Michael Mills]

I know I misunderstood the taper (my drill chucks screw onto the MT rather than having a JT). Are saying you are trying to use the chuck in the headstock to hold an item?

[Tom Wilson66]

Does your chuck have an internal screw to hold the body to the taper? If it doesn't, or it is missing, that could allow the chuck to come loose. Also, if you are using the chuck to hold items in the headstock, a drawbar is good insurance against the whole assembly flying off while turning. I had to drill and tap a hole in mine to enable me to use a drawbar on my Jacob's chuck.

[Noah Barfield]

My chuck looks like this: http://www.woodcraft.com/Images/products/152678_400.jpg It doesn't screw in (although that would be a nice feature). I've been using it in the tail stock (to hold a small drill bit--to create a recess in a bottle stopper blank) as well as in the head stock (to hold the bottle stopper mandrel). It will loosen during both applications.

Noah

[Scott T Smith]

My chuck looks like this: http://www.woodcraft.com/Images/products/152678_400.jpg It doesn't screw in (although that would be a nice feature). I've been using it in the tail stock (to hold a small drill bit--to create a recess in a bottle stopper blank) as well as in the head stock (to hold the bottle stopper mandrel). It will loosen during both applications.

Noah

Noah, I only can see three potential causes for the chuck coming off. First, that it is not seated properly, (second) that you still have some grease in the bottom of the bore in the chuck, leading to #1, or (third) that the taper on the arbor does not match the taper in the chuck.

Make sure that all grease, etc has been removed from the tapered hole on the chuck. Use a soft stick if needed to dig it out, and then use a rag with some solvent to clean the bore. Clean the arbor with the sovent, and then seat the arbor in the chuck with a twisting motion. Whack the end of the arbor a few times with a wood mallet or equivalent, and they try to twist the arbor back out. It should stay seated. If not, you've got either a mis-machined chuck or the wrong arbor. Send them back to PSI for a replacement.

[Don Orr]

Go with what Richard Allen said. It is the correct way to seat a Jacobs taper into the Jacobs chuck body. Mating parts must be very clean-use a good solvent as he advised. Isopropyl(rubbing) alcohol is 30% water-not good for steel parts. Tom Wilson66's advice about a draw bar for safety is also an excellent suggestion. Scott's recommendations are also correct.

Be safe and have fun.