Help! I can't remove my chuck!

[Dan Cannon]

Hi Everyone,
I was just out in the shop doing some Christmas ornaments, and some very light hollowing work. After my last bulb, I was unable to get the chuck back off of the spindle. I'm not sure how, but it must have gotten jammed against the shoulder at the end of the threads or something. Has anyone experienced this, or have any ideas on how to get it to loosen up or break free?? I usually just use a couple sets of pliers to remove it pretty easily, but even with some serious grunting and some taps with a mallet, it will not budge. Help!!! :(:mad::(:mad::confused:

Thanks!
Dan

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Can you use your chuck key to unscrew it? Usually, I leave the chuck key in the chuck and give the key a solid hit with a mallet. Or you could open the jaws enoough to get a metal rod (a gouge does work) and then try whacking it with a mallet. The key to getting off the chuck is a nice hard it in the loosening direction. Steady pressure is not the answer.

Oh, I should have asked first if you have a grub screw and you've tightened it down hard. DAMHIKT

[Scott Hackler]

You can also clamp a 1" square (or so) foot long board in the chuck sideways and whack the board to knock it free.

[Jim Underwood]

You have a locking pin somewhere on the spindle? On my Jet 1014 there's a hole in the side of the spindle for a rod. I place my knockout rod in that, and use a tommy bar in the chuck and it usually comes right off. With my Jet 1642 I use the locking pin ( and the extremely useful PM lock pin plate as a third hand) and place the T-handle in the chuck to break it loose.

[Fred Belknap]

You never mentioned what kind of lathe and chuck. It sometimes makes a difference.

[J.D.Redwine]

Looks like he may have a Grizzly G0462.

[Dan Cannon]

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies! I don't have a locking pin, unfortunately. I usually use 2 wrenches, one to hold the spindle steady and the other to loosen the chuck.
J.D. is correct, it's a Grizzly G0462. You guys have given me good ideas though, as long as I can figure out a way to hold the spindle steady. Maybe somehow clamping a wrench or somthing to the spindle down through the ways to keep it from moving while I whack the board as Scott mentioned above?? Thanks everyone, I'll give all these suggestions a shot when I get home tonight!! I'm desperate to get some more turning done!

[John Keeton]

Dan, do you have an oil filter wrench that you could use to grasp the spindle?

[Mike Cruz]

For future use, chuck up the larges bowl you can in the chuck. Set your spindle lock, and use the bowl like hand wheel to loosen it up. That's what I do... Now, if you don't have a spindle lock, that's a different story...

[Dan Cannon]

Dan, do you have an oil filter wrench that you could use to grasp the spindle?

I do! That's a great idea! That, combined with clamping something with the jaws themselves as leverage might just do the trick. I just don't want to go overboard on the mallet part, I'm nervous about knocking the spindle out of whack somehow.

[Josh Bowman]

Dan, even without a spindle lock if you'll do as Mike and others suggested, you can wack the the wrench/chucked up board with a mallet and often it will come loose. I seldom use the lock on my PM and just put the chuck key and yank it with my hand and it spins loose.

[Rich Harkrader]

I have a G0462 also. It's designed so you can use a wrench to hold the spindle still while you twist the chuck or faceplate off. This "makes up" for the moronic lack of a handwheel. If your chuck won't twist off, try spraying a lil PB Blaster on it.

[Michael Dromey]

Dan. There is many good ideas here but I need to ask. When you use your chuck do you put the spindle washer behind your chuck. I have experienced this before but since use a fiber or plastic washer to help prevent this.

Mike

[Dan Cannon]

Update: I finally got it off!! I used a board clamped in the chuck and a wrench on the spindle that was held against the bed so it couldn't rotate. That was enough to knock the chuck loose from the adapter (which I never knew I had until now. I'm so clueless sometimes). From there I was able to keep the wrench on the spindle and use a LARGE wrench (that wouldn't fit when it was all assembled) on the adapter. This gave me enough leverage to break it free. Thanks for the help everyone!!! Now...what could have caused this?? I've used the chuck 100 times before without a problem. I didn't do anything overly strenuous. Hmmmm

[QUOTE=Michael Dromey;2182425]Dan. There is many good ideas here but I need to ask. When you use your chuck do you put the spindle washer behind your chuck. I have experienced this before but since use a fiber or plastic washer to help prevent this.

Mike - it sounds like this might save me some serious hassle, I had no idea they existed. Are they flat enough keep the chuck alignment true? If so, I'll be doing some shopping online tonight

Thanks again!!
Dan

[Roger Chandler]

May I inquire what brand chuck you are using? If it is the Nova chuck, then there is a set screw that tightens the chuck body on the adapter with a little red leather washer underneath to prevent messing up the threads on the adapter. Since the chuck came apart from the adapter, just make sure you have that set screw backed out some...........if it is a Nova chuck.

Your mileage may vary if you have a different brand chuck. Not sure what other brands do as far as the adapter mating to the chuck body and how it gets locked in.

[Dan Cannon]

I'm 99% sure it's an older PSI chuck, that seems to be where most of the accessories that came with the lathe were purchased. I can't find a picture anywhere that matches exactly but the closest one was on the PSI website. It definitely does not look like any of the Novas I've looked at. I'll take a closer look at if/how the adapter locks in, thanks for the heads up!
Dan

[Jamie Donaldson]

ATTENTION to all spindle lock abusers! NEVER,EVER, use the lock pin to hold the spindle when whacking to loosen a stuck chuck!!! That small pin is much too delicate to absorb such abuse, and it will break off. Don't need to ask how I learned this, and some can be a PITA to replace. Use those big wrenches that came with the lathe, or should have, and a piece of wood or steel in the chuck jaws to remove. And a washer between the chuck insert and spindle shoulder is a good way to induce misalignment and vibrations when turning.:cool:
l

[robert baccus]

Glad you got it off. Take a look---most headstocks have threaded holes bored to the spindle and are easily locked by inserting a rod. Grind down an old screwdriver. The clamped board is my usual chuck wrench--works great and has as much torque as you have. Also consider junking the washer idea --machine shops use Anti-seizeing compound to prevent this and prevents rust & wear as well. Any auto shop has it. Small can for a few bucks. Toys Are Us sells plastic rings.

[Michael Dromey]

Dan here is what I was referring to. I have this one. It is called No Lock Spindle Washer at Craft Supplies. This washer is thin but tough. Sometimes I can unlock it by hand. Depending on how much I have used my chuck.

275425

[Michael Dromey]

Jamie. When you refer to spindle misalignment, are you referring to these washers I posted a picture of? I guess I don't understand.

[Aric Krueger]

I think both woodcraft and woodturnerscatalog have plastic-type anti-lock spindle washers for different sized spindles. I've used them and they work just fine. I measured mine with a micrometer and they meet the test. They do not affect center or cause wobble. They are made for this purpose (and are inexpensive). I've also used anti-seize grease. It works too, however, I find that it is messy and attracts grit/dust (which DOES cause wobble). It must be fastidiously cleaned off and re-applied often.

[Scott Conners]

I hit my spindle (and ways and other raw cast iron parts) with paste wax on a piece of steel or synthetic wool. It knocks any rust/corrosion down, and leaves a good wax barrier to prevent more corrosion and help things slide easily.

[John Keeton]

My guess is that there are numerous potential causes for this situation, but having a small burr or rough spot on the face of the spindle or chuck insert would be enough to cause a significant "freezing" of the chuck. You might want to check both surfaces.

There have been several threads where these nylon/plastic washers, in fact, caused runout. Those may be isolated situations.

[Jack Mincey]

IMHO the cause of chucks locking onto the spindle has to do with the softness of the steel of both the spindle and the chuck or adapter threads the contact one another. If theses are slammed together from a catch or anything else it causes the steel to flex into each other an become one almost like a weld. Wax or a little grease on the threads should help this from happening as bad. The soft spindle is one of the complaints I had with the PM I had in my school shop. Had to take a small triangle file to clean them up more than once when I was teaching to allow the chuck to screw on an off the lathe without using a lot of force. The hardened spindle on my One Way has never had an issue and looks as good as the day it was delivered. It was used for six months at the school shop while I finished building my home shop and the students never hurt the spindle in any way. They where always messing up the other lathes spindles in the shop. I feel that the shop tool and machine company's should test their equipment in a school shop to look for weakness in the machines design before they put them into full production. A few of my students could tear up an anvil. Jack

[Fred Belknap]

This was caused by a stuck chuck.275466

[Mike Cruz]

Care to elaborate, Fred?!?!

[Fred Belknap]

Care to elaborate, Fred?!?!

I had a stuck Talon chuck on a new Grizzly 0698. I put a oak board about 17" x 3" in the chuck and used the indexing pen to hold the spindle. You see the results. I called CS and the person I talked to said he would check with his supervisor and call me back. That has been several years ago and I am still waiting. Can't say I blame them much. The shoulder on the spindle was the same size as the adapter on the chuck. I drilled a hole on the other side and still use the lathe occasionally. Wasn't hard to drill the hole but sure was a dickens getting it in the right place.

[Matt Mackinnon]

I have a oneway lathe and never had a problem with my Talon or Stronghold chuck. I picked up some Dan Pencil aluinum face plates as they were less than 1/2 the cost of oneway to use for friction turning jugs for the ornaments i was making. the first time turning with one and it got stuck on the spindle and didnt want to come off. eventually with enough leverage it loosened.

I put on two pieces of parchment paper cut to make a washer. Just having two pieces of paper was enough that the problem has never happened again. You probably have some in your kitchen and costs next to nothing to solve a problem going forward.

[Duane Meadows]

I had a stuck Talon chuck on a new Grizzly 0698. I put a oak board about 17" x 3" in the chuck and used the indexing pen to hold the spindle. You see the results. I called CS and the person I talked to said he would check with his supervisor and call me back. That has been several years ago and I am still waiting. Can't say I blame them much. The shoulder on the spindle was the same size as the adapter on the chuck. I drilled a hole on the other side and still use the lathe occasionally. Wasn't hard to drill the hole but sure was a dickens getting it in the right place.

That head stock casting is vailable...
P0698042 Headstock Casting $171.00

Think I'd repair it:)

[Fred Belknap]

That head stock casting is vailable...
P0698042 Headstock Casting $171.00

I works fine, I use the drill bit that I drilled the hole with and it is solid like no wiggling around. I used it as my only lathe for about three years and did a lot of work on it. It is now for sale but that break might put people off. I haven't tried to hard to sell it as it comes in handy sometimes. My main lathe is a 3520B now, it is pretty much the same, just a little bigger and nicer.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

NEVER,EVER, use the lock pin to hold the spindle when whacking to loosen a stuck chuck!!! l

My 1642 does not have wrench flats. I have to use the pin.

[Fred Belknap]

My 1642 does not have wrench flats. I have to use the pin.

Same with the Grizzly. The 3520B has a push button that locks the spindle, I haven't taken it apart but my guess it is just a pin in a hole in the spindle. I haven't had any seriously stuck chucks for a long time.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Yes Michael, when there is precise metal to metal alignment of a chuck to the metal shoulder of a spindle, any runout or misalignment can be due to poor machine work of an insert or spindle, or a bent spindle, and I've seen all three. Using a plastic washer can induce runout because it blocks the metal to metal alignment of the matching machined surfaces, and such washers are generally not acceptable for such applications.

[Paul Engle]

Yes Michael, when there is precise metal to metal alignment of a chuck to the metal shoulder of a spindle, any runout or misalignment can be due to poor machine work of an insert or spindle, or a bent spindle, and I've seen all three. Using a plastic washer can induce runout because it blocks the metal to metal alignment of the matching machined surfaces, and such washers are generally not acceptable for such applications.

I agree with Jamie . I can run my lathe in reverse , so the washer is not used . I have at times used a graphite dry lube on the face of the two areas that lock up but mostly I just give it a tug on the wrench to snug up the chuck, when running in rev I give it an extra snug , but I don't reef on it . Being an outside machinist I learned years ago not to get heavy handed with machine tools such as chucks and etc.

[David Gilbert]

I have a Jet 1642 and the only way for me to get my Talon chucks off is to use the spindle lock. The spindle lock is a large button that fits into a slot on a collar that is on the spindle. The spindle lock is a 5/8" piece of steel and is clearly strong enough to withstand some whacking. There are also three indexing holes adjacent to where the spindle emerges from the headstock that "could" be used to lock the spindle but clearly aren't designed for this purpose. The collar for the spindle lock uses a key and a set screw to attach it to the spindle. Recently my headstock was clicking and this collar had come loose. I moved it over a bit, tightened the screw up and things are fine again.

Cheers,
David

[David C. Roseman]

Dan, something else you might check just out of curiosity is the internal diameter of your chuck insert where it meets the spindle shoulder, relative to the outside diameter of the spindle boss (between the shoulder of the spindle and the spindle threads). Easy to check this with machinist's calipers. You don't say which chuck and insert you are using, but the tolerance there might be so close that a small amount of debris may be enough to have caused the binding. Your spindle boss might also be machined to a metric dimension, while the particular chuck insert you're using may be for an SAE dimension.

David

[Dan Cannon]

Thanks for the pointers everyone! I'll be doing some investigation on the condition of the spindle shoulder and spindle boss (thanks David Roseman, I learned a new term today!). At the very least, it sounds like I need to clean it up and possibly get some paste wax on it. I'm sure I'll end up picking up some options for a fix too. A few bucks to try one of the plastic washers, or grease or parchment paper can't hurt! I'll report back with lessons learned if anyone's interested. Thanks again!

Dan