Help!!! Falling Drill Press Taper Problem

[Bart Goldberg]

My drill press taper keeps falling out, with the chuck still attached. I've tried cleaning the mating surfaces with solvent, and it stays for awhile, but then eventually (not to long a time), it fall out again as I'm drilling some wood. I was wondering if putting the taper in the freezer to shrink it, then put it back it the press to expand would help. Any Ideas?

Thanks
Bart

[Wes Bischel]

Bart,
The freezer trick usually works fine. If that doesn't work, a small amount of Lok-tite blue would do the trick. I had the same problem a while back on my inexpensive DP.

FWIW, Wes

[Brian Hale]

Also, try cleaning the taper with Scotch-Bright, seems to add a bit of grip the mating surfaces.

Brian

[Dan Oliphant]

Bart,
In the booklet that came with your drill press there is a procedure for setting the chuck and taper. Look for a procedure that says something along the lines of using a piece of lumber located under the chuck firmly press.........

[Jim Hager]

Regular old white chaulk on the taper then a good smack with a mallet when it is installed should do the trick. I know it sounds foolish but it works, it's something I found somewhere sometime. One of those bits of memory I just can't tell you where it came from.

[Bart Goldberg]

Dan - Yes, That's how I usually seat my taper. Its a bit frustrating that its not working.

Got the taper in the freezer. I'll probably try a combination of using scotch brite and chaulk dust. After all this good advice, I'll be surprised if the problem isn't fixed.

Thank you all so much for your helpful advice. I must appologize for not hanging around here more. I was one of the original members, then sort of fergot about this forum for awhile. Your a decent group of fellow woodworkers.

Bart

[Randy Meijer]

...Got the taper in the freezer. I'll probably try a combination of using scotch brite and chaulk dust. After all this good advice, I'll be surprised if the problem isn't fixed...

If you do all of that, it may take a sledge and a 6' pry bar to get the chuck out next time??:D :D

[Ken Garlock]

Bart, when I assembled my Grizzly 20" drill press, I cleaned the mating surfaces with alcohol: the chuck, taper, and quill. I then put the taper in the refrig freezer for a couple hours. I took it to the shop and inserted it in the chuck and with a piece of wood on each in, I gave it a couple good raps with a ball peen hammer. Then I quickly inserted that assembly in the quill and cranked the quill down firmly against a couple pieces of scrap wood. That was about 3 years ago, and it hasn't budged since. Clean mating surfaces and a freezer-cold taper seem to be the magic combination.