Drill press chuck question

[Philipp Jaindl]

Good evening,

Recently got the old Drill Press at work for free, its an old Rexon RDM 80B ( 1997 with 0,4 kw). Just 2 Problems the return spring and the chuck are broken so looking for a new Chuck its a Morse Taper 2 machine.

I've looked at Albrecht chucks and quickly threw that idea out the window, the accuracy of the drill press so far has always been "good enough" never bothered to actually check it.

Now I'm looking at the Röhm chucks which are in my price range of about 100€ and now comes the hard part, Keyed or Keyless ? the Supra-l Keyless (100 - 106 €) or the Prima-l (75 - 85 €) for the 16mm Versions ordered directly from the Röhm website. Then again i probably could get away with a 13mm chuck which would be even cheaper.

I'm ofcourse open to other suggestions aswell, just want a quality chuck that might be able to be used in the next machine aswell, no idea how long this old thing will stick around.

Regards Philipp

[Bill Dufour]

Keyless chucks can not be run in reverse or they will open up as soon as the tool touches the work. For the spring many people adapt a cable with a counterweight or run a vertical spring next to the quill housing.
I would remove the old chuck before buying anything. There are 4-5 different chuck mounts on common drill presses that I know about. Male or female. Morse taper or Jacobs tapers, lock ring or forcing ring and probably more it could use. I would not be surprised if there are more methods common in Europe.
When you say the chuck is broken is it actually broken with parts missing or is it just dirty and needing to be taken apart and cleaned?
Bill D

on edit: not uncommon for the identical drill press to be sold with a choice of several different quill tapers ,or for the taper type be changed over the production life.

[Philipp Jaindl]

Sorry MK 2 does mean Morse Taper 2, already removed the chuck and measured the tapered cone, just got lost in translation MK is Morse Kegel (Morse Cone) in German. Its just the Cone jammed up into the spindle no locking ring, screw or anything.

I know the Chucks broken for one because the Gearteeth for the key are very very worn, it cant be tightened properly, and the other thing is theres a nice grinding sound when turning the chuck by hand. A guy at work already tried cleaning the chuck didnt help much apparently.

[Bill Dufour]

FYI Often that male taper attached to the chuck is a separate arbor that can be knocked out of the chuck and reused or switched to a different size. The female taper inside the chuck is often a Jacobs taper.
Bil lD.

[Bob Vaughan]

Keyless chucks can not be run in reverse or they will open up as soon as the tool touches the work. .

My experiences over the last 30 or so years with keyless chucks differs significantly with that speculation. I've been using a keyless chuck for a lot of tapping work for all of those years. Tighten the chuck and you're good to go up to 1/2-13. The few times I've had a problem it was my fault because I didn't hand tighten. This even true with some $20.00 cheapie models I've used. Also, I use the keyless chucks in a metal lathe that often has to be reversed. No problems with reversing.

Overload the drill and the chuck self-tightens. That can be a problem because sometimes I have to get a strap wrench to loosen the chuck.

[Philipp Jaindl]

Yeah it is a seperate arbor MT 2 to B16, though seeing that a new one is 10 bucks im just gonna order a new one along with the chuck.

Thats interessting Bob even the manufacturer lists that they are not to be used in reverse though that might be an insurance thing, seeing as it works for you. Then again if i need something tapped i know Metalworkers that can do that for me.

The more i read up on it the more i tend towards the Keyless Supra-l the price difference is minor, also going to go with the 13mm version just cant see needing the 16mm for woodworking. I'd still like a few more opinions on the matter though.