Chuck Removal From Craftsman Model 150 Drill Press

joebiplane

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I need to remove the chuck on my " just bought" 1950's Craftsman 150. Anybody have any instructions on how to do it - owners manual, repair manual, etc ????
 
It depends on the chuck you have on the spindle. A lot of these presses came with collared chucks, which had a threaded collar on the top side of the chuck, held to it with a snap ring clip. To remove the chuck, put a spanner wrench (if it has the holes in the side of the collar) on it and another one just above it on the spindle to keep it from rotating while you unscrew the collar. The collar will press against the top of the chuck. At this point, use the two spanner wrenches against each other. It may take a lot of force, but this should pop the chuck off. Make sure you have a block of wood, a wadded up rag, or some other "soft landing" to keep the chuck from crashing onto the iron table.

If you don't have a collared chuck, you may still have a loose collar on the spindle. Use the same procedure. The only difference is that the collar is not attached to the chuck.

If there is no collar, you will probably need to get a pair of tapered chuck wedges and press those in between the top of the chuck and the flange ring on the spindle. Your drill press will probably have a jt33 taper on it - double check. Then if you need the wedges, make sure to buy a pair the appropriate size for your taper.

chuck removal tapered wedges.jpgchuck removal tapered wedges 2.jpg
 
Look at the photos in post #14. Note that there's a ring above the chuck. At least with this particular model of Craftsman drill press, the ring acts as a threaded keeper, to prevent the Jacobs taper from coming loose. The literature I've seen on this drill press claims that this keeper allows doing mild milling with the DP.
Here's a screenshot from a manual I've found:
Screen Shot 2020-12-07 at 8.31.39 PM.jpg

If you want copies of the documentation I have, PM me with your email address and I'll send them to you. The ones I have total several megabytes, and I don't want to clutter the forum with that many bits-and-bytes.
 
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