Lathe Drill Chuck

Not sure what your issue is with keyless chucks but you're missing out on one of the nicest tools you can have. An Albrecht or Rohm Spiro chuck is not your run of the mill keyless chuck. They are NOT like those cheesy keyless chucks on a hand held drill. A twist of the wrist and the drill is locked or unlocked and a drill is solidly held until you take it out. Due to the design of the chuck, the greater the cutting forces, the tighter the chuck grabs.

Most of us do not use these chucks for large drills on a lathe. A big drill, say 5/8" and over, can catch and spin in any chuck, even a Jacobs Super Chuck, so for larger drills a MT-shanked drill is often used. Below that, a keyless chuck is really hard to beat. I own 2 Rohm chucks and currently only 4 Albrechts and 1 Jacobs 14N Super Chuck. The 14N mostly sits. Maybe reconsider?

Oh, and buy a good arbor. Albrecht used to make some of the best on the planet but they no longer make them. Their guarantee is that if an Albrecht chuck ever slips on an Albrecht arbor they would replace both for free, for life. Jacobs is also no longer making them but they were accurate as well. You might find one as NOS from an industrial supplier or on ebay. I would suggest you NOT buy a used arbor unless it is pristine.
 
Just a little F.Y.I.

Jacobs 14N chuck has a capacity of 0-1/2" Has a Jacobs No. 3 taper.
Jacobs 16N chuck has a capacity of 1/8" to 5/8" Has a Jacobs No. 3 taper.
Jacobs 18N chuck has a capacity of 3/16" to 3/4". Has a Jacobs No. 4 taper.

I own several of each size and with Mores taper shanks, No. 2 and 3, for all sizes above.

Ken
 
Albrecht or Rohm keyless chucks are nice IF you don't use a large bit on a machine with a lot of torque.
 
Two minor factors to be aware of with a keyless chuck:
1) Don't try to run anything in reverse. This will cause the chuck to release the bit.
2) It's very easy (especially with small drill bits) to catch the bit in the wrong place (ie, between the sides of two of the jaws), instead of in the center and held by all three. I do this all the time, especially on the drill press, where I can't see the ends of the jaws. Not a huge problem, as I always try turning the spindle manually to be sure the bit is centered. But it can be an irritation if you're in a hurry. (What ... me be in a hurrry? :) ... nah!)
 
Actually they work just fine in reverse...as long as you aren't applying any torque. For instance, if you have a drill press with a reverse option you can run a bit in reverse to locate a center punched location without actually drilling yet. Just don't try to do any left hand drilling or tapping.
 
Ordered a Jacobs 14n, think I will be happy with it. Have a pneumatic angle drill with a Jacobs chuck like the action of it.

again thanks for the help selecting the arbor

greg
 
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