Threaded on 12" 3 jaw removal

You might try the long, long lever idea- with a pail full of rocks hanging on the end overnight. Never tried it myself, but
some swear by it
 
Without knowing what style of lathe it is, it is difficult to make suggestions, but I have a geared head lathe, a 19" swing Regal Leblond, I remove chucks by putting a wooden block between the chuck jaw and the bed, setting the lowest speed in reverse and powering it off, this is what I have done for at least 30 years, and the chuck always unscrews without damage to me or the machine.
 
But what about a chuck that might have been on there for 30 years? I'd be afraid of breaking something, a gear for example
 
I've removed chucks by wedging a long 2X4 across the face of the chuck and thwacking it with a mallet. When that doesn't work immediately, suspending a 5 gallon pail of weight on the outboard end will gently and magically loosen the chuck overnight while you sleep. Of course, the prior application of penetrating oil and cycles of heat/cold will greatly speed the process.
 
Some of the tapered shafts have a lock nut inside the chuck jaws
 
markba633csi said:
But what about a chuck that might have been on there for 30 years? I'd be afraid of breaking something, a gear for example
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That would depend on the age of the machine, whether or not the gears are cast iron or steel. I once had to remove a threaded on chuck on a lathe from the 1940s, it was 36" swing and had a 35HP motor direct connected, I made kindling of a number of 4X4s, finally put a 4" square boring bar between the chuck jaws hanging down between the ways, and hit the start button in the lowest gear, tried that several times, it finally broke loose without breaking anything, the machine was a POS.
 
benmychree said:
Without knowing what style of lathe it is, it is difficult to make suggestions, but I have a geared head lathe, a 19" swing Regal Leblond, I remove chucks by putting a wooden block between the chuck jaw and the bed, setting the lowest speed in reverse and powering it off, this is what I have done for at least 30 years, and the chuck always unscrews without damage to me or the machine.
Click to expand...
My lathe has a clutch so I might try this at some point.
 
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