Drill press chuck for small bits

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keithd

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I have a Delta 18-900L drill press. It is a reasonable drill press but its keyed chuck is junk. The key fits so badly you can't even tighten the chuck tightly.

I bought a new 1/8-5/8 Albrecht keyless chuck for it, which is wonderful. But I still need a solution for bits smaller than 1/8".

I hate to shell out $300 for another smaller Albrecht with a 0-1/8 range because I probably won't use it much on the drill press. I have a Southbend Bridgeport clone vertical mill with a 1/32-1/2 Albrecht for higher precision drilling.

The Delta drill press has a 2MT mount and the chuck that came with it is a 3JT.

Any good idea?

Thanks,

--
Keith
 
Hi Keith,
Dunno how tooled up you are, or what your experience is but is this a project you could tackle?

12bolts said:
This is a pin vice that I made in 1981 during my 2nd year as an apprentice.
IMG_4986.jpg

They are used for holding small drill bits, like #80 and such, in standard chucks.
Basically they are just a small collet and holder. They are also handy for chucking small drills and spinning them by hand for reaming small holes and deburring. You make the length to suit your hand and the end of the parallel section normally gripped in a standard chuck rests in your palm while the thumb and forefinger can spin the tool easily.
IMG_4987.jpg
We made the collet by simple machining on a schaubin bench lathe, ( becasue that was available), but it could be easily done in any lathe really.
We made the holder first, machining the shape, OD, and threading. Then the collet closer/nose/whatever, was machined to size and shape, and tapped to suit. Not 100% sure but I think we machined a 7/16 by 26 Brass thead.
Collets were last. Made to shape and to suit the holder, still whilst being part of the stock material. OD size all finished, then drilled to size, cut to length. before being slit it in the mill.
IMG_4988.jpg
Made a couple of collets with various holes to suit small drills up to about 3/32". Above that size we could chuck them normally.
Actually the smallest collet I dont think was drilled at all. Just split with a slitting saw about 25 thou thick.....Knurling makes it better to use and look nicer but not necessary.
Definataley been "handy as" over the years gone by.
It was definately a good learning exercise in "precision" machining for a newby.
Blueing is off the shelf chemical cold blueing. Rust courtesy of being slack...
Click to expand...

Cheers Phil

IMG_4986.jpg

IMG_4986.jpg

IMG_4987.jpg

IMG_4987.jpg

IMG_4988.jpg

IMG_4988.jpg
 
For those times I need a smaller than standard [on the drill press] chuck, I chuck up a smaller chuck taken from a 1/4" hand electric drill, complete with its driving shaft.
 
Rats. I didn't see your post in time to get in on the Starrett chuck auction. I would have gone for that one.

The rest of them I'm not as hot on. But thanks anyway. I will keep checking.

--
Keith
Jet 9x20 Lathe
Southbend 9x49 Mill
Delta 18" Drill Press

ScrapMetal said:
Saw these on the 'bay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/L-S-Starret...726?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c4392066

and if you don't mind waiting a few days for it to come over the pond:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sphere-Prec...238?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item23109920de

-Ron
Click to expand...
 
Hi Phil,

Nice job on your chuck. Pretty small work, which is not easy. I might be able to handle it, not sure. My Jet 9x20 lathe is old, but I might be able to coax it to do something along these lines.

But it reminds me that I saw somewhere else on the net that someone had made a arbor for a small Dermal keyless chuck, which allows it to be chucked in the larger main chuck. The arbor has to be quite high precision but I might give that a go. Dremel chucks are cheap and readily available and it would save a lot of the work you went through. It has the advantage (or disadvantage) of jaws rather than collets; jaws being more convenient and faster, collets being more precise. The Dremel arbor is an odd size and thread pitch (something like 9/32" x 40tpi). Pretty fine pitch thread and the odd size means you can't do a final chase with a commercial die.

Thanks for the reply.

--
Keith
Jet 9x20 Lathe
Southbend 9x49 Mill
Delta 18" Drill Press

12bolts said:
Hi Keith,
Dunno how tooled up you are, or what your experience is but is this a project you could tackle?



Cheers Phil
Click to expand...
 
llarson said:
For those times I need a smaller than standard [on the drill press] chuck, I chuck up a smaller chuck taken from a 1/4" hand electric drill, complete with its driving shaft.
Click to expand...


I looked through my stash of old drill chucks but none of them closed down tight enough to handle small bits. I'd have to buy a new one with something like a full 0-1/4 range. That's probably what I'll do.

I was wonder whether chucking a smaller chuck in the main chuck was the right approach, as opposed to getting an arbor to fit the smaller chuck directly into the spindle of the drill press. I guess I could make an argument for either approach. Chucking it would definitely be quicker, and since small drills are usually short, it probably wouldn't require moving the table if the small hole were a pilot for a larger drill. A direct mount into the spindle might be more precise, but my mail Albrecht chuck is plenty precise for anything I would do on the drill press. I have a nice vertical mill if need high precision.

Obviously your vote is for chucking the smaller chuck. That's good input. Thanks.

--
Keith
Jet 9x20 Lathe
Southbend 9x49 Mill
Delta 18" Drill Press
 
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