MT3 tail stock drill chuck for small drills

[j-becker]

I already have a PM Ultra precision chuck for my tail stock and am very happy with that. But it is a 1/8-5/8 chuck and I can't use it for small drills. And the 1/8" is real. I tried a 2.5 mm and 3mm drill in it and it would not hold it. So now I am looking for a chuck that can hold smaller drills as well. My options are either a to buy another PM Ultra with 0-1/2" capacity but that only comes with an MT2 shank. So I would need an MT2 to MT3 sleeve that may add some additional alignment error. Alternatively, I could look for a used Albrecht or Rohm chuck (don't fancy paying new prices) either with integral MT2 shank (limiting the choice) or one with removable shank (more plentiful used). I already have a used Albrecht for my mill and am quite pleased with that one.

Any thoughts on the choice on used Albrechts / ROhm chucks or recommendations for a quality MT2/MT3 sleeve and how much of an issue that may be?

 

[Jim F]

Find a chuck and match a MT3 arbor to the J taper.
McMaster has MT3 to J1 thru 6 and 33.

 

[mmcmdl]

Wouldn't even consider putting a $400 keyless chuck in a tailstock as it doesn't spin . Waste of money because runout isn't an issue . Most likely the taiIstock would be out more than the chuck and drilling on a lathe is a roughing operation . have 100s of chucks and sleeves when you decide what you want . FWIW , I do not ever run a keyless chuck in any tailstock , YMMV .

 

[j-becker]

Thanks for your comment! I wasn't really considering spending $400 . I bought my Albrecht for about $100 (which is similar to a Vertex or PM chuck). I bought my PM key less for the tail stock when starting out but have yet to have a drill slip. But I use annular cutters for a larger diameters. From your comments it sounds like any halfway decent chuck should work fine.

 

[G-ManBart]

Thanks for your comment! I wasn't really considering spending $400 . I bought my Albrecht for about $100 (which is similar to a Vertex or PM chuck). I bought my PM key less for the tail stock when starting out but have yet to have a drill slip. But I use annular cutters for a larger diameters. From your comments it sounds like any halfway decent chuck should work fine.

While keyless chucks aren't always ideal in a tailstock, I use them quite a bit and haven't had any issues. For reference, I've got a very nice Albrecht on my Bridgeport and an older (USA) Jacob's 14N Super Ball Bearing chuck on my drill press and had a Rohm for a while, so I've seen some decent chucks.

There's a company here in Michigan where I've bought a few things (they seem to be the actual importer of a lot of less expensive machine tooling) that impressed me, so I took a chance on one of their MT3 integral shank keyless chucks....totally blown away at how nice they are. They are just as smooth as my Albrecht. No, I can't tell the quality of the steel used for the jaws, or other details like that, but at this price I can replace the entire chuck cheaper than buy a rebuild kit for a used chuck, so I'm not terribly worried.

I can pick them up in person, so it's a touch cheaper with no shipping, but I still don't know how they sell them so cheap. I have the 5/8" version on one lathe and the 1/2" version on another lathe. The 1/2" goes down to 1/32"....not sure if that's small enough for what you're doing. Here's a link to their eBay ad....it's CME Tools in Madison Heights and you can also order off their website. I check both because sometimes one has a lower price.

MT3 Ball Bearing Keyless Drill Chuck 1/2" Integral design w. Tang #DCK-MT3-12TG | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MT3 Ball Bearing Keyless Drill Chuck 1/2" Integral design w. Tang #DCK-MT3-12TG at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[455dan]

How about a mini chuck small drill holder , Dremel chuck adaptor or pin vice that can be put in the big chuck?

 

[mmcmdl]

The reason I never use a good expensive chuck in a lathe tailstock is it has no " feel " . I use them on a mill and drill press , small Hardinge turret lathe etc all the time . I can feel when things are either binding or not going right and back it off in a hurry . Hope you can understand this .

 

[j-becker]

While keyless chucks aren't always ideal in a tailstock, I use them quite a bit and haven't had any issues. For reference, I've got a very nice Albrecht on my Bridgeport and an older (USA) Jacob's 14N Super Ball Bearing chuck on my drill press and had a Rohm for a while, so I've seen some decent chucks.

There's a company here in Michigan where I've bought a few things (they seem to be the actual importer of a lot of less expensive machine tooling) that impressed me, so I took a chance on one of their MT3 integral shank keyless chucks....totally blown away at how nice they are. They are just as smooth as my Albrecht. No, I can't tell the quality of the steel used for the jaws, or other details like that, but at this price I can replace the entire chuck cheaper than buy a rebuild kit for a used chuck, so I'm not terribly worried.

I can pick them up in person, so it's a touch cheaper with no shipping, but I still don't know how they sell them so cheap. I have the 5/8" version on one lathe and the 1/2" version on another lathe. The 1/2" goes down to 1/32"....not sure if that's small enough for what you're doing. Here's a link to their eBay ad....it's CME Tools in Madison Heights and you can also order off their website. I check both because sometimes one has a lower price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/183626737975?hash=item2ac101a937:g:pPwAAOSwn01cNNEy

Thanks for the link! They do have a good pricing for sure and 1/32 would be small enough for me.

 

[j-becker]

How about a mini chuck small drill holder , Dremel chuck adaptor or pin vice that can be put in the big chuck?

That is a good idea for going a little smaller than 1/8. I am a bit concerned about the potential loss of concentricity for small drills like 1 or 1.5 mm. If you get them even sightly off center they start wobbling and break easily (and I don't need the assistance with my skill level... ;-).

 

[j-becker]

The reason I never use a good expensive chuck in a lathe tailstock is it has no " feel " . I use them on a mill and drill press , small Hardinge turret lathe etc all the time . I can feel when things are either binding or not going right and back it off in a hurry . Hope you can understand this .

Do you have any experience with the sensitive drilling attachments? That would seem to be a good solution for fine feeding small drills.