Other Suggestions for Removing Stuck Chucks

[Nelson]

This suggestion comes from Dick McBirney, and is reprinted with his permission:

I would like to add a suggestion (untested) as to the best way to remove a
>>really<< stuck chuck (where no friction clamp will hold and nothing else
has worked):

1) Engage the back gears.

2) Apply a dam of clay around the top back gear mesh where the spindle
bull gear meshes with the mating back gear.

3) Pour low melting point metal onto the teeth to form a casting that has
several bull gear and mating gear teeth in it.

4) Remove the casting, trim it up, and place it on the lower side of the
bull gear, fitting the cast teeth into the back and bull gears (spreading
the load over several teeth).

5) Clamp a steel bar to one side of two chuck jaws (for a 4 jaw chuck)

6) Apply as much force as you can to the end of the steel bar.

7) While applying that force, strike the steel bar near one jaw with a
steel hammer.

8) If this method doesn't work, the last resort is to machine the backing
plate off the spindle...




I just combined all the desirable features I could think of:

1. Spread the load over several teeth on each gear to protect the back gear teeth,
2. Apply the most torque you can to the threads,
3. Then shock it.

The hard part I think will be to arrange the dam so the resulting casting can be removed from the gear teeth, probably by just filling the bottom of the gear mesh with clay. Then the casting may need trimming.
It has also occurred to me that a casting like this might be a salable – or rentable – item…
Or maybe it could be replaced by a suitable length of gear rack.


Dick McBirney

 

[4GSR]

Nelson,

I had a 18" lathe back many years ago that had a stuck backplate on the spindle. It was made of steel rather than cast or ductile iron. I figured it gualded the threads over time and apparently the one and only 4-jaw chuck that came with the lathe. Any ways, I just machined a adapter plate to fit to it and bolted it on and then machined it to fit the new-old chuck to the sub plate. Just another approach to solving the "stuck chuck" problem.

 

[terry_g]

Years ago I bought a 10K Southbend lathe that had a stuck chuck.
I chucked a piece of 1 1/2" hex stock and while holding the pinion on the end
of the spindle with a welding glove used a 3/4" air impact to spin it off.
It took a few tries but finally let go.

Terry