Early 40's Drill Press

[G.Sherman]

My son just showed up with this Delta/Craft 14" drill press as an aid to my ongoing work with the boat. It runs, seems to be ing great condition (a little dusty) and may be of some help.

One problem: it has a keyless chuck, a terrible manual, a hole saw in the chuck and, seemingly, no discernible way to operate the chuck to remove the saw.

Any thoughts on how the keyless chuck disengages?

[rstclair]

Get all the numbers you can (make, model,sn, etc). Then go here
http://www.owwm.org/ it may take a little to get around between the .org and the .com sites, but you should be able to find some info on the DP. If you can't find it, post a question and you will get some help. Great site for old woodworking machines.

Bob St.Clair

[Tylerdurden]

A photo would be helpful. Are you sure its a keyless or is it a taper?
Chucks are recent additions after the fortys.

[D Happ]

Keyless chucks can be miserable. Extend the spindle all the way down and see if there is an oval shaped slot in the side of the quill. Rotate the spindle until the spindle slot lines up with the quill slot. If it has these slots, a drill drift is slipped into the slots and a wack with a hammer will drop the chuck out of the spindle.
You'll be dropping the chuck and it's morse taper shaft out with it. It might look like this. Hope this helps.
Dan H

http://www.lathemaster.com/images/3-4_inch_keyless_drill_chuck_-_mt3.jpg

I have had to use two pipe wrenches to get them loose. One on the little top knurled ring and one on the chuck. I hate doing that but what else can you do?

[Dave Davis]

I have had to use two pipe wrenches to get them loose. One on the little top knurled ring and one on the chuck. I hate doing that but what else can you do?

Strap wrench?

[Rob Hazard]

The Jacobs company sells forked wedges in pairs for removing chucks from spindle tapers. They have a gap sized to fit around the spindle and you drive or clamp them together to pop the chuck free.

Keyless chucks come in different grades. The cheap ones are an abomination, but the good ones are a great timesaver if you are constantly changing bits.

Have you determined the make of your drillpress yet?

[rddrappo]

I have also had to use pipe wrenches on keyless chucks. Strap wrenches don't grab as good. But a scratched tool is better than a useless one.

[G.Sherman]

Here it is.....
<a href="http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/Gaz02026/?action=view&current=PICT0014.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/Gaz02026/PICT0014.jpg" border="0" alt="keyless chuck"></a>
<a href="http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/Gaz02026/?action=view&current=PICT0011.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/Gaz02026/PICT0011.jpg" border="0" alt="Drill Press"></a>

[G.Sherman]

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/Gaz02026/PICT0011.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/Gaz02026/PICT0014.jpg

[Paul Scheuer]

I've got something similar. It came with an old lathe. It's threaded onto the quill, which operates the jaws. There shuold be two holes on the top that will receive somthing like a spanner wrench if you can't get it loose by gripping the knurls. I think I see the threaded quill and the holes in your pic.

A little WD-40 in that thread wouldn't hurt.

[Tylerdurden]

Spray down with a quality penetrant and let sit then apply heat.
As long as there is no burr it should come loose. And stay away from speed chucks.

[D Happ]

Working out in the shop today, I remembered why those chucks get so tight. The jaws turn with the nut, unlike a Jacobs where the jaws remain stationary. With the keyless chucks, as the drill turns it gets tighter. Any vibration witll aslo tighten them up. As you can see there is a hole saw in there and we all know how they vibrate. It may come down to a wack with a pipewrench. The nut loosens clockwise looking down, or to put it another way, in the direction of rotation.

[Captain Blight]

I've always wanted to get one of those and paint big ol' glowing eyes and throbbing veins across that cool head casting. Make it look like an alien head.

PS: You're screwed.

Maybe you could hold on to the bit and grab the chuck with Channel-Locks or a pipe wrench? Looks like a chuck I have in a Millers Falls breast drill. Huh.

[pila]

If that's the type I think it is, you will have to hold the spindle shaft and turn the chuck off of the threaded end of the shaft. You may be able to hold the shaft above the pulley on the top.

[BETTY-B]

Hey, since I'm pretty sure everyone likes to see old tools, do ya mind if I show off my early forties drill press? Sweet, thanks. I just love the thing. And I just used it this morning to bore a hole in a teak handle I turned last night for a friends winch.

How's that for an alien head, Cap'n?

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d10/Bridgedeck/Powr%20Tools/betty001.jpg

[Paul Scheuer]

If we're talking old DPs, here's my entry. Obviously Pre-Roswell. Decal says AA or Delta Delta, and some printing that I can't read. It does have the keyless chuck like the one that I mentioned above.

I also checked my two-speed breast drill. is has what looks like the same chuck that G. is seeing.

On further review, all of my egg beaters are similarly keyless.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/PaulScheuer/ToolsDP001Small.jpg

Millers Falls 120B, Two-Speed.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/PaulScheuer/ToolsDP003Small.jpg

Millers Falls 105 Egg Beater.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/PaulScheuer/ToolsDP004Small.jpg