Drill chuck removal

[Bob LambParticipant @boblamb44747]

[Bob LambParticipant @boblamb44747]

I have a 0 – 13mm keyless drill chuck made by LFA from France.The chuck is in good condition but the No 2 morse taper is slightly scored and has a couple of small marks. I don’t want to cause any damage to the tailstock taper but it would be nice to try and use it on the lathe. Two questions:

1.Is there a preferred method for “cleaning up” the taper in some way?

2.Would it be easier / safer to replace the taper into the back of the chuck? If that is the better option how do I remove the old taper from the back of the chuck? The taper is stamped on the end “LFA 2 – J6. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Bob

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Sounds like a pretty standard chuck to arbor arrangement to me. Just use a pair of wedges betwen the back of the chuck and the shoulder on the arbor. I’ve just bought a pair of wedges from Arc Euro Trade. They work a treat. Mind you, if the chuck has been on the B6 taper for a while it might need a fair old bit of wellie (sorry to be technical) to get it moving. Perhaps a drop of penetrating oil overnight, if it’s particularly stubborn.

 

Regards,

John

 

 

[Bob LambParticipant @boblamb44747]

John – thanks – I will see if I can get some wedges from Sandown. – Bob

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I ‘m not familiar with your chuck, but maybe if it.’s opened up you can knock the arbor out with a suitable drift. If the marking is not to bad maybe a fine file will remove it? Also can turn away the middle 1/3 of the morse taper if that would help, check fit after with marking blue.

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

Unless the scoring is particularly unsightly or covers a large surface area, I’d be inclined to clean off any high spots with a diamond hone or a diamond file. Dealing with local high spots this way is perfectly acceptable. If your tailstock socket is good, you’ll know when you’ve arrived because it’ll fit with a satisfyingly strong friction fit way better than what you probably currently have. At least this will save you trying to source what could be quite a scarce LFA to 2MT taper arbor. You have nothing to lose so worth trying before stumping up any cash.

[Swarf, Mostly!Participant @swarfmostly]

Hi there, Bob,

If you MUST remove the chuck from its arbor, I suggest that you first open the chuck jaws fully and look at the very back of the opening.

There used to be a fashion to drill and tap the end of the arbor and drill the back wall of the chuck to permit the fitting of a securing screw, say 4 BA. The hole in the back wall of the chuck was tapped with a larger thread to permit the use of a suitable screw to push the chuck off the J6 (or whatever) taper.

I seem to remember that this scheme was recommended in one of the Duplex books; Jacobs chucks didn’t come from the factory so fitted.

Should your chuck & arbor happen to have been modified this way you’ll obviously need to remove the securing screw and the push screw might then avoid the need for the wedges. I guess you might still need the penetrating oil.

 

I hope this helps,

Best regards,

 

Swarf, mostly.

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Hi all

 

I agree with most, Light scoring can easily be removesd from most arbors with a file or if hardened, a diamond slipstone or even emery. The resultant slight marking won’t hurt.

 

By the way, most chucks can be released from their arbors by using a drift through the chuck itself from the jaws. There is often a drift hole in the back of the chuck for that purpose – I have done that with several chucks. If not, I have seen somewhere (it may even have been on the Jacobs site, that a suitable drift hole can be drilled through the rear of the chuck from the front, but not sure about that). Also the J6 number refers to the arbor to chuck taper, it is a Jacobs standard taper which is commonly used.

 

Just looked at Jacobs site here and they do suggest drilling as one means of removal.

 

Regards

 

T

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

I once got caught out for ages by a screw inside a chuck. It had a LEFT HAND THREAD!

 

Neil

[VersabossParticipant @versaboss]

I should like to remind that it is a keyless chuck! These have – to the best of my knowledge – no axial hole for inserting a drift. I would say that drilling though the chuck would possibly destroy it. Usually the innards are hardened also.

Wedges are the way to go.

yes, I also wanted to say that J6 is a jacobs taper (not so common in Europe, though), but Terryd was faster!

Greetings, Hansrudolf

[Bob LambParticipant @boblamb44747]

Thanks for all the replies – I took the easy way out (as suggested) and took off the high spots with a stone. It now seems to sit in the taper very snugly and a trial with a no 65 drill drilled in really easily with no wobble at all. However, even though it says it is a 0 – 13 mm chuck it wouldn’t hold a 72 drill ! (never believe what it says on the label)!

 

I am really pleased with the result AND I won’t lose the chuck key. Thank you to all who helped me.

 

Bob

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

Glad it worked. It usually does.

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Just had a quick look at the manufacturer’s web site, (www.lfa-amyot.com/P03/P0313.html), refers to what I think is your chuck – a key-less auto-locking device. It bears a remarkable resemblance to one I bought for use in my lathe and mill, but mine was made in Asia. Elsewhere on the site it refers to a lefthand thread securing screw as Neil says above. So beware if you do try to remove it from the arbor.

 

Regards,

John

[Author]

Posts