- Joined
- Feb 17, 2014
- Messages
- 97
I've got a Clausing 4914 that I've been using and working on for about 5 years. I picked it up for $150. It was very complete, including a 3 phase Baldor brake motor. I've been looking for a 4 Jaw chuck for the odd-ball 1-3/4x8 headstock threads. I finally located one and began work to fit the chuck. But the original 6" 3 Jaw had never been removed. I wanted to be careful not to break gears or the 3 jaw chuck. So I looked around on the web for options. I saw someone that had a similar situation, on a similar lathe. So I used his technique. Once I had the chuck properly blocked, I tried all manner of wrenches to loosen the chuck, to no avail. I finally ended-up machining a custom spanner wrench, which would hold nearly my entire 180 lb frame, without un-sticking the chuck. Finally after applying a little heat to the base of the chuck, and using the custom spanner, the chuck finally broke loose. Here's a couple photos, in case they are useful to someone else, with a similarly stuck chuck.
In hind site, I think applying a little heat, earlier in the process might have been helpful. It takes a lot of heat to warm a 6" chuck, but it didn't seem to take much to get the chuck to finally break loose.
On a side note, while I had the lathe apart, I pulled the head and all the gearing and gave everything a thorough cleaning. It appeared that the previous owner had use it to machine phenolic or some similar material. The dust of this material had caked all over the gears and stuck in the grease. I also located one of the problems with the head jumping out of gear, while threading. So after the clean-up and re-assembly, it's much quieter and smoother. So what turned out to be a chuck re-fit ended up being a head cleaning.
Eric
In hind site, I think applying a little heat, earlier in the process might have been helpful. It takes a lot of heat to warm a 6" chuck, but it didn't seem to take much to get the chuck to finally break loose.
On a side note, while I had the lathe apart, I pulled the head and all the gearing and gave everything a thorough cleaning. It appeared that the previous owner had use it to machine phenolic or some similar material. The dust of this material had caked all over the gears and stuck in the grease. I also located one of the problems with the head jumping out of gear, while threading. So after the clean-up and re-assembly, it's much quieter and smoother. So what turned out to be a chuck re-fit ended up being a head cleaning.
Eric
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