Drill chuck stuck in tail stock

I recently encountered this on my wood lathe with no slot nor access through the back. I was able to slip an open end wrench around the taper between the back of the centre and the nose of the ram, then wound the ram back towards the casting. When the wrench encountered the casting, it pulled the taper free. Poor mans pickle fork?

-frank
 
Heat can help these situations too - but be reasonable - don't heat to the point of distorting or altering temper (stop if the color of the steel starts to change). Warm up the female portion of the stuck part and then use a drive rod or large punch as others have suggested to separate the parts. If you have a good heat gun (blows hot air), this can be a good gentle way to warm up small parts.

I wouldn't recommend using a press in this situation.
 
on the subject of heat, I'd use heat freeze cycles instead to loosen any bond (holding a compressed air can upside down = great freeze spray) then freeze again before giving the rod a sharp rap with the hammer. Heating is going to cause both mating parts to expand, which is the opposite of what you want.

Had the same problem with a shop changing a wheel bearing in a drum for me (for beer, so I didn't complain!). They couldn't press the old one out on first go so they heated the snot out of it until it nearly melted its way through the bag I brought it in, then they fought for ages to get a new one in. I did the replacement cold on both sides and they popped right out with a much smaller press.
 
I would also avoid the idea of jumping to a press, until other ideas are exhausted. It's just way too easy to overload something and break it before you fully understand it.

Do you have/can you find a manual for the machine to explain the process?

I have had great success with a homemade penetrating oil made with half automatic transmission fluid (ATF) and half acetone. The acetone makes it so thin that it wicks into small cracks easily. When the acetone evaporates it leaves a nice film of ATF oil. I was able to take apart an old milling machine that was sitting outside at a junk-yard for over ten years, not one broken bolt. In fact, I was even able to remove the stub of one handle that was broken off previously.

I would be patient as possible with penetrating oil, and try the punch and a good whack. The pickle fork is another great idea, just stop before damaging the chuck or tail-stock barrel.

Good Luck! Please let us know how it goes.

brino
 
Back to heat and cold. If you have the space in the freezer, 'soak' it in there for a few hours, then apply heat to the sleeve - gently, very gently.
I saw this method in action 40 years ago on decades old punch dies. The Tool & Die Maker would stick the whole section in the freezer overnight
and then go at it in the morning.
But, the tailstock spindle has a lot less mass, so take that into account.

_Dan
 
Yes, I agree with the punch idea, so long as you can get access (by removing the handwheel and screw) to insert a suitable piece of steel rod, bronze, brass - whatever, and whack it. Probably a good idea to remove the whole sleeve and set it vertically on a vice (vise to Americans) in order to do this. Use a couple of short pieces of angle iron to support the end of the sleeve.
I have done it many times, no damage, no problem!
If it is being caused by the tang on the drill or taper sleeve being a bit short, I sometimes drill and tap the end and screw in a permanent short bolt to lengthen it, if you don't, it will just happen again.:))
 
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wildun said:
Yes, I agree with the punch idea, so long as you can get access (by removing the handwheel and screw) to insert a suitable piece of steel rod, bronze, brass - whatever, and whack it. Probably a good idea to remove the whole sleeve and set it vertically on a vice (vise to Americans) in order to do this. Use a couple of short pieces of angle iron to support the end of the sleeve.
I have done it many times, no damage, no problem!
If it is being caused by the tang on the drill or taper sleeve being a bit short, I sometimes drill and tap the end and screw in a permanent short bolt to lengthen it, if you don't, it will just happen again.:))
Click to expand...

Are those tangs soft enough to machine? I had assumed that the entire taper was hardened. I have a drill chuck arbor that I'd like to cut off and tap for a drawbar.
 
John Hasler said:
Are those tangs soft enough to machine? I had assumed that the entire taper was hardened. I have a drill chuck arbor that I'd like to cut off and tap for a drawbar.
Click to expand...


Normally they are not hardened, but may not be dead soft. The best way to tell is a file. I've had pretty good luck modifying stuff like that.
 
If the end could be plugged with a fitting this would be a perfect place to use a grease gun to force it out.
 
John Hasler said:
Are those tangs soft enough to machine? I had assumed that the entire taper was hardened. I have a drill chuck arbor that I'd like to cut off and tap for a drawbar.
Click to expand...

Yes, normally reasonably soft and easily machinable.

- - - Updated - - -

mcostello said:
If the end could be plugged with a fitting this would be a perfect place to use a grease gun to force it out.
Click to expand...

A sharp smack is really the best answer, it usually needs a bit of a jolt to free it and it's really simple - it's not really an unusual situation - or remedy!
 
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