How to unstick L1 lathe chuck nut?

E

ErichKeane

Making scrap at ludicrous speed.
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I've had this off before, and it has never really taken more than a few wacks with a dead blow. I had not taken the 6 jaw off in quite a while, now trying to get my 4 jaw in place.

I welded a much longer bar to my wrench, and put a 1-1/2" steel bar in the chuck, and couldn't get it to work. This picture is the setup I have now, with a floor jack trying to spin the chuck, and the wrench + welded bar against the wall.

It seems the steel bars are bending before anything gives. I'm about 99.9% sure I'm going the right way (spinning the nut counter clockwise when looking at the chuck).

I even have tried my air hammer maxed out, while in tension like above, and have had no luck.

Any ideas?
 

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Also tried heat and break-free spray. Tons of mass in it, so my small map torch can't do all that much, but it made it too hot to touch. This thing is just sized...

The tip of my air hammer is rounded over/mangled as well now. And yet, still no progress :/
 
I would put a wood block under one chuck jaw (end grain), resting against the plywood, or directly against the rear way, and being the wrench down further, hopefully horizontal towards the back of the machine. The chuck and the nut are right hand threaded and give it a big whack with a big hammer, I would remove the extension that you have welded on, and it looks like to me that the floor jack is working against you. I had a lathe with the type L spindle nose, and am pretty sure that it is a RH thread, look at your other chuck to make sure.
 
Holy crap.... You guys are right. I was turning the wrong way this whole time. I'm such a giant dummy. I had convinced myself they the threads I could see meant going the other way, and it agreed with my apparently poor memory.

I saw Ed's post, then hit the other side of the nut with the air hammer, and it loosened right up.

*Shame*

Thank you guys so much for catching me before I broke something.
 
ErichKeane said:
Holy crap.... You guys are right. I was turning the wrong way this whole time. I'm such a giant dummy. I had convinced myself they the threads I could see meant going the other way, and it agreed with my apparently poor memory.

I saw Ed's post, then hit the other side of the nut with the air hammer, and it loosened right up.

*Shame*

Thank you guys so much for catching me before I broke something.
Click to expand...
I think it would take quite a lot to break that Reid Prentice lathe, I never ran one, but it looks about the same ilk as the Lodge & Shipley lathes that I was apprenticed on.
 
When I saw your picture, the first thing I thought was, "Oh ,my god, that's BACKWARDS!"

Make yourself a note and PIN IT TO THE WALL BEHIND THE LATHE!
 
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