stuck chuck again

My local motor factors is open, you may find yours is too.

Adrian

'pologies if this is teaching granny etc., but I find that even the slightest failing to ensure that the chuck is run completely onto it's seat before starting invariably leads to it sticking..

Has anyone ever used (or considered) a LH-threaded nut on the end of a mandrel inserted through the chuck to hold a spindle whilst loosening a chuck?

Hi Guys,

Beware if you use grease on the spindle and chuck threads ! It will pick up minute particles of material that will eventually get embedded into the threads and then jam the chuck.

The secret is absolute cleanliness and plenty of oil. I made a spring thread cleaner for use in the chuck threads. Its surprising how much debris it removes from what looks like a clean thread. Next time you have the chuck off have a look using a loupe. Same with the spindle threads, I use a brass brush to clean mine.

Succesfull way to make a chuck unstuck for me was a spindle holding tool copied from this australian picture.

I used oak instead of aluminium for the two blocks.

Chucker unstucker

When I first got the lathe the 3 jaw were really stuck and I sepparated it from backplate and machined plate away.

One hour work and a new backplate was 15£.

Second time the shown tool copy did it in a second.

Just use whatever oil you use on the rest of the lathe until then. Its better than nothing.

I would not recommend any grease on the threads, a light coating of oil is better. The threads should be cleaned properly occasionally. As already mentioned, be sure to screw the chuck up firmly, then the shock of starting the lathe will not tighten it further.

Copper grease has worked for me for decades. Including lathes a lot bigger than Myfords. Doesnt collect any more swarf than oil. And you can wipe it off clean and apply new whenever you like. Never had a tight chuck in all that time.

+ 1  on screw the chuck up against the register collar before starting the lathe.

Edited By Hopper on 07/06/2020 02:10:16

then the shock of starting the lathe will not tighten it further.

Just another possible advantage of a VFD and programming a soft start?

I’ve yet to have more difficulty in removing a screwed chuck than a quite hefty wallop, with a lump hammer, at the end of a 500mm adjustable spanner. NOT with the lathe in back-gear, I might add.🙂

A previous owner of my 5’ drilled through the tail end of the spindle, so a long bar can be used to lock it if necessary. The holes are currently taped over to prevent anything, going through the spindle, falling on (or near) the geat train.🙂