HF Drill Press wobbles?

[teamtom]

I know I get what I pay for, but I bought the 2nd biggest HF drill press about 2 months ago and it has performed well, however, as I put longer bits in, I notice a definite wobble at the tip. I can still use the press but I am also looking for an excuse to buy a better chuck. Will a better chuck solve this issue or do I need to track it back into the press (spindle?)
Thanks for any advice,
Tom

Also can someone recommend a good vise that quickly mounts to the table, I have a craftsman one, but it takes nuts and bolts to mount it each time, is that the norm?

[DannyK]

I know I get what I pay for, but I bought the 2nd biggest HF drill press about 2 months ago and it has performed well, however, as I put longer bits in, I notice a definite wobble at the tip. I can still use the press but I am also looking for an excuse to buy a better chuck. Will a better chuck solve this issue or do I need to track it back into the press (spindle?)

You should find out where the slop is coming from before replacing parts. A dial indicator works well for this. It may be that you only need to tighten the spindle housing bolts, or it could be a loose spindle/chuck. A nice Jacobs chuck is always a nice addition to a drill press, but it will still wobble if the spindle or spindle shaft are the problem. It could also be a bent bit, so check everything. Try this link: http://www.rvplane.com/pdf/drill_press_tune-up.pdf

I use to have a HF drill press and I was never satisfied with its tolerances, so I sold it and found a rusty old Buffalo No. 18 on craigslist for $100. After a full restoration, it works as well as it did the day it was manufactured....and they certainly made some quality machinery back in the 40's and 50's. If you want a really nice drill press for minimal funds, then look for the old industrial presses. Older Delta, Rockwell, Powermatic, Buffalo, Champion, Atlas, etc. are nice additions to any shop.

[Wyoming]

It wouldn't hurt to take DannyK's recommendation on finding out just where the slop is on your drill press. More than likely it is the chuck though. Those Harbor Freight drill presses aren't bad for the money. After spending years with a wobble in mine, I swapped the chuck out for a Jacobs Super Chuck and noticed a vast improvement over even what the drill press was like as new. So...pop the chuck out and either run the dial indicator off the spindle or chuck up a MT bit in good shape and read off that. If the spindle indicates well, replace the chuck with a better quality one...which shouldn't be hard to find as the original probably is a fine example of lack of quality control. Provided the spindle bearings are good and the shaft is straight, you should have a fine workable drill press once the chuck is swapped out.

DannyK is right about finding an older model drill press. They were built much better in their day. My camelback Excalibur has now relogated my old HF drill press to woodworking duties. A better lever operated quill feed, power downfeed, larger MT spindle and much lower minimum speed makes the Excalibur a pleasure to use....though the flat belts and more than numerous oiling points do slow things down a bit.

[vicegrip]

So...pop the chuck out and either run the dial indicator off the spindle or chuck up a MT bit in good shape and read off that. If the spindle indicates well, replace the chuck with a better quality one...which shouldn't be hard to find as the original probably is a fine example of lack of quality control. Provided the spindle bearings are good and the shaft is straight, you should have a fine workable drill press once the chuck is swapped out.

.

If you get a run-out that stays in the same radial location, every time around
that will be the limitation of your machine. You can 180 the chuck and see if
one will cancel / improve the other, few chucks are "perfect".

If you get a run-out that moves drops back in location*** inrementally
each time around your bearings are compromiced.

*** Like the moon's position day to day.

VG

[DannyK]

I swapped the chuck out for a Jacobs Super Chuck and noticed a vast improvement over even what the drill press was like as new.

EEK! I bet that chuck cried. I am not sure I'd put a chuck into a DP that cost as much as the DP. I'd prefer buying a better DP that already has a Super Chuck

A better lever operated quill feed, power downfeed, larger MT spindle and much lower minimum speed makes the Excalibur a pleasure to use....though the flat belts and more than numerous oiling points do slow things down a bit.

Well put! I do love the flat belt camelbacks....slow speed and can drill a huge freaking hole.

few chucks are "perfect".

For a drill press, the Jacobs Super Chuck is close, very close.

[Hotfoot]

We probably have the same machine. I swapped in an ENCO Ball Bearing 3/4" chuck as soon as I got the machine, because the HF chuck was froze up (they did give me a walk-in replacement new chuck, which is still in the box in a drawer). The ENCO was on sale at the time for either $15.00 or $30.00, I cannot remember which, but its been fine!

[Wyoming]

Actually, the Jacobs Super Chuck, a 16N...5/8" max., was used off eBay and ran around $30 delivered...bought it and a 14N on the same auction, so an exact price is a bit hard to tell. Both were in good shape. I've since purchased Super Chucks for my mill, camelback and lathe as well...14N and 16 for the Bridgeport, 14N, 16N and 18N for the 14" lathe and an 18N for the camelback. If you pay attention to the photos on the auctions you'll have a fairly good feel for whether the chucks are still in good shape...not very good pictures...no bid.

[DannyK]

Hmm, I never thought of looking on ebay for a chuck..I don't need one right now, but you never know....off to ebay for a looksee...thanks Wyoming

[Wyoming]

Hmm, I never thought of looking on ebay for a chuck..I don't need one right now, but you never know....off to ebay for a looksee...thanks Wyoming

Cover all your search options as sellers mislabel the heck out of things. I've used "Jacobs chuck", "Super Chuck" and Jacobs 14N thru 20N" for search options. You could probably find a few more if you use "drill chuck", but I'm not about to go through that living Hades sorting out the good from the junk just to find the buy of the day.

For your camelback, if you are interested in the Collis Magic Chuck format for quick change, give me a shout as I found an equipment dealer through Vicegrip out of Racine that sells them cheaper than I was able to find anywhere else. they take up a lot of headroom so probably only usable on your largest machine.

EDIT: Since writing the above, I picked up a 20N for the camelback off eBay for $76. Looks to be in good shape. I've used the seller before and have been happy with his products...eBay seller diesaldorf.

[DannyK]

Will do...thanks!

[whateg0]

I'll second, or third, or whatever, what everybody else has said. My HF chuck disassembled it's innards so I replaced it with a Jacobs chuck off ebay. You can also try searching arbor and lathe chuck as it seems those using a lathe have a desire to have tighter tolerances than those of use using drill presses. (Can't imagine why! ) Anyway, like somebody earlier said, just replacing the chuck will make the machine so much nicer. It's amazing how much better an old used Jacobs chuck is to operate than the HF chuck new.

Here's the replacement of my chuck.

http://hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/showthread.php?t=23850

Dave