Thread: Changing chuck on Durden L500

I found this:

L500

Durden Woodworking Products

I bought a used Woodfast with faceplate, handwheel, and tailstock live center rusted in place.

Here is my method of removing stuck chucks or faceplates.

Soak the joint between the chuck and the thread of the spindle with your favorite penetrating oil. Squirt some inside the center hole of the chuck. Here in the USA I like PB Blaster, WD-40 works, spraying alternately with engine starting ether and thin oil also works.

The following assumes the chuck is inboard (to the right of the headstock) which will be right hand thread. The chuck comes off by turning anti-clockwise. If outboard, it could be threaded either left or right handed.

Let set overnight or longer, reapply oil liberally, using a small brass or plastic faced hammer tap, tap, tap on the spigot of the chuck next to the joint between the the chuck and the spindle while turning the chuck. Keep tapping and adding penetrating oil. Wipe the joint with a white paper towel to see if a bit of dirty or rusty oil is coming out. If so, progress is being made.

Continue tapping and adding oil, taking time for a cuppa now and then.

Get two 20 mm strong sticks one about 300 mm long the other long enough to span the opening to the step pulley. Grab the 300 mm stick in the chuck like a clock hand extending out at the 9 o'clock position.

Place the other stick parallel to the spindle across the opening to the step pulley and lash the stick to the pulley looping around the larger two steps. Any stout cord will do, masons twine, venetian blind cord, etc.

Tie to the stick, run a loop twice around the big pulley step, pull tight, tie to the stick. Do this several times on the two biggest pulley steps.

Keep the stick in the chuck close to the 9 o'clock position.

With another stick about the size of an old fashioned police billy club, whack the stick extending out of the chuck VERY sharply, like a karate chop. Repeat until the chuck loosens, one or the other of the sticks break, or the neighbors or your significant other come to ask "WHAT IN BLUE FLAMING BLAZES ARE YOU DOING!!!".

If your arm gets tired or 2 or 3 of the above occur, soak everything with oil and let it soak until tomorrow.

Put a new stout stick in the chuck, and / or replace your club. We want sharp shocks, not heavy blows which will damage the bearings. Liberally soak with oil, tap around the spigot for about 5 minutes, more oil, have a cuppa.

Get a portable hair dryer, heat gun, or propane torch, and apply heat to the spigot of the chuck or the body of the chuck until the oil starts to sizzle and / or smoke.

Add more oil and beat the stick with the club. Usually it will come free by now. If not give it another overnight soak, tapping, heat, beating.

If after 2 or 3 days of the above with no movement, and the spindle is hollow, stuffing the spindle with ice, or better dry ice, and heating the chuck will free it.

Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

When you get the chuck off, scrub off any rust and dirt on the threads and inside the spigot of the chuck with oil and a wire brush. Do the same with the spindle and the smooth nose that fits into the chuck.

The chuck is held in position by the fit of the smooth parts of the spindle nose and and the facing parts inside the chuck. The threads just hold the chuck in place.

Keep the spindle nose and thread and the inside of the chuck lightly oiled and be sure there are no chips or sawdust on any of the mating surfaces before putting together.

I use a bottle brush a bit larger than the internal threads of the chuck.

When you put the chuck on, screw it up hand tight, do not let it be loose so that when the lathe is started it slams the chuck tight.

Wow thanks Paul for the comprehensive reply - much appreciated!

There is what looks like an allen key hole on the spindle behind the faceplate, but the lathe didn't come with any keys. I'll definitely buy the manual - I normally have an adversity to paying for manuals but I think it'll come in useful, not just for this process but in future as the rest of the lathe works fine.

Now off to the local hardware store for some WD40!

Originally Posted by Paul39

...When you put the chuck on, screw it up hand tight, do not let it be loose so that when the lathe is started it slams the chuck tight.

To reduce the likelihood of seizing, add a thin plastic washer (.e.g. cut from the flat side of a milk bottle, HDPE; or perspex if it isn't too thick) between the chuck body and the spindle shoulder.

Cheers,
Joe