Thread: Drill press: help installing chuck onto tapered arbor

You need a wedge to drive in through the slot to push the arbor out. If you don't have one the easiest way is to just fit the chuck to the arbor where it is. I would warm the chuck first, in an oven, and then tap it on firmly with a block of wood or mallet. Be sure to clean the mating surfaces first.
EDIT - That taper may not be removeable, like the one on my drill press, in which case just install it in situ.

Thanks. Checking the machine again, there's no slot to drop the arbor out so you're right that its not removable. I will do as you suggest; what's the best solution for cleaning? Acetone do the trick? Think I have some stored in the shed out the back.

Also need to find me a drill press wedge ...

Yeah, acetone if it's got that stuff they use to prevent corrosion, otherwise just a clean piece of paper towel.

A quick look at that machine’s specs and it confirms it only has a JT33 taper for attaching the chuck. If you want to be able to remove the chuck again you’ll need to buy a removal wedge like these:
D5950531-5B81-46C0-B87B-51318E30FC2C.jpeg
Clean off any preservative from both the spindle end and the chuck; personally I’d use DW40, kero or diesel rather than acetone as that is water soluble. Wipe dry with a clean paper towel, pop the chuck onto the spindle and give it a firm TAP with a mallet; you don’t need to flog it.

just wind up the table then push the taper into the chuck while supporting the chuck on the table on a block of wood. You only need to remove it if you want to fit another chuck or an annular reamer holder or something similar

Thanks everyone - y'all are awesome. I'll see if I can get this done during a break later today.

It never occurred to me that the drill press would be such a learning curve. Unlike every other power tool I've bought to date which more or less was operational directly out the box, I've had to assemble this one and learn it's workings; it hasn't been as straight forward as I had anticipated ... but my newbie-ness aside ...

Now that I've attached the chuck to the arbor, I've fired it up and tried drilling into a scrap piece of ply. The drill press grinds to a halt when exerting even slight pressure of the bit into the piece.

Is this because:
a) I've not actually seated the chuck properly on the arbor after all (I've ~8mm space on the arbor between the chuck and the spindle), or
b) the belt is too loose (it looks really, really loose to me), or
c) something else that I'm clueless to consider

IMG_3249.jpg

That belt is way too loose. Undo the plastic wing nuts on each side, push the motor back until the belt's tight and tighten the wing nuts.

The motor pulley looks like it might need to slide down on the shaft a bit as well. Grub screw or two to loosen on the pulley. slide it down the shaft till it stops then tighten the grub screws again.

Okie doke - loosened the wing nuts holding the motor close to the shaft to push it out further which resolved the loose belt issue. Now I'm cooking with gas and drilling holes with reckless abandon.

Thanks everyone for your assistance.

With the belts now tight, with the machine OFF, too check the belts are tight with out being stupid tight.
You should be able too twist the belt by about 90 degrees ruffle.

Cheers Matt.