Thread: chuck screw...screwed !!

Assuming you are talking about the screws that hold the jaws on. If so, put the chuck in to a wood vice or a metal vice with some protection between the chuck and vice jaws. Have the chuck jaws facing up.
Get a centre punch and hammer and punch a mark into the head of the screw near the edge of the head. Once you have an indentation, angle the punch over to about 30 degrees off vertical and hit it forcing the screw in an anticlockwise direction. After a few hits it should loosen and then you will either use the Allen key if there is enough grip left, or just continue to use the hammer and punch until you can get a grip with your fingers or pliers.

i have a set of "easy outs" which are a left hand thread that will fit in a tap wrench (they cut into the screw and undo it at the same time) .. they are from pre-WWII but i think they still go by the same name and can still be purchased

regards david

If it's tight on the chuck, Buy a another chuck! Not overly cost effective! But very handy to have a few chucks.

Screw Extractors http://www.thegrabitstore.com/Pages/howtouse.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVVhJx25a5M

These ones need a cordless drill with reverse.
Use the burnishing end first slow on reverse on the head.
Then switch to the other end of the bit and still in reverse

http://www.bunnings.com.au/extractor...g8520_p6360085

Get a drift punch that is slightly smaller than the hex hole and give each bolt a good hard whack with a hammer before attempting to undo each bolt. This will crack the bond on the counter sunk heads.

Also make sure sure that there isn't any build up of sawdust in the hex bit beforehand.

Once you have freed the bolts, get yourself some silver or copper anti-seize when you replace the bolts and coat the bolt heads and threads.

I'd drill that grub screw out first.

use a punch slightly larger than the hex hole. set it squarely on the hole and whack it good a couple time this will push some of the material back into place for a grip on a wrench. you may have to drive the wrench into the hole to push some deformed material out of the way that has been pushed to far. there has been very few times that I have had to get an easy out involved. Set screws are a hard thing to get the easy out to work on properly. too deep and you drill into what you dont want to and too big a diameter and it will wreck a drill bit and an easy out because the threads are hard.

Originally Posted by Acco

Get a drift punch that is slightly smaller than the hex hole and give each bolt a good hard whack with a hammer before attempting to undo each bolt. This will crack the bond on the counter sunk heads.

Also make sure sure that there isn't any build up of sawdust in the hex bit beforehand.

Once you have freed the bolts, get yourself some silver or copper anti-seize when you replace the bolts and coat the bolt heads and threads.

+1 I have done this once with mine. a short sharp tap no need to beat seven bells out of it. If this fails get a drill bit the same size as the thread part of the screw(use one you have already got out as a guide) now drill into the head until the head detaches. Once the jaw is removed then the remaining screw should undo with ease.

Did one two days ago,drill the head off with a 6mm drill, take off the jaw and mine unwound with my fingers. They bind on the countersink. Phil

Before you do to much damage - Try Rob McKee's tip. Thank you to Rob for permission to use his tip in an article I wrote on chuck maintenance for the AAW Journal (29-03 p20-).

(Sorry in advance I cannot place the PDF on here as that requires AAW permission as the copyright license owner.)

Have a helper place the allen key in the damaged cap screw head.

With a small center punch & hammer make a good punch mark into the head of the cap screw adjacent to each of the hex faces of the allen key. This deforms the metal to essentially reform the hex recess around the allen key & helps to break the "seal" of the threads.

Then attempt to remove the cap screw as normal. A pair of multi grips or a spanner on the shaft of the allen key also helps.

If this fails then I'm afraid you will have to resort to drilling & screw extractors or simply drill off the cap screw head then removing the "stud" by other mechanical means as others have stated above.

Impact drivers may help.

Another couple of tips -

• throw away the ball end allen keys - useless for chuck maintenance as they do more damage than good.
• use a little petroleum jelly on the threads & underside of the of the cap screws when you reassemble the jaw sets.
• don't be stingy - replace cap screws at the first sign of damage & regularly - they only cost a few dollars per set. (Vicmarc style are readily available at specialist bolt suppliers, and cheaper by the per 100. Nova are not so easy to find.)
• maintain chucks regularly - if you do then none of this is necessary!

As Dalboy and PommyPhil suggest.

Drill the head off with a 6mm drill,the angle on the drill will detach the bolt head, remove the jaw and the remains will unscrew by hand. I've done it a few times,it's quick and easy !

Cam

Smiife,

After having a read thru the responses to your post, I think that there might be some confusion regarding which Allen Headed Screw you are referring to. On Tecknatool chucks there are the Allen Drive Flat Head Screws that secure the jaws, which seems to possibly be what most of the responses are referring to.
However, on newer Chucks (roughly - those made in since Teknatool first started selling lathes that could run in reverse) there is also an Allen Headed Grub Screw that is used to lock the chuck to the spindle to enable the lathe to be run in reverse. If the screw that you're having problems with is the allen headed grub screw that allows the lathe to run in reverse - then the suggestions so far may be pretty hard to implement due to lack of clear access to that grub screw.

If you can clarify which Allen Headed Screw you're referring to, people might be able to provide more specific recommendations.

Regards,

Roy

Hi guys ,
Some very good suggestions there, thank you all
very much, I will try them out on the weekend!
It is just one of the allen flat head screws on one of the
jaws, I like chuckies idea just keep the jaws on there and
buy a new chuck , a good excuse to buy a new chuck
Thanks again for the great ideas, will let you know what
happens
Mjl90 does amazon deliver to oz? I like those screw
extactors in the video

Readily available in Aus.
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html/_W...sid=m270.l1313