Drill Press Woes....

[hpetty]

I have a Craftsman 15" drill press that is giving me some challenges today. I'm attempting to drill some 21/32" holes in some aluminum channels. I have the speed set to 990. When attempting to drill I get a fair amount of "chatter" and then the chuck and arbor fall out of the spindle. I've cleaned the arbor and reseated it in the spindle per the instruction manual, but I keep getting the same results.

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

 

[Bernhard]

Couple of things you may want to try: 990rpm is way to fast imho. Also did you pre-drill a smaller pilot hole ? Either drill bit and/or chuck and/or arbor may not run true. Easy to check with a dial caliper.

I would pre-drill a pilot hole and then bore for finished size at a much slower speed (~150) with a low feed rate. Make sure that the piece is securely clamped and the pilot hole is centered on the larger bit.

..just my
Good luck!
Bernhard

 

[hpetty]

Thanks for the response. The piece was clamped in and I set the speed based on my speed chart for aluminum. I'll try slowing it down to your suggested speed and see how that works.

 

[erasmussen]

If it still does it, frist check and see if your drill bit is bent. then check the runout on the chuck:eusa_thin

 

[striker]

Just to add to the previous comments. First, concerning the chuck coming loose, you can try using a lapping compound between the mating tapers. Lapping the two tapers together should remove any high spots preventing the tapers from locking up properly. Then clean off the compound and replace the chuck with a good crisp snap into place. Secondly, slowing the RPMs down sounds like a good idea. Maybe a dab of cutting oil now and again wouldn't hurt either. Check the grind on the drill itself, if its a factory job its probably OK. If its been reground by hand it may need some help.

....and maybe keep a big hammer nearby:lol:

 

[eezlock]

Hugh, when you remove that chuck from the drill press, make sure you clean it really well to remove any dust/debris/ old packing grease/etc.use
lacquer thinner, paint thinner or any good solvent and wipe it clean,and when you re-install it make sure the jaws are completely wide open to their maximum and install it nice and straight. Raise the drill press table as high as it will go and put a piece of a wood underneath the chuck
and with a good easy rotation and downward steady pressure on the lever handle ease the chuck into place and seat it to its maximum depth and all should be set, ready to use. hope this helps....eezlock

 

[hpetty]

Thanks to all who replied.

When I do use my drill press it is usually to drill wood, not metal. I cleaned and reseted, slowed down the speed; but probably more importantly slowed down the feed rate. I guess I was just impatient... but the bottom line is all of those changes worked together to make my drilling woes go away. of course once I fixed my User Error problem I changed the design and no longer need to drill through metal anyway