Powermatic 1140B chuck removal

Call Powermatic and ask. 1.800.274.6846

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Should have thought of that myself, thanks. Called them and, in essence, they said that there is no easy way to remove the chuck. There is no drawbar, slot for a drift or chuck collar to unscrew. They suggested trying to get a prybar of some sort to try to pry if off. Maybe.

Step 1. Assuming it has a Jacobs chuck, get the model number from the chuck and use that to find out the mounting taper. (Or call Powermatic back and ask). Step 2. Go to

and search for "chuck wedges". They're a little over $6 a set, plus shipping. Step 2a. If you've got an abundance of time and a lack of money, or are in too much of a hurry to wait for mcmaster's famous next-day shipping, spend some time with some scrap barstock, a drill, a hacksaw, and a file or bench grinder and make a pair of your own, using the pictures on mcmaster.com as a guide. I've done this and ended up with something inelegant but functional, it's not that difficult. The commercial units are nicer, though. Step 3. Apply a wedge either side of the gap behind the chuck, so that the tapers overlap. Use a c-clamp to force the wedges together, so that they slide over each other. Chuck should pop off without much hassle. The biggest possible difficulty I can see would be if this gap is too small to get the wedges into (no idea what you could do in that case). Hope that helps, --Glenn Lyford

With every type of protective/safety gear on yourself, and from a safe distance away.. try milling with the drill press, since this will obviously remove a chuck that's held with a taper (as per most RCM advice about milling with a drill press).

This should be the default RCM solution for removing any taper chuck.

WB metalworking projects

If the chuck is mounted on a taper, it's likely a double-ended taper -- Jake on one one, Morse something-or-other on the other end, and usually with a tang.

Have you extended the quill all the way and looked for a driving slot? If it has one, insert a taper driver in the slot and, supporting the chuck so it doesn't fall, give the driver a smart whack. The whole chuck taper should extract from the quill.

LLoyd

I called them back and they said that this drill press shipped without a chuck so it could be anything at all. I'm not sure I completely believe this, the 1150 ships with a JT 33 1/2" chuck and I suspect the 1140 did as well. In any case, I tried to clean some of the rust and grunge off of the chuck and it looks like it is a No 33-13 with no indication of manufacturer. I measured the part of the taper at the top of the chuck and it appears to be the right size for a JT 33 or a JT 6 and a guess as to the meaning of the part number would tend to confirm that it might be a JT 33 (very lightly).

I ordered up the chuck wedges for a JT 33/JT 6. They're only $6.25 a set plus shipping, next day shipping from McMaster whom I've ordered from in the past and be quite happy with. If I'm wrong I'm not out that much.

I think there is enough gap, we'll see. Thanks for the help.

I will keep this on the back burner. Sounds a little edgy but might well work if I can duck fast enough :-).

...and the 13 is likely the capacity in mm (13mm is close to 1/2"). --Glenn Lyford

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Sounds good.

The other possible problem (easier to deal with) would be if the gap is too large -- so you would have to make a spacer to go between the spindle and the wedges. If you make it as a U-shaped piece with a thickness about right to accommodate the range of the wedges, probably you should put it at a right angle to the pair of wedges.

Good Luck, DoN.