Advice on replacing drill chuck

Machine Shop
1

A few months ago I ordered a keyless drill chuck to replace the original keyed chuck on a Wen 1/2" bench drill press. I got the keyless chuck part number from a previous client’s machinist, as I liked the keyless chuck they had on their drill. I thought that my drill press was a clone of their’s, hence mine could use the same chuck.

I just got around to starting to install my new chuck today, and I have more questions than answers.

My drill press is a Wen 4214. According to the Wen product page, the chuck shaft is a JT3. However, the chuck I have from MSC Direct is a JT33. Will the JT33 chuck fit on the JT3 arbor? I’m guessing not.

When I removed the chuck + arbor from the drill press it came out in one piece. How can I separate the arbor from the chuck so I can install a keyless chuck?

Or is it better to purchase a keyless chuck with integral arbor? In this case, how can I determine the arbor shaft description on the drill press end, as this isn’t given by the drill press vendor?

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2

Those are two different sizes. There may be a commercially available sleeve adapter else you’ll have to ream it out.

3

Here is what the Machinery handbook has to say about the different tapers. I’m sure you can replace it with the right adapter.

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4

I’m fairly certain that I can return the JT33 chuck to MSC and get a JT3. If that’s the case, then what’s the easiest way to separate the arbor from the original chuck?

5

The short version, as far as I know, is that you need the right tool (most of those I have any knowledge whatsoever of have a recess where you place “chuck wedges”, but this one does not appear to, although that little recess might do it for the right tool). Here’s a video of a guy abusing what he has to git’rdone.

Based on this video of the 4208, the chuck has a through-hole you could use with a drift to pop the arbor off the chuck. I don’t know for sure the 4214 has the same chuck, though…

6

Separating the chuck from the arbor is often considered more of a pain than buying a new arbor. Ive see video where the specialty wedges they bought weren’t hard enough to extract the arbor without destroying the wedges, and they barely got the chuck off first. I would really recommend simply buying an arbor with whatever taper the new chuck is, to whatever taper the spindle is. Then clean everything and gently check for fit before assembly.

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