Drill Press chuck

Jeff423

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I've got an old (but not US made) Delta drill press with a bad chuck. I removed the chuck and checked the spindle (quill?) and it has very low run out so I want to replace the 1/2" JT33 chuck. Looking on ebay I find they range from a keyless for less than $30 to $500+ for a Jacobs or Albrecht.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a decent quality chuck for less than $100. I'm a hobbyist so I don't need the absolute highest quality.
Is a keyless chuck a good option on a drill press?
 
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In my somewhat vast experience with chucks, for a drill press I would go with a keyed chuck. I have drills with keyless chucks and expecting a drill press to do a bit heavier work I would want a keyed chuck. Haven't priced them but would think an acceptable one could be found much cheaper than $500.00:eek::rolleyes: JMHO
 
Many of the better presses and drills use Jacobs chucks. I'm not a fan of the keyless chuck unless you keep your drill bits to 1/4" or less. Other than the net, you should be able to find reasonably priced replacement chucks at stores specializing in power tools. There's such a store in Wantagh, NY named Ace Tools (not Ace Hardware)
 
There used to be a used tool place in town, had literally tons of used tools of all kinds and nearly everything you could imagine, but it's now closed. I think the owner died. I know they had bins full of chucks of all sizes. I suspect most towns of any size may have similar used tool establishments. I saw a similar store in Dallas several years ago.
 
There used to be a used tool place in town, had literally tons of used tools of all kinds and nearly everything you could imagine, but it's now closed. I think the owner died. I know they had bins full of chucks of all sizes. I suspect most towns of any size may have similar used tool establishments. I saw a similar store in Dallas several years ago.

Thanks, there was one here too. I'm sure it didn't make much money because it kept moving into different dilapidated buildings. However it think it closed because there is no trace of it now. I liked it because I could buy decent used American made tools - Nicholson files, Stanley planes etc. very inexpensively. I got a complete Bailey/Stanley #4 for $10.00
 
Thanks, there was one here too. I'm sure it didn't make much money because it kept moving into different dilapidated buildings. However it think it closed because there is no trace of it now. I liked it because I could buy decent used American made tools - Nicholson files, Stanley planes etc. very inexpensively. I got a complete Bailey/Stanley #4 for $10.00

The place I mentioned was pretty good for things like measuring instruments, lots of calipers, various types of micrometers, etc., even some that I had no idea what they were used for. And sockets, an unbelievable assortment of sockets and socket wrenches.from tiny to gigantic. Bushel baskets full of them. They had a pile of hand wrenches on the floor probably five feet in diameter, you had to dig through the heap to find the size you needed. But it was probably there. I bought a lot of stuff over the years. I always wondered where it all came from. I wouldn't be surprised if much of it was military surplus.
 
Go online and check out the enco catalog. Same for MSC or Travers tools. Should be able to find a decent drill press chuck for decent money. Frank
 

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