Quick release chuck

[wgrigsby]

I've had a Sears CW a little over a year now and since the first day I've had problems with the chuck. I recently ordered two and while waiting for them I removed the old one and decided to see if I could find what was wrong with it. It worked but was hard to get to work a lot of the time. I'm talking about while using the bit remover tool, twisting, pulling, and tapping with a rubber mallet and anything else I could think of. I cleaned, oiled the bits and the chuck, called tech support......

What I came up with was not one thing but several.

1
This is what I believe was and still is the biggest problem with the system. It's a little hard for me to explain so I added a picture. It shows the area on a new and unchanged chuck on the left and to the right the reworked old one. The area in question is about nine O'clock on both and is one of four on each. Between two angled flats there is a sharp conner and it is when the two Allen head cap screws on the bit adapter get too this point that it jams. I decided I couldn't I break something that was broke so I ground on that conner with my Dermel grinder and a small bit. I rounded it off on all four places and made it a small radius instead of a sharp conner as the new one on the right.

2
Lock tight is used to keep the two Allen head cap screws from backing out of the bit adapter and there is sometimes a blob of it around the body of it that causes it to hang and should be clean off. Also the outside of the head of the screw can have ruff spots that need to be either ground or filed off smooth.

3
I noticed that while at room temperature and both the chuck and bit adapter where oiled it worked better but after prolonged use and it had warmed up. Then it was very hard to get it to work right. I had tried several kinds of light oils, all with the same results.

I think that high rpms and heating of the bit allows the oil to be thrown off during use and makes it harder to get the bit out. So I'm going to try a heaver lubricant. I have some of the reassembly lube that has been talked about on the forum that has 40% molly and I worked a small amount in on the moving parts. I haven't done a run with it yet but it sure does work better just by hand than it did with oil.

Well, I hope I'm not telling people that have Bic lighters how to make fire by rubbing two sticks together and just showing how stupid I am instead of helping.

[twinpeaksenterprises, LLC]

Great observation! I too have had my share of QC problems and was just today, with a little free time looking at my old QC to see why all the hang up.. You think you can post a little larger pic? Its hard to see what your referring to in that picture as it is small and cut off. Thanks Matt.

[wgrigsby]

Great observation! I too have had my share of QC problems and was just today, with a little free time looking at my old QC to see why all the hang up.. You think you can post a little larger pic? Its hard to see what your referring to in that picture as it is small and cut off. Thanks Matt.

I'd love to but I had to corp it twice to get it small enough to up load as it is. My son is a computer tech and is planing on stopping by latter today maybe he can help me get a larger picture uploaded.

[ChrisAlb]

I'd love to but I had to corp it twice to get it small enough to up load as it is. My son is a computer tech and is planing on stopping by latter today maybe he can help me get a larger picture uploaded.

Open your full size image, when you save it as a jpeg, in the "save as" dialog box, reduce the quality (compression) to around 70%. That will shrink the file size and allow you to post the full size image.

Like this....http://forum.carvewright.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[wgrigsby]

I played around in paint was able to get them a smaller file size I think. I'll try to post them and we will see.

Well I got the hole picture to up load but it's small, Maybe you can enlarge it on yours. I put an arrow on it pointing to the area I'm talking about but it is hard to see.

I just ran a test project, 1/4" grid line on a board to use as sled. It took around 1 1/2 hours and the bit poped right out.

[Jeff_Birt]

The #1 biggest problem with the QuickChuck ,with most folks that always seem to have problems with it is improper maintenance. I'm not saying that this is the case here. It sounds like a burr could have formed causing a problem, I can't tell from the picture.

You need to use a light weight oil. The oil just helps remove contaminants and prevents oxidation. Before using the machine and during every bit change it really, really helps if you simply wipe the inside of the chuck with a rag (apply 2-3 drops of 3-in-1 oil to the rag first) and then wipe each adapter before you install it. Primarily this removes any foreign debris that might be on either mating surface. It is vital the the tapered surface on the outside of the adapter and inside of the chuck can properly seat.

If you find that the adapter/bit won't pop right out, turn your removal tool around and give the side of the truck a gentle tap. This will let the detent balls release if they are being help in place by a bit of sawdust.

[wgrigsby]

OK I try again, I've been working on a better picture. See if this better explains what I'm tring to say. I did maintain the chuck & bits & I kept them oiled. I don't belive this will efect the seating of the bit adpter in the chuck, only help putting it in and removing it.

[Jeff_Birt]

Sorry, the picture is still nor large enough to see the detail. Maybe you can email me the original: birt_j@soigeneris.com, and I'll see if I can zoom in on that area.

As to oiling the chuck and adapters. Keeping a sheen of oil on them only prevents oxidation. The really, really important point is to wipe any sawdust accumulation out of the chuck and off the adapters between bit changes. This lets the adapters seat properly into the chuck. The few drops of oil on the rag used to wipe will not cause an accumulation of oil on the chuck or adapters, it mainly serves to help pull the sawdust away and leave a very light oily film to prevent oxidation.

At any rate I'm glad you got it sorted. It's a good thing for everyone to know to look for burrs on the chuck.

[bjbethke]

I cleaned up your images; they look like they are in good shape. When I received my repaired Z truck from LHR, it came with a QC attached the bits were hard to load and remove, It needed to be lubed inside the chuck. I soaked it over night in oil and the next day cocked and unlocked the QC a bunch of times. It has worked great since that, Bits are easy to load and remove, even on long carve times the bit does not work loose.

[wgrigsby]

I cleaned up your images; they look like they are in good shape. When I received my repaired Z truck from LHR, it came with a QC attached the bits were hard to load and remove, It needed to be lubed inside the chuck. I soaked it over night in oil and the next day cocked and unlocked the QC a bunch of times. It has worked great since that, Bits are easy to load and remove, even on long carve times the bit does not work loose.

Hey thanks for the help on the pictures. The trouble I had with them was the size of the files I was uploading. My son who is in the computer consulting biz is helping me set up some sites where I can put larger and different files that isn't as hard as on here, we will see how that does.

[wgrigsby]

Well found a better picture to explain what I was talking about. this isn't mine but one I found elsewhere. I've circled the area that I was talking about putting a small radius on. Hope this better explains what I was saying.




Sorry, the picture is still nor large enough to see the detail. Maybe you can email me the original: birt_j@soigeneris.com, and I'll see if I can zoom in on that area.

As to oiling the chuck and adapters. Keeping a sheen of oil on them only prevents oxidation. The really, really important point is to wipe any sawdust accumulation out of the chuck and off the adapters between bit changes. This lets the adapters seat properly into the chuck. The few drops of oil on the rag used to wipe will not cause an accumulation of oil on the chuck or adapters, it mainly serves to help pull the sawdust away and leave a very light oily film to prevent oxidation.

At any rate I'm glad you got it sorted. It's a good thing for everyone to know to look for burrs on the chuck.