• The forum upgrades have been completed. These were moderate security fixes from our software vendor and it looks like everything is working well. If you see any problems please post in the Forum Technical Support forum or email us at forum_moderator (at) aawforum.org. Thank you
  • March 2026 Turning Challenge: Olla! (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to David Wyke, People's Choice in the February 2026 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Michael Nathal for "Eroded Wheel" being selected as Turning of the Week for March 23, 2026 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Slipping mortise tenon

Joined
Feb 25, 2025
Messages
709
Likes
898
Location
Jackson, MS
My old Delta drill press is acting up. The Jacob's chuck MT don't want to stay in. I'm sure somebody has run into the problem with MT's not wanting to stay in and looking for how to fix.
 
It may need to be cleaned out. I did have problems with mine not wanting to stay in a long time ago. It ended up being that the drill bit I was using was inserted too deep into the chuck, and that did not allow the morris taper to properly seat. Maybe a combination of things.

robo hippy
 
- Clean the male and female parts with mineral spirits or a very light lubricant (e.g. WD-40 or Boeshield T-9), then wipe to remove as much solvent or lubricant as possible;
- Open the chuck all the way so the jaws are fully inside the nose of the chuck body and insert the morse taper in the drill press quill;
- Put a wooden block on the nose of the chuck and give the piece of wood one decent whack with a mallet.

It is a good idea to practice the motion of the whack beforehand, making sure you have room to swing the mallet: it is an awkward upward movement, and you want to get it right on the first whack.
 
I had that happen once when the bit had a catch in whatever I was drilling (steel, maybe?). I stopped the motor, then tried to rotate the handle "upward" to retract the bit, and the chuck came right off the taper with the bit still stock in whatever I was drilling.
 
Back
Top