Craftsman 109-21270 metal lathe,

[14threadsperinch]

Greetings !
i have bought an old / in good shape Craftsman 109-21270 lathe, my problem is that it does not have a Chuck, it has a drill bit Chuck ..,

any idea how I remove the drill bit Chuck from the spindle ?

[tom_d]

Looks like you're new here. Welcome to the forum.

Here is a link to the operating instructions/parts list:

http://www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/222/601.pdf

As you can see, it's a threaded spindle. Engage the back gear speed reduction to help hold the spindle from rotating and unscrew the chuck. Might need to give it a gentile tap to break it loose.

[J Tiers]

It is supposed to unscrew. I had one of those ages ago. Some apparently have a 1/2-20 thread, others a 1/2-24 thread. Mine had a 1/2-19 thread, since it had also came with a drill chuck on it, and the spindle nose had become stretched a bit.

I actually learned quite a bit from it, although looking back, it is not a very wonderful machine.

One thing to look out for, it has 24 tpi threads on the crossfeed and compound. And there are no calibrated dials (at least not originally). That means each turn advances the tool by 0.0416". It's an inconvenient number, which you have to look out for if you need to hit a dimension.

Watch out with "gentle taps".... the tiny spindle on them is really easy to bend.

[jmm03]

Welcome, and the back gears are fragile also. Jim

[oxford]

Welcome to the forum.

No real help but if I am thinking of the correct Craftsman lathe that was made by Dunlap. I picked one up at a yard sale quite a few years back and did quite well parting it out on eBay.

[reggie_obe]

Welcome, and the back gears are fragile also. Jim

Which is why you shouldn't use the backgears to lock the spindle and unscrew a stuck chuck.

[J Tiers]

Welcome to the forum.

No real help but if I am thinking of the correct Craftsman lathe that was made by Dunlap. I picked one up at a yard sale quite a few years back and did quite well parting it out on eBay.

Dunlap is a Sears brand, actually the name of a Sears person that got used, according to at least a couple sources.. It was actually made by a company known as "AA Products" or some such starting with "AA". They made versions of that thing from the 1940s into the mid-late '50s or later, all under contract for Sears only.

Some were "Dunlap". Mine was a "Craftsman"

I beat the crap out of mine, turning larger stuff than I should have, but the back gears were fine. I do not advise doing that, however.

[Stu]

When I had one I used to grab the squeeze the v belts together to hold the spindle while loosening the chuck

[Gary Paine]

When I had one I used to grab the squeeze the v belts together to hold the spindle while loosening the chuck

I agree. Using the belt like a strap wrench works normally. It may need some penetrating oil dripped down the back of the chuck on the spindle.
I still have an AA109, but I don't use it. The AA stood for Ann Arbor, the city in Michigan where they were produced. The lathe does not have what we consider normal back gears. It uses a small planetary gearbox on the spindle. The gears are fragile, so I wouldn't recommend trying to use them to free the chuck.
The lathes did not come with a countershaft either and it appears a lot of people tried to use them right from a 1725 rpm motor. It can really benefit from adding a countershaft. Alternatively, because the cuts will need to be light on such a small lathe, a variable speed motor may be a very acceptable alternative.

[Toolguy]

Maybe you could clamp an allen wrench in the chuck to get some leverage on it without using any impact?

[sarge41]

Maybe you could clamp an allen wrench in the chuck to get some leverage on it without using any impact?

I probably wouldn't do that. It would put an undue strain on the jaws. They are intended for even torque, not a hard jerk. Good luck.
Sarge41

[J Tiers]

A picture of what you are looking at would be helpful. The technique would differ between chuck types a bit.

But, a drill bit chuck is indeed designed to apply torque to a drill, so it would be entirely fair to unscrew with the largest allen key it will grip. However, what type chuck is it? Keyless or keyed?

[aoresteen]

The best way to free the chuck would be to pull the spindle. Once out, the opposite in has a flat ground into it. Clamp that end in a vise, then use a leather strap attached to a board to wrap the chuck and use the board to tighten the strap around the chuck and break it free. I'd use some WD-40 on the thread and let it soak for a day then try to break it free. Now would be a good time to inspect the spindle bearings & replace if worn. Nose end bearing is tapered, rear end bearing is straight.

[Toolguy]

If he hasn't got it off by now, he probably isn't going to...