Which keyless chuck for a Rockwell 15-665 drill press

[wrb]

I recently got a Rockwell 15-665, 15" drill press from 1960s. It is in great condition and I would like to upgrade the chuck to a keyless one. The existing chuck has both Jacobs 33 taper and a threaded connection. My search so far indicates there is no direct replacement keyless chuck for this. I assume a chuck with Jacobs 33 taper should be sufficient. Looks like Jacobs brand 1/2" capacity keyless chuck goes for about $100. Of course there is Albrecht but it is very pricey. I would like to hear from those who has the Jacobs chuck about their views on it. Given those are now made in Asia, are they still high quality with minimal to no runout, or should I look for other brands instead of Jacobs?

[fredhargis]

Well, I would suggest LFA. That's what I bought to replace my Delta chuck, but I went with a keyed one. the downside was that when i looked up the keyless for you, it was $270. Actually, the $100 price doesn't sound too bad to me.

[wrb]

Thanks for the suggestion on LFA. Do you have experience with the Jacobs branch keyless chuck? $100 price point is of course attractive, but I want to make sure it is a good one.

[jlanciani]

Either a used Albrecht off of Ebay for +/- $100 or one of the $50- $80 Asian copies of the Albrecht is more than adequate for woodworking. Either will equal the precision of the press you're putting it on.

[Robert Adams]

Does this drill press have the standard stub shaft. If so the drillpress side should be a MT2 taper and the chuck side would usually be a JT3. 

     Easier to just buy a new shaft and chuck, tap them together then put in the drill press. 

    As to what brand to buy... The really good ones are going to cost more than a new drill press. There are some decent ones on amazon and mc master etc. I would reccomend going with a 5/8 chuck though which usually means you will need a stub shaft with a JT3 instead of a JT33. 


        Here is a $22 deal on the combo. For the price its worth a try imo. Im tempted to order for one of my drill presses that has a cheap keyed chuck that i hate. 


https://www.amazon.com/KEYLESS-DRILL-CHU...l_huc_item

[gMike]

Forgive my ignorance but I'm not sure I'd trust a keyless chuck on a drill press.  It just doesn't seem to be secure enough for the kinds of uses I have for a drill press.

[EvilTwin]

A few years back, I managed to score a Jacobs keyless chuck for about 30 bucks give or take.  Seemed like Amazon was trying to clear them out.  I think that it is currently going for around 115, though it may not be the exact same model.

It's a well made chuck, quite accurate.  I'm not sure if the gripping power is as good as a traditional keyed chuck, but Ive never had any problems with it.  Looking on Amazon there are a few similar chucks near 100, and a couple cheaper. 

As for the mount, I would be 99% sure its a J33.  I've had my hands on a few Delta presses over the years, including that specific model and I've never seen one with anything other than J33.  Always possible it was spec'd with something different, but I highly doubt it.

[Robert Adams]

Forgive my ignorance but I'm not sure I'd trust a keyless chuck on a drill press.  It just doesn't seem to be secure enough for the kinds of uses I have for a drill press.

           I have had way way more issues with keyed chucks than keyless. The only issue with it on a drill press is that they are self tightening and they can sometimes be hard to loosen. I have seen pipe wrenches used to get a bit out if it gets too tight.

[fredhargis]

Robert suggested going with a 5/8" chuck, with which I agree. In fact, when I changed the one on my Delta that's what I did (again, this was a keyed chuck). But be aware, there is more than a slight physical size difference. In the pic one is the 1/2" OEM from my Delta, the other is the 5/8" LFA...you can guess which is which.

[wrb]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ordered an LFA model with 1/2" capacity. Main reason was a recommendation for the brand in this tread and the fact that it is made in France without a big price tag, around $80. I am upgrading a few other things on the drill press such as wiring and bearings. Hoping it would be a significant upgrade over the 17" Jet I had before.