Fobco Star chuck removal

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

I've recently acquired a Fobco Star drill. It seems pretty solid, no significant slop on the quill, but there is about 0.1mm runout on drills held in the (possibly original?) Jacobs chuck. Indicating on the chuck body just below the key holes gives zero runout, give or take, so I'm hoping that the problem is with wear on the chuck jaws. But how do I get the chuck off? It's a male taper on the spindle I think, no slots in the quill for a drift. Wedges and brute force?

Robin

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

[T.BParticipant @t-b-2]

Between the bottom of the quill and your male taper (probably a JT6 ) there should be a knurled ring , it looks like its there from the photo 

If you unscrew this it will reveal a hole in the side you can put a pin spanner in.

Keep unscrewing and the chuck should hopefully pop off.

 

Edited By T.B on 31/10/2015 23:01:23

Edited By T.B on 31/10/2015 23:02:00

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Yes it would appear to be a JT6 as per this link;

**LINK**

good luck, let us know how you go one; I've a similar problem myself

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

Thanks both. I can't see any knurled ring, but I shall get hold of the dismantling guide available from the lathes.co.uk site to which peak4 gave a link .

Robin

[Gordon AParticipant @gordona]

Robin,

Extend the quill downwards as if you were drilling and clamp it in that position. Remove the nut from the bottom of the threaded depth stop bar and remove the bar. Now loosen the casting cap head screw that is just visible at the top left of your photo, note where the casting is on the quill and then waggle it upwards on the quill and you should see the chuck removal collar. If at all possible, try to get a C spanner to fit the holes on the collar. Otherwise screw the collar downwards until it touches the top of the chuck, protect the collar with some soft metal and holding the chuck firmly (Chuck key in one of the holes helps) use water pump pliers or similar to wind the collar down until the chuck pops off. Put some rag or similar underneath to catch it or you may end up with a sore foot (don't ask!)

Gordon.

[T.BParticipant @t-b-2]

Hopefully a picture speaks a thousand words !

I've wound the collar down so its more visible

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

Whilst we are on the subject of fobco's whats the purpose of being able to lock the quill down? both the star and my 7/8 fobco have a quill lock ….as the chuck cant have a drawbar you cant do light milling so why might one want to lock the quill?

[Gordon AParticipant @gordona]

Ian,

If I'm drilling through a round bar clamped in the drill vice I clamp a piece of round ground bar about 6mm diameter with a point turned on the end in the chuck. I use the old tried and tested (but probably not very accurate) method of balancing an old steel rule across the bar and I find that by applying light downward pressure on the rule and then locking the quill, I have both hands free for finely adjusting the position of the vice until the rule is horizontal with respect to the drill axis.

I'm sure that there are lots of other uses for this lock, but I use this one regularly.

Gordon

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

Yay! Thanks Gordon for your lucid instructions and T.B. for the very clear pic of what I should be looking for . The only snag I encountered was when trying to move the collar which holds the depth stop up the quill – it was rock solid even after removing the clamping screw. I had to drive a wedge into the split open it up a bit, worrying but I got away with it without cracking the casting.

Runout on the taper is a tad under 0.01mm, which I think I can live with .

Thanks again, Robin.

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Before fitting any chuck which locates on a Jacobs taper, a trick I have always used is to drill and tap a hole through the back of the chuck. Six mil or 1/4 BSF is about right for a 1/2 inch/13mm chuck. Then, if the chuck won't come off the taper when required, you can insert a long Allen screw through the hole and bring pressure to bear on the end of the taper. Hope this isn't too garbled, but it does work.

[Theo Hall 1Participant @theohall1]

To ressurect an old thread!

I recently bought a Fobco Star Drill (Bench model). There is some runout in the chuck which I am looking to sort out. Having not done this sort of thing before, my first port of call is to try to remove the Chuck, to see whether the runout is present in the Quill too. Hopefully this might be the case, and so it will then just be a case of sorting out the Chuck.

However, I am having some difficulties in actually removing the Chuck. Please see the photo attached as to where I am with it. I have removed the threaded depth stop bar, loosened the iron casting and positioned it upwards, revealing the chuck removal collar/knurled ring.

However, there is NO HOLE in the knurled ring on my Fobco Star, unlike the one pictured above. I have used water pump pliers to loosen the knurled ring all the way down to the top of the Chuck, and the Chuck still stays in place. Does anyone have any tips on how I can remove the Chuck from here?

Please help! Thank you.

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

Get a spacer to go between the knurled ring and the chuck…big washer with a slot cut out to go over teh spindle…

[DMRParticipant @dmr]

As Ian says but make it wedge shaped along the cut edge so you can tap it in. search for "wedge" and you should get the idea. If you form two up you can clamp them together which is less stressful on the machine itself.

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

You are still using the knurled collar but just need it to push a little more

[Theo Hall 1Participant @theohall1]

I managed to get the Chuck off. The runout is in the Chuck, not the Jacobs taper. Which is very good news for me.

My Fobco Star is very dirty, greasy, and various parts are gunked up with Oil & Dirt. I am going to give the whole Drill a good cleaning, and De-greasing. Once finished, I'd like to re-oil/grease a few parts.

Please could I ask for recommendations on what Oil would work best for the following parts?:

-The Main Column

-The Quill

-The forwards/backwards sliding action of the Motor is very stiff – which I need to be able to do to change speeds. What sort of oil could be used on the pins which push into/out of the main body?

-For the various Clamp threads, would a drop of standard 3-in-1 oil be OK?

Any advice on oils/greases would be brilliant. I'm most fussy about what Oil to use on the Quill, as obviously this needs it the most. I know there are drying oils, wet oils, greases, etc. I'd like to use the best possible thing for the job.

[Nigel McBurney 1Participant @nigelmcburney1]

Just been down to have a look at my Fobco,bought new 1968,I had it all that time and did not realise that there was a screwed chuck extractor ring,Jacobs chucks were good in those days and has never needed removal, its still as free as it was new, I have found that chucks used in the horizontal mode can get gummed up and stiff,it might be that soluble oil drains out when vertical but can lay inside when in a tailstock,and whe out of the tailstock are invaribly stored upright with the shank in a storage rack ,so the soluble oil cannot drain out,perhaps they should be stored with taper shank up. As for lube I use Halfords 15/40 in my oilcan and have always used good motor oil for over 50 years. dont forget when lubricating the Fobco pull the quill down to expose the the grease nipple set into the quill which lubricates the bearings ,for grease used to get Castrol lithium based grease but it is now difficult to find so just use a multi purpose grease from any motor factor,mine has possibly only been greased every ten years,ok when the drill is only used in the home workshop, over greasing can cause problems, and after 50 years my Fobcos bearings show no sign of wear, A very good drilling machine, in those days no instructions came with the drill,a chuck guard was a extra and no one bothered then, where I worked the drill guards were found ,cleaned up and fitted when we got word of the impending visit from the factory inspector,At least I now know hoy to get the chuck off though at my age I will never need to.

[Theo Hall 1Participant @theohall1]

For the Quill up/down travel, would an ISO32 Hydraulic or Slideway oil be good?

Thank you

[Kiwi BlokeParticipant @kiwibloke62605]

Well I never! Isn't this forum such a wonderful mine of information! I thought I knew my way around a Fobco…

Theo – either oil would be OK for the quill feed, but slideway oil should hang around for longer. If you're an oil-every-day person, or even every week, hydraulic oil should be fine. The better stick-slip properties of slideway oil aren't really important here.

Regarding your previous post… Oiling the column is presumably because you wish to avoid the risk of corrosion. Hydraulic oils contain corrosion inhibitors, but, unless the drill is in a horrible environment, almost anything would do, except detergent oils (most engine oils). Detergent oils can absorb atmospheric water, which may cause corrosion. This isn't usually a problem in an engine, where the oil gets hot enough to evaporate off the water.

Motor mount pins. I'd suggest moly grease. Clamp screw threads, hardly critical, but moly grease again.

Generally, ISO 32 hydraulic oil is a good general-purpose lubricant, formulated with anti-foaming and anti-corrosion additives. It's good for spindles and gearboxes, although a heavier grade may be specified for the latter. Free from detergents, fine particulate contaminants should settle out into the base of a gearbox, rather than be kept in suspension.

Slideway oil is for …slideways, because it doesn't readily slide off surfaces, and is formulated to reduce the problem of 'stick-slip' friction that can be a problem with tight-fitting, slowly moving bearings. In such bearings, there won't usually be a complete oil film separating the opposing surfaces, so the requirements from the lubricant are rather different from high-speed bearings, where a relatively high-pressure oil film is built up by movement.

Edited By Kiwi Bloke on 20/03/2023 11:23:00

[more edits – typing with fists again…]

Edited By Kiwi Bloke on 20/03/2023 11:25:00

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