Can you remove a stuck lathe chuck with a 3D printer?

Showing how to use a 3D printed spindle stop to remove a stubborn lathe chuck on an Atlas 10F 10" TH54 lathe machine. This chuck removal spindle stop was designed by ‪@DustinRogersinMO‬ and locks the bull gear to allow the chuck to be turned off.
I have now designed my own version of this with a few design changes, you can find it at
www.thingiverse.com/thing:520...
If you do not have a 3D printer, contact me and I will print you one for a nominal fee.
Dustin's original spindle stop - www.thingiverse.com/thing:516...
Anbull Nano Plus 3D printer - amzn.to/3pELalN
The previous link is an affiliate link. Using it give the channel a small referral fee, it costs you nothing.

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday, the 3D printer did a good job in my opinion, saying that I don’t know anything about 3D printers but the look of that knurl, I’d say there’s the answer, it done a great job, Cheers

[@theeddies]

It has done a good job for me. It has been running about 8 hours a day for the last week. And I am getting better at making decent looking strong parts.

[@machinenutdel6764]

Hi Ed. like the idea of the plastic being softer than the cast !

[@theeddies]

Yes, it is a very good use for plastic on a lathe. Thanks!

[@davidgagnon2849]

I also have an old (1950) Atlas lathe that had a very stuck chuck on it. I used the "Hexagonal shaft-impact wrench" for the removal. I had a cold chisel that was six sided and a 5/8" wrench fit perfectly, so I used that. It frammed for about 20 seconds then spun off. Woohoo!

[@theeddies]

It is a good feeling when they let go.

[@Steviegtr52]

Good job well done.

[@theeddies]

Thanks. It was a pain but it came off with no damage in the end.

[@Steviegtr52]

@@theeddies the myford is the same with the screw on chuck. So far no problem. But it has a spindle lock.

[@TheKnacklersWorkshop]

Hello Eddie, That worked really well... I have not tried 3D printing, I like the idea that it was designed as the weakest link. Cheers. Paul,,

[@theeddies]

I have only been doing it for about a week. It is different because you can just set it and leave it and come back to a finished part... hopefully. All the best! Eddie

[@pgs8597]

G'day Eddie. When all else fails use a rattle gun although I've had it the other way, go figure. I haven't got a 3D printer but I can see how helpful they are, well done. Cheers Peter

[@theeddies]

Thanks Peter. I did not really want to use the impact because I did not want to beat on the jaws too much but in retrospect there was a lot less chance of damage with it than a hammer. Important thing is it worked and nothing broke. I have to admit I am learning to like plastic, it has its place. I actually just bought a full size printer because I have already outgrown the little one.

[@craigtate5930]

That's a really handy device for sure... When I 1st got my hendy the 3 jaw chuck was VERY stuck ...I resorted to jamming a smashed piece of copper pipe between 2 gears in the head and using a 36" pipe wrench with several progressively harder blows to finally break it loose...I thought for sure something would break in the process...luckily nothing did...now it's a breeze to remove

[@theeddies]

You can get away with that on steel gears but I am treating these Zamak gears like they are fine china, lol. It works and like you say once it is off and properly lubed it should not be a problem in the future. Thanks Craig!

[@DustinRogersinMO]

Curious how the reprint of v2 is going? I had someone comment on thingiverse that they had to scale the model up to 102% in the slicer to get it to fit the bull gear. Just curious if you’ve had a chance to print V2 yet and if you had any fitment issues?

[@theeddies]

You did not get my comment on your window video? I did not have to scale up. But it was tight, had to snap it on. The extra bit of curve made a difference. What diametrical pitch did you use? I made my own version and it fits perfect but it is not as long.

[@wktodd]

Happy New year Eddie. I was going to suggest a rattle-gun to remove that chuck . Had one so tight on my old South bend , that I had to take the chuck off its back plate and heat the bloody thing to near red to get it to move.

[@theeddies]

I nearly got to that point of resorting to heat. I did see some sign that the liguid wrench made it into some of the crevices. One thing I like about old Craftsman wrenches is they have a pretty tight tolerances. The new ones not so much. I tried a couple 17mm's that were too tight and an 18 that was too loose. I probably could have rummaged around in one my auxiliary tool boxes and found a cheap 17mm that I would be willing to sacrifice and widen but I like to have the correct tools for the job so no big deal. I was a bit surprised I did not have the 11/16 but I never bought sets, I just find them at yard sales and swap meets. The older the better. Thanks!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Lol . I was going to take the piss & say put a rattle gun on it , then you did !!! Worked out great , they can be tight buggers if they have been on there for a while .

[@theeddies]

It is certainly not the best thing for the jaws but better than the bigger hammer that was coming next I'd say, lol.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

@@theeddies My Southbend still bears the scars on that gear from back in 78' when i did a chuck change as a learner !!!

[@theeddies]

@@swanvalleymachineshop Well if I did not have the internet I bet I would have tried using the back gears to hold the bull which is what the manual says to do. I don't think that would have been a great idea. What model is your South Bend?

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

@@theeddies It's a 10K

[@psgflier]

The problem I have with the 3D printer is I have to learn how to use it every time. I did learn how to use Fusion 360 enough to design and print a couple of parts for the plane, but forgot everything I learned real quick.

[@theeddies]

All I have done so far are previously made 3D files. I have messed around with Fusion 360 now and then but I will need to learn it a bit more to remake the spindle stop. I don't expect there are many parts on Thingiverse for the seaplane though, lol. BTW, dad asked me the other day how old your plane is?

[@psgflier]

@@theeddies The plane is a 1957 PA18 Piper Super Cub. It was originally used as a crop duster in the Dakotas. A fella that owned it contacted me a few years ago telling me about it's history and was going to send original pictures, but I haven't heard from him since. I bought it from Cub Crafters in Yakima Washington in 2001. They had rebuilt it with a Lycoming 180hp engine, originally had a 135hp Lycoming. It had the original fuselage which rusted out after 15 years of use in salt water. I replaced the fuselage from 2015 - 2019 with a fuselage from Airframes Alaska. The new fuselage is 4 inches wider than the standard cub, so more room for a fat man.

[@theeddies]

@@psgflier sounds like one of those thought experiments "if you have a broom that you replace all the bristles after 20 years and then replace the handle, do you still have an old broom?" Did you get your new engine yet?

[@psgflier]

@@theeddies A reporter was doing a story on a farm that had been in the same family for several generations. The family had lived in the same house, used the same barn etc. The reporter saw an axe used for chopping firewood and asked if was the original axe. The farmer said yes, and, when asked how they kept so nice, the farmer replied they replace the handle every two years and the head every 10 years. I got a note from the broker at Thanksgiving that they had not heard from Lycoming yet and everything was slow. Many subcontractors that build parts for larger companies went bankrupt during the covid shutdowns and companies are having supply issues. We are going south in a few days for a month and I'm hoping it doesn't come then because they only allow a short time to return the old engine for core and that's $15,000 I don't need to lose. I was hoping to get the old one off and prepped but it's been too cold to do mechanic work and I've stayed busy playing in the snow.

[@theeddies]

@@psgflier Yeah, I know all about supply issues. Are you driving down or flying to Florida?

[@TheMoody876]

Does it fit a atlas 10in

[@theeddies]

yes

[@wktodd]

Oh BTW 11/16 is very near 17mm

[@edwardchristie3934]

Some times it just takes a bigger hammer.

[@theeddies]

I was pretty close to coming to get your bigger impact when it broke free.

[@johnstrange6799]

:)

[@theeddies]

🤓

[@johnstrange6799]

@@theeddies What were the outside dimensions of the printer again? It seems very compact, which I kind of see as a big plus. It would be cool if the bull gear stop had some kind of handle or handling surface to grab or hold it by. Could have some knurls on it for grip.

[@theeddies]

@@johnstrange6799 It is about 8 or 9 inches. The printable area is 100x100x90 mm or around 4" cubed. I was thinking about that with the stop, it is going to take some learning to redesign it.

[@johnstrange6799]

@@theeddies You ever see the brake on my lathe? At some point you could fabricate a bench mounted lever mechanism that operates like a spindle brake, but which uses the bull gear stop instead of brake pad material. Pull a lever down and the stop meshes with the bull gear... Let the lever go, and spring tension lifts the stop out of the way. --- Don't get me wrong... I don't mean to suggest stopping the lathe like a brake using the bull gear. I mean using the bull gear as a more or less spindle lock just as you are now.

[@johnstrange6799]

@@theeddies Nice. Less than a milk crate. Should milk crates be standardized and used as a unit of measurement? lol