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Newb with Rockwell 15-081 question

jp4lsu

Plastic
Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Location
Fort Worth
Newb with OLD Drill Press Question

Hey guys,
I'm a newb here and a novice as a machinist while working at an engine machine shop years ago while going to college.

I have my "paw-paw's" old Lathe that I'm starting to go through and do a semi refurb and check out. It's in great shape though. Just been sitting awhile.

I'm picking up a Rockwell 15-081 (15" drill press) today and am trying to find info on it. It is currently fitted with a 3/8" chuck and I'll want to switch that out.

Question:
Is this chuck threaded onto the spindle with this model?

Recommendations on a good chuck?
Jacobs Ball bearing in 1/2 or 5/8?
I've heard of some German keyless chucks. Don't remember name but I'm sure they are more than I want to spend.

Also, what is the best way to check run out when I get it home?

Wish I had the money for an old Powermatic but this baby will have to do for now. Thanks for the help and info. Look forward learning lots here.
JP
 
Last edited:
I have a 1974 Rockwell catalog that includes the 15-081 drill press. It came with a 1/2" Jacobs chuck with a 33 Jacobs taper mount. The chuck should be the now-rare style with a threaded locking collar. A properly fitted spanner wrench will unscrew the collar and force the chuck off the 33 taper. Chuck removal and installation was easy and quick. Rockwell sold an assortment of tooling that fit these spindles, like drum sanders, buffing wheel arbors and collet chucks. If the chuck now on the machine does not have the locking collar, it will be extremely difficult to remove the chuck. I have not seen any of these chucks for sale for many years, but sometimes rare stuff turns up on eBay.

Here is a picture of a Rockwell 17" drill press spindle and quill. On the left is a Rohm (Germany) 1/2" drill chuck with 33 JT and locking collar. You can see what the end of the spindle looks like with the chuck removed. The bottom part is a 2 Morse taper spindle that fits the 17" quill in place of the 33 JT spindle. It is good to have a drill press with a Morse taper because they are more versatile than a more or less permanently mounted chuck. For instance, you can have a key type 1/2" chuck on a 2MT arbor and quickly change to a 3/4" drill bit with a 2 MT shank.

By the way, the PM rules do not allow you to mention Brand A or Brand C machines. There are some other rules, too, so I suggest you read them and make yourself more welcome here. Look for the top items in General that are called Sticky and are written by Milacron, the site owner.

Larry

Rockwell 17 DP Spindle 1.JPG
 
Thanks LV for the info and I'll head over and read the rules. Thanks for the picture and info. I agree a Morse Taper set up is the best for convenience. There are a few things I need to do to the DP and clean it up some. Can the switch to an MT be made on this quill?

Sorry for my ignorance, just haven't had the experience of breaking one apart.
 
Thanks LV for the info and I'll head over and read the rules. Thanks for the picture and info. I agree a Morse Taper set up is the best for convenience. There are a few things I need to do to the DP and clean it up some. Can the switch to an MT be made on this quill?

Sorry for my ignorance, just haven't had the experience of breaking one apart.

Edit your original post to remove the names. Otherwise, the thread will likely be locked.
 
It came with a 1/2" Jacobs chuck with a 33 Jacobs taper mount. The chuck should be the now-rare style with a threaded locking collar.

The 15-081 is the lighter duty 4 spd. w/4" stroke model & the one I had didn't have the threaded collar spindle (I think the early one may have?). Jacobs made a light duty 1/2" 33jt "Multi Craft" chuck for that machine. Ditto on the rules & add your location.
 
Thanks guys for the info. I think I got my post cleaned up now.
I printed up the users manual and parts list. I'll take a look and see what chuck interface I have. Then I'll go from there.
 
I think what you referred to was an Albrecht keyless chuck. I have one and also a few cheap copies. They all seem to work pretty good but the Albrecht is much more concentric. If you use a wiggler they all seem to work good. I grew up using keyed chucks and didn't know I wanted one until I tried them. They are very convenient.
 
I think what you referred to was an Albrecht keyless chuck. I have one and also a few cheap copies. They all seem to work pretty good but the Albrecht is much more concentric. If you use a wiggler they all seem to work good. I grew up using keyed chucks and didn't know I wanted one until I tried them. They are very convenient.

Yep, that's the one crossthread. Thanks. I'll need to figure out what sort of chuck interface I have on my DP and go shopping around.
 
The 15-081 is the lighter duty 4 spd. w/4" stroke model & the one I had didn't have the threaded collar spindle (I think the early one may have?). Jacobs made a light duty 1/2" 33jt "Multi Craft" chuck for that machine. Ditto on the rules & add your location.

I have had, from new, a 15-081 and rebuilt it several years ago. It had the threaded spindle adapter above the 33 Jacobs taper mount. When I replaced all the bearings in the spindle and quill I removed the adapter and I'm looking at it right now. It was held on the spindle with a stout roll pin. Just to be clear you cannot remove this adapter by threading it off. I removed it because I doubted I would ever find or use the threaded tooling Rockwell sold to be used with this drill press. I replaced my multicraft chuck with a same capacity but far bigger and beefier Jacobs chuck.

I think the -081 version has this unique threaded adapter and that's the reason for its dash number. I suspect most of the machines that are rebuilt probably have it removed; it's sort of like a dewclaw on a dog if you don't already have the tooling, which pops up every so often on ebay. Bill S
 
I've reread Larry's post and the parts manual and catalog that came with my machine. It was possible to remove the original chuck off the taper and use a threaded back drill chuck on the threaded spindle adapter. The only reason you would do this I guess was to be able to use threaded tooling on the adapter without the original taper mounted chuck being in the way. Rockwell sold threaded tooling with female Morse 1 and 2 tapers as well as shafted tooling for grinding wheels, shaper cutters and 1/2 inch mount router and spur bits. If the spindle above the chuck is more than a half inch or so in diameter where it goes into the quill, you probably have the chuck that is threaded on to the adapter and not the one on the 33 Jacobs taper on the end of the spindle. I can send you pictures when you get in to removing the drill chuck.

To repeat, you need to remove the roll pin to remove the adapter.
Bill S
 
I think the -081 version has this unique threaded adapter and that's the reason for its dash number. I suspect most of the machines that are rebuilt probably have it removed; it's sort of like a dewclaw on a dog if you don't already have the tooling, which pops up every so often on ebay. Bill S

I purchased mine new also & as I said, may have had them in the past but mine was 33jt only without the threaded collar. If memory serves, mine was somewhere around 77'. The dash is used in all Rockwell machine model #'s. For example my current dp is a 15-655 which is a 15" variable speed w/6" stroke.
 
I have had, from new, a 15-081 and rebuilt it several years ago. It had the threaded spindle adapter above the 33 Jacobs taper mount. When I replaced all the bearings in the spindle and quill I removed the adapter and I'm looking at it right now. It was held on the spindle with a stout roll pin. Just to be clear you cannot remove this adapter by threading it off. I removed it because I doubted I would ever find or use the threaded tooling Rockwell sold to be used with this drill press. I replaced my multicraft chuck with a same capacity but far bigger and beefier Jacobs chuck.

I think the -081 version has this unique threaded adapter and that's the reason for its dash number. I suspect most of the machines that are rebuilt probably have it removed; it's sort of like a dewclaw on a dog if you don't already have the tooling, which pops up every so often on ebay. Bill S

Thanks Bill for all the info and the offer of pictures. I might take you up on that.

-So if I read this right, the chuck is threaded onto the spindle.
-The threads were for other attachments to thread onto from Rockwell
-There is a roll pin that goes through a collar on the chuck to hold onto the spindle? Thus the roll pin has to be knocked out before you can get the chuck off?
 
Thanks Bill for all the info and the offer of pictures. I might take you up on that.

-So if I read this right, the chuck is threaded onto the spindle.
-The threads were for other attachments to thread onto from Rockwell
-There is a roll pin that goes through a collar on the chuck to hold onto the spindle? Thus the roll pin has to be knocked out before you can get the chuck off?

I think you still lack understanding. The chuck and other attachments mount on the 33JT, which is a locking taper. That means it is very difficult to remove the chuck once it is tight on the taper. The chuck has a free-spinning locking collar retained on the chuck with a snap ring. The collar has a female thread which is used to pull the chuck tightly onto the taper. Unscrewing the locking collar forces the chuck off the taper so you can install one of the other attachments. You never need to remove the male thread part from the spindle, even if you decide to install an Albrecht chuck.

By the way, Rockwell was not the only company to sell drill presses and the various attachments with the 33JT and collar feature. But that was back in the 1960's or so, and those things are scarce now unless you catch an old one on eBay.

I was a bit surprised to see the Enco listing for the new Jacobs chuck with collar. Unfortunately, I have read here that the new Jacobs chucks, which are made in China, are inferior to the old USA product. But old used Jacobs chucks are usually not very good, either.

Larry
 
Larry if I can use a quote from the movie "Airplane", "Roger, Roger".
Thanks for schooling me. I think I've got it now.

Am I stuck with the 33JT locking taper or can I switch to a MT without the locking taper?
 
Larry if I can use a quote from the movie "Airplane", "Roger, Roger".
Thanks for schooling me. I think I've got it now.

Am I stuck with the 33JT locking taper or can I switch to a MT without the locking taper?

Morse tapers are also locking tapers.

I do not know how the spindle of your drill press is designed, so I don't know if you can make a new spindle with a Morse taper. An original 2MT to 33JT with collar attachment like Rockwell and the others sold fifty years ago would be best. I know they made them, but I have never seen one. When I owned a drill press with the 33JT and collar feature, I was too green to know the advantages of MT, so I did not buy the MT adapters and did not even have any MT shank drills then. I did buy some of the other attachments.

Larry
 








 
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