Chuck Falling Off???

[Hellbringer]

Hi i was out milling tonight and my chuck fell off. i have a harbor freight x2 (44991). how od you fix this so it dosnt happen again. i do not see any set screws or anything?

thanks mike

[tauntdesigns]

Mike,

Are you milling with a drill chuck?
Drill chucks are not made to take side pressure.
For milling with end mills you need an end mill holder or a collet.

Later,
Jack

[Hellbringer]

i am using what ever came witht eh machine

thanks mike

[tauntdesigns]

Mike,

I went to HF's site to see what came with it. It comes with a drill chuck and they're not good for milling. The R8 arbor for the drill chuck is a taper fit and works well for drilling.
You'll need end mill holders or collets for milling.

Here's a link to Little Machine Shop's site and some R8 collets:
http://littlemachineshop.com/product...ory=1963256888

Here's a link to some R8 end mill holders:
1/2" holder
http://littlemachineshop.com/product...1255&category=

3/8" holder
http://littlemachineshop.com/product...1254&category=

I didn't list any other end mill holders because the specs on your machine said end mill cap is 1/2".

Maybe some X2 owners will chime in on what sizes they use. There are some other threads here on the ZONE that have alot of info on the X2 (Hoss's thread, I forget the title). You can also find a lot of videos on YOUTUBE on the X2's.

Happy machining,
Jack

[Hellbringer]

thanks tauntdesigns thanks for the info you learn something new everyday

thanks is kinda stupid for harbor freight to sell a mill with the chuck that you can not use to mill

Thanks mike

[Pres]

Mike
Yeah, I mentioned that one time to a Harbor Freight rep and he suggested that they will probably just leave off the chuck.

[Hellbringer]

yeah you a probably right

another question?

the collets how do those attach? is there some other type of (what i would call) chuck that is needed or all i have to get is the collets or a end mill holder?

i am kinda a noob if you can tell

thanks mike

[tauntdesigns]

They all do it, even the big boy machines. Tooling is extra$$$$ I've spent as much or more on tooling as I did on my machines.

All the holders, collets, and chucks are held in the spindle with a draw bar. To remove your drill chuck, take off the plastic cover on top of the spindle, loosen the bolt a couple of threads and tap it with a mallet, this will loosen the R8 shank in the spindle, then you can finish unscrewing the draw bar and the R8 shank will come out.

Then replace it with an R8 collet or holder.

Hope that makes sense,
Jack
P.S. Those instructions are for an X3, hope they're the same..

[Pres]

Mike,
Just get the collets. They work for everything (e.g. mill or drill) whereas a chuck is ONLY for drilling (just axial thrust) as you found out.

1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 & 1/2" sizes would be a pretty complete set.

3/16 and 3/8" will probably be your most used collet sizes.

hth,
Pres
p.s. LMS is a good source and price for these items.

[tauntdesigns]

I don't have a X2, I was giving instructions for my X3.. Hope they're the same

Jack

[maxboostbusa]

I suggest you go to www.mini-lathe.com and look up the mini-mill section and read it. Also www.littlemachineshop.com has a tutorial section in the drop down links at the top of the page. I am not trying to be harsh or anything as most people will buy one of these machines and are excited and want to cut some things. Even these small mills and lathes are machines and really dont care what they cut or break. They can seriously hurt or even kill you if things go bad enough, so read everything you can or take a class at a community college, its a great hobby and lots of fun so welcome to the addiction.

[cadmonkey]

I second that - I started at those 2 sites 2 years ago, as a result of my R/C helicopter hobbies, then found my way here and also found somewhere online the US Military Field Machinists introduction manual. I learned a lot and just this December got my X3. Those sites and all the wealth of information here will save you money and time. Take a day or two and read as much as you can.

I spent all of December and the first half of January teaching my self Solidworks and designing my CNC conversion. THe CNC parts are the first parts I have ever machined, aside from a few small tidbits just to get the feel of the handmilling procedures. So far I have 3 of my ~18 conversion parts complete (I haven't firmed up the Z axis design so it's not 100% designed) and all are within the tolerances I alotted, I owe that to this site and those two mentioned above. (Build log with lots of pictures will be coming shortly, I'd rather machine than post

It also helps to have a brother/roomate/landlord who is an MSME and does all the R&D design and 50% of the machining for his firm's ventures. I can bounce thoughts off him from time to time and clarify some things that aren't spelled out real clear. I know those answers could have been gotten here, but a 'real-time' answer is nice

Good luck, and good reading!