need a chuck key

[Psychosaffa]

hey peeps
i got a pillar drill and cannot find a chuck key that fits. the machine says 1/2", but a 1/2" key is way too small, a 3/8 key is also too small, even tried a 4 in 1 key, but the one that looks like the teeth may fit, the locating pin is too big.

not too sure where to go from here. 2 x vise grips work fine but are not ideal.

 

[500e]

http://www.jacobschuck.com/images/products/accessory.pdf

 

[MattF]

not too sure where to go from here. 2 x vise grips work fine but are not ideal.

Heathen. At a push, if you really must, use a Pozi screwdriver with the tip pushed into the hole as a pivot for a flat bladed screwdriver to be pushed into the teeth and then levered to turn the crown. Don't use grips though. You'll damage the chuck.

With regards to keys, try getting one of those four way cross shape types. They should have the common sizes on there.

 

[Psychosaffa]

is there anything i can measure to determine the right size key?
that post by 500e looks promising, but i grew up with millimetres, so those fractions of inches freak me out a wee bit.

 

[MattF]

What dimensions does it list in that PDF? Conversion is easy enough. Just remember that there are 25.4mm to 1". 1/4" is 6.35mm, for example, so just use division to work out the fractions listed.

 

[chunkolini]

Did Ricky Lee Jones write a song about this?

 

[Robotstar5]

I have the same problem with my old Clarke pillar drill, lost count of how many keys I've tried including the 4 way type, tried phoning their service line but as the drill is obselete the computer says no!.

 

[shenion]

You can always replace the chuck.

I found there 3 sizes of 4-way keys, one chuck I had I had to try two different ones.

 

[500e]

is there anything i can measure to determine the right size key?
that post by 500e looks promising, but i grew up with millimetres, so those fractions of inches freak me out a wee bit.

http://www.metric-conversions.org/measurement-conversions.htm

It is real easy with Google