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Clausing 2287 20" Drill Press Spindle Problems

cl5man

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 6, 2004
Location
AZ
Having some pretty frustrating problems with this thing since I purchased it. I've used my Bridgeport for drilling duties for years. Found a nice used Clausing 20" and decided to go for it. This drill is a tank!! Its mounted on a huge cast iron table, 460V 3phase the I had rewound for 230V 3 phase. Problem is chatter. It doesn't matter what I do, the thing chatters. 1/2 drills or 1" drills, fast or slow, cutting oil or no cutting oil, small pilot hole, big pilot hole or no pilot hole, new drill bits or hand sharpened bits, slow feed or aggressive feed. Chatter, and I mean the kind of chatter that makes you think the drills gonna break. Using the same drill in my bridgeport and they cut like a dream so I know its the machine. The spindle has about .003 runout at the end of the #3MT. All of my bits are MT shanked, I don't use a chuck. I installed new spindle bearings when I purchased it, the quill moves smooth and freely and I've trived tightening up the quill lock just loose enough to allow me to feed it but still chatters. I thought it was my x-y table so I clamped a test piece directly on the table, chatter. I'm thinking its gotta be the .003 runout but I know some of these cheap drill presses out there have at least that much when new and they seem to cut decent. I'm running out of ideas and i've already spend to much time, energy and money on this thing to sell it and start over. Any ideas would be much appreciated.
 
You replaced the spindle bearings??? That's probably your problem. If you did not put the exact same ones in for replacement, All the numbers and LETTERS have to be match up exactly. Sounds like you put in bearings with a large running clearance in them instead of ones with a tight running clearance. Do you have the old bearings to share pictures of?
 
Don't have the original bearings that were installed. New bearings were ordered from Clausing using the part numbers in the manual. For the amount of money I paid Clausing I'd hope they're the correct ones. Another bit of info, I did check the column squareness with a ground precsion 8" square. Using the outside diameter of the MT end of the spindle i can slip about .020 worth of feeler guages between the spindle and square. The column did have shims installed on the production table from the factory, made sure the same ones were installed when reassembled. Im thinking that .020" isn't my problem.
 
So if you take the shims out, does it get worse or better? How much shim is there under the table? I can't see the drill press being that much out coming from the factory originally. That sounds like someone screwed with the original adjustments that came from the factory.
 








 
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