Chuck switchectomy and new skirt step by step.

[tonypilot7]

So I have had my Chuck for almost a year and after several drops, she lost her prom dress. Also I have finally beat the switch into submission. It is totally dead. I decided to do a switchectomy and figured I would put a new skirt on her while I was at it so here goes...

First, I took the nut off of the outside of the switch and pushed the switch through the hole.

Then, unscrew the top cap completely. (mine was loose already)

Unsolder the wire from the top cap to the switch.

Push the other part of the assembly through the bottom of the Chuck housing.

unsolder the other lead from the switch

Clean Everything!
as you can see, there was a lot of filth inside the threads. I used scotch pads to clean all the threads and contact surfaces.

NEW SKIRT!
I found this material at Lowes:

I liked the woodchuck that someone posted earlier so I thought why not try it on mine. I bought the 12 x 48 inch (enough to do at least 20 chucks) piece in red oak. It was all that Lowes had at the time but if you go to the website : Band-It® Products | Real Wood Veneer There are all kinds of exotic and purty woods to choose from.

Then I cut a piece and dry fitted it.

This veneer has a heat activated glue backing material. I used a hobby iron to Iron it on to the Chuck housing. (you can use a regular clothes iron also.)

Cut the hole for the switch:

sanded the crap out of it..

And she is ready for stain and varnish.

I will post pics of the reassembly and finished product when she is done.

 

[Vchick]

Tony, how sweet it is....... I see a strapless in burlap with wing nut earrings coming up soon! I still say we need to have awards on this forum....nominations anyone?

 

[tonypilot7]

Stain applied

This color really made the wood grain pop out.

Can you see the seam?

 

[tonypilot7]

Tony, how sweet it is....... I see a strapless in burlap with wing nut earrings coming up soon! I still say we need to have awards on this forum....nominations anyone?

Burlap and wing nut earrings? Only a chuck could pull that look off!

 

[Vchick]

LOL ok, so I'm choking on the vapor right now laughing, you are so right about that!

I cannot see the seam, impressive job my friend!

And who thought only guys knew about lug nut earrings....

 

[tonypilot7]

sand-varnish-wait, sand-varnish-wait,sand-varnish-wait...


Who woulda thought it would be so difficult to get an even finish on this thing!

 

[tonypilot7]

Ok, so after about a zillion attempts to get an even sanding on this thing, I finally figured out a solution...

I turned my drill into a lathe by wrapping a piece of scotch pad tight around a long 1/4 inch socket extension then jamming it into the bottom of the chuck tube.

That made things a lot easier. It also allowed me to wet-sand between coats of varnish.

Reassembly:

The first step is to shove the switch assembly (with the new switch already soldered on one lead) back into place:

Then put the battery in place and screw in the endcap:

Then, the tricky part... Re-solder the top cap lead to the switch. This is a lot easier to do if you have 3 or 4 hands to hold all the parts.

Then, you want to remove the end cap and battery and slide the bottom end assembly towards the tail end of the chuck so that you can scoot the switch down into the tube and push it through the hole. screw the switch nut into place and tighten. (note, there was a lock washer on the inside of the chuck around the switch button)

But I couldn't get mine to fit with it in place because of the increased diameter after applying the veneer. So I left it out.

Then you want to twist the top cap counter-clockwise to wind up the wire. (if you skip this step, you will twist off the wire on the top cap before you get it fully threaded on.

With the wire pre-twisted, you can now thread the top cap on slowly, if it resists, back it out. The wire is binding. Then install batteries and test with multimeter.

Congrats, you're done.

And now, the unveiling:

It's part chuck.... It's part oak...

I call it.....

The Choak

OOOOHHHHHHH YEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH

 

[Xanax]

Where did you get the new switch from? Or was that the old switch re-used?

 

[tonypilot7]

I found it at radio shack. its an spst momentary switch rated .5 amps at 125 vac. Its the same switch that came out of my Chuck, but made by a different manufacturer.

 

[Xanax]

OH wow... was this ordered online or you just walked into your local radioshack and found it in there? That's really good to know in case I have any more problems with my switch. Thanks for this post, it's really helpful.

Do you happen to know if it's gold plated by any chance? I wonder what kind of difference that makes if any at all... I think Jeff has said he uses the gold plated ones... not too sure why.

 

[tonypilot7]

It was at the local store. They have a large bin with all different types of switches. I picked up a few different ones for some other projects also. I don't know if it is gold plated, But it works just as good as the original.

 

[jeffakamax]

Very nice!

 

[tonypilot7]

Thanks Jeff. I'm extremely happy with the way it turned out. When are you going to add the Veneer option to the lineup? Just kidding, kinda...

A friend of mine asked why I prefer the Chuck to my V3 or ego and I handed it to him and said, "this hits harder."

One puff and several coughs later, he agreed.

 

[Wafflestomper]

That is outstanding!!! I think the "Uncle Dakon's Woody" Chuck may need an makeover...

 

[Poeia]

Did anyone else see a wabbit? Whewe did it come fwom?

 

[crashtestjeep]

NICE! I love it!

 

[WillyB]

I found it at radio shack. its an spst momentary switch rated .5 amps at 125 vac. Its the same switch that came out of my Chuck, but made by a different manufacturer.

You sure? I can't imagine the Chuck using an under rated 0.5A 50¢ switch. Looks can be deceiving.

There's lots of similar looking switches with much better specs and construction.

I'd feel more comfortable with a 3A switch from a respected manufacturer like this.

Digi-Key - CKN1672-ND (Manufacturer - 8551MZQE2)

 

[tonypilot7]

You sure? I can't imagine the Chuck using an under rated 0.5A 50¢ switch. Looks can be deceiving.

There's lots of similar looking switches with much better specs and construction.

I'd feel more comfortable with a 3A switch from a respected manufacturer like this.

Digi-Key - CKN1672-ND (Manufacturer - 8551MZQE2)

Yeah I just looked at it again, .5A 125v made in Japan, no other markings. So far with the new switch I have had no misfires, hard presses or other problems. Voltage to the connector measures 6.2 v. I don't have a load voltage checker so I can't measure that, but it's working fine.

I did have to rebuild the atty connector because the rubber separator for the positive lead had rotted and it was shorting intermittently, but other than that, she works just fine.

 

[NickM]

Thank you! This was really helpful to me. I dropped my little chuck one too many times on cement and caused the switch to be on permanent "on." I went to radio shack and got the switch, followed your instructions, and it's working fine!

 

[tonypilot7]

Yeah, these damn things tend to jump right out of your hands don't they?