Keyless Chuck Slipage

[Burt Alcantara]

I've got an 18v Ryobi. Yeah, I know, a piece of junk. But for my purposes it's fine. But...the keyless chuck is always slipping.

Yesterday, I had to drill a starter hole thru 4" pvc to a metal duct gate. The bit kept slipping into the chuck. This is happening too often and I think it's time for a either a fix or a new drill.

First, is this fixable?
Second, what's a good replacement? I'm primarily a turner so the drill is general purpose that gets used about 1 day a week on average. Don't want to break the bank here.

Thanks,
Burt

[David G Baker]

I have replaced chucks in the past. Don't know if the Ryobi sells a replacement chuck. I have been using Ryobi tools for several years, while they aren't top of the line they also do not command a top of the line price and do a pretty good job to boot. I had better luck with some of my Makitas several years ago but at the time they were considered junk as well.

[Bruce Page]

Look into the chuck and see if there’s a screw head. If there is you can probably replace the chuck with a keyed Jacobs type chuck.
Keyless chucks are cheaper to manufacture than a keyed chuck, that’s why everything is keyless now days. I have never used a “Keyless” chuck that I couldn’t get the bit to slip if pushed hard.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

A co-worker and I replaced our drills about the same time. He bought a Milwauukee Hole Saw with the keyless chuck. I bought the same one with a keyed chuck. He used it on one installation. When he got home he took it to a local Milwaukee authorized repair center and a keyed chuck put on.


I have a Makita keyless chuck...it works but I prefer a keyed chuck. JMHO.

[Chris Kennedy]

I had a Ryobi 14.4 that slipped, and then the chuck got whacked a little out of line. I looked into replacing it, but the new chuck was about half the cost of the drill. I gave it to my FIL who does a lot of construction, and a slightly out of line chuck isn't an issue.

I now have a keyless Bosch and a keyed PC.

Cheers,

Chris

[Harry Goodwin]

Sorry about your chuck. I had a Bosch that had a great one but I also when given a opinion polol have requesteed that Milwalkee include this option for older folks tht have money for quality tools but weaker hands and a chuck works great. Some of their options indicate they listen as I am not the only one with weaker hands. Some of the cheaaper tools available are in response to people who will not pay an American a living wage for a great tool. Harry

[glenn bradley]

Lowe's has Jacobs keyless chucks in 6 varieties around here. All about $20 - $25. You could also consider hex shank bits but that only solves the problem some of the time. I have very rarely had any of my DeWalts or Makitas slip and that was probably due to me doing the old "hold the chuck and fire the drill" method of tightening instead of doing it correctly ;-)

[Burt Alcantara]

...probably due to me doing the old "hold the chuck and fire the drill" method of tightening instead of doing it correctlyThis is the way I've always tightened a keyless chuck. Is there another way?

[Bill Houghton]

but I haven't found them good at holding bits, except for the ratcheting kind that some of the pro drills use (my used Milwaukee has a ratcheting chuck, and, while I often have to retighten it after I start, it holds bits). I have a keyless on one cordless drill that's used exclusively for hex bits, but I won't have them on drills used with round shank bits - they slip too often.

All chucks can be removed, I believe, and they all, so far as I know, use pretty much the same approach*: the chuck is threaded on a spindle (3/8"- 24 tpi for 1/4" and most 3/8" chucks; 1/2"- 20 tpi for 1/2" and a few heavy duty 3/8" chucks), and held from rotating off when you reverse the drill by a screw with lefthand threads, so that it tightens in opposition to the reversing force. This retaining screw is accessible by opening the chuck all the way and reaching down inside it. Makita, at least, often uses a female hex ("allen") head on these screws; slotted is more common, in my experience. I don't know if the threads on these are peculiar to the drill; when I've replaced chucks, I've reused the screw that was in the drill before.

You remove the chuck, after you remove the screw (remember: lefthand threads, so it unscrews in the "wrong" direction), by putting something in the chuck that will give you leverage and tapping it with a (preferably soft-faced, though this isn't absolutely necessary) hammer. Traditionally on keyed chucks, the advice was to use the chuck key, but I think better for keyed chucks and necessary for keyless is chucking up a hex (again, "allen" - this is a brand name that, at least in my neighborhood, wound up as a generic term, like kleenex) L-wrench - large is better, 3/8" ideal for a 3/8" chuck - and bopping on that. The drill motor spindle threads are righthand, so you'll bop in the direction that will unscrew the chuck clockwise as you stand behind the drill motor. Sharp but not too heavy blows are the trick - you want to shock the chuck before the motor's gears have time to turn.

Once you get it loose, you can unscrew by hand.

Installing is the reverse, although I've never done more than hand-tighten the chuck on the drill motor spindle. Check that the screw is still tight after you use the drill for a while.

*Except that, if you've got a drill old enough not to have a reverse setting, the retaining screw isn't needed; some of these have a male spindle that threads into a female drill motor spindle.

[John Thompson]

My 1/2" Hitachi has a keyed chuck as most 1/2" and for a reason. The very first thing I did with both my 3/8" drills is take off the keyless chuck and replace with a Jacobs keyed chuck. I shopped hard for a 3/8 keyed chuck but .... I didn't find anyone that makes the 3/8" without the keyless deal and frankly... I can't stand them.

Sarge..

[Andrew Joiner]

Contact cement gives you more grip. It wears off in time, but quick to
re-apply.

I'm looking at drill presses. Some have keyless chucks. THAT IS dumb.

[Tom Esh]

I'm looking at drill presses. Some have keyless chucks. THAT IS dumb.

Beg to differ. The keyed chuck for my DP has been sitting at the bottom of a drawer rusting since the day 3 yrs ago I put on a decent quality keyless. It has never slipped or even shown signs of it. If it ever does, I'll replace it with another keyless.

[Stephen Tashiro]

I wonder if bits with non-round cross sections at the blunt end would solve any problems with keyless (or keyed) chucks. I suppose it would be hard to get the world to agree on a standard shape. But there are already bits with hex ends for the so-called "quick change" systems.