Keyless Chuck for Drill Press?

[Joe Beaulieu]

Hey Folks,

i am am considering buying a keyless chuck for my drill press. I have a Jet floor standing drill press - 17" I believe. Can you guys recommend a keyless chuck and arbor that will fit this DP? Is it an improvement? I realize that a keyed chuck isn't exactly a huge time sink, but I like the idea of tightening a bit down by hand and not having to reach for the key. If it's a bad idea let me know.

Thanks all! Your feedback is much appreciated.

Joe

[pat warner]

You'd be surprised how much chuck time you might accumulate.
Fastening 2 metal plates together:
Spot>drill>maybe ream>countersink>chamfer side 2, on the piece that accepts the head of the fastener.
On the piece that gets tapped: Spot>drill>optional ream, chamfer x 2 sides>tap.
May 7-10 chages/fastener = many chances to get pinched by the chuck gears.
Albrecht. (http://patwarner.com/images/old_rock.jpg)

[Duane Meadows]

Have used a keyless chuck on my DP for years! Bought it from Grizzly. In some cases, a keyed chuck gives a better grip, but I haven't had an issue with up to 2 1/2 forstner bits. YMMV.

[glenn bradley]

I also have been keyless since I can remember. I have been running a chuck that Woodcraft used to sell for about $35. Its been a decade and it is still going strong. Quality keyless chucks can cost more than my drill press so just consider the DP you are putting it on. Regardless of your choice I would be hard pressed to go back to a keyed chuck. I loath every time I have to use dad's DP when I am visiting.

[Robyn Horton]

Mine has had the Woodcraft keyless chuck on it for a long time and never had a problem , so another vote for keyless .

[John K Jordan]

I have both but I prefer a keyed chuck on my drill presses, especially when drilling steel. I know some people get frustrated hunting for the key. I drill a hole in the top right corner of the pulley cover and the key is always there.

[Brian Lamb]

Albrecht is the top of the food chain in Keyless chucks. Jacobs makes some also, but I prefer the Albrecht. If you want cheaper but better than some no-name Chinese stuff, look for Rohm. I own all three brands and have used them in the machine shop for 40+ years.

[Larry Frank]

For those who use a keyless chuck, how hard do you have to turn it to secure the bit.

I would love a keyless chuck, but with arthritis I wonder if I can tighten it effectively.

I am also looking for a replacement chuck for my Jet DP.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Some of the keyless ones go down to 1/16" or smaller. I'd consider whether or not you need that "feature". I have it on my DP, and it makes it very hard to find the "center". I often pinch bits between two jaws (rather than in the center of the 3) because the 1/16" center grip area is so small. I imagine it also reduces clamping force on larger bits.

[John McClanahan]

I have 2 drill presses. I installed a keyless chuck on 1 of them. I find the keyless chuck, well, OK. I don't seem to prefer one over the other.

Your drill has a tapered arbor that the chuck presses onto, or it has a Morse taper socket in the end of the arbor. You need to know what taper it is, so you can get the correct replacement. You will also need to get the current chuck off. This is usually done with wedges made for the task.

Keyless chucks have a capacity range. If you want to grip bits around 1/16", then the maximum size will be around 1/2". If you want to grip 5/8" bits, then the minimum size will be around 5/32". Keep that in mind when selecting a chuck.


John

[pat warner]

" how hard do you have to turn it"
********************************
About like turning a door knob.

[Ronald Blue]

A keyless chuck can "self tighten" so in that instance you won't likely have a strong enough grip to loosen it. A strap wrench works good in that instance. As has been said already Albrecht is the best followed by Jacobs. I would just get a new arbor to go with it rather than deal with separating the two. Morse taper arbors aren't that expensive and you can get the one that is matched to your chuck. You won't regret upgrading to keyless. Here is a dead link to a PSI on Amazon. I have a PSI and it seems acceptable in quality for wood working.

amazon.com/PSI-Woodworking-Products-TM32KL-Keyless/dp/B004CVJC3E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1457304884&sr=8-5&keywords=keyless+drill+chuck

[Jerome Stanek]

Our powermatic came with a keyless chuck

[Ellery Becnel]

Albrecht is the stuff. If you are going to go, go good!

[Larry Frank]

Guess I will not get an Albrecht Chuck. Just a little out of my price range. Would have a hard time justifying $300-500 for a chuck.

Which Grizzly chuck have people had good luck with?

[Alan Schaffter]

Can't say what chuck will fit your Jet but likely has a #2 or #3 Morse taper. I switched my Delta to a keyless chuck years ago and would never go back.

[Vince Shriver]

I changed over to an Albrecht chuck last year for my Delta 16" DP. Spendy, but worth every penny. It still amazes me when I twist the chuck to extract a bit; it requires a simple easy turn to make the bit fall right out. Also I seem to have much less run-out (not that it was all that bad before). Love this thing.

[Ronald Blue]

Maybe the Grizzly H8260 intregal? If yours is a #2 MT anyway. You don't need the precision of an Albrecht for wood working. While they are sweet I can tell you from experience in metal working that they can tighten themselves far tighter than the bare hand can ever loosen. So even the highest priced keyless chucks have a slight downside to them. All it takes is for the bit to spin, then the jaws bight in and stop it but when it does it tightens much tighter. You should never experience this working with wood. The plus side is even if that happens it doesn't require you to stop and tighten it tighter like you would with a keyed chuck.

[Eric DeSilva]

I put this Woodriver on my Steel City 17" DP and its done fine for me. I considered something like an Albrecht, but seemed overkill for woodworking. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VDK5H0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

[Jim German]

I love my keyless chuck, I use an old Bridgeport milling machine for my drill press so it has a standard R8 taper. Bought a chuck from Glacern for it and have been quite happy. It will hold a 1/64" bit and also has a spanner wrench if you need to tighten or loosen it more.

[Peter Kelly]

Albrecht is the top of the food chain in Keyless chucks. Jacobs makes some also, but I prefer the Albrecht. If you want cheaper but better than some no-name Chinese stuff, look for Rohm. I own all three brands and have used them in the machine shop for 40+ years.The Röhm keyless chucks come in 2 different series - Supra and Spiro. The Spiro series are on par with the Albrecht and Jacobs chucks and priced accordingly. Supra-series chucks are considerably less expensive and probably more than adequate for manual-feed hole drilling in wood.

[Mike Goetzke]

A keyless chuck can "self tighten" so in that instance you won't likely have a strong enough grip to loosen it. A strap wrench works good in that instance. As has been said already Albrecht is the best followed by Jacobs. I would just get a new arbor to go with it rather than deal with separating the two. Morse taper arbors aren't that expensive and you can get the one that is matched to your chuck. You won't regret upgrading to keyless. Here is a dead link to a PSI on Amazon. I have a PSI and it seems acceptable in quality for wood working.

amazon.com/PSI-Woodworking-Products-TM32KL-Keyless/dp/B004CVJC3E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1457304884&sr=8-5&keywords=keyless+drill+chuck

I just put an Albrecht keyless on my drill press. It is self tightening so I tried to just tighten it lightly but I needed couple wrenches to remove a 2-1/8” Forstner bit. It does have close to zero runout but what is the advantage of keyless if you need 2 wrenches to loosen the bit?

(maybe I’m just doing something wrong???)

[Curt Harms]

I have both but I prefer a keyed chuck on my drill presses, especially when drilling steel. I know some people get frustrated hunting for the key. I drill a hole in the top right corner of the pulley cover and the key is always there.

I did similar, built a little wooden support for the drill press's VFD and drove an eye screw whose eye fits the key and the key is always there. If I used a drill press a lot I might prefer a keyless chuck but for the occasional bit change (few times a month) I don't find a keyed chuck onerous.

[Mark e Kessler]

Albrecht is the go to, the Jacobs 9682D is the one i have, Is a lower cost alternative which is pretty good. I haven’t had luck on cheap ones, too much runout, don’t hold the bits well…

[Mark e Kessler]

I have the jacobs 9682D and it doesn’t take much, i would say its a non issue. Can’t speak for other brands



For those who use a keyless chuck, how hard do you have to turn it to secure the bit.

I would love a keyless chuck, but with arthritis I wonder if I can tighten it effectively.

I am also looking for a replacement chuck for my Jet DP.

[mike calabrese]

I don't mind using a keyed chuck in fact I have 3 hand held drills with keyless chucks and I hate them as they are never tight enough to keep from slipping .
I am one of these idiots that not only use a key but use it in at least two chuck positions when installing a bit in my press.
All that aside how do you guys hold the drill press quill from rotating when you tighten your keyless chucks , does it take two hands?
mike calabrese

[Mark e Kessler]

you just hold the main body and the top of the check and do a light twist and its done. Sometimes i find on large bits/hole saws it can take a little bit more effort to remove due to the self tightening nature. It depends on the quality of the check


I don't mind using a keyed chuck in fact I have 3 hand held drills with keyless chucks and I hate them as they are never tight enough to keep from slipping .
I am one of these idiots that not only use a key but use it in at least two chuck positions when installing a bit in my press.
All that aside how do you guys hold the drill press quill from rotating when you tighten your keyless chucks , does it take two hands?
mike calabrese

[John Kananis]

I have the jacobs 9682D and it doesn’t take much, i would say its a non issue. Can’t speak for other brands

I have that chuck and my only criticism is that I need to crank down on it sometimes (i get some slippage here and there if I don't). Size of the bit is irrelevant as it's happened on both small and large.

[mark mcfarlane]

Slightly off topic, but a small rare earth magnet epoxied to my drill press head holds the key in easy reach.

[Keith Pitman]

I have a Spanish made keyless chuck listed in the classifieds. It’s a very nice chuck and very smooth.

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the Woodpeckers drill press table with a drawer, so the key is always right in reach. I've thought of purchasing an Albrecht, but have never gotten around to it.

[Mike Goetzke]

I just put an Albrecht keyless on my drill press. It is self tightening so I tried to just tighten it lightly but I needed couple wrenches to remove a 2-1/8” Forstner bit. It does have close to zero runout but what is the advantage of keyless if you need 2 wrenches to loosen the bit?

(maybe I’m just doing something wrong???)

Think I found the issue. If I use twist drills I can easily open the chuck by hand but on a big Forstner bit no way. Probably a function of the self-tightening feature.

[Michael Schuch]

The Röhm keyless chucks come in 2 different series - Supra and Spiro. The Spiro series are on par with the Albrecht and Jacobs chucks and priced accordingly. Supra-series chucks are considerably less expensive and probably more than adequate for manual-feed hole drilling in wood.

I have a couple of Rohm keyless chucks I picked up used for use on my milling machine. They grip very well and have very little run out for nice true holes.

For my drill presses I prefer keyed chucks. Even my Walker Turner drill press has enough run out that the extra precision of the Rohm keyless chucks don't make a difference. Spending a lot of money on a high end precision keyless chuck to put on a drill press that has even the slightest little bit of slop in the spindle is a complete waste of money in my opinion. You don't need a high dollar high precision Albrecht keyless chuck to hold a drill bit securely on a drill press. A lower end keyless chuck will be just as secure but with an undetectable bit more run out that would be impossible to notice when drilling wood... or even most metal drilling operations on a drill press. Save the high end precision chucks for the milling machine and don't waste the money on a drill press.

I keep my drill press chuck keys on the end of a retractable metal chain like a janitor would use for his keys. It keeps the chuck key at hand but still out of the way.

https://www.amazon.com/Key-Bak-Original-Retractable-Stainless-Retraction/dp/B002SQ9P6O/ref=sr_1_10?crid=370KI8ABW7EFC&keywords=key%2Bretractable%2Bchain%2Bheavy%2Bduty&qid=1655705414&sprefix=key%2Bretractable%2Bchain%2Bheavy%2Bduty%2 Caps%2C186&sr=8-10&th=1

I have never had a problem with gripping any sized drill bit with any of my old American made Jacob chucks. The cheap plastic keyless chucks on the low end Dewalt cordless drills are junk. The all metal keyless chucks on the upper line of Dewalt cordless drills have always worked great for me. My Milwaukee 110v "Hole Shooter" hand drill has a ratcheting keyless chuck that works great. The ratcheting impact like action of the chuck really tightens and holds well. No one I have known has used the ratcheting type keyless chuck and are pretty clueless as to its operation... as I was when I bought the drill 30+ years ago.

When I first got my Delta VS drill press it had a little spring loaded nub on the end of the chuck key to eject it from the chuck. I HATED THAT! I remove the spring in the chuck key and it works "properly" now.